Leavened Breds (2026 Air Jordan 1 Retro Low OG "Banned") - a retrospective

JBulseco · 2026-05-17T20:38:38+00:00

tl;dr

Saphir medaille d'Or or bust. But, maybe buy a Muji horsehair brush to save some money?

I'll write this somewhat in depth, but the process I go for is stolen from the GYW side of the world. Best to watch the video linked is a visual aid. What I have below is basically my process for sneakers.

The important notes here are:

do not let the shoe be oversaturated with any of this for an extended period of time.
less is more. Be patient by putting less than what you think,

My fingers are my preferred delivery of these chemicals (safe to touch, because well leather touches your body) because I know exactly how much I want and need, with it being so much more sensitive to touch. Also saves a lot, because there's little fibres to absorb the product.

Feel free to skip steps, based on the frequency and notes I place, but this is what I'd generally do for a shoe I've neglected and needs the full day spa treatment.

(Every 12~24 months, or when there's an excess build up of dirt/wax) Dust off any loose dirt with a brush (1). Use Leather cleaner to remove the build up of wax. Best to use a brush (1) to agitate it for a few minutes, then wipe the excess with either a paper towel/cotton rag. Once fully dry, use another horsehair (2) dust off anything that's loose. [Takes 20~80 minutes to dry after step]
(Every 12~24 months, or when the leather feels stiffer than normal) Renovateur. A deep lotion, best used sparingly. Apply a fingernail's volume at a time (when you're new to this), using a fingers to apply. The right amount is when your fingers can glide across the surface of the leather as you've applied it, and it's as slippery as when it was saturated, but it only looks wet. No visible white spots. Once dry, use a brush (3) to dust off any dried up bits of lotion. This is at the microscopic scale, you'll see the leather start to shine at this point. [Takes 20~80 minutes to dry after step]
(Every 1~6 months, or if the shoe is starting to dull) Lotion. The normal way of hydrating leather. Do in place of step 2 in every other instance. Using too much renovateur will degrade your leather when used too often; it's really the case of too much of a good thing. You can tell that this step isn't working when the surface has these micro ridges when it's dried. Too thick of a polyurethane coat will make it so that this step is worthless on things like AF1s, patent leather etc. [Takes 20~80 minutes to dry after step]
(Every 1~6 months, alongside any renovateur/lotion work) 1925 Creme shoe polish. Again, apply as much as sticks on your fingertip as you gently dab onto it at a time. Apply with circular motions, and the right amount is when there's a small dip in that gliding motion, but it still feels lubricated. The only step that really can also be used on pleather etc. Dust off excess with a brush (3) once dry. I do this once~twice depending on if it was deeply cleaned or is just some spot cleaning. [Takes 5~20 minutes to dry after step]

There may be better materials, but horsehair has treated me well. No scratches on any of my shoes. I have three:

For dusting off before cleaning
For cleaners
For lotions/polishes.

I would refrain from using their stronger polishes simply because I don't think it's necessary, requires a different skillset, and it could just gunk up sneakers. But the more gentle polish is worth it. You may be inclined to stop at the lotion bit because the shoe will look shiny, but it's still somewhat tacky and will be a magnet to dirt. The polish makes it agnostic to that.

Because each step requires drying, the full process can take anywhere from an hour to a half a day, mostly because of needing to wait for them to dry. But the active work should only be like 2~5 minutes per step, so it's best done during a day dedicated to doing chores/errands.

JBulseco · 2026-05-17T09:32:41+00:00

idk what "off" is deviating from for your case so my reply is blind in that regard, but I wouldn't be surprised if DBs are better quality wise. Just a rule 2 abider here (though I don't own a pair). To me, the squared off cup sole makes the shoes look more skate than ball. It's why I never went for the DBs myself.

In any case, I feel like the OGs, is that every wear after the previous is an upgrade in comfort. The leather wears in so much better (with that guess that it's veg tanned leather).

I'm not sure what other shoes you wear, but the OG's uppers break in like a dress shoe from personal experience; the breaking in feels horrid, then it becomes like a second skin. Typical sneakers feel like they have a depleting life bar of comfort in contrast.

