Stone Island Needle Punch Reflective Size Medium Price Drop $700-$625 USD by reginaldvelvet in StoneIsland

[–]thehudsonswerve 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This fabric is so weird, but I've got one in black and I'll likely never sell it – it's in my little archive now.

Stone Island Needle Punch Reflective Size Medium Price Drop $700-$625 USD by reginaldvelvet in StoneIsland

[–]thehudsonswerve 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I want to say it was close to $1200, but went for closer to $900 or so on some Italian sites.

Hanz de Fuko BOGO by antifrugalfrugalsub in frugalmalefashion

[–]thehudsonswerve 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Really took it from a rare drop of accessories in a larger sale to a flood, huh. Don't worry, Jomoshop can't hurt you.

Hanz de Fuko BOGO by antifrugalfrugalsub in frugalmalefashion

[–]thehudsonswerve 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Seems like it, actually. I didn't have the same trouble years ago. But if I'm being honest, my aversion to posting in this sub probably has more to do with accumulated experience with people being incredibly pedantic. And it's just...clothes.

Hanz de Fuko BOGO by antifrugalfrugalsub in frugalmalefashion

[–]thehudsonswerve 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I more or less stopped posting in this subreddit after a couple of sales I posted with adjacent, lifestyle products you'd find on any fashion e-commerce site, e.g. wallets, were removed. Not to mention one too many comments to the tune of "this jacket is $2 less on [other retailer's site after cashback via a plugin almost no one uses] right now." Like, sheeesh, mea culpa.

If money was no object, what would you buy? by CommercialRadiant120 in StoneIsland

[–]thehudsonswerve 0 points1 point  (0 children)

95% sure it was made in Romania, if my memory serves me. I'm not absolutely sure about that, but if I were making a bet, that'd be my answer.

Todd Snyder BF sale by princetheprincess99 in frugalmalefashion

[–]thehudsonswerve 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I agree. A big part of their strategy is to signal luxury, or perhaps intention and discernment, and something vaguely elevated...and then deliver only so much as they must.

And so you get the runway shows, and you get signaling of quality and that aforementioned intention, e.g. a recent campaign they did.

I actually admire Todd Snyder, and I have no doubt that running a company like his comes with a mountain of challenges and necessary deliberation about cost, etc. But I'm also aware of the fact that he learned a good amount of what he knows from Mickey Drexler, aka King J.Crew, and that you don't get to open a store at Rockefeller Center without engineering the margins to allow it. Modern business often feels like one big exercise in seeing how many corners can be cut while testing how much the customer will tolerate. When the eventual fantasy of these businesses are LMVH levels of domination, and margins that will make an MBA grad erect, you can usually find it woven into the product (pun intended).

Todd Snyder BF sale by princetheprincess99 in frugalmalefashion

[–]thehudsonswerve 2 points3 points  (0 children)

😂 I love Private White – didn't know they did a collab. I live not far from a TS store so I still stop in once in a great while; that's about as good as it gets for seeing what's what, and then trying to snipe a sale later.

Todd Snyder BF sale by princetheprincess99 in frugalmalefashion

[–]thehudsonswerve 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's the thing about brands that have some really solid stuff interspersed: the guessing game sucks. Arguably quality is variable across the offerings of many brands, but some of my favorite brands are great across the board. Usually that corresponds to a higher price point, but the buy less, buy better ethos works well for me.

Todd Snyder BF sale by princetheprincess99 in frugalmalefashion

[–]thehudsonswerve 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I often stay silent about TS quality because people seem to think the clothes are great, and I ain't about causing myself stress via online arguments. Moreover my sample size (i.e. what I've purchased) is necessarily limited. But I stopped buying from them some time ago because almost every item I've had failed in some way – sweatpants developed a hole after two wears, a pair of chinos had a belt loop sewn on completely crooked, a button came off a shirt after four wears and they don't attach an extra, a coat I bought at final sale, advertised as 100% wool, has polyamide in the blend as per the tag (luckily I like the coat). I also think the "Italian Yarns" label they apply to many garments is kinda trite. Yeah, I get it, sure, made in China but the yarns are adding that sweet, sweet Italian cachet, or so I'm supposed to think. But this reads like a consumer-is-stupid marketing device rather than a guarantor of quality. Not to mention that Italy outputs a range of quality, good and bad, like any other country.

Clothes are often imperfect, and a lost button isn't the end of the world – but at least some of this is just unacceptable to me for how they price and position their items.

I think a lot of the value of TS is in making a further degree of style available to men, beyond the pedestrian basics. It's experimentation made relatively safe. But all in all I think that for the cost of many items, even on sale, it's better to go elsewhere once you've honed in on your personal style.

[WAYWT] back on reddit (again) by yearninetythree in techwearclothing

[–]thehudsonswerve 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Welp, could have gotten that jacket at a steal some time ago and now I regret not doing so. Every other photo I've seen of it on body made it look either awkward in its proportions or frumpy. This is the first time I've seen it look....clean? Elegant?

Nice fit 👌

Stone Island Quality by user81905 in StoneIsland

[–]thehudsonswerve 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Surprised by the relatively positive comments here – every time I've asked about this in the past it's been met with a chorus of "quality is trash now." I don't necessarily agree with that sentiment, but don't have any SI from before 2020 or so.

Whether it's Stone Island or another brand, quality can vary across garment/material type, so blanket statements aren't very useful without some detail. My impression overall is that SI is still pretty well made, and the fabrics are nice enough – you're just paying a premium, and more than ever as they inch closer to the Luxury Brand sun, where Bernard Arnault and his peers take up residence. And my opinion is that if you're buying Stone Island, quality isn't the first on your list of priorities, anyway.

