promise li retweeted
There are two types of menswear enthusiasts. The first are people who are passionate about clothes. The second are people who care about menswear only as an extension of their worldview. The second group often distorts the history of tailoring and the meaning of the suit to fit ics, which is often about hating modernism.
When you talk to actual tailors and shoemakers, you'll find people with all sorts of worldviews. I've known tailors and shoemakers who are conservative, liberal, and even communist. This isn't surprising because most of these people live in densely populated, cosmopolitan urban areas, where most people are liberal or leftist, to some degree.
But when you read about the history of tailoring and shoemaking, you'll find a continuous strand of radical politics. In 19th-century Britain, many tailors and shoemakers were involved in Chartism and socialism. Shoemaker George Odger co-founded the First International movement with Karl Marx. Thomas Preston, a shoemaker who advocated for common ownership of land and democratic equality between the sexes, was one of the main organizers of the 1816 Spa Fields Riots. Tailors and shoemakers also made up more than half the people indicted in the Cato Street Conspiracy, which was a plot in 1820 to assassinate the entire British cabinet and overthrow the government.
Many of history's most notable radicals worked in the menswear industry. Nicola Sacco — the Italian anarchist whose execution has become a lasting symbol in radical left politics — worked as a shoemaker. Emma Goldman — whose autobiography, Living My Life, has inspired many in the feminist and socialist movement — worked in a garment factory in Rochester, New York, where she made Ulster overcoats.
Their place in history is not surprising, because many garment workers joined the labor movement because of how they were economically treated. In the years leading up to 1912, textile workers in Lawrence, Massachusetts, grew increasingly frustrated with low wages and dangerous working conditions. Bosses at the time tried to segregate workers by ethnicity and immigration status. But when the mill owners cut wages, workers finally had enough. About 25,000 people representing 51 different nationalities banded together for a strike in January 1912.
For nine weeks, these workers refused to go back to work. Mill owners tried to retaliate by ordering security personnel to spray workers with firehoses in the dead of winter, and for the cops and state militia to beat people with clubs. But the workers held out — united by their song, "Hearts starve as well as bodies; give us bread, but give us roses!" (Hence why this is known as the Bread & Roses strike). They eventually won.
In fact, US garment workers helped pioneer multi-ethnic labor organizing, uniting workers across racial, religious, gender, linguistic, and cultural divides. This sense of inclusivity and pro-labor sentiment continues today. On Savile Row, a group that calls itself the Quailors unites LGBTQ+ tailors and their allies from different backgrounds.
There are two ways to identify with tailoring. One is through its clients, who, in the popular imagination, belong to a narrow social class: the British landed gentry, American patricians, and other members of the traditional white elite. (In reality, today's bespoke clients are often upper-middle-class professionals from much more diverse backgrounds.)
The other way is to identify with the workers. In his book Nothing But The Best, Thomas Girtin describes these people as throughly working-class. They enjoyed getting drunk after work and singing while tailoring, often with songs that gently mocked their upper-class clients. In his bok, Girtin recounts a song written by Savile Row trousermaker Harry Zietz:
Bill Smith was a tailor, a ‘prentice he’d been
Whose work was as perfect as ever was seen
He knew how to build up a front and to press
A frock coat, a morning coat, lounge, or a dress
For full forty years at the trade he had worked
And during that period no job he had shirked
But one fact his conscience continually mocked
He’d not made a job yet that couldn’t be cocked!
Chorus – Fol-de-rol-liddle-lol; fol-de-rol-lay;
More collar-ology every day!
Said Smith: “Now this frock coat I’m starting to make
Will be absolutely perfection I’ll stake;
Every point will be studied, the collar fit clean,
The edges I’ll prick with a fifteen between."
The fronts then he molded artistic and true
He pinked it so much that his shop-mates turned blue
A penny an hour were his earnings if clocked
On this wonderful garment that couldn’t be cocked.