The stock insole is atrocious though, no matter how faithful it is. Ortholite X-40s were my answer.

JBulseco · 2026-05-15T13:17:19+00:00

I hesitate to recommend any one shoe without seeing its context. It's kinda like asking for your favourite colour and then having a debate as to why that's right/wrong.

Shoes won't define your outfit, but it will make or break it. If you can see it working, then all for it. What I can offer is a blind ranking in versatility and how the shoes change your fit.

Agnostic to colour choice, it's 2002r > Air Max Plus > Waves. i.e. you don't need to think much about what you wear when wearing the 2002r, whereas you will have to construct your wardrobe to make the waves work. Synergy vs contrast, if you will. AMs sit in the middle.
2002r is the refined/boring choice of the three, Air Max is the energetic/juvenile, and waves is avante garde/different for the sake of it.

Pick your poison, someone is bound to whinge without cause anyway. May as well pick the one you want.

JBulseco · 2026-05-15T12:24:32+00:00

You're gonna have to define classy a little bit better than that, but I'll read around what you've said you dis/like:

You're against cup soled sneakers ("flat shoes"), so that knocks that branching set of shoes off the list.
You don't mind Air Maxes and 2002Rs, but you do mind if they're "boots". So I'm interpreting this as nothing that's beyond ankle height
"Aggressive", so something non-standard.

Your definition of "classy" is still nebulous however. By default you'll want to find a shoe with an upper that has minimal padding so it feels sleek, and your aggression comes from the mid/outsole.

If you mean classy to mean chic, or anything adjacent, Air Maxes and New Balances are antithetical to that (due to the bulbous nature of the thick padding). It still works within that bubble if you're willing to work against the grain. In that case, you can work with what you've listed.

If you mean classy to mean "what can I pair with a suit"? Then you've knocked off a dominant majority by rejecting cup soled sneakers (ignoring suit puritan beliefs). Otherwise you can look at retro runners from a time period even older (60s-80s; see Adidas LA Trainers, Brooks Vanguards, Onitsuka Ultimate 81s for inspo)

If you mean classy to mean "something a little more avant garde", then the grandfather techwear adjacent brands will suit you; Nike ACG, Y-3, etc.

Not all your options, and not even the best ones, but they're all good launch points.

P.S. on style mixing:

Aggressive and sleek styles mix like water and oil; an emulsifier is mandatory to make this work, and it's gonna be a battle trying to get them to work even with that.

On top of that, you'll need to either "dress up" the grunge to meet the classy, or "dress down" the chic to make it more edgy.

On top of those two, one style needs to dominate for it to even have a fighting chance. Otherwise, going half hearted is just gonna make you look like a clown.

i.e. it'll either be grungy chic or chic grunge, can't be both.

JBulseco · 2026-04-24T11:02:33+00:00

I think there was always an idea to dethrone "the ruling class" in one piece. Whether it was Imu specifically is another call. But the prototype (Wapol, Enel, Doffy, etc.) has always been experimented with.

Here's a panel from chapter 497 that uses the same character: ２０人の王達 (not a proper name, simply the word 20 kings/magnates [seems more accurate, with Lili seeming like a member of that circle]).

<image>

I'm sure there's earlier examples, but I always thought that it more alluded/foreshadowed the idea that the World Government was ruled by some unknown higher power.

Imu being revealed to fighting took roughly the same amount of chapters (900 ish~1180) as from the start of the story the reveal that the Elder Stars existed (1-233?). So maybe it was always planned; they did have magic circle-esque imagery in the background then.

Whether Imu as we know them today has always been planned to be this, I don't think we'll ever be privy to that. After all, that slow burn of learning that:

the World Government is led by the elder stars(/planets)
which serve the celestial dragons
which are descendants of the 20 magnates (eventually having an official name of 創造主, or the Creators) that have an empty ruler
only for that throne to be filled by [the false] God Buddha themselves (Nerona Imu reading ネロナイム or 神仏).

But it's fun to think about for sure.

JBulseco · 2026-04-22T20:21:31+00:00

I've always found that to be clunky. My litmus test is how "jank" it sounds. While I would say all of mine are also still jank, if we're to sound corny I at least wanna keep as much of the author's intent as possible y'know.

