Cifonelli jacket under $200

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Luigi Borrelli shirts under $50

blue checked size M - blue checked size M - pink checked size M

Isaia under $90

blue checked size XL - light blue size S - navy collared Merino wool cardigan

PT Torino under $60

beige chinos size M - salt and pepper micro check size M - taupe wool pants size L - black curduroy size L

Brioni under $70

light blue size M - white French cuff size S - pink size M - checked sports jacket size XS - Wolf of Wall Street shirt size S - pleated chalk stripe trousers size M - brown dress pants size L - grey wool pants size L

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Settling is a result of constraints. What can I accept in the absence of what I want ? Lifepartners, Amazon leggings, Louis bag dupes. There is always an alternative that is, less emotionally available, cheaper, looks just like the original. They are all fine, they won’t bother you, but they will leave that little void inside of you that pings the sound a compromise whenever you interact with them, like the echo location radar on a submarine.

But why do we settle ? As human beings have nearly limitless potential and access to “better things”. Yet people often accept mediocrity. Why ? Because the alternative means accepting an infinite number of better alternatives. This causes far too much anxiety because it means you suddenly have far more responsibility.

When you ask most people on why they settled for less than what they originally wanted, it is often rooted in some form of anxiety. Being content with the person you know, spending less than you have to, or settling for the signaling value. They all know that they could have gotten what they really wanted, but the angst surrounding the opportunity costs was too big. That burden of responsibilities to be alone for longer, to save up a little more, or to make the journey to a Goyard store was too much.

Kierkegaard describes this acceptance of the finite as the “ethical man”. The ethical woMen produce meaning in their lives by taking a job that pays the bills, marrying the person who was there when the time was right, and buying the things that don’t require too many tradeoffs, all of which maintain their social status. The problem is that all of these vanish over time; you can no longer stand the person you were never really in love with. The job you did not like fires you. The dupes break down sooner than the original would have.

The concept of settling is always a reflection of your social environment and what it expects of you, and what you are perceiving as your role in it. Who are you trying to impress with white sole suede loafers that aren’t Summer Walks ? Kierkegaard argued that the ethical life alone cannot fully satisfy human existence. Because the ethical woMan relies entirely on his own rational capabilities and finite moral laws, he eventually faces deep personal limitations which result in failure and guilt (getting called out on your dupes, what you settled for is no longer valuing you). And while I may have laid it on a little thick with the philosophy reference today. Kierkegaard also believes in “The Leap of Faith” after which the ethical stage ultimately points towards trusting the unknown. His famous analysis in Fear and Trembling argued that trusting the limitless yet unknown potential can transcend universal ethical laws, forcing the individual into a profound and paradoxical relationship with what they don’t know yet. Meaning that instead of settling, whenever you can (so we don’t get sidetracked by common sense whataboutisms), not settling may end up more rewarding because it frees you not only from the expectations of others, but also will over time put your mind at ease because you no longer need to wear what is considered trendy or aspirational while risking for the un-original item to lose its capabilities.

So next time you are aiming to settle for an item, think about Kierkegaard’s leap of faith; not settling might actually make you feel freer because it won’t put you at risk of losing or getting called out for something that you didn’t actually want in the first place.

- Fabricateurialist -

Or read why people settle here

Or you can reflect on tech’s fear of being culturally irrelevant, devalued existing markers of taste, and led us to tasteslop

Delta Galil

SFF's Take

Daily Drills acquired for $65 million by Delta Galil

All information in this post is based on publicly available sources including Delta Galil’s official investor presentations, quarterly earnings calls, financial filings, their Modern Slavery Statement 2024, and the UN’s publicly available database. I’m sharing what I found, and I’d encourage you to look into it yourself and form your own opinion…

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3 days ago · 9 likes · 2 comments · Sustainable Fashion Friend

The underwear behemoth that owns 7 For All Mankind, Schiesser, P.J. Salvage, Splendid, Eminence & Athena, Passionata, Delta, Nearly Nude, Fix, KN Karen Neuberger, Ella Moss, and global and local licenses for Adidas, Wolford, Polo Ralph Lauren, Lauren Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Wilson, Maidenform, Victoria’s Secret, Bath & Body Works, has added yet another brand to its stable.

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Dark Luxury

Why does the ‘King of Cashmere’ sell so many plastic clothes?

Imagine for a minute a British or American billionaire chief executive made a two-hour long film about himself with the title “Businessman X: The Compassionate Titan…

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5 days ago · 3 likes · Conrad Quilty-Harper

What is haute couture ?

