Bernhard Roetzel Gentleman 2018 Edition

The Bernhard Roetzel Gentleman: The Ultimate Companion to the Elegant Man 2018 Edition is now out.  The original came out in 1999 and has been a favorite of men interested in classical style ever since.  Read this interview to gain an understanding of his ideas in greater depth.

The publication of Bernhard Roetzel’s book prompted a spirited discussion in my wechat group, Tweed and Ties, that included such colorful commentary as this:

“He sounds like he has a very small and tight bung hole. Forward encouraged me to steer clear of this catalogue. Thank god he does not mention the effect of social media on fashion or sports lifestyle.”

Click more to read the forward.

On Finding the Right Wife

Hanging from the railing, swaying in the wind with the sun beating down, its pluses and minuses are all on display. After reaching out and having a feel, I can tell it is not the absolute best money can buy. Still, its level of quality and the attention to detail exceed much of the competition. The plaids along the seam on back match perfectly. Even the big and little houndstooth on the slip loop line up perfectly. The silk material has a heavy hand and none of that slipperiness or the excessively shiny finish. It’s not a seven-fold, with all the excessive fabric use that entails, this Hilditch and Key, Made in the UK, would be perfect for a wedding. It is a good product that costs around 100 dollars. Even more expensive, but often of inferior quality, are versions from Versace, Gucci, Ferragamo, and Hermes with patterns that tend to leave no doubt about their lofty brands. For one dollar, something can be had that looks nearly the same from a distance but is made of polyester and lacks the pattern matching. But most people would probably never notice the difference. A man with the right taste might spend one dollar and look stylish, while another buys a good product but still looks ugly. Luxury goods might have designs that most people deem unattractive. And yet the polyester version always announces itself as a bad product upon close examination. And so it is with most products and services. Someone had the odd idea to hang out all my ties for all to see on the railing of the balcony in our room. This prompted my somewhat melancholic series of reflections. A few of my ties were good products that looked ugly, while many were bad products that looked nice. There was always that temptation to buy an attractive, good-looking tie at a low price. The only real conclusion I came to after all that tie-gazing was that in the future I would have to only buy good ties that looked beautiful too. But there is always the risk of paying a lot for an unattractive tie. How could I trust my own taste? Finding a wife with good taste is critical – even if she is ugly.

In any case, please do send her over to check out our tie selection next time you are passing by Senli and Frye.

Senli and Frye in Chinese

It’s almost amusing that only now are finally providing a Chinese translation of the introduction to Senli and Frye. My tailorshop, Senli and Frye, has long been focused on foreigners living in Beijing and sometimes those coming through who then order our wares long-distance. We have never really targeted the Chinese market. The notion was always that there are not enough of Chinese with an appreciation for custom suiting. Most of them would prefer to buy a recognized name for suiting like Ermenegildo Zegna or Armani, feeling confident that with names like that, one cannot go wrong. Spending on luxury has, after all, been mostly about status and face and not so much about appearing stylish or even adhering to standards of Western business attire that are, in the end, Western in origin and not necessarily well understood.

Recently, it has become clear that the Chinese consumer has made it in terms of style maturity. Beijingers and Shanghaiers are increasingly cosmopolitan and the constant barrage of mega-brand marketing has brought a degree of fatigue. They don’t want to see more of the same and keep getting treated like reservoirs of cash waiting to be tapped. At the same time, the local customer does care a great deal about his image – much more than the average American and probably as much as most Europeans. Unlike their American counterparts who seem to have absolutely no problem showing up in shorts or sweat pants at Five Star hotels or fancy bars, Chinese men are eager to learn and maintain standards of decorum. They don’t want to look like badly-dressed buffoons. The days of the proverbial Shanxi coal baron bounding into an Armani and spending a million RMB on 30 suits that don’t fit are long gone.

The other trend that favors us is that men around the world have been looking to upgrade their style and the direction these days tends to be be more traditionalist. Quality, customization, and permanent style are the values espoused by the current set of sartorialists, who reject the flashy designer trendwear and slickness of the metrosexual. This is part of the wider move toward all that is artisanal and authentic – and, yes, I realize those words have become quite irksome. China is aggressive in its ability to keep up with the zeitgeist, and the new men are these trends.

So this is our chance to enter as a contender for the rising Chinese gentleman looking to get a better fit for his suits, overcoats, and shirts. We are hoping to soon offer a full range of products including pocket square, ties, shoe polish, and, hopefully, shoes.

Senli and Frye in the LV Guide

beijing

Senli and Frye has been included in the Louis Vuitton Guide to Beijing.  This is the first edition of the guide and I am anxious to see who else made the cut.  Thanks a lot to the writer, Bénédicte Bro-Cassard, who is also a Consultant and Blogger based here in Beijing.  Here is her blog, fearless-in-Beijing on Le Monde.

senli & frye

I should note that our shop looks a bit more attractive than back when Ms. Bro-Cassard visited.  I invite all to come through to see the changes.  The place has become a sort of micro-club for gentlemen.  We have a small bar, a wide selections of books and magazines, and will soon have coffee available all day, thanks to the Coffee Man.

Senli Fr

And here is the French version.