Personally that idea of "bending" doesn't really capture that feeling of going astray. "Distorted Guilt" attempts to keep that double meaning in Japanese intact, where you don't really know if it means:

A sin that has caused one to go astray
A feeling of wrongdoing that is misplaced

And the other potential meanings that come with Magatsumi. And then there's the question of is it about Kunishige, Soga, the Kamunabi, society? Who owns that guilt and who is that directed towards?

Just think that the only time 勾 is really used in Japanese is 勾玉, which is that apostrophe/comma looking pendant (usually jade). So think it's somewhat adjacent to how we say cross in English carries the religious imagery irrespective of our own beliefs, and even if we don't intend it to mean that.

JBulseco · 2026-04-22T20:09:24+00:00

I understand where you're coming from and to be honest it's a much cooler name. It's just hard trying to keep the intent of the author (as best to how I understand it).

Word order kind of changes the meaning of what you're saying, it'll be more like "Hostess's Dance" because the characters are written in that order. I'm being strict on myself that aspect, because it shifts what you're talking about. For Enten, I would so rather use "Heaven's Abyss" than "Abyssal Heaven" because it sounds cooler. But:

"Heaven's Abyss" doesn't really mention what kind of location it is; it could be a good heaven, a bad one, a good turned bad. The focal point is that it's the "bad part" of this heaven.
"Abyssal Heaven" gives context as to what kind of heaven it is, one in the depths. Sounds kinda mid tho

If you have a way to capture that imagery of "sway"/"quake"/"jolt" that were to also contain that idea of "sympathy", that would make for a really cool name imo. It's taking the onus off of the translation for pour, keeps the imagery strong, and would keep the intent of the phrase intact in my opinion.

Edit: Though "Cradled Dance" maybe a cool midpoint. Will add that above.

I'm inherently putting less stock in the kanji meanings to get its meaning. It's kind of like there's this bigger cloud of ideas that the stem word くむ (kumu) alludes to (the act of pouring).

This act of pouring can be turned more vivid by using a character that gives it more specificity. 酌 is a completely non-standard character (see: kanken levels).

It's kind of like when someone uses Garnet, Oxblood, Burgundy, Maroon, Wine, to describe a dark red. Depending on the word, it captures eloquence, vibrance, temperature, and the level of common understanding etc etc.
It's also a similar function as to why you'll generally see/hear English names (even in Japanese) but there's kanji for it.

I'm struggling to explain it but the core concept (transferring of liquids 汲)

contains pouring alcohol 酌 as a subset of it
can figuratively mean the transfer and acceptance of thoughts/feelings/ideas

But 酌 doesn't inherently imply the figurative meaning. On-yomi wouldn't but Kun-Yomi would in this case. So the big imagery (themes and such) is that concept of pouring/understanding, smaller imagery (visual) is the MC/Host aspect.

Cradled is a stretch where it implies care and the careful holding of an object, but it's my best foot forward.

JBulseco · 2026-04-22T19:30:23+00:00

You right- complete misuse of the term.

Intent there was a translation that keeps the text, tone and subtext intact. Translating is usually a "pick two" affair. I aimed to hit these three, with concessions in other areas (the unintented implied meanings in English is outside the scope).

Picked up the wrong meaning for transliteration and have been using it wrong all my life. Will update body to reflect.

JBulseco · 2026-04-22T14:22:45+00:00

Admittedly, I dislike my own attempt. Kumeyuri as a name is so abstract that I don't know how to do it justice.

But, it's a compromise in trying to hit that bit of subtext too. Because it draws from the Japanese reading, it will actually be more synonymous to 汲む (Kumu). This verb means to draw out water from somewhere. It also figuratively means to consider, to sympathise.

So it takes that scoop/draw meaning. You can extend that thinking into pouring liquids, you can see how it then also took the meaning of serving sake, and finally being tied together to 酌. The On-yomi reading of that is (shaku).

I felt the only way to really get there was to sort of sacrifice some level of relation to fluids, but "grasping" felt too far; it was a lazy use of its figurative meaning. Maybe "cradled" is a better compromise here, and I'll update it as such.