Following the Dior show at LACMA, I found myself going down a rabbit hole about haute couture, and whether or not it is regulated, and how it differs from the Italian “alta moda“. The French Ministry of Culture clearly regulates what qualifies as haute couture. A company with 20 employees, that produces garments, that require at least one but more often two fittings, mostly by hand. Haute Couture setups comprise of La Première d’Atelier translates the designer's sketches into toile samples which she fits to the atelier's house model), Les Seconds d’atelier ou assistants (is the key technical and organizational right hand to the master artisan, designer, or head of the workshop. they bridge the gap between creative vision and technical execution), Les Premières Mains (often referred to as the "first hands", they are highly skilled seamstresses and artisans ), Les Modélistes (a technical professional who translates a fashion designer's sketch into a physical garment, responsible for designing the structural pattern, creating prototypes, and ensuring the final garment fits and hangs correctly), Les Toilistes (is a specialized pattern-maker who translates a fashion designer's sketch into a 3D prototype, usually made from raw cotton fabric known as "toile". They are responsible for sculpting, fitting, and refining the shape of a garment before the actual fabric is cut), and Les Coupeurs (they are the cutters).

And in case you were wondering who defines haute couture, it is the High Couture Committee, within the Federation of Haute Couture and Fashion is composed of the current president, Sidney Toledano, and representatives of six Houses with the Haute Couture accreditation elected by their peers: Chanel, Christian Dior Couture, Givenchy, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Maison Margiela, and Schiaparelli.

Definition by the French government

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PALAZZO N6

“Palazzo N6 is a cultural destination — an unconventional museum where the story of the Pucci family unfolds across six centuries.” - Laudomia Pucci. The heir has opened this Florentine palazzo that is open for events for groups of up to 76 people. I have already tried to talk (who is now on Substack) into hosting an event there - stay tuned.

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Why is this interesting?

The Monday Media Diet with Marc from Fabricateurialist

Marc, who prefers to keep his last name private, runs Fabricateurialist, a Substack doing deep-dive garment reviews focused on craft and construction — sharply separating what's exceptional from what's coasting on a brand name. -CJN…

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8 days ago · 10 likes · Fabricateurialist

Buttons and threads

Longchamp - is launching its own resale platform We Resell, in partnership with Faume

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Kapital: established in 1985 by Toshikiyo Hirata in the Kojima district of Okayama, Kapital began as a denim sewing factory before growing into a global brand selling premium streetwear. Now primarily owned by the private equity firm L Catterton (following a majority acquisition in 2024), the brand is led creatively by the founder’s son, Kiro Hirata, who infused his father’s denim expertise with an eclectic aesthetic. Kapital’s claim to fame is its mastery of traditional Japanese craft, specifically its radical use of sashiko stitching, boro patchwork, and indigo dyeing techniques. The brand’s most recognizable product is the Century Denim line, featuring fabric reinforced with sashiko thread.

Fabric

Kapital: 100% cotton

Sewing

Kapital: double needle

Country of origin

Kapital: Japan

Price

Kapital: €450

Watch the video

Shop here

Side gussets

Double needle side seam and a gusset. Quite typical for Japanese workwear repro, cheap and easy assembly in the name of historic accuracy.

Cuffs

A squared cuff that features a double snap button closure. The buttons are nice and strike me as off-the-shelf trims.

Placket

A sports placket with a snap button closure, once again, this is basic workwear.

Sleeves

A well-aligned underarm seam joining.

Shoulder

The shoulder is a joke for a shirt at this price point. and honestly, for any shirt selling over €80. The only other brand we have seen this on is Sezane’s women's shirt. While the marketing of reproducing garments accurately is a very successful story to spin, it should be reflected in the price point, because otherwise, you are just making a fool out of your customers by charging 2026 prices for 1950s quality (even when adjusted for inflation).

Collar

It’s a collar.

Stitch density

The $40 Charles Tyrwhitt shirt says “heeey”.

Kapital: 12/inch

Buttons

Again, nice snap buttons, but nothing special at first glance.

Extras

-

Verdict

This is yet another Japanese workwear brand that cosplays as premium due to its overseas pricing (🎶“it’s cheaper in Japan”🎶). It makes me wonder if Zara promoted its garments as repro, would people be willing to fork over the same amount of money ? Because the CMT quality is the same, okay, these buttons are nicer than what you can currently find on the average Inditex garment, but you get the gist. This shirt is cheap to assemble, and custom fabrics are not rocket science nor do they neccessarily come at a massive premium. I hope that L Catterton successfully grows this brand and gets its returns, as do the minority owners of Kapital, but “this is not the quality you were looking for”.

Score: 3/25

Note - it is impossible to evaluate fabrics without technical details. Which is why I exclude the fabric score from this review.

The shirt review sheet

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Bonastre

Founded in 2011 by Spanish designer Fernando Bonastre de Celis, Bonastre is a Paris-based luxury label that “bridges the gap between avant-garde architectural design and traditional Andalusian craftsmanship”. Each piece is made in a family-owned workshop in Ubrique, Spain. The brand uses only vegetable-tanned leathers, and focuses on sustainable practices like the use of recycled cotton linings.

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Croots

Croots England is a family-owned manufacturer of luxury leather goods and sporting accessories based in Malton, North Yorkshire. Established in 1978 by John and Margaret Croots, the company specializes in handcrafted equipment for field sports, including shotgun slips, cartridge bags, and fishing bags, while also producing a range of travel luggage and city accessories. Their production process emphasizes traditional English craftsmanship, utilizing materials such as grade 1 bridle leather, heavy-duty cotton canvas, and solid brass hardware. Known for maintaining a localized supply chain, the brand serves a premium market and has earned recognition for its heritage-focused design, including a Royal Warrant from the Prince of Wales in 2017.

