whnay.'s good taste thread

[patrickBOOTH]



Ed is screwing with you. In his earnest assessment, that thread should be avoided like the plague. He might be right to some extent.

However, it's worth noting that this whole "OneShirt" thing isn't really new. Easily 80% of my shirts are solid blue (60% if not counting OCBDs). It's always worked for me, so I finally just gave the concept a pithy name. You are by no means treading dangerous, uncharted territory.

100% of my shirts are solid white. Maybe I will do a post about my oneshirt when I get time.

 

[patrickBOOTH]



What does manton have against mitred barrel cuffs? Does he really care that much about cuff edges? My Dege barrel cuffs are two button, mitred. Lachter made two buttons with a curved edge. NSM does one button. If I cared about harmonizing them all, I would probably get two button mitred, but I don't. How can this choice matter in any way but petty preference?

All of my regularly worn shirts are one button mitred.

 

[acridsheep]



I stand to gain nothing from offering critique other than good-willed, engaging discussion. So, my own annoyance has nothing to do with thin skin. It's the wasted time talking to people who don't actually want to talk about anything.

As for "talking down" to people and being "heavy-handed"--well, this isn't a dinner party. I would never comment on someone's clothing in a normal social situation, nor would I spend more than a moment noticing it to begin with. But this forum is not such a generalized environment. It's a gathering place specifically created for people to talk about a subject matter with depth and nuance that would normally be extremely socially awkward. Hence, I work on the assumption that you are all adults who are chiefly subject-oriented, an not here looking to have your sensitive egos stroked and soothed. I'm talking about your clothes and the way you dress, not the quality of your characters. Unless you're a dick.

It is telling that you admit to behaving so materially differently in real life than you do here. As though having frank discussions about the subtle nuances in clothing and being, I dunno, a nice guy, are mutually exclusive.

 

[RDiaz]

Maybe it's just me but mitred cuffs seem to look more casual. At least that's the feeling I get when I look at them and maybe that's why Manton no likes.

 

[TheFoo]



It is telling that you admit to behaving so materially differently in real life than you do here. As though having frank discussions about the subtle nuances in clothing and being, I dunno, a nice guy, are mutually exclusive.

Yes, it should tell you that I'm socially well-adapted.

If during your normal, daily life, you find yourself chatting with people about their clothes and asking them where to "kop" their ties and pocket squares, something is really wrong with you and you need serious recalibration.

Being "nice" is relative to context. Outside of this forum, it is never "nice" to tell someone out of the blue that his suit doesn't fit right, suggest a different cloth from Lesser for next time, or remark that his tie doesn't complement his shirt. In normal social situations, there is simply no "nice" way to critique how someone else dresses.

So, I really have no idea what you're talking about. If we cannot behave according to different standards here, this place doesn't need to exist.

 

[JPHardy]



Maybe it's just me but mitred cuffs seem to look more casual. At least that's the feeling I get when I look at them and maybe that's why Manton no likes.

A wise man was once asked:

What's the significance of mitered shirt cuffs (ones with angle cut corners), vs. the more common rounded corner variety? Does it make a shirt more casual/formal?

His reply

"Absolutely no significance whatsoever. It is just a way to do the cuff."

That man was Dopey.

 

[patrickBOOTH]

Dopey has a lot of great lines.

 

[TheFoo]

The default in Italy is mitered cuffs. Maybe Dopey's Caraceni experience infected him.

 

[JPHardy]

I fall pray to the One Cuff, which is the mitered.

 

[RDiaz]

A wise man was once asked:

What's the significance of mitered shirt cuffs (ones with angle cut corners), vs. the more common rounded corner variety? Does it make a shirt more casual/formal?

His reply

"Absolutely no significance whatsoever. It is just a way to do the cuff."

That man was Dopey.

Well, while the feeling I get about mitred cuffs is that they are more casual, I personally don't care much about that particular detail. I just thought that could be the reason Manton doesn't like them. I'm one of those that sometimes wears French cuffs with odd jackets, so...

 

[TheFoo]

I am sort of agnostic on the matter, but whereas I once leaned toward mitered, I now tend toward rounded barrels.

 

[patrickBOOTH]

I think you might see them as more casual because they stand out a bit more. They are kind of showy even if subtlety, but with an otherwise sober outfit I think they are fine.

 

[TheFoo]



Well, while the feeling I get about mitred cuffs is that they are more casual, I personally don't care much about that particular detail. I just thought that could be the reason Manton doesn't like them. I'm one of those that sometimes wears French cuffs with odd jackets, so...

I really wouldn't read too much into Manton's preference here. I think he was just stating his personal taste. I agree with Dopey that there is nothing more right or wrong about a mitered versus rounded barrel cuff. I can't fathom of a situation where one would be okay and the other not.

 

[RDiaz]

Quote:


Well, rounded barrels are certainly less prone to fraying.

 

[TheFoo]



Well, rounded barrels are certainly less prone to fraying.

I now have a phobia-level fear of fraying, so this probably cuts to the heart of the matter. In fact, I'm going to ask Geneva to round off all the corners on my shirts.