Summer School: Oi Polloi Sale Outerwear

-You're probably a seasoned enough shopper to know that summer is the time to find deals on outerwear. If you've been reading Class Act for awhile, you probably know that I'm on a seemingly endless quest to find the perfect parka, and since I'm always on the lookout, I thought I'd throw up some of the many outerwear deals available right now in Oi Polloi's sale section.
1- Barbour, Carbon Dry Fly Jacket, $197 down from $327.
2- Heritage Research, Longline Parka Millerain, $250 down from $313.
3- Fjallraven, Telemark II Jacket, $183 down from $260.

4. CP Company, Blouson, $615 down from $880.
5. Victorinox, Spring Parka, $224 down from $370.
6. Engineered Garments, Field Parka, $450 down from $640.
-This CP Company blouson is not quite 'bargain' fodder, but it's the first modern jacket I've seen with a window to see your watch and goggles built in to the hood for extreme weather conditions, which I think is pretty legit.

7-Nigel Cabourn, Packaway Coat, $394 down from $656.
8. Nom De Guerre, Trench Coat, $425 down from $708.
9. Engineered Garments, Nt Parka, $370 down from $530.
-As with all sale shopping, you have to get lucky with available sizes, but if you're in the market for some outerwear, hit up the summer sales before prices get inflated come fall. more

Class Discussion: Product Shots

-The topic of product shots comes up quite a bit when discussing men's shops with other bloggers/shoppers. I wanted to post this as a kind of initial research for future career moves, and I'm really interested in what people think. Do you necessarily need to see the garment on a model? For me, fit is the most important thing about any piece, regardless of the name of the label. But on the other hand, I think Nomad's shots are the most elegantly photographed of any shop's. Oi Polloi and a few others show alternate views of the item on a mannequin, but that doesn't translate as well as seeing the garment on a real model. But that brings up the issue, which has also been discussed at length amongst bloggers, of model body type. Sometimes it's hard to gauge how a garment may look on yourself when you're seeing it on a manorexic model.
-An added component to shots on models is how the looks are styled. When I look at the four different images of the Wings + Horns chambray parka, I try to notice the little differences like what's layered beneath the jacket and what color pants were paired with the jacket. Subtle differences in styling can have an affect on buyer perception.


-Of course the best way to avoid all these problems is to head to a reputable shop and actually try things on, but we're talking about high-end niche markets here, most of these shops do the majority of their business online. For many of the items in these stores you could refer to the brand's lookbook, but that just adds another step between shopping and actually getting your gear in hand. Though I'm not really a fan of anything they sell, the Japanese shop Utility Coop has the perfect product shot balance: Isolated products shot against a white seamless, and in-house lookbook style shots with models. To me, that's the most effective way to give shoppers a complete view of what they're potentially spending a good deal of money on. What do you think? Is there a shop that you think has exceptional product images?

-Update: The brand new Patrik Ervell shop is super clean, combining video, still model shots and isolated garment shops. It will be super frustrating if you're on a slow machine though, but I guess they assume if you're on a slow machine, you probably can't afford Ervell.

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