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Felisi

Founded in 1973 in Ferrara, Italy, Felisi is a leather goods company recognized for its commitment to traditional craftsmanship and the use of premium materials. The brand is particularly noted for its distinctive combination of vegetable-tanned leathers and high-density nylon. Every product continues to be manufactured in the Ferrara region. Often identified by its heraldic crest logo, belonging to the noble Ferrara family from which the brand takes its name, Felisi maintains a presence in international boutiques, particularly in Japan and the EU.

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Honorable mention - Rodo

While not exhibiting at Pitti Uomo, it is a Florentine brand.

Founded in Florence in 1956 by Romualdo Dori, Rodo is an independent, family-run Italian luxury brand that has been in business for seven decades. The brand originally built its global reputation on innovative, handwoven wicker and rattan handbags inspired by traditional Florentine baskets, which quickly evolved into an iconic design element of Rodo. Over the generations, Rodo expanded its mastery to high-end leather goods, evening clutches, and jeweled footwear, seamlessly blending its signature midollino weaving techniques with premium leathers, A LOT of Swarovski crystal embellishments, and structural metalwork. Today, with production anchored in its historic factory in Mogliano, the current generation of the Dori family is still steering the brand’s creative vision.

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1. We learned that the often-attributed “craftsmanship” is merely a filler word that does not reflect the actual product’s construction or details.

2. Most jeans are assembled to almost identical specifications, which are very basic and do not leverage laborious and/or modern techniques.

3. We learned that the most common differentiator of Japanese denim is the fabric. Not because the old machines are unique to the Japanese market, but the specific settings and dyes are.

(“Cheaper in Japan” - brought to you by the comments section)

Following the (faux) authority-establishing “I did this before it was trendy” notion, all of my visits to Japan took place before the 2020s, from skiing on Hokkaido, renting a car when your local embassy outpost in Japan needed to validate your DL and your international one via fax because rental car companies would simply not honor reservations without this document, to getting lost at Tsukiji fish market after sampling some rather obscure sea creatures by nodding or shaking your head at the vendor.

The cult around Japanese products beyond engineering (cars, heavy industries, electronics) has always fascinated me, but even more so now when Japan-glazing has reached new heights due to the weak Yen, and seemingly every fellow white boy is playing Columbus over there. Whether in the form of upcycling old Kimonos and selling them back to Western clientele, or slapping sashiko stitching on every item to borrow some cultural credibility.

Why are Japanese values so appealing in the current cultural context ? Is it just all about looking backward at an anecdotal age of craftsmanship, nostalgia for the good ol’ days, and revival of “heritage” ? Remember that much of the mainstream Japanese fashion that is revered globally is not doing anything new (not ignoring standout designers, but more so referring to brands). It is imitating the past. A past that none of the people involved have experienced. One that is retroactively bestowed with a narrative.

We have hit a point in time where uncertainty, about quality in the context of fashion, is being catered to by brands that glamorize yesteryear. Where innovation and modern processes are dismissed out of principle. I am not going to equate this to politics as they are on display in various countries around the world, but one could draw parallels if they wanted to. But if someone wanted to connect dots in a multipage essay, they would inevitably arrive at the correlation of the very attractive to some agendas and parties, the globally witnessed conservative backslide, and the idealization of the past.

Anyhow, a more tongue-in-cheek take on why old-timey made things, and primarily workwear, is seeing a resurgence among male consumers, came from my girlfriend who, when asked about it, said: “men shop for clothes like they date women, they want minimal upkeep and it to still look good in twenty years”.

The undeniable truth here is that the willingness to accept that a €7k S220 suit isn’t made forever, but something that represents the top-end of modern technology (held together by apprenticeship and decades of sewing practice), that requires upkeep and special care. Whereas a pair of workwear is expected to age gracefully, without much care (washing or hemming), to maybe even one day be passed down to a secondhand shop.

Caring about something isn’t the same as taking care of something. So the question really is: is the desire for durable clothes a subtle form of inherent neglect for things ?

- Fabricateurialist -

PS: the two best-made jeans from this series came from Momotaro and Tela Genova

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Hypebeast x Fabricateurialist

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Jimmy please put shoes on Choo

It’s never too late to diversify your career ambitions, because if these toes can make it onto a luxury e-commerce page, you can make it anywhere. via Threads

Lukewarm take on Audemars Piguet x Swatch

AP lost a bunch of trademarks in Japan in 2024, and failed to secure various ones in the US in 2025. Both decisions paved the legal way for copycats. One may say that the reason for this collab is to flood the market with cheap octagon-bezel-crowned watches before Temu and Taobao can. AP is now profiting from your own lack of distinctiveness - chapeau.