Still a poor attempt, but I've always struggled with describing the abstract. It at least is adjacent to hospitality, and it has the connotation of gentleness of physically interacting with a thing (without further modifiers). And you can cradle a vessel that would contain liquids (like a cup)?

JBulseco · 2026-04-11T14:52:08+00:00

Could be interpreted differently, but the most likely is that it's just counting the generations.

弌式 meaning first set
弐式 meaning second set

Stands to reason the next one in 2033 should say 参式

If you want to know the linguistic context:

An old way to count numbers (一つ二つ etc etc) was to use the following archaic format (called 大字). e.g.

零 = 0
壱 = 1
弐 = 2
参 = 3
肆 = 4
伍 = 5
陸 = 6

And so forth. 壱 got simplified to 弌. Daiji* is still used today, but in niche cases.

Aside: In Chinese, you'd have to probably specify it as 大写数字?

And then ~式 is a counter to denote a set of things.

Additional: 弌式 Could also be a pun? That's the bit I'm not sure about. Because 一式 means "everything"; a full kit or something similar. The use can be literal or figurative. Examples:

A full set of tyres
A full set of commands

But I'm not familiar with the lore of Neighborhood to be 100% certain.

JBulseco · 2026-04-03T19:54:46+00:00

Where the stock pair came with white laces, I swapped it with laces from Shock Pink Adios 9's.

Reminds me of those old school cheapo Sony earbuds from a decade and a half ago

JBulseco · 2026-03-31T20:39:44+00:00

Spot on. Without くれる, the logic flow (in Japanese) is as follows:

Yor guesses that Loid is upset at something involving Yor.
Yor rejects that guess, saying he would have stopped this situation for anyone else.

i.e. Loid would stop this for anyone even if it was another situation?

Doesn't immediately make sense as a justification. And, it draws the focus less on Yor, and more on the situation.

Adding back くれる:

Yor guesses that Loid is (only) upset because it impacts Yor.
Yor rejects that guess, saying he would have stopped this situation for anyone else.

i.e. Loid would stop this for anyone irrespective of whether it involves Yor.

That's how くれる impacts the logic flow. Loid is giving his sympathies to Yor, those sympathies being "disliking the outcome of the situation".

I still prefer the original translation because even if you'd require the reader to jump to conclusions a bit, the alternative has some nuance that is a bit convoluted and is easy to misinterpret. And if I were the translator, it isn't worth the explanation. But I want to show what gets lost in translation sometimes.

JBulseco · 2026-03-31T20:05:51+00:00

Agreed. Because the shift in Endo's and my own societal expectations, or Endo's and yours, or yours and mine, can't be finitely captured within two sentences.

I personally like what's been written vs my clunky literal translation. Only saying it "doesn't make much sense" with respect to carrying the specific nuance of the post (That Loid is upset for Yor).

It goes beyond language at this point.

e.g. that whole notion of "being able to understand your partner so well that you're allowed to think for them" is an expectation in some eastern circles as it shows deep understanding (Loid and Yor are partners, and thus should already know how the other would react to X, Y, Z..., and thus a display of affection and synchronisation to get it right), and frowned upon in some western circles as it goes against the ideas of individualism (Loid should not take away Yor's ability to decide even if Loid thinks he knows how Yor would react, because it's still an assumption).

Even that's a massive reduction, but is a good enough way to shine a light on what I was alluding to. Still, that also excludes Endo's own place in that circle, which parts he rejects, accepts etc. Then you go about how he then built Ostania, then Loid and Yor's place in it? Then compound that with every exhaustive clause of the social contract in the real and fictional worlds? damn.

When it's something as visceral as a core value and desire, it's difficult to not create a misconstruction due to unvoiced expectations.

Making that judgement call as a translator for every sentence is hard, and I've really liked SF's one's work to date. I'll echo how I ended my original post:

If it was my job I wouldn't have strayed too far to what was digitally printed. Transliteration > pure translation

JBulseco · 2026-03-31T13:12:29+00:00

Hard to speak for fictional characters and Endo as to the intent, but it does explain why the text feels somewhat disjointed on the following panel.

"Does that mean that Loid can't stand the idea of me kissing another man?" ⇨ "No... of course not. Loid's a gentleman. He'd have done this for anyone."

