"Word just broke that Josh Peskowitz has jumped ship from Esquire and has joined the already impressive staff over at Gilt Manual. He joins Andy Comer, formerly of GQ, and Jared Flint, formerly of Antenna, as the newest members of Editorial Director Tyler Thoreson’s dream team. With each passing week Gilt Manual’s masthead seems to grow with the best and brightest talent in menswear journalism. One can only imagine the stock options being thrown at these guys [Editor's note: gross speculation] and once Gilt Groupe goes public there are gonna be a lot of 'rich, former menswear editors' as a friend put it. Gilt Manual is quickly becoming the Miami Heat of this menswear shit.
Josh Peskowitz joins a lineup already flush with household names. Seriously, Gilt Manual’s masthead reads like a menswear nerd’s fantasy blog team:
-Tyler Thoreson
-Andy Comer
-Jared Flint
-Gay Talese
-Mordechai Rubenstein
-Joshua David Stein
-Michael Williams
-Jake Davis"
We haven't had a lively discussion around these parts in a while so have at it. Do you read Gilt Manual? Where does Esquire go from here? Is this definitive proof that menswear print media in the USA is dead? Is this all part of Gilt's masterplan to take over the blogosphere ala Bloggercon 2010?
-L.A.S
Josh Peskowitz joins a lineup already flush with household names. Seriously, Gilt Manual’s masthead reads like a menswear nerd’s fantasy blog team:
-Tyler Thoreson
-Andy Comer
-Jared Flint
-Gay Talese
-Mordechai Rubenstein
-Joshua David Stein
-Michael Williams
-Jake Davis"
We haven't had a lively discussion around these parts in a while so have at it. Do you read Gilt Manual? Where does Esquire go from here? Is this definitive proof that menswear print media in the USA is dead? Is this all part of Gilt's masterplan to take over the blogosphere ala Bloggercon 2010?
-L.A.S
Posts
I think Esquire has been on a downward slide for the past year or so. While the newer Style Blog is a positive effort, I think that overall the quality of the style pieces is very poor. They seem to show the same types of pieces, which are generally far too expensive for the average reader to even consider.
ReplyDeleteGilt Manual seems like it could be something special. I'll be interested to see what direction it goes in with the plethora of dope writers. My main beef with GILT is the inconsistency of its sales. While the deals are generally very good, I am not crazy about the product itself. I am really looking forward to the rise of Gilt Manual.
All they need now is Amanda Brooks, who used to have a great blog called In Her Eyes back when Men's Vogue was still around.
ReplyDeleteThey consistently post interesting, fresh, innovative articles that are relevant and inspiring. I really don't associate them with the retail group if that says anything.
ReplyDeleteIf only the name weren't so dreadful.
ReplyDeleteI think it's a smart move on Gilt's part. With the roster seemingly solidified, I have to say, they did pull a Yankees and grab every talented free agent out there. The saving grace is the people they hired are talented. So far the writing is good, with a nice balance of style and and self-awareness.
ReplyDeleteI think their only problem (and it's probably a small one) is that they are attached to a retail outlet. Sometime's it may be hard to come across as unbiased. But that's probably not too big an issue since most of the magazines are dependent upon ad revenue as well.
I like how they think with their edit side but they've gotta step up their game on the product offering over at Gilt. I think more than anything, this shows the future of retail on the web. Nobody is content to just have a web store anymore...have to have their editorial voice/content shit strategy too.
ReplyDeleteWord on the street is that GILT and Mr. Porter have been courting a Taiwanese-American editor over at Details who is a rising-star in the menswear ranks. Let's hope a mystery team comes in at the 11th hour and signs him for less money.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if Peskowitz is going to teach all of them to do that nifty handshake he does with everyone.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Sam. Gilt's editorial is great, but their business is not. As to why they are planning on launching a new, standard retail online company - separate from Gilt but owned by the Gilt group - seems like proof to me that they need a new model. Is it to compete with Mr. Porter? We'll see. -Rufus S.
ReplyDeleteI have not been impressed with any of the output of the Gilt Manual yet. Everything I have seen on there is either very basic information that I have read in other places many times before (http://www.gilt.com/giltmanual/2010/09/how-to-buy-a-dress-shirt/) or a direct advertisement for the products on their retail side (http://www.gilt.com/giltmanual/2010/09/a-collection-of-colorful-socks/).
ReplyDeleteI mean, I guess it's useful if you don't want to pay to subscribe to GQ, but want the same information?
Somewhere inside the SoHo Grand, Steven Rojas is crying about missing this ship.