Buttons and threads

Zegna reports Q1 growth thanks to its own channels

Canali appoints a creative director

Kontoor Brands divests from Lee

Lenzing AG is profitable again - interesting because people love complaining about wood-based fibers being expensive, yet miss that processing is laborious and energy-intensive

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Tela Genova: is an Italian menswear brand that serves as a contemporary guardian of the historical origins of denim. While the brand was originally founded in 1982, the Caucci family, through their company, Casitalia Srl acquired it in 2010. The brand’s primary claim to fame is its direct connection to the city of Genoa (Genova), the 16th-century birthplace of “jeans” fabric, and its dedication to using rare, high-quality textiles like Japanese Kuroki selvedge and Nipposhenko denim. Its undisputed halo product is the Romolo, a regular-cut, semi-sartorial trouser that acted as the brand’s launch piece. Inspired by the blue trousers worn by the Italian hero Giuseppe Garibaldi and the functional clothing of traditional sailors and dockworkers, the Romolo eschews standard five-pocket construction in favor of a silhouette that predates modern jeans. Other signature items include their indigo-dyed overshirts and selvedge chinos, all of which are characterized by traditional processing techniques.

Tela Genova: 100% (organic) cotton

Sewing

Tela Genova: flat felled

Country of origin

Tela Genova: Italy

Price

Tela Genova: €299

Watch the video

Side seams

SeLvEdGe DeNiM for everyone who wears their jeans cuffed but is strangely opposed to logos. This pair comes with flat-felled seams, making for a very clean finish. The hem does not feature any roping.

Front closure

A button fly front closure with custom buttons. If Tela Genova wanted to up his game even more, it would cover the exposed seam with some binding, but this is good enough otherwise.

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Massimo Alba: founded in 2006 by the eponymous designer in Milan, Massimo Alba is a private, family-owned Italian label that could be considered the poster child of "casual luxury" through its focus on artisanal textures and deconstructed silhouettes. Alba served as the creative director for cashmere houses such as Malo, Agnona, and Ballantyne before launching his own brand. Some say that this informs the brand's textile-first philosophy. The label's primary claim to fame is its rejection of rigid formality in favor of fluid comfort. This is reflected by its designs’ natural dyes and a lived-in patina. However, it achieved global mainstream recognition when Daniel Craig personally selected the brand to outfit James Bond in the 2021 film No Time to Die. The brand’s halo products are centered around its signature "Baby Corduroy", most notably the Sloop Suit, the unlined, sand-colored suit worn by Bond in Matera, and the Rain2 Duster Coat, both of which have become definitive icons of modern Italian tailoring.

Fabric

Massimo Alba: 100% cotton

Sewing

Massimo Alba: single needle

Country of origin

Massimo Alba: Italy

Price

Massimo Alba: €240

Watch the video

Side gussets

A single needle side seam and no side gusset - kind of what you expect from a mid-tier designer shirt.

Cuffs

A rounded cuff that lacks a second cuff button - once again, we are in mid-tier designer territory where form supercedes construction quality.

Placket

You are getting a sports placket which is the most common one used on western-inspired shirts. The shirt also features a horizontally sewn last button hole.

Sleeves

No scarto manica, which is to be expected from a designer shirt at this point. Whether they are Italian-based or not, construction is never a focus in this segment.

Shoulder

The shoulder is okay, it has a bit too much puckering for my liking.

Collar

The sewing is pretty standard, with about 5mm separating the stitchline from the edge of the shirt collar.

Stitch density

The stitch density is very good.

Massimo Alba: 20/inch

Buttons

Thin corozo buttons are attached without a button shank, and while the muted color of corozo is more in line with the western-inspired style of this shirt, a button shank would have still helped to elevate it.

Extras

The back yoke is the only element that stands out on this shirt because it is generous in size and cut from a single piece of fabric.

Verdict

This is a designer shirt, where you are paying for the design and fabric selection, not the construction quality. This is reflected in the score, and price of the garment. Massimo Alba has had a lot of commercial success, but the brand’s pieces vary quite substantially in quality, so make sure you evaluate the item before believing that a designer name like his represents quality.

Score: 6/25

Note - it is impossible to evaluate fabrics without technical details. Which is why I exclude the fabric score from this review.

The shirt review sheet

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Sotheby’s has raised the bar with its restaurant opening in NYC, which a friend and founder of a high-end skincare company Matria, described by saying “West Village girls will say that only Sotheby’s can get them to go above 14th St“.

This hospitality outlet may have indeed not only served as a DLC expansion for West Village residents, but also raised the desirability bar in the lifestyle hospitality segment. A booming category that I extensively posted about a decade ago when I was still on pre-Elmo Twitter.

Let’s unpack the Hierarchy of Treats. At the bottom are the complimentary drinks that stores like Slowear or Suitsupply in NYC will serve you, the H&M offshoot Arket with its cafes in the Marais and other central shopping districts, as well as the good old Vogue Cafe. All are very accessible, free, or relatively cheap by comparison to the other tiers.

Then there’s the feeling better about yourself, almost Toyota-ish, segment of locations, dominated by Restoration Hardware, or Corso Como. They are good. They are not cheap per se, but they are also not exclusive or hard to get in. Scoring a table here is as difficult as getting a 0.9% APR deal during Toyotathon. You know what you got, it’s a thinking-man’s lifestyle. The locations are convenient yet not in the midst of it all (see the RH London and Milan openings).