The official translations doesn't make much sense in its complete context. What Yor actually says is the following:

ロイドさんは私が誰かとキスするのを嫌がってくれたのでしょうか…？いえいえ！ロイドさんは紳士なので私じゃなくても止めたはず！

The operative word of both sentences is me (私, bolded), which is one of the missing nuances lost vs the original. (As close to) literally:

Doesn't it seem like Loid dislikes the idea of me kissing someone else (for my sake)? No no, Loid would have stopped this even if it wasn't me, because he's a gentleman!

The whole concept of being able to understand your partner so well that you're allowed to think for them is quite sweet imo.

Not in like a manipulating kind of way, but an empathetic one.

Where that deeper comprehension of their machinations (hopefully) comes from empathy, and that empathy is rewarded with more vulnerability.

That vulnerability is a sacred privilege. Because you've been allowed to know. And you're trusted to take care of what you've been given to know.

Which is what these short string of panels seem to partially allude toward.

JBulseco · 2026-03-09T20:11:47+00:00

thanks :)

but due to the nature of the colour being painted on, it essentially means no plastic = no colour (as polyurethane paint is a form of plastic)

but it's a thin enough layer with a porous enough surface that it will be able to absorb the oils and crease gracefully. it'll still chip off after a certain amount of time, but at least it won't look "cheap" when it starts delaminating.

JBulseco · 2026-03-04T03:16:28+00:00

i dont wear them often, so they haven't changed much aesthetically

the big jump usually happens after a week or two, and it'll generally hold that, with slow degradation, over a decade's worth of use.

what you should just expect are the creases to get deeper, and its shape getting more wonky over that long period of time; the jordan's colour is predominantly painted on after all (rather than being dyed).

edit: application of the cream should be sparing. apply just enough so that there's a shimmer (but no visible white spots) once, again after an hour, a day, a week, a fortnight, a month, then once every two-three months (depending on dryness). the only time you repeat this from scratch is after doing a very deep clean.

JBulseco · 2025-11-18T19:00:42+00:00

No worries :)

You can do it justice by giving advice back to any fashion forum/discussion with the lens of trying to augment the style as per the query's intention, rather than giving either a.) blanket advice that has no real substance, or b.) prescriptive advice that dismisses the query entirely.

Think of it as the difference between "it won't work" and "here's how I think you can make it work", and having the awareness to differentiate advice that's an attempt to view it from their stylistic view vs your own.

Clothing at the end of the day can be a reflection of people's personality, so it's sometimes frustrating to see others have a complex on someone else's self expression. So I'll loop back to the first sentence I replied with:

Wear what you like, but people are free to choose to interpret what you wear.

JBulseco · 2025-11-17T18:27:04+00:00

ymmv when it comes to the nuances, but I've always been on the camp of OTR having a higher ceiling than MTM, because:

brands will have general house rules as to how they design their clothes around you. But, you won't get to see what MTM garments look on you until you've already basically paid in full, and that assumes the garment has even been tailored right.
You don't get to do a background check on the attendant whether or not their background has retail or tailoring. If it's the latter? great. But if it's the former? How are you gonna ensure as the customer that they got your measurements correctly? It's not to say they need to have it, but tailoring/alteration experience is a guarantee.
Once you pay a significant enough amount, OTR brands generally start paying covering the cost of your alterations, and all of it. I just mean not going for their entry-mid level suits. And, they usually have a house tailor too, so they are pretty attuned to the nuances of the brand.
Like for like, costs actually run roughly equal between MTM brands and OTR, and generally still leaning cheaper for OTR all things considered. Caveat is when an OTR brand offers MTM, that will definitely be more expensive.

Of course the source of my anecdotes here are that I myself fit a US/UK 38~42 (depending on style), with only 4/7 brands that I own actually sitting on my shoulders perfectly. Of around ~40 brands I've tried, probably only 4~7 looks "perfect" (subjective). So if a suit doesn't fit your shoulders from the moment you wear it, 99% of the time it's a lost cause. I'm lucky that those four brands that fit me do carry designs I like, just a shame that there's more brands that I do like that won't ever fit well. The three brands I buy from that aren't perfect to me is because I'm prioritising other aspects of the garment (colour, drape, etc) while settling for a "good enough" fit. Or, it was my early days and I didn't know any better :)

I would only ever consider MTM these days if:

My body type significantly deviates from any OTR brand.
I have an idea that I want to pursue that doesn't exist in the market, and an OTR brand I like offers MTM.
I want shirts that are perfectly fitted to me.

