Australian Members - Part II - if you read the first post, you'll get what this is all about.

[Geoffrey Firmin]



Anyone know a good scarf place? Stocking up for a gap year going through colder, more appropriate cities

Henry Carter has some very nice scarf's I've found the silk&wool very useful in Canberra. Where we (still) have a winter.

 

[Dairy Phobic]

Hey guys,

I'm moving to Sydney for school for two years. Any general advice for living in Sydney, in the Lidcombe/Auburn area? I heard winter are pretty brutal because most homes do not have central heating?

Also is it a terrible idea to move straight into a house listing one has found online right off the plane? B/c I'm gonna do that.

Also any affordable places to buy suits locally? I imagine I may need a couple.

Thanks

 

[Prince of Paisley]



Any general advice for living in Sydney, in the Lidcombe/Auburn area?

Stay safe OP.

 

[Dairy Phobic]



Stay safe OP.

lol whats wrong with it? I've heard it's not the nicest area though no details, but I can't tell if you are just meme'ing me. It's really close to school for me and seems convenient with the new woolworths, aldi, kmart, costco around

 

[Henry Carter]



Hey guys,

I'm moving to Sydney for school for two years. Any general advice for living in Sydney, in the Lidcombe/Auburn area? I heard winter are pretty brutal because most homes do not have central heating?

Also is it a terrible idea to move straight into a house listing one has found online right off the plane? B/c I'm gonna do that.

Also any affordable places to buy suits locally? I imagine I may need a couple.

Thanks

Say hello to Salim for us.

Winter in sydney? Brutal is not what comes to mind lol it's not cold at all really unless you are at the foot of the blue mountains.

 

[blahman]

More importantly, does Auburn do good bahn mi and vietnamese coffee for cheap?

 

[Osiris2012]

Who was the member who got the green overcoat made from Oscar hunt?

Any chance of reporting the real life pics, couldn't find them in the original thread

 

[nabilmust]

So Alec Baldwin likes his Cashmere Brescianis

He is, after, all, not a farmer.

In my experience the only thing worse than a fake Rolex wearer is a real Rolex wearer.

Oh.. kay then

Has anyone bought or tried on one of the sunspel sweatshirts? I'm after something similar, but haven't had the chance to make it into the store for a look.

What was fit on it like, and does the loopback fabric live up to internet hype? Has anyone seen anything similar elsewhere, or even better, want to buy me one?

I have their grey sweatshirt. It's the best sweatshirt I own. When I first bought it, it was a little large on me (I got the Medium). I put it in the dryer once and now it fits perfectly on me. It's very comfortable, it is cozy, it is soft, plush, warm. It is also very sharp, so it looks at home whether worn over a t-shirt or a collared shirt. The loopback fabric has lived up to its form and shape even after multiple washes and is one of the better looking/made loopbacking I've seen out there.

Or there's Ian Goodenough, MP, who issued a press release about his decision to purchase a Rolex, written in the third person:

https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/wa/a/30787951/only-a-rolex-goodenough/

"Ian decided that a momentous year of achievement should be acknowledged and after careful research, consideration and planning decided to invest in a watch. He visited a local Western
Australian company, Rosendorff Jewellers, and purchased a Rolex.

Ian decided to purchase a Rolex after learning of the brand’s history and commitment to achieving the best time piece product possible. Its renowned reputation as the pinnacle watch in the industry was a nice fit for the occasion the watch was being bought for."


I think that some people dislike Rolex not only because of the points that D-Red mentioned above - people with money who buy a Rolex simply because it's a Rolex, just in the same way that people buy monogrammed canvas LV bags even though they're hideously overpriced, just so they can say (or show) that they've got a Rolex or LV bag - but also because it's a reaction to the thinking of people like Ian Goodenough. Rolex does make good watches, but anyone who knows about watches also knows that Rolex is far from the pinnacle of watchmaking. They make decent, generally reliable, hard-wearing watches that have largely stood the test of time, but they are not beautifully made and they are not technically outstanding.

