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Suits For Pleasure - The Weekends Are When I Have Fun
When I began 16 years ago selling my wares online I was pretty much the only piggie to market. I could publish my newly arrived silks on a Friday and watch the cash stream in all evening on my then Android phone and proverbially laugh myself all the way to the bank.
These days selling online is a very crowded space, so much so that I often shut the website because it is just too hard. Regardless of whether our product is considered the best in the world, irrespective of the reviews that call me the Michelangelo and Da Vinci of bow ties, selling them round the clock from the website remains elusive. That, coupled with my terrible desire to move stock and hence discount them too much too often.
And so it was and just to humour myself on Saturday night I stood with my hand on the bonnet of my friend's Ferrari and posted myself in a loud pink suit and one of our new silk grenadine neck ties and wrote "Geez Louise, what do I have to do to get you to buy these new grenadine silk neck ties". Of course they come from the same factory that makes Ralph Lauren's purple label, of course they are of the highest standard of silk, and yet there they were sitting unloved even with the offer of 60% OFF over the weekend. And that's with us starting at a lower price point to begin with, a Ralph Lauren tie would be 333 AUD at the current exchange, ours start at 275.00 AUD. I would like to insult my customers and tell them that they were stupid, but then where would that get me? You can lead a horse to water as they say. I do not wish to pick on Ralph Lauren, it was just a case study, I happen to love what they do. And the factories we work with extend to practically ever luxury brand in the world bar none.
As for my ensemble, I dress to please others these days. I will walk into a cocktail lounge and my hope is to shame the t-shirts and tattoos variety, to give inspiration to the beige and grey peoples, to offer some semblance of old world chic to a room that, for the most part, are sweating out the drugs in Venroy knits.
Am I a snob? Yes. Because it doesn't take much to make an effort. I too am victim to athleisure during my cutting week. I too can be a slob. I can be uncoordinated and dishevelled, I miss shaving my beard all over, I can look gaudy and over the top, sometimes I even confuse myself when wearing Air Jordans for a black rapper.
So really, when I don these suits and shirts and ties and bow ties and loafers and Oxfords and suspenders and pochettes and scarves, really, I am dressing for everyone I come into contact with as much as for myself, to offer you something to talk about and when the following day when you are ringing your friends for a debrief you might say "and what about that strange cat in the pink suit, what was his story". Well now you know.
Below we have received portraits from Jamie Foxton, Jenni Efremidis and Maryanne Stone - please keep them coming - text +61413140994 or else tag us on @lenoeudpapillon