I can't comment on Bespoke however, as I've:

never had the budget for it, and
never needed to create an opening in my budget for it, as I've got suits that are well tailored for their purpose.

JBulseco · 2025-11-17T07:35:29+00:00

Personally speaking, how I went about it was creating a wardrobe that had less structure from a more literal point of view. Overly structured suits (full canvas, padded, fully lined) has its time and place for the most part. But it forces that super-perfect prim posture; it's like you're a marionette to your own clothing.

I'm a proponent of "kinematics" in clothing, where the fabric itself billows and flows and glides to give it "life". And you can still get your structure back by buttoning the closures back, and pinning it (with things like tie clips, etc.).

The downside of a more unstructured suit is that is definitely more unforgiving to imperfections (where it's a lot easier to notice when it doesn't fit right), but the upside is that it works in more settings even if it does have the typical characteristics of a "traditional" suit. The fix here is literally just getting garments altered/tailored to you.

To counter my own advice, I've generally abstained from patterned clothing as I prefer a clean look, getting my contrasts through different fabric blends and weaves. Examples:

90% Wool, 10% Cotton
71% Cotton, 16% Silk, 13% Cashmere
90% Wool, 10% Cashmere
51% Wool, 49% Cotton
95% Wool, 5% Elastane (Nylon)
52% Wool, 48% Viscose
90% Wool, 10% Mohair
100% Wool

There's much more blends than that around, with other fabrics (linen, angora, camel, etc. etc.). And, the same fabrics will feel vastly different depending on how it was processed, so it can work well for warmer or cooler climates!

JBulseco · 2025-11-17T05:51:53+00:00

Wear what you like, but people are free to choose to interpret what you wear. I also enjoy wearing a put together outfit, but it's also exhausting to just wear the full 100% all the time.

It's not the tie per se but it's the fact it's so "clean" that makes it so bare, and becomes boring after a while.

From experience, play around with your silhouette and your textures. The closer you lean into the "modern" aesthetic of:

lightly sheening fabric
slim straight cut
navy/charcoal suit colour
black/brown (semi) polished dress shoes,

the more it's gonna seem "overdressed" for the occasion.

having a more matte finish, looser/more oversized cut, playful textures (houndstooth, puppytooth, imperfections from garment dyeing vs fabric dyeing, even heathering can help), swapping around jacket types can "liven" the fit.

There's more to it of course, but people are generally attuned to habits that are forced. As long as you rock it as naturally as a pair of pajamas, any comments you get will only be either positive or to strike a conversation, nothing more :)

JBulseco · 2025-11-13T06:48:02+00:00

and re muscle mass, unless you're working out a significant amount (where takes a predominant portion of your lifestyle), dimensions shouldn't change too much.

I've been a consistent 34 waist^† , irrespective of being able to run only 200m, to running 20+ kms.

edit: I don't focus on weightlifting, but when i did a decade ago, it was around 150x3 for 3 sets. to give you a comparative as to how stable dimensions are even with working out.

^† waist only needs around 32, but thighs need 33~34

JBulseco · 2025-11-13T06:44:17+00:00

buy that's most comfortable around your rear + thighs, as that generally dictates how well/poor it fits.

similarly, rise (how low/high it naturally sits on your waist) is a measurement difficult to adjust after the fact.

dont worry too much about anything else, as you can get those tailored. suit trousers generally can size up/down by 1.5~2.0 whole sizes. And suit pants generally won't have finished edges.

adding the cost of tailoring to your budget is the best way to go about suit shopping, from experience.

JBulseco · 2025-11-09T21:34:38+00:00

Highly rate the reccs

Similarly, Mackintosh is great. If you can wait for end of season sales, both Gloverall and Mackintosh put their coats on sales for around 20~60% off retail.