While I'm up on my high horse, I also really fail to understand the enthusiasm of people for "patina" on watches, and Rolex collectors are an excellent example of this inexplicable mania. People will actually pay *more* for a banged-up, old Rolex Submariner - sometimes a heck of a lot more - because it's old. Not because it's rare - there are many, many, many thousands of Submariners out there and the watch has been in production, virtually unchanged, for 60 years - but because it's old. I've seen people post Instagram pics of Rolex watches with cracked bezels and scratched glass, and the pictures have gained thousands of "likes", with people commenting on how cool the watch looks. I think that I've made this point before but, if it's *your* patina - if the watch looks well-worn because of the adventures that you've had while wearing the watch, then that's fine. In fact, that's better than fine - that's great. However, if the watch was worn by someone else for a few decades and then you buy it from eBay or a second-hand watch dealer and pay a premium because of the patina imparted while it was on the wrist of someone who you don't know at all - then I think that's silly. If I'm buying a watch, then I want the watch to look as pristine as possible. I wouldn't buy a banged up old car and then go around talking about how great the cracked windscreen and rust in the bodywork are, so why would I have the same attitude to a watch?

This is actually the post that made me come out of the woodwork. It's been a while since an opinion piece that is divisive, sounded as polite as this. It also did not contain any implicit personal attacks on a general class of people. I didn't feel dismissed for enjoying my vintage rolex, or the fact that it had a patina I wasn't responsible for. I've always enjoyed your posts, @Journeyman ; and this one was no different.

Where I disagree, I hope I am in my thoughts as genteel as you were in yours.

The first is the logical premise. I don't necessarily think that one is paying for the patina, as much as the person is paying for something vintage. There are definitely exception to this, and every rule. The patina is a necessary consequence of an aged good, like a vintage watch. In essence, a vintage watch collector is buying something used, and used well. One key indicator of that is the patination of that watch (you can't get patination if you keep a watch out of sunlight for 40 years). Some collectibles are valued on how minty their condition is. Vintage watches not so much. Vintage watch collectors don't regard 'mint condition' vintages as much as a well-used vintage. Perhaps it's the juxtaposition, perhaps it's romantic, who knows?

Second, I cannot be responsible for the patina on a watch that was made, and used, decades before I was born. That should not disentitle me from enjoying my vintage watch. Or from placing a subjective value on a subjective matter.

This leads me to my third point, like any niche market, the valuation exercise of its goods exists in its own ecosystem with its own rules. You have to be in the ecosystem to understand it. It doesn't mean I invalidate any views on the ecosystem per se and I accept that you have your sentiments about vintage watches.

The watch equivalent of buying torn jeans.

Not quite the best equivalence, but I can see where you're coming from.

This is, clearly, a subjective issue.

This should probably be the opening line of every post.

 

[Foxhound]

Who was the member who got the green overcoat made from Oscar hunt?

Any chance of reporting the real life pics, couldn't find them in the original thread

CD.

Here are some from Jared at OH.

 

[California Dreamer]



Firstly, if the jacket fabric is patterned, it can be tricky to make sure that the pattern still matches once the sleeves are shortened. Secondly, there is a risk that the shoulder shape will change - it may not look as rounded as it did previously. 

I tend to steer clear of jackets with working buttonholes because I've concluded that it's generally just not worth the hassle of having them altered to fit. 

CD if the jacket looks good no one is going to notice if the cuff buttons are 1 cm closer to the cuff than usual. Not even iGents. You can leave the last button off or undone anyway.

CD, very possible to do. as JM and others have outlined. If you absolutely love the jacket, worthwhile paying big coin to have a bespoke tailor alter it for you. The reason why I say it is because a mediocre tailor might not be able to reattach the shoulder similar to how it was before. I've heard of too many horror stories where they've buggered shoulders, particularly if shoulders are roped or attached liked a shirt sleeve

Thanks guys for your input.

