Written by: Reginald Jerome de Mans*
Last time I wore Gurkha pants. The oddity of the wide waistband that looked so nice on my friend’s tight poles, the criss-cross straps were so uncomfortable they reminded me of the old planting/harvesting meme.
“Me in Gurkha pants: Haha damn yes!!! Yes!! I have to undo my pants to go to the bathroom and then do it again: Ugh this is so fucking annoying. What the heck.”
They also had in mind forum groupthink, a phenomenon of micro trends adopted by readers of discussion forums inspired by the dominant discourse there. Today it seems quaint and passé, like the old fashioned way of doing autocorrect testing. forum Something I’ve used over and over again.
Various interesting artifacts in my wardrobe testify to the continuity of that lost time, except for the Gurkha trousers. But is that all I have to show for wasting hundreds of hours?
In the early 2000s, time wasters, mainly young professionals or students, discovered that every possible subculture on the Internet in its forums had its own Petri dish. What makes them a subculture rather than a culture or hobby? First of all, I find it embarrassing to publicly admit my interest in them.
Forums allowed virtual participation anonymously behind silly usernames, with men from all over the world coming together for community and sharing knowledge and experiences. To the extent that it can be added to written sources (mainly Flusser and Roetzel, but occasionally unreliable magazine articles).
The result was by no means idyllic or wholesome, but it created community. This means that men have one common interest so that they can discuss anything. The few who came to dominate the discourse created norms by attracting followers who imitated them.
Leading the discourse required speaking with some authority, at least until evidence was presented. Experience with a specific tailor or fabricator, experience with products in a specific city, posting suitable photos, etc. were required. The rest of us had to put some thoughts out of our minds that we had received in other ways.
What filled our minds with silly jokes (like the silly early poster claiming it had transparent metal collar stays) was an amalgamation of certain preferences and standards based on what the few posters who set the tone found themselves matching. And these preferences, defined by groupthink, have in some ways become a recognizable trait of their own: a joke.
After the forum directors swept away what we thought we knew, one of the most striking analogies they filled our forum with was their overall preference for British manufacturers.
Of course, it can’t be a British shoe, as gate officials and judges will only accept the best. But Edward Green in particular preferred the hair to the ready-to-wear of John Lobb Paris for whatever reason.
The names of Green’s models (particularly the infamous Dover, Green’s signature expertise in invisibly sewing skin together with boar’s bristles) are as well known to many of us as a saint’s calendar. Even I eventually gave in to the Dover and bought the two-tone version before finally coming to my senses and selling it.
Forum members love low prices as much as they love showing off, so they’ve even tried parallel importing these shoes from international retailers who promise the lowest prices.
The green order I thought about the most was the Windsor, whose distinguishing feature (besides the punched thistles on the sides) was that it had U-shaped tips instead of wingtips or cap toes.
It was previously a group order from a secretive London lounge with limited membership, and specified that it should be made up of old Edwardian green lasts, the gently square ‘Great 88’ (the 808, replaced by several generations of lasts trimming the shape, including Ralph Lauren’s 89 and 888).
I ended up ordering a pair of cordovan shoes through Groupthink on another forum. Then I gave in to the online stories about deer bones and wasted countless hours trying to rub them. Over time, I learned that cordovan is very heavy, wears very hot, does not shine like regular leather shoes, and deer bones can remain in roadkill.
All that nonsense about rubbing supposed magic oils into leather is useless except for polishing certain waxy hides. And I have an incredible confession to make: like other forum members, I bought an oriental rug so I could take pictures with my new shoes…
Groupthink also prompted me to make another purchase that is not my usual taste. Longwings have wing tips that extend all the way to the back of the shoe. What we ordered from Green was not Alden or Cordovan (classic makers and materials), so one group’s thinking was competing with another group’s.
I’ve generally avoided much of the American groupthink, including the obsession with perfect oxford cloth button-down shirts, collar rolls, and roomy fits.
The American Trad look and its ethos took a very defined form among a deeply felt sub-population in the mid-2000s, and took a strange turn in 2009 when a slew of authentic Harris Tweed sport coats arrived at discounter Primark’s Boston branch. It follows the disastrous decision by a major Harris Tweed buyer to reduce the number of patterns in which it is woven to just five. Members of one forum bought and returned a sports coat to keep a Harris Tweed brand hanger.
I gave in to the Trad analogy and ordered a suit with the 3-roll-2 button points they loved so much. No one was ever able to adhere to every detail of the given code and had an English tailor make it for them. (If you think about it, the Trads seemed to prefer British fabrics, but not British products, except for the Shaggy Dog sweaters that old Drumohr knitted.) The result wasn’t great, but it was more like a regular two-button jacket with barely visible third buttons…
On the same suit I asked the tailor to include a bit of Gallic delusion. Parisian grit (or fish mouth) lapel notch. And this is where we get a taste of French groupthink.
that Parisian grit What I wanted was from Arnys’ catalog, and any mention of Arnys on forums could not avoid mention of Arnys’ specialty product, the Forestière work jacket. As often happens, my illusions were shattered when I actually tried them on. I found it baggy and didn’t like it. But I did buy some of their outrageous, clunky 7-ply suits. workplace relationships It has hand rolled edges.