Chorus – Fol-de-rol-liddle-lol; fol-de-rol-lay;
No collar-ology encore I’ll say …
(The song then takes an unexpected turn, as our tailor finds out he made the wrong thing)
… the words that gave them a most terrible shock
Were "I ordered a lounge and you’ve made me a frock.”
(The chorus ends with)
Fol-de-rol-liddle-lol; the theme of my song –
No matter what happens the journeyman is wrong!
When you talk to actual tailors and shoemakers, you'll find people with all sorts of worldviews. I've known tailors and shoemakers who are conservative, liberal, and even communist. This isn't surprising because most of these people live in densely populated, cosmopolitan urban areas, where most people are liberal or leftist, to some degree.
But when you read about the history of tailoring and shoemaking, you'll find a continuous strand of radical politics. In 19th-century Britain, many tailors and shoemakers were involved in Chartism and socialism. Shoemaker George Odger co-founded the First International movement with Karl Marx. Thomas Preston, a shoemaker who advocated for common ownership of land and democratic equality between the sexes, was one of the main organizers of the 1816 Spa Fields Riots. Tailors and shoemakers also made up more than half the people indicted in the Cato Street Conspiracy, which was a plot in 1820 to assassinate the entire British cabinet and overthrow the government.
Many of history's most notable radicals worked in the menswear industry. Nicola Sacco — the Italian anarchist whose execution has become a lasting symbol in radical left politics — worked as a shoemaker. Emma Goldman — whose autobiography, Living My Life, has inspired many in the feminist and socialist movement — worked in a garment factory in Rochester, New York, where she made Ulster overcoats.
Their place in history is not surprising, because many garment workers joined the labor movement because of how they were economically treated. In the years leading up to 1912, textile workers in Lawrence, Massachusetts, grew increasingly frustrated with low wages and dangerous working conditions. Bosses at the time tried to segregate workers by ethnicity and immigration status. But when the mill owners cut wages, workers finally had enough. About 25,000 people representing 51 different nationalities banded together for a strike in January 1912.
For nine weeks, these workers refused to go back to work. Mill owners tried to retaliate by ordering security personnel to spray workers with firehoses in the dead of winter, and for the cops and state militia to beat people with clubs. But the workers held out — united by their song, "Hearts starve as well as bodies; give us bread, but give us roses!" (Hence why this is known as the Bread & Roses strike). They eventually won.
In fact, US garment workers helped pioneer multi-ethnic labor organizing, uniting workers across racial, religious, gender, linguistic, and cultural divides. This sense of inclusivity and pro-labor sentiment continues today. On Savile Row, a group that calls itself the Quailors unites LGBTQ+ tailors and their allies from different backgrounds.
There are two ways to identify with tailoring. One is through its clients, who, in the popular imagination, belong to a narrow social class: the British landed gentry, American patricians, and other members of the traditional white elite. (In reality, today's bespoke clients are often upper-middle-class professionals from much more diverse backgrounds.)
The other way is to identify with the workers. In his book Nothing But The Best, Thomas Girtin describes these people as throughly working-class. They enjoyed getting drunk after work and singing while tailoring, often with songs that gently mocked their upper-class clients. In his bok, Girtin recounts a song written by Savile Row trousermaker Harry Zietz:
Bill Smith was a tailor, a ‘prentice he’d been
Whose work was as perfect as ever was seen
He knew how to build up a front and to press
A frock coat, a morning coat, lounge, or a dress
For full forty years at the trade he had worked
And during that period no job he had shirked
But one fact his conscience continually mocked
He’d not made a job yet that couldn’t be cocked!
Chorus – Fol-de-rol-liddle-lol; fol-de-rol-lay;
More collar-ology every day!
Said Smith: “Now this frock coat I’m starting to make
Will be absolutely perfection I’ll stake;
Every point will be studied, the collar fit clean,
The edges I’ll prick with a fifteen between."
The fronts then he molded artistic and true
He pinked it so much that his shop-mates turned blue
A penny an hour were his earnings if clocked
On this wonderful garment that couldn’t be cocked.