Then there are the logo outlets. Among them are the Dior, Ferragamo, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton cafes and bars. This is post-worthy food. From the foam art on your cappucci to brand-mark-shaped desserts. It’s good food, too, in my experience, but it is also massively overpriced compared to local establishments. But none of the local cafes and restaurants get you bragging rights and the social approval of 17 likes.

The next tier is dominated by two chains. Sant Ambrous and Cipriani provide the laptop class with the same comfort that McDonald’s did to a working-class family of five on a road trip in the 90s. Just like the branded cafe and bar tier below it, this segment, at its core, is selling reliability. The reliability of potentially taking home 20-somethings as a forty-year-old, or back then, spending $20 bucks on three Happy Meals and being fed for the next five hours. Both are powerful levers that address the universal needs of customers around the globe - that’s why they are chains; being detached from local influences is a feature, not a bug.

Now back to Sotheby’s, which enlisted Roman and Williams for its venture on the Upper East Side, sits in a new segment above the others due to its association with Sotheby’s. Even if Sotheby’s, among the initiated, has long lost its appeal for a myriad of reasons, it’s not for whom this place was conceived. Its aim is to entertain clients of the auction house and lure in passersby who like this sphere to rub off on themselves by association - and of course, to enjoy some, hopefully, good food.

The restaurant, which is named Marcel, is currently booked up for May, but I have already found half a dozen reservations for sale (the Resy shadow economy works harder), so it may not actually be that hard to get a table here, thanks to the reseller economy - scarcity: 0 - resellers: 1.

The menu is that of every upscale brasserie under the sun, and reflects the skillset of every hobby chef with a Bulthaup kitchen by putting Orecchiette (the pasta of choice when the menu designer and/or chef ought to entice an elevated clientele) on the menu twice. This is traditional European cuisine, where it all comes down to the quality of ingredients and getting textures, temperatures, and consistencies just right.

All of these concepts come down to one thing: brand promise. Brands, and Sotheby’s are setting predictable expectations, one of environment, fellow eaters, and bragability. This all comes down to price, location, food and drinks, as well as accessibility, and having only one restaurant in NYC puts Marcel undoubtedly on top of the Hierarchy of Treats.

- Fabricateurialist -

PS: Congratulations if you got the opening reference, Bellini on me

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The last Pecora Nera in the wild

Lanificio Loro Piana pulled Pecora Nera from its fabric catalogue last summer, and unless you want to pay Loro Piana prices, this is one of the last chances to experience the merino wool fabric.

Shop here in brown - Shop here in beige

The Prep Club

Everything Drake’s white-labels

Welcome back to THE RADAR, The Prep Club’s fortnightly mini-magazine keeping you in the loop of what’s hip in the sphere of sporting-inspired threads. You can attend last week’s meeting here for why you should steer clear of anyone who promotes “style not fashion…

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22 days ago · 32 likes · 5 comments · Callum Giles

Evan Kinori critique

The brand has obtained a somewhat obscure fame for being something that isn’t anything in particular for anyone, but something specific to someone. Whether it’s the algorithmic feedback loop or an actual moment of reckoning that the brand’s audience is going through is unknown, but a lot of commentary around it has surfaced in recent weeks, and the following Substack post, as well as a Reddit thread, are worth mentioning.

Read more - Read even more

Buttons and threads

Anime at Kentucky - Cygames, the developer of the horse girl anime game Umamusume: Pretty Derby, has announced that it will be the main sponsor of the 151st Kentucky Derby - will this influence the cookie-cutter’s fashion super bowl ?

Kith’s Ronnie Fieg and Instagram architecture - the mastermind behind the streetwear brand is cooking up yet another venture with his American brasserie-style restaurant opening in LA - but with virtually all of Kith’s outlets feeling devoid and soulless while photographing better than a photoshopped IMG model, the question is, why ? Hospitality is meant to be hospitable, not generic; that’s what fast-casual chains are for, as evidenced by the Hierarchy of Treats/fashion’s focus on lifestyle hospitality. The interior design of its London location looks exactly what a generative AI model would produce if you tasked it with rendering an American-style brasserie. Maybe it’s en pointe, maybe it’s for the gram, but it surely is not giving anyone a reason to frequent it.

Where is all that Cone Mills stock - someone asked how there can still be so much denim fabric from the famous US mill around so many years after the company’s shutdown

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This publication may receive affiliate revenue through purchases made following the provided links in this newsletter

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Quince: the D2C company was founded in 2018 by Sid Gupta and Saurabh Gupta and markets itself as a brand that delivers luxury-quality essentials at low price points. Currently valued at $10.1 billion following backing from firms like ICONIQ Capital, Founders Fund, and Jay Z’s venture firm Marcy Venture Partners, the brand has achieved "decacorn" status. Quince is best known for its $50 Mongolian Cashmere Crewneck and washable silk garments, which serve as the cornerstone of its mission to make high-end materials accessible to the masses.