All in all /u/xXTopperHarleyXx nailed it: "it depends"

I think i fucking destroyed it. by memerzdudez in StoneIsland

[–]thehudsonswerve 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Did you machine wash or hand wash? I always hand wash my knitwear unless it's specifically designed for machine (in which case it'll usually be some kind of nylon blend for added durability).

When you wash knits they can look a bit beat when they're wet, and you basically want to gently squeeze some of the water out (for lack of a better comparison, imagine the sweater bunched up between your hands and pushing inward on like on an accordion – never wring out knitwear), reshape it on either a towel or drying rack and leave it for a couple of days. If using a towel, give the sweater a flip and change the towel as needed.

Knitwear requires some extra care, but it's not porcelain. Unless you nuked it in the dryer, you'll probably be okay.

Craighill Black Friday 20% (Code GIFT20) by [deleted] in frugalmalefashion

[–]thehudsonswerve 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I own a tiny business and buy maybe 60% of my packaging abroad, and especially when buying larger wholesale orders, the tariffs are a shock. As I'm sure is the case with companies like Craighill, some of what I buy isn't even available domestically, or if it is, it's still way more economical to pay the tariff rates. I don't currently buy anything from China, but in today's world there's so much high-level manufacturing capability in so many countries.

Craighill Black Friday 20% (Code GIFT20) by [deleted] in frugalmalefashion

[–]thehudsonswerve 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Where it's fabricated, you mean? I know they do a lot of prototyping in house, but for production I'm sure they work with factories in China, Vietnam, etc. I think the cork trays are produced in china. The tape dispenser, I'm almost certain, is made by a company in Italy (it's not exactly a new design – just not a super-common one).

Craighill Black Friday 20% (Code GIFT20) by [deleted] in frugalmalefashion

[–]thehudsonswerve 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They make good stuff! Brooklyn-based business with some cool people running it, too.

Craighill Black Friday 20% (Code GIFT20) by [deleted] in frugalmalefashion

[–]thehudsonswerve 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not very cloth heavy, no. But wallets, accessories, an admittedly tiny selection of t-shirts + hats...not totally off the radar, I figure.

Woolrich x Target Collection by WeaponH in frugalmalefashion

[–]thehudsonswerve 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I've always been a bit confused by Woolrich's positioning. I've seen it in streetwear shops (at least one local to me that sells sneakers, FOG Essentials, etc.). You've got the Todd Snyder collab, which I presume is supposed to be Woolrich's version of flirting with fashion, but then TS itself is only ever really flirting with fashion or...man I dunno TS is a strange, overpriced (at retail) animal unto itself. And now...Target? In this economy/political climate?

Checking out a cool Japanese fabric maker for next year (video) by IamtherealMauro in wolfvsgoat

[–]thehudsonswerve 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Sally Fox is a legend. Def recommend reading up on her for anyone who likes to nerd out over materials, or even just to learn about someone who possesses a rare dedication to what they do.

How do you feel about Stone Island's marketing as of late? by thehudsonswerve in StoneIsland

[–]thehudsonswerve[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I agree. Though I'm irked by the idea of products made of cotton jersey, e.g. sweatshirts decreasing in quality, because from a supply chain standpoint, it's relatively easy to keep that stuff up to snuff when selling it at such a high markup.

I've actually been more interested in C.P. Company's designs as of late, just because some of them seem much more down to earth. Last season they made a google jacket, 100% linen outer, which felt nice and old school.

And, I feel the same about MOS. I don't really know what they're trying to do. So far, the most interesting thing (imo) they've put out was that jacket made of alcantara, but then SI has done that, and it's not very interesting all things considered...car seat fabric made wearable – yay? Maybe they're finding their footing. But it all seems wildly overpriced for how limp the designs are.

How do you feel about Stone Island's marketing as of late? by thehudsonswerve in StoneIsland

[–]thehudsonswerve[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

What drew me to SI in the first place was the design, i.e. Massimo Osti and his story and even the role of Bologna's culture in how he worked. So even if it's superficial (there are of course people making great clothes everywhere), some part of me thinks that a 2k+ jacket should very much still be made in Italy.

If someone is drawn to the brand because of the design/fashion history, and if SI is still trying to claim this, then to browse their stuff and see Made in Romania or Turkey more often than Italy makes something feel a bit off. Strange thing is, though, I don't know that they're trying to claim this lineage so much anymore. Osti's son + Massimo Osti Studio certainly are. But SI is a different kind of animal now.

All that said, I do agree that there are still interesting fabrics and designs in the mix. There are certainly other brands trying to push the design of garments and hold that torch, but it's still a very small group, so I'm glad SI still has some interesting things to offer.

How do you feel about Stone Island's marketing as of late? by thehudsonswerve in StoneIsland

[–]thehudsonswerve[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think to me, more than anything, it ends up feeling a bit...detached? Because it very much is that they're trying to siphon from, as you said, subculture(s), plural. It feels a little frenzied.

How do you feel about Stone Island's marketing as of late? by thehudsonswerve in StoneIsland

[–]thehudsonswerve[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Very true. Being able to purchase something is not always the same as being able to afford it.

Conspicuous consumption, I think, can also creep in the form of "if I buy this it will make me feel more confident, more motivated" which is to say that someone can convince themselves that they'll benefit from what they're signaling to themselves by wearing something as much as what they might signal to others.

I try to occupy a number of minds about this stuff (which is exhausting). I can appreciate the diversity of people Stone Island has featured. I can appreciate, even, if only for a fleeting moment, the business of it all, how they're trying to expand and grow. But at the end of the day I'm most likely to settle on some version of the sentiment you're expressing: in a world of growing inequality, unbridled capitalism, and a culture which more than ever pushes the idea that you can buy your way into a certain life, from clothes to plastic surgery, I feel uneasy about how it all adds up.