Chorus – Fol-de-rol-liddle-lol; fol-de-rol-lay;
No collar-ology encore I’ll say …
(The song then takes an unexpected turn, as our tailor finds out he made the wrong thing)
… the words that gave them a most terrible shock
Were "I ordered a lounge and you’ve made me a frock.”
(The chorus ends with)
Fol-de-rol-liddle-lol; the theme of my song –
No matter what happens the journeyman is wrong!
@dieworkwear Wait, are you liberal?
What are you doing in menswear?
That's a conservative hobby.
Liberals aren't allowed to dress well.
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promise li retweeted
Television's Marquee Moon helped helped shape the sound of post-punk and influenced generations of musicians.
In 2017, guitarist Richard Lloyd spoke to Consequence about the making of the landmark 197 album, the band's early days at CBGB, and the creative chemistry that made it all possible.
consequence.net/2023/01/televi…
In 2017, guitarist Richard Lloyd spoke to Consequence about the making of the landmark 197 album, the band's early days at CBGB, and the creative chemistry that made it all possible.
consequence.net/2023/01/televi…
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promise li retweeted
Have guitars ever sounded better than this
music.apple.com/ca/album/marqu…
music.apple.com/ca/album/marqu…
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promise li retweeted
album that makes you want to buy a guitar vs album that makes you want to buy a bass
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promise li retweeted
Half of one of the all time great guitar duos in one of the all time great bands, his furious hexatonic runs a perfect counterpoint for Verlaine’s modal wanderings. I’m so fortunate to have seen the original Television lineup a couple times. Incredible. RIP.
Richard Lloyd, the Television co-founder and guitarist who helped bring a deft virtuosity to punk’s stripped-down fury, has died at the age of 75 rollingstone.com/music/music-ne…
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Richard Lloyd, the Television co-founder and guitarist who helped bring a deft virtuosity to punk’s stripped-down fury, has died at the age of 75 rollingstone.com/music/music-ne…
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promise li retweeted
BREAKING: Richard Lloyd, co-founding guitarist of Television and an architect of post-punk, has died at the age of 75.
📸: Michael Putland/Getty Images
📸: Michael Putland/Getty Images
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promise li retweeted
From Madrid to Zagreb, a wind of rebellion is sweeping across Europe 🔥 In this International online meeting we'll discuss the situation and political perspectives with activists from Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Serbia, and the Spanish State. More info coming soon
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promise li retweeted
This day in 1917, communists & workers embarked on the greatest struggle in human history: the overthrow of the Russian government to establish the direct rule of workers & peasants councils, called soviets. We remain inspired by their example: long live the socialist revolution.
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promise li retweeted
The number of leftists who can’t make a critique without a character attack is kind of amazing.
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promise li retweeted
109 years ago today, the Russian proletariat stormed heaven.
Today, we fight on, for a global October.
Today, we fight on, for a global October.
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RT @0liviaolive: 109 years. A spark of hope humanity has a future beyond exploitation and alienation. I hope that spark hasn't gone out ent…
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promise li retweeted
I would love for comrades to stop calling each other stupid over disagreements on takes. Stick to the ideas or to the praxis.
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promise li retweeted
#OTD The capture of the Winter Palace, where the government sat, completes the takeover of Petrograd. The MRC announces the revolution’s success.
The Second All-Russia Congress of Soviets opens with 650–670 voting delegates (about 900 present):
•Around 300 Bolsheviks plus to 190 SRs, split into two factions, with the Left SRs stronger.
•Around 70 Mensheviks.
•30 Internationalists.
At the First Congress in June, SRs and Mensheviks held 600 of 830 delegates. The change reflects younger, more working-class delegates replacing the middle-class intellectuals and officers who dominated in June. Over 500 back the seizure of power.
The Congress elects a 14-seat Bolshevik presidium alongside seven SRs, three Mensheviks and one from Gorky’s group. The Right SRs and Mensheviks then walk out.
Trotsky tells them:
“You are pitiful isolated individuals; you are bankrupts; your role is played out. Go where you belong from now on — into the dustbin of history!”