Fabric

Quince: 100% cotton

Sewing

Quince: double needle

Country of origin

Quince: Vietnam

Price

Quince: $49.90

Shop here

Watch the video

Side gussets

Double needle side seam and a gusset, what else should one expect for under $50 with free shipping and returns ?

Cuffs

A rounded cuff that features no second cuff button - and you can notice that there is no pattern alignment on the gauntlet. It’s whatever strip of herringbone fabric the cutting machine deemed to be the most efficient/ least wasteful piece to use.

Placket

The front placket is fused, which is a rare thing to see. Quince justifies this by saying that it will create fewer wrinkles, but it will also be an element that will eventually disintegrate and, with absolute certainty, cause the wrinkles it was meant to prevent.

Sleeves

No scarto manica, which is almost expected at a sub $50 price point.

Shoulder

The shoulder is good, without any puckering and no uneven fabric that spills over the stitches.

Collar

Sewing is pretty far from the edge of the collar, this is not anywhere near premium manufacturing.

Stitch density

The stitch density is low, even by low-cost shirt standards.

Quince: 12/inch

Buttons

Thin mother-of-pearl buttons are attached without a button shank, and they are very thin. These are not the thinnest MoP buttons that I have ever seen, but they are very close to it. These will break eventually when thrown in the washer and dryer over and over again, meaning that you'd better take off the two spares that Quince provides you with and store them in a safe place.

Extras

Two spare buttons, one for the cuff and one for the rest of the shirt, is a good amount at this price point. The brass collar stays are a choice, and the fabric does not look dense and heavy enough to sustain these for extended periods of time. They are giving customers the impression of something more substantial and higher quality though, despite probably shortening the lifespan of this garment.

Verdict

You pay little, you get little. This is a very basic shirt with mother-of-pearl buttons. There is nothing about this shirt that suggests it is anything but a basic department store style shirt that you picked up next to the escalator on the way to the mezzanine level. If all you want is an easy iron shirt, and one that is softer and less coated-feeling than the likes of Charles Tyrwhitt, then Quince might address that pain point. If you are expecting a premium shirt, anything that plays into the notion of “luxury for less“. Kudos to Quince for competing in the fast fashion segment with the likes of Inditex without relying on synthetic fabrics alone.

Score: 3/25

Buy it here

Note - it is impossible to evaluate fabrics without technical details. Which is why I exclude the fabric score from this review.

The shirt review sheet

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Asket: founded in 2015 by Stockholm School of Economics graduates August Bard Bringéus and Jakob Dworsky, Asket is a Swedish "slow fashion" brand. The brand rose to prominence through a successful Kickstarter campaign and is best known for its "pursuit of less" philosophy, which eschews seasonal collections in favor of a perennial line of ethically produced and fully traceable wardrobe essentials. Their halo product is "The T-Shirt," which gained fame for its innovative sizing system that offers 15 distinct sizes by combining standard widths with three different lengths. Asket is also famous for its radical transparency, which includes a receipt detailing every garment's environmental impact and cost structure.

Note: this pair was gifted for the review, the video of which ran as an ad on Instagram

Asket: 100% (organic) cotton

Sewing

Asket: flat felled and serged

Country of origin

Asket: Italy

Price

Asket: €160

Watch the video

Side seams

This is your standard jeans construction, with some roping on the hem.

Zipper

A standard button fly and machine-sewn buttonholes, with the fly-buttons not being customized, unlike the closure button.

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I had this conversation with about half a dozen people over the past week, all of whom have worked in fashion for three-plus decades. So this isn’t a take from someone who cannot contextualize the retail landscape or who received bad Google results for their weekend trip to NYC.

Their take on why NYC, at large, has become such a piss poor retail destination comes down to three components.

1. All the commissions and none of the training. Retail employees are temps. Being a sales assistant is no longer a career for 99% of people, but a stepping stone. This leads to higher employee turnover, fewer long-term customer-sales rep relations, and less expertise.

2. All of the stores carry all of the same brands. Multibrand retailers are not taking a risk anymore. It does not matter whether you go to Printemps or any of the other department stores, the selection will be largely the same. So why bother and browse ? You can get the same fifty shades of beige and Bottega bags online at a discount.

3. Customers know everything and have 0 experience. Everyone has read that an OCBD should have a 3-inch collar because a rando on the internet said so based on a 1899 ad from a long-discontinued menswear publication - but does that actually look good on you ? Everyone says raw denim is “higher quality” and that’s why you should buy it, but are you willing to wear pants that have to be broken in ? Everyone is collecting other people’s opinions online and passing them off as their own because knowledge is freely accessible, but it is also robbing people of ever experiencing things for themselves. Especially when it comes to stylistic choices.

NYC has a few specialty retailers that are trying to stand out, but their customer base is small and very well defined, which won’t lead anyone who is actively looking for such a retail experience to these stores. Somewhere between thinking that knowledge equals experience (it doesn’t), badly managed retailers, and ignoring the fact that a few high-end retail employees have higher salaries than the TC of seasoned SWEs, NYC has become a generic retail destination that has little to offer when compared to other consumer hubs.