I confess that I have contributed to the myth by sharing what I know about Arnys and other fly makers during my salad days on the forum. swan song).
In those days, wearing a handkerchief of any kind, let alone an ornate printed pocket square, was a rare display, and I took the lead in tracking down two small, medieval-style prints that Drake once made for Holland & Holland.
Another member then showed that the Paris branch of Hilditch & Key had made a specialty of printing similar prints on cashmere rather than silk or wool, which Drake once used. That particular revelation became one of many rabbit holes I took my fellow forum members down.
I remember the day when French weaver Simonnot-Godard’s cotton handkerchiefs caused a sensation. One spring day in 2007, the late shirtmaker Alexander Kabbaz mentioned stockpiling them, and the next moment these handkerchiefs seemed to be everywhere. These extremely fine and extravagant handkerchiefs turned out to be the house cotton handkerchiefs of Charvet and Hermès…
forum piece of resistance It was a Simone Godard piece with four quadrants in a madras plaid, so the wearer could have one of four ugly patterns popping out of his breast pocket at any time. I admit I bought and ultimately passed on it, but I’m keeping the beautiful, fine cotton handkerchiefs in solid pastel colors.
I think the key is to gain enough confidence to reject some of the things that are forced on us and figure out what it is we actually want. I’ve never purchased SG’s much-vaunted chambray shirt fabric, but Kabbaz had me try out Zendaline from the rest of Charvet’s stock, based on his old guide to different types of shirt fabrics.
Otherwise, the clothing approved by the forum was generally British, and flashy fine cloth houses such as Dormeuil, Scabal and Loro Piana were ridiculed as overpriced and often flimsy. Reverse snobbery may also have had a hand.
Anyway, the flight to England stayed with me for most of the time I was ordering custom pieces. I tried a forum favorite, fresco fabric, one of the many weaves that make dressing easier in hot weather (after all, heat and comfort should be relative)…
In 2008, I joined a rush of online friends to buy J&J Minnis before its acquisition out of intense fear that whatever products the new Minnis would produce would be lacking.
I wore a forum-approved draped cut suit. One was a double-breasted suit with 4×1 ‘Kent’ keystone button accents, named after the Duke of Kent who made his older brother the Duke of Windsor seem responsible and balanced. The forum uproar over Savile Row’s draped cuts and their exponents has backed up Anderson & Sheppard’s old adage that some swear by them and some swear by them.
What does groupthink mean? The safety of accuracy, a secret signal broadcast only on the Internet of shared tastes. Many of us needed such precision after our confidence in our own ideas and tastes in clothing was shattered when we joined.
Eventually, we relearned confidence in our own tastes, whether before or after career changes, the demands of spouses and families, or simple maturation forced us out of the forum’s orbit.
Today, social media is the most powerful generator of groupthink, but it’s different. The forum was participatory. Although not equal, the opinions of certain members were held in much higher esteem. Opinions were based on the dynamically changing tastes of the group, unlike social media authorities who simply imparted knowledge to their audience.
From my account above it may seem that what I have left behind are merely memories, relics and ghosts of silly discussions that helped pass the time. However, some preferences remain constant over time. I’ve just taken delivery of my tenth pair of green shoes, for example a remake of Millfield’s beat loafer. But we no longer post for imaginary influence like we used to.
I also wear old minis cloth suits often (usually with a Simoneux Godard handkerchief carefully tucked into the breast pocket) and love their fabrics. Although I’m quite happy with the new Minis range as well, having one of the newest suits made from the latest line of Prince of Wales checked flannel.
Looking back, what I learned from the forum supports broader lessons. Welcome the knowledge, but consider the source and the context in which it is presented.
In real life, there have been times when I had to unlearn what I thought I knew in order to relearn basic principles. But it was important for me to reach a critical mass of knowledge that would allow me to rely on my own judgment.
A brief exchange on the forum led to a true friendship. Because, looking back, I realize that during times of isolation in my life, I sought not only knowledge but also a sense of community.
Certain connections, whether in group chats or in real life, have become firm friends, a few constants with whom we remain in reliable, regular contact, exchanging, as before, about more than clothes, but without burdening others with our preferences.
As in the old forums, idiosyncrasies of our own clothing and style are often brought up for good-natured ridicule from others. Unlike then, we all now have the confidence to laugh about our preferences and move on.
*This is the pen name of the author, PS reader, and frequent forum participant.