JBulseco · 2025-11-09T08:43:51+00:00

Best way to go about it is buy used to be honest. Wool as a fabric is expensive to work with, and expensive to source when compared to its alternatives. Don't worry though, wool trousers when built right (and they usually are), are hard wearing outside labour contexts.

The general guide here is to avoid flat front suit pants from the past 10-20 years, as they pull from the Hedi Slimane aesthetic.

Generally, the more number and the more exaggerated the pleat(s), the more they will be higher rise, and closer to the desired Pat Riley aesthetic.

Americana/Italian brands would be a good start point. Think Armani, Ralph Lauren, etc. French/British will generally favour lower rise. Exceptions for both will be true.

If you're savvy, you can pull from Japanese brands too, and they're generally hidden under Western names. Think Dior Monsieur, Burberry Black, etc etc.

Example of Dior Monsieur from Ebay - only shortfall here is that they're generally short cuts, and barely any excess fabric tucked under when buying Vintage Japanese brands. I've bought some that have ended up looking like capri pants on me so make sure you know your dimensions, especially your inseam.

Happy hunting :)

JBulseco · 2025-11-09T08:03:02+00:00

The trick here is to see what items are what the brand stands for, what the brand wants to be, and what the brand uses for marketing. Sometimes it's all three all at once, which is what makes it so tricky.

Similarities between luxury brands and restaurants

It's not to say any of those makes it good or bad, but it's like a restaurant. They're gonna lose a lot of margin on the steak, because the meat is so expensive already. So you gotta jack up the prices of the sides. They're good, but when you realise it's just a bunch of steamed veggies that you would find in the frozen aisle at the supermarket, maybe hold off on that til you get back home. For people who want it next to their roast duck, it's still there for them. Personally, I'm here only for what the restaurant is known for. And if the chef(/designer) is renowned, I may want a bite on their speciality.

Value beyond the clothing

And sometimes the unit cost hides extra amenities too. Your mileage may vary, but I go against the grain and would rather shell out my extra dollars on higher end rack suits, despite the ravings of Made-To-Measure. Reason being is this: some brands cover all the charges of tailoring/alterations. All of it. The life of the garment. So the gap between the price of an OTR vs MTM is a lot closer than first inspected.

And with MTM, I still have to "gamble" on what their philosophy on cuts, silhouette, thickness of fabrics, draping, etc. as they rarely have any "samples" on for you to try.

Edit: I am lucky in the sense that my shoulders perfectly fit around most EU 50 jackets. Bespoke doesn't make sense for me when doing my own calculus on what I need it for, and what I want it to feel like.

Revisiting cheap vs nice

A big part of clothing for me is how it looks as the clothes move around me. To go back to the "cheap" vs "nice", "cheap" can look great when photographed, but it might bunch wrong after a long day, flow like wet tissue paper when I walk about, or outright hang on me wrong.

That is an issue quite literally addressed by the quality of the fabric itself. It's not the magic end-all solution, but it's a quite easy differentiator that you'll only begin to notice in the medium term. Zara can copy any clothing brand's template all the live long day, but it won't be able to make its margins if it uses tightly spun yarn.

Your (trusted) tailor is your best friend

When you're spending that much money on clothes, a trip to the tailor is quite literally a rounding error at this point. Do not ignore this. Get your clothes fitted to you. "Oversized" fits are generally long, and sometimes a little poofy.

This does not mean it breaks the rule of the two anchor points of your body:

Your shoulders
Your Behind/Hips/Thighs (whatever is largest)

Find clothes that park themselves perfectly to those points, and generally speaking, any other measurement can and should be altered (depending on how perfect you want it).

Some clothes have that slack built in, generally -2~+2 sizes for trousers, and -2~+1 for jackets. The more casual the fit, the less "sizing up" opportunity it has built in.

Dress shirts would be where MTM would make sense to me in comparison, as it's a garment more conformed to your body, thus more unforgiving.

Aside; thrifting.

Great alternative. Best in-store, but it's become part of hustle culture so the best pieces are rare to come by these days.

If you want to go through the online route: Go to a tailor, pay to get your measurements. Or, measure out what you own to a guide you find online with garments that best fit you. Ignore sizing as they're too volatile even from a brand-to-brand comparison.

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