A new CEC is elected. The groups that walked out may send delegates on a proportional basis.
The Second All-Russia Congress of Soviets opens with 650–670 voting delegates (about 900 present):
•Around 300 Bolsheviks plus to 190 SRs, split into two factions, with the Left SRs stronger.
•Around 70 Mensheviks.
•30 Internationalists.
At the First Congress in June, SRs and Mensheviks held 600 of 830 delegates. The change reflects younger, more working-class delegates replacing the middle-class intellectuals and officers who dominated in June. Over 500 back the seizure of power.
The Congress elects a 14-seat Bolshevik presidium alongside seven SRs, three Mensheviks and one from Gorky’s group. The Right SRs and Mensheviks then walk out.
Trotsky tells them:
“You are pitiful isolated individuals; you are bankrupts; your role is played out. Go where you belong from now on — into the dustbin of history!”
A new CEC is elected. The groups that walked out may send delegates on a proportional basis.
#OTD Trotsky and the MRC coordinate the taking of Petrograd’s main bridges, roads and buildings by Red Guards and workers. The former minister-president, Alexander Kerensky, scuttles out of Petrograd with an official US car escort displaying the Stars and Stripes.
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promise li retweeted
A sir-this-is-a-Wendy's for the ages
Stephen Miller: This whole period that happened after World War II where the West began apologizing and groveling and begging—
Host: I don't even know what you're talking about right now. I asked you if there would be an election in Venezuela.
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promise li retweeted
@hasanthehune great. I recommend checking out Rochester Tailored Clothing. As their name suggests, they are based in Rochester, New York. This area used to be a big clothing manufacturing hub in the United States, but like many such hubs, manufacturing jobs have dwindled.
In her autobiographyhist Emma Goldman recalled working in one of Rochester’s clothing factories, where she made overcoats. During the years Goldman lived and worked in the city, Hickey Freeman began manufacturing suits there (1899). They were a stalwart of US suit manufacturing up until fairly recently (2023). Management mishandled workers' healthcare and pay, and eventually moved all production to Mexico. Consequently, about 200 people were not only facing unemployment but were also owed money they were unlikely to collect.
Fortunately, this factory was narrowly saved. It is now operating under new management and under the banner of Rochester Tailored Clothing. This is a unionized workforce (Workers United, an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union). Some people here have been with the company for over fifty years, many of them first-generation immigrants.
The photos below are from a profile The Nation did on them not too long ago.
However, if you're mostly looking to buy a suit, I recommend a few places: J. Press, O'Connell's, American Trench, Paul Stuart, and Martin Greenfield (the last also being a factory). Not all of the suits at J. Press are made in the US, so check the labels. There are also bespoke tailors in this country, such as Chris Despos, Leonard Logsdail, and Ercole, although the first is based in Chicago and the others in NYC.
In her autobiographyhist Emma Goldman recalled working in one of Rochester’s clothing factories, where she made overcoats. During the years Goldman lived and worked in the city, Hickey Freeman began manufacturing suits there (1899). They were a stalwart of US suit manufacturing up until fairly recently (2023). Management mishandled workers' healthcare and pay, and eventually moved all production to Mexico. Consequently, about 200 people were not only facing unemployment but were also owed money they were unlikely to collect.
Fortunately, this factory was narrowly saved. It is now operating under new management and under the banner of Rochester Tailored Clothing. This is a unionized workforce (Workers United, an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union). Some people here have been with the company for over fifty years, many of them first-generation immigrants.
The photos below are from a profile The Nation did on them not too long ago.
However, if you're mostly looking to buy a suit, I recommend a few places: J. Press, O'Connell's, American Trench, Paul Stuart, and Martin Greenfield (the last also being a factory). Not all of the suits at J. Press are made in the US, so check the labels. There are also bespoke tailors in this country, such as Chris Despos, Leonard Logsdail, and Ercole, although the first is based in Chicago and the others in NYC.
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