- Fabricateurialist -

PS: “denim month” will extend into May

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C.O.F. Studio: founded in 2013 by denim industry veteran Per Fredriksson, C.O.F. Studio (Circle of Friends) is a Swedish-designed, Italian-supplied brand built on a transparent, collaborative ownership and production model. Rather than operating as a traditional siloed entity, the brand functions as a collective "circle" of specialist partners, including renowned fabric mills like Candiani in Italy and Kuroki in Japan, alongside family-owned garment makers in Portugal. This ethos of radical transparency and shared expertise has become the brand’s primary claim to fame, as they openly credit every supplier involved in the construction of their garments. The brand's halo products are centered around their "M" series of jeans, specifically the M7 (Slim) and M8 (Straight) fits. We are only reviewing the M5 and M9 models, often cut from selvedge denim.

C.O.F. Studio: 100% cotton

Sewing

C.O.F. Studio: overlock and flat felled

Country of origin

C.O.F. Studio: Portugal

Price

C.O.F. Studio: €250

Watch the video

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Side seams

This is your standard jeans construction, with some roping on the hem.

Zipper

COF uses the selvedge for the inner fabric strip on the button fly - some may say that it is pointless, some may say that it is wasteful. Regardless of one’s personal opinion, it is most likely a little more expensive due to the, most likely, increased fabric waste.

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Quince: the D2C company was founded in 2018 by Sid Gupta and Saurabh Gupta and markets itself as a brand that delivers luxury-quality essentials at low price points. Currently valued at $10.1 billion following backing from firms like ICONIQ Capital, Founders Fund, and Jay Z’s venture firm Marcy Venture Partners, the brand has achieved “decacorn” status. Quince is best known for its $50 Mongolian Cashmere Crewneck and washable silk garments, which serve as the cornerstone of its mission to make high-end materials accessible to the masses.

Quince: 100% (European) linen

Sewing

Quince: serged

Country of origin

Quince: China/India/Vietnam

Price

Quince: $64

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Side seams

Well, this is about as detailed a seam construction as one can expect for $64.

Beltloops

While these are not permanent belt loops per se, most consumers will keep them for as long as they are not falling off. This could have been solved with permanent belt loops, by integrating them into the design, or by more robustly attaching lighter ones.

Underarm joining

The seams are connected - there is nothing else to say about them.

Shoulder

While, in case it wasn’t evident already, this is the cheapest possible construction, it is neatly done. There is no puckering on the seams or any other unsightly details that would suggest that the machine operators did not know what they were doing.

Buttons

The buttons are “cheap sh*t”, and would have driven the price up quite a bit if they were of a more substantial/expensive material. They look okay from a distance and do the job well enough to not bother anyone.

Fabric

This is, as you can see, an irregularly woven linen. The threads vary in diameter without a recognizable pattern.

Verdict

I have not developed a rubric for dresses, but this is about as basic as a dress can be made. For a linen dress that is not see-through and made from 100% “European“ linen that costs only $64, this is a fair price. Quince is essentially filling the space that Forever21, anything used to be good at Macy's, and frankly, Zara used to occupy. Quince is quick fashion, shipped directly to your door in two business days.

Score: -

Note - it is impossible to evaluate fabrics without technical details. Which is why I exclude the fabric score from this review.

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Buttons and threads

Chanel cuvee - the group acquired yet another winery this week, growing its portfolio to seven in total in France and the USA (California).

New acronym just dropped - VUCA — volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous. We are living in a VUCA world, according to Hermès executive chairman Axel Dumas.

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The broader denim market is projected to reach $95 billion by 2030, a 7.5% CAGR, indicating a robust environment for specialized segments like Japanese denim, which is predicted to grow due to increasing demand for uniquely textured denim.

Market Scale & Growth

Growth Drivers - the same as in every category

• Sustainability…

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Full Count & Co: founded in 1992 by Mikiharu Tsujita in Osaka, Full Count & Co. is a cornerstone of the legendary "Osaka Five" and remains a privately owned company. The brand’s primary claim to fame is its introduction of Zimbabwe cotton (without much care for the regime ties / higher costs and lower market prices) to the denim world. Tsujita aimed that the long-staple, hand-picked African bales would allow FulL Count to replicate the soft, durable, and somewhat oily feel of 1940s vintage Levi’s better than other cotton varieties. Like other Japanese Americana brands, the brand utilizes old shuttle looms and natural indigo dyes to achieve its fades. Its halo products are the 0105 Loose Straight and the 1108 Slim Straight jeans.

Full Count & Co: 100% cotton

Sewing

Full Count & Co:

Country of origin

Full Count & Co: Japan

Price

Full Count & Co: €299

Watch the video

Side seams

This is your standard jeans construction, with some roping on the hem.

Zipper

An interesting choice to extend the buttonhole into the overlocked edge seam, thus interrupting the stitched threads.