ReplyDeleteSeems like a good % of their posts are pushing stuff from Gilt, which is fine. Gilt groupe mgmt likely looks at Gilt Manual as a way to drive traffic to the mothership, as there's a lot more money in selling clothes then there are in selling web ads. Honestly I'm not sure we need another blog telling us how to set up 'the perfect home bar' or tie a bowtie or cook a steak.
ReplyDeleteAlso I doubt Gilt is "throwing around" stock options....VCs and founders hold those dearly and will only dilute themselves if it's something they really believe will grow the business (I know nothing about Gilt internal but do know a little about startups.)
I am so glad you started this discussion. The problem with editorial content that is directly related to a business that sells consumer goods is that it never will be considered truly editorial. Not to say that magazines and websites/blogs with advertisers do not have to play to where the money is coming from, but this takes it one step farther. Gilt Groupe started Gilt Manual because they were having a problem driving men to their sample sales. I think it is a big risk for all these gents, as there are two possibilities other than success. First, Gilt Manual could still fail to push men to shop online through Gilt Groupe. And no matter how good the content is, if this fails to materialize the site is all but gone. Gilt is clearly not in the publishing business. Second, Gilt Manual could provide the catalyst that Gilt needed for their mens sales, and after some time, they might find the content, and the people they've hired expendable. Again they are not in the publishing business, and this content is for lack of a better phrase is just a means to an end.
ReplyDeleteI think it's awful, as a wholesaler, who will not sell product to Gilt (I don't want to piss off my retailers) I doubt that writers who previously have featured my product on their respective blogs/magazines will do so anymore. While I respect each person and even call some of them friends, I think working for Gilt calls into question their journalistic integrity. I know how these things work and of course the big labels and advertisers always get better coverage/special treatment, but I think that this is going to take it to the next level.
ReplyDeleteHaha to that Steven Rojas comment. I'm sure he will find a way to convince John Auerbach to let him run the Social Media properties of GILT Manual.
ReplyDeleteI agree with anon 1:15. This represents a complete selling out of editorial independence, or what is left of it. These writers are just blatantly hawking goods. This is a bridge too far.
ReplyDeleteIt's basically a mix of Valet and The Art of Manliness and I don't see what's so great about that. It's a little presumptuous to think that, on one page, they can claim to be experts and tell me "How to Get the Most out of [my] Butcher", tell me to drive the 2011 Volkswagen Jetta and slang some colorful socks.
ReplyDeleteDrivel in a nicely packaged bow. Who employs writer like they have to write 1 paragraph shills for something that's "on sale" on the right-side banner of the page?
ReplyDeleteCome on guys, the exclusive buying club concept is BS; Oh man, I'm getting exclusive access to super crispy stuff!!!!" It's marketing for lemmings in the iPad age.
Gay Talese? Beyond random.
ReplyDelete1. I've been a member of Gilt for over a year and I never even knew Gilt Manual even existed.
ReplyDelete2. I don't know who any of these people mentioned are, nor do I care.
3. There is no such thing as "menswear journalism."
4. Now that I've seen Gilt Manual, it's just the standard men's mag crap. Sart Inc. is way more useful to me than Gilt Manual's hacky advice. I already know how to equip a bar, thanks anyway, guys.
5. Now that Gilt is selling one VW car at $10,000 off list over the next three days, I'm done with them. Not that I've ever bought anything from Gilt in the first place; I'm not much for ordering clothes I can't touch or try on if I can't return them and get my money back. But selling a VW for $6 grand that only one person can actually buy at that price is just sleazy. Not steezy, sleazy.
". . .once Gilt Groupe goes public there are gonna be a lot of 'rich, former menswear editors' as a friend put it"
ReplyDeleteYeah, they are going to be partying like its 1999!
Don't get me wrong -- if these people can generate something of value, they deserve to be compensated. That is as big an "if" here as it was with most of the presumptive tech-boom paper millionaires. Still hope it works out for them, though their insight will have to be worth about a million times more to a lot of people than it is to me.
It looks like a lot of other online mags like Valet or The Scout. Nothing really setting it apart from the pack. I don't expect any hard hitting journalism into factory conditions or anything of that sort. These seem like talented folk, so maybe they can turn it into something good. A first step would to change that dreadful name "MANual.' It's straight out of a "group project" in a college course.
ReplyDeleteGilt manual is okay. Just seems like another mens web magazine like valet etc that is trying to push the products of the companies that sponsor them. In this case its Gilt pushing the products that they carry. I will breeze by it a couple times a week maybe. I check sart. Inc. and htttgap daily, mainly because i know that L.A.S is a real guy. Hes a regular guy that is accessible and will give his honest opinion everytime. Gilt seems too far removed from reality. I read blogs that i can personally identify with because i know that a real person wrote it, not some menswear conglomerate machine. Thats just my 2 cents. Shout out to Sart Inc. and HTTTGAP
ReplyDeleteSo far "Gilt Man" has never been useful to me, but if they can bring quality editorial about great gear and the people who make it, then why not pay attention?