JM, I think your point about the fabric could be a deal-breaker. As you can see from the photo at the sleevehead, it's pretty well matched up, and it could only be made worse. Same with the roping, I think. I certainly agree with you about steering clear of functioning sleeve buttons as a rule, but temptation won out here.

fxh, I'd norrnally agree with you there, but in this case I need to take about 1" off the sleeve. As you can see from the photo, that's going to bring the lowest button down to the sleeve hem. i'm not sure I'll be able to disguise that, even if I leave the third of the 3 remaining buttons undone.

Sliq, I do indeed love this jacket, and I hope you guys can see why. Sadly I think this is shaping as such a big job, I'm probably going to conclude that this one is not for me.

 

[Journeyman]

This is actually the post that made me come out of the woodwork. It's been a while since an opinion piece that is divisive, sounded as polite as this. It also did not contain any implicit personal attacks on a general class of people. I didn't feel dismissed for enjoying my vintage rolex, or the fact that it had a patina I wasn't responsible for. I've always enjoyed your posts, @Journeyman ; and this one was no different.

Where I disagree, I hope I am in my thoughts as genteel as you were in yours.

The first is the logical premise. I don't necessarily think that one is paying for the patina, as much as the person is paying for something vintage. There are definitely exception to this, and every rule. The patina is a necessary consequence of an aged good, like a vintage watch. In essence, a vintage watch collector is buying something used, and used well. One key indicator of that is the patination of that watch (you can't get patination if you keep a watch out of sunlight for 40 years). Some collectibles are valued on how minty their condition is. Vintage watches not so much. Vintage watch collectors don't regard 'mint condition' vintages as much as a well-used vintage. Perhaps it's the juxtaposition, perhaps it's romantic, who knows?

Second, I cannot be responsible for the patina on a watch that was made, and used, decades before I was born. That should not disentitle me from enjoying my vintage watch. Or from placing a subjective value on a subjective matter.

This leads me to my third point, like any niche market, the valuation exercise of its goods exists in its own ecosystem with its own rules. You have to be in the ecosystem to understand it. It doesn't mean I invalidate any views on the ecosystem per se and I accept that you have your sentiments about vintage watches.

Thanks for the post, NM. I was actually hoping that you might chime in with your thoughts!

I think that - although I could well be wrong - once watch sales moved online, vintage watch collectors liked watches with patina because it gave a pretty good indication that the watch was genuine. After all, if the lume was yellowed, the dial was a bit faded, the bezel was chipped, the face was scratched and so on, the chances were that the watch was actually 40 years old, rather than having been made a week earlier in a factory in China.

However, the internet being what it is, and people being what they are, rather than patina being an indicator of something, it became an end in itself, hence why some people now ooh and aah over yellowed lume, chipped bezels and so on.

I do actually quite like the look of yellowed lume and so I understand that part of the appeal to some extent, but I can't understand the fetishisation of patina simply for the sake of patina. It's interesting, though, in that it's so different from the way that other vintage items are valued (well, to my limited knowledge, at least). With other vintage items - furniture, books, crockery/glassware, pictures and so on - damage and wear is viewed negatively. It reduces the value of the vintage item. In other words, the more pristine the vintage item, the higher the value. However, when it comes to some watches, people are willing to pay considerably more for watches with visible wear-and-tear - it enhances the value, rather than reducing it!

 

[Oli2012]

Lol at Alburn and Lindcombe.

Have a look at Ashfield. It's not too bad price wise.

 

[Geoffrey Firmin]



Hey guys,

I'm moving to Sydney for school for two years. Any general advice for living in Sydney, in the Lidcombe/Auburn area? I heard winter are pretty brutal because most homes do not have central heating?

Also is it a terrible idea to move straight into a house listing one has found online right off the plane? B/c I'm gonna do that.

Also any affordable places to buy suits locally? I imagine I may need a couple.

Thanks

Flanelett shirts and heavy metal t shirts are the norm along with neck tats. Aside from that their relatively safe suburbs during daylight hours.

Kevlar is a practical option. Winter in Sydney well its lasts about two weeks if that.

 

[crappbag]

I'm straight outta Western Sydney. It honestly gets a worse rap than it deserves.

 

[Oli2012]



I'm straight outta Western Sydney. It honestly gets a worse rap than it deserves.

I work there. Face it it's a hole.