random fashion thoughts

[Chinorlz]

Can everyone stop with taped seams?

[lazyguru]

i see your taped seams & raise you over-locked stitching

[Chinorlz]

Overlock, babylock, taped seams, "blood" anything at this point is a sign that you aren't really thinking hard about designing something that has a distinct voice. There is enough of those methods out there, done for enough years, by enough people that we should all push forward. Tape seams for sure need to not be used by anyone new. To me it immediately drops your creative credibility and capability.

Some may disagree with me, but in this (still relatively) niche aesthetic where you have a lot of people that are pushing design, pattern, materials, treatment R&D, it is indeed harder than ever to come up with something new, but if you don't then it's just uninteresting and derivative.

[zamb]

Overlock, babylock, taped seams, "blood" anything at this point is a sign that you aren't really thinking hard about designing something that has a distinct voice. There is enough of those methods out there, done for enough years, by enough people that we should all push forward. Tape seams for sure need to not be used by anyone new. To me it immediately drops your creative credibility and capability.

Some may disagree with me, but in this (still relatively) niche aesthetic where you have a lot of people that are pushing design, pattern, materials, treatment R&D, it is indeed harder than ever to come up with something new, but if you don't then it's just uninteresting and derivative.

I agree 100% and this is a large part of the reason why I liked the last Junya and Thom Browne collections.............

I loved what Geoffrey did because it CANT BE COPIED.
the fundamental problem is that there are "designers" working now, whose technical knowledge does not go beyond a certain level, so all there is is a regurgitation and and endless variation of stale ideas and techniques................this is exactly one of the Major the reason why i did not present a collection in Paris this season. unless I have something to say through my work, i'm not saying anything at all.

[Chinorlz]

I agree 100% and this is a large part of the reason why I liked the last Junya and Thom Browne collections.............

I loved what Geoffrey did because it CANT BE COPIED.
the fundamental problem is that there are "designers" working now, whose technical knowledge does not go beyond a certain level, so all there is is a regurgitation and and endless variation of stale ideas and techniques................this is exactly one of the Major the reason why i did not present a collection in Paris this season. unless I have something to say through my work, i'm not saying anything at all.

Much respect for this Z. Especially when this is is the industry on which you make your living on, this is not easy to adhere to.

It totally makes sense when designers rehash their designs and/or do a diffusion line. There is this balance between needing to stay in business and maintaining a "voice" and the former often has to (for better or worse) take precedence over the latter. Reminds me of so many other artistic fields from architecture to photography that I have friends in.

[Lohikaarme]

Can everyone stop with taped seams?

Devoa's technical jacket? Or someone else? Taped seams are important in tech clothing.

[Chinorlz]

Anyone post 2010 using taped seams on anything non-tech/athletic wear.

[applecrisp]

I would disagree on the taped seams bit, with one caveat... If you are sewing the garment then taping the seams (essentially to get the look of taped seams), then yes, PLEASE STOP. WE GET IT.

However, no-sew seaming is the future of garment construction. There will always be a place for a hand-sewn or machine-sewn garment, but some of the most innovative construction techniques from now going forward will involve some form of no-sew. I think it's as important as 3D printing if not more. So, not completely mainstream, but look at what Iris Van Herpen has done with 3D printing. Nobody ever thought it could be so elegant. And I think someone will come along with some type of no-sew ultra-sonic garment construction that will really change the way we all think about it.

[Senpai]

I remember seeing an aitor (or at least I believe it was) piece at hlorenzo that used a heat press mechanism of creating a seem. I agree taped seams are a bit overused, but hopefully it's a move forward in alternative construction that will force designers of that sort to rework it and evolve the practice. It's not my cup of tea, but it has its place.

[PurpleJesuss]

Are you referring to vulcanized seams Senpai? Deepti has some pieces that use this technique and it's quite nice to behold.

fit magna caedes interesting point. I wish more tailored looks would be represented in the WAYWT thread as well. I guess i wouldn't mind seeing a Rick suit or a Forme ensemble for example from time to time.

I also wonder if perhaps there may be some designers that are lumped into this niche that would voluntarily distance themselves from it a little. I suppose having very specific stores buy your garments may create assumptions about what your brand represents.(which is probably why selection is critical in deciding where your clothes are sold). What i'm trying to get at is once the usual suspects start carrying your products it may be hard to distance yourself from the particular aesthetic they wish to reflect.

[Faust]

Since seeing the pictures from the Thom Browne show I've been imagining an alternate world version of SZ where we all tend towards that kind of tailored goth dandy instead of towards monochrome Rick streetwear. (Yes I know there are some Ann D. fans here but it isn't the same, and it's hardly the mainstream of the WAYWT.)

Has been interesting, imagining which designers would no longer make an appearance, which would be much more prominent, and which would still be here but with a completely different set of commonly-accepted "grails" and standards.

Also interesting imagining all the would-be designers who want to join the "niche" having to frantically practice their tailoring

This would certainly separate the wheat from the chaff.

[Faust]

Are you referring to vulcanized seams Senpai? Deepti has some pieces that use this technique and it's quite nice to behold.

fit magna caedes interesting point. I wish more tailored looks would be represented in the WAYWT thread as well. I guess i wouldn't mind seeing a Rick suit or a Forme ensemble for example from time to time.

I also wonder if perhaps there may be some designers that are lumped into this niche that would voluntarily distance themselves from it a little. I suppose having very specific stores buy your garments may create assumptions about what your brand represents.(which is probably why selection is critical in deciding where your clothes are sold). What i'm trying to get at is once the usual suspects start carrying your products it may be hard to distance yourself from the particular aesthetic they wish to reflect.

They already have.

[Faust]

Me too. Would like to see more Rick tailoring especially. And almost no Forme in the WAYWT these days. I suppose this reflects my own shift though, not much Julius or Boris in my rotation any more--sleeveless tees in the "only when lounging at home" pile.



Yes, stores have influenced me more than SZ has, I think. On the whole I've bought new brands because I got to try them in store or because an online store I already frequented happened to have them on sale and I was curious. But how much continuity is there between designers like RO and ED, really? Many stores, just like SZ itself, are made up of several quite inconsistent aesthetics grafted together. As I said, one could easily imagine a world where things had gone differently, where Geobaskets were banished to Sufu and the WAYWT was filled with monochrome sartorialists and opium-den dandies wearing some middle point of Haider/Ann (and maybe some of the less resplendent Dries).

But I suppose one could also imagine a world where DD was still good. If wishes were fishes... uh... the oceans would be a looking lot healthier?

"What ineffable twaddle!" Dr. Watson

I'll pretend I did not read that!

[Faust]

On a more serious note, I'm just happy the "SZ normcore" wave is over in WAYWT. That was the worst

I admit that I have not bought a piece of Ann in a while. I don't know why - it just does not grab me the way it used to. Yohji is too precious for my tastes - all that gabardine.

But I bought two coats for this winter and wore them a lot - both Rick and Forme. Rick's coats were a serious winner and no one that I know of has bought one. But what can he do if the kids want geobaskets? How much can you really influence the final consumer short of stopping to produce the product?

But, yeah, a goth dandy is an amazing thing. I wish mrbeuys would post more - he does RO tailoring justice.

[Faust]

Absolutely. Rick's tailoring is challenging.