ReplyDeleteYou can judge both the featured products and the writing on their own merits (assuming you know about both and know what you like), so theoretically it shouldn't matter if the writers are paid or not.
That said, the front page and the "How to" articles look like standard men's magazine crap. But check out the content from earlier in December and the entries are more personable and higher quality in my opinion.
It's at least worth watching to see what develops.
Regardless of how you feel about everyone on the roster personally, those guys all have a lot of experience and are really knowledgeable about the industry. At least two of them are infinitely more talented than their last job may have suggested (not naming names, but come on). Therefore, the most impressive thing about GiltManual thus far is the connections they have.
ReplyDeleteGay Talese may be "random" as the other commenter said, but the guy is a living legend. Read "Frank Sinatra Has a Cold." It single-handedly defined feature and celebrity journalism for more than a generation. You've got to have some serious sway to get him to climb on board. Dude's got nothing to prove.
The fact of the matter is, the site is still relatively new. All of the buzz they have now is great, but they have to find a way to legitimize it against the inevitable question of whether they can have any sort of objectivity when they're ostensibly schilling for Gilt Groupe, as people have pointed out here. If they can't get over that with some sort of legit content that rises above the often sub-par wares they're peddling, it won't be anything other than a retailer's blog. But given the horsepower on staff, I have hope they can make it something good.
And trust, those pockets are DEEP.
The name is pretty horrendous, though. And as much as I love me some Billy Reid, that video was dangerously close to self-parody.
My point about Gay Talese being random wasn't a dig at Talese. Quite the contrary, I've read all Gay's writings and I'm somewhat shocked he would be involved in something like this. I could see him writing for The Rake or another tailoring-focused publication but for a website that hawks Rick Owens and Thom Browne? That's random.
ReplyDeleteYou can buy talent, you cant really buy legitimacy. But you can certainly try. Which is what the moves currently ibeing made byonline retailers is all about. The editorial component to retailing to men is so vital that a lot of money will continue to be spent and its hard to imagine that not having a deleterious effect on the legitimacy of these well meaning editors
ReplyDeleteSure these guys and many other blogs for that matterare doing a fine job of repackaging wisdoms and attitudes that have been in print for years. But to call these men the great and the good of menswear journalism or suggest that a few bloggers getting jobs..... on a blog.... is the death knell of print is just foolish.
The men at Gilt are fantastic and I can personally say that I am excited to see what this dream team will accomplish.
ReplyDelete-Steven Rojas
I wonder if they've made an offer to the fuckyeahmenswear guy?
ReplyDeleteA few other people hit the nail on the head: as long as the editorial is pushing Gilt's substandard retail it can never be taken seriously. They obviously did their homework and had the money to grab the big names, but those names are only know to a niche audience, and that audience has mostly moved beyond the type of introductory content they're offering.
ReplyDeleteThe only real question is: Over/Under on how many of these dudes I punch when I get on the scene in NY?
As a journalist I'm all for anything that increases our (thinning) ranks or our pay. The content I've seen is not geared toward insiders or guys who already consider themselves knowledgeable about style/clothing. So, maybe a hair above GQ but below Details...and that's hardly a high bar.
ReplyDeleteGilt itself is s-h-i-t-e, of course. Go over to Style Forum for an inside view of how it works...and why you should never buy even so much as a cufflink there.
Angelo I have a feeling you won't be punching shit if you ever show your sorry ass in Ny. Rugby shirts with cute little pink skulls don't exactly scream tough guy around here.
ReplyDeleteI've got to agree with the majority here. The site's got some great "names," but the content is a watered down version of the type of content found on Valet, which has much better visuals and offers a more realistic outlook on price and quality.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing Gilt does right is a luke warm impersonation of sites that do it much better.
ReplyDelete"Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteAngelo I have a feeling you won't be punching shit if you ever show your sorry ass in Ny. Rugby shirts with cute little pink skulls don't exactly scream tough guy around here."
Neither do Anonymous postings.
@ CLeeuw Go back to painting pigeons fuckstick
ReplyDeleteMR Porter, ladies. MR PORTER.
ReplyDeleteWhile the critique that the Gilt writers are biased because they are pushing product may hold up when compared with one-man blog shops, the current 'editorial' content of mags like Esquire and GQ is basically advertorial. Are we really surprised anymore that the item featured in a 'must have for spring' article is from the very same brand whose ad appears on the next page?
ReplyDelete