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Càrrel: founded in 1958 in the Veneto region of Italy, Càrrel is a shirtmaker that remains a privately owned company and is currently led by the Del Siena family. The brand established itself as a paragon of artisanal shirtmaking, blending traditional Venetian tailoring with industrial reliability. Càrrel’s primary claim to fame is its patented "Red Button" (Bottone Rosso), a single red button sewn at the bottom of the shirt placket, which serves as a discreet signature of quality and an official trademark of the brand. Its halo products are centered on its sartorial white shirts crafted from ultrafine fibers like Egyptian and Sea Island cotton. featuring details such as four-fold cuffs, hand-attached collars, and mother-of-pearl buttons.

Fabric

Càrrel: 100% cotton

Sewing

Càrrel: single needle

Country of origin

Càrrel: Italy

Price

Càrrel: €159

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Side gussets

A single needle side seam and a side gusset - we are off to a good start with this sub-€200 shirt.

Cuffs

A conical cuff that lacks a second cuff button - and does not show any signs of handwork. Borriello did this better.

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The internet is propagating one thing, and one thing only. Style is formed by consuming more. Buy new, buy vintage, buy investment pieces - all to develop a style that is uniquely yours. Capsule wardrobes that dare you to throw out much of what you already own, or even all of it, and start from scratch - everything is driving you to buy more at different clips.

What if your style is the stuff you own ? Not a styling e-book. Not a “3 pieces that elevated my style”. Not a to-the-mean-regressed outfit selection of muted color staples. What if your style is as eclectic and chaotic as the accumulation of clothes that have led you to this point ?

Are you really looking for your own style, or are you being fed a watered-down apparel rotation that looks best on 20-somethings posing with Silverlake as the backdrop on your digital screen ?

Our style evolves; whether individual items no longer fit or have been overworn to the extent that you are just tired of them - it is a continuous process. We all have baseline preferences for silhouettes, fabrics, and patterns. We should lean into these preferences and not lurk on other people’s curated online presence to replicate their lived experience, which most often results in recductive minimalism anyway.

So why don’t we sit with our clothes for a little, for a quarter or even a year, while not engaging in a no-buy period for clicks, but to let your wardrobe marinate. Play some wardrobe-puzzle to see which pieces you have never worn together, or style pieces in new ways. Constraints, throughout human history, have a tendency to yield better results than deploying large amounts of resources to solve a problem.

So whether you want to call it “shop your closet”, or a wardrobe audit. If you have the wardrobe of an adult past their mid-twenties, you probably have plenty of stuff to wear, and that next style-elevating piece is probably not it.

- Fabricateurialist -

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Barbour terrace

Barbour is taking over the terrace of Milan’s Rinascente department store. A place that, before the scaffolding went up, was famous for its views of the Duomo. Now that much of the exterior renovations have been completed, it is a good time for Barbour to remind customers that it exists - outside of the brand’s core season.

I find it a bit disappointing that the culinary experience is focused on crowdpleasers rather than British dishes with a twist, as it represents a missed opportunity to further sell customers on the English countryside dream.

Phoebe siloed ?

Since the brand made headlines with its first collection that brought new sticker shocks to the designer’s #oldceline fanbase, its retail prices appear to have settled ?

The current collection is available on MyTheresa and priced more in line with the broader luxury market. You can find loafers for €900, sunglasses for €360, bags ranging from €520 to €4000, pants for €1000, and wool coats for €3000. This isn’t as outrageous as The Row, nor does it go toe to toe with material and fabric-focused luxury brands. This is just a luxury brand that doesn’t use price as a differentiator - and will probably do better because of it.

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Big Pants Waste Precious Fabric

The Secret World of Japanese Fashion Blogs

If Japanese fashion magazines were my gateway to clothes, Japanese fashion blogs are the reason I care about them. I’m talking specifically about Japanese store blogs, an old-school extension of the country’s deep-rooted customer service tendencies that somehow still exist even in the social-media age…

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a month ago · 42 likes · 5 comments · Jake Silbert

Buttons and threads

Aldo + G.H. Bass + Aritzia - a licensing deal was made

Bio stretch - Hyosung invests one billion USD in its fully integrated biobased production system - spanning sugarcane feedstock through to bio-BDO, bio-PTMG, and, ultimately, biobased spandex

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Hackett: founded in 1983 by Jeremy Hackett and Ashley Lloyd-Jennings, Hackett London evolved from a vintage stall on Portobello Road into a global symbol of "Modern British" style. Currently owned by the All We Wear Group (AWWG), the brand achieved fame by democratizing the polished "Sloane Ranger" aesthetic and through high-profile sporting partnerships with organizations like the Henley Royal Regatta and Aston Martin. Its identity is defined by halo products such as the iconic numbered polo shirt, navy brass-button blazers, and the prestige tailoring of its No. 14 Savile Row collection, all of which maintain its reputation as the premier outfitter for the contemporary English gentleman.

Hackett: 100% cotton

Sewing

Hackett: serged

Country of origin

Hackett: Turkey

Price

Hackett: €159

Watch the video

Side seams

This is your standard cotton chino construction. They come with a finished hem, but only one waist size, so you better don’t have extremely long stilts, because these W34” had just enough fabric for a L32”.

Zipper

A standard YKK zipper is paired with a color-matched zipper tape. Lots of bound seams on the inside - this is well done.

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