random fashion thoughts

[Faust]

I canceled my Women's Wear Daily subscription. It just doesn't seem relevant anymore.

[Shucks]

^ it's never been very popular with stores - at least in my experience, both from working in retail and as a customer. i suppose the 'showrooming' trend has aggravated this though.

[zen dog]

^ I'm trying to behave (financially) and slow down my visits to high end stores but I'm not surprised. These days with the speed of a sent photo so much gets knocked off or a "vibe" captured and duplicated I'm not surprised shop owners are getting protective. (Different than restaurant bloggers.) This happens with vintage furniture/objects and even book lists.
I was in a bookshop with "No photos" posted. I asked for permission to take photos for a poetry reading. the owner said "sure", her sign was for people who were taking pics of her book inventory to duplicate elsewhere.
I hadn't considered how important a curated inventory was or that people would think to copy it.
Just another example of how information and its duplication are thought of as free (innocently or not). So now pictures for fun (look where I am!) or reference for future purchase are blocked or at least speed-bumped with having to ask for permission. Of course you may earn points and start a dialog by politely asking before you click.

[Faust]

Yes, it's always been like that. Many stores, especially monobrand boutiques are super careful to project a certain image.

If anything, I'd say it's gotten more lax with Instagram because now it's free promotion. Of course depends on who's taking the picture (snobbishly turns his nose up ).

The implicit problem, as zen_dog hints, is how fucking rude people have become. The idea now is that everyone wants self-promotion, so people don't even ask for permission to take a photo. I always do, and it gets me many thanks and lots of conversations on the subject of ill manners.

Last time I was in Paris a very nice young Japanese street style photographer wanted to take my photo after Ann's show. I politely turned her down, and almost felt guilty because she was so refreshingly nice!

[Faust]

It's a tricky balance. Some hold on to the old ways, others dive headfirst into the brave new world. It's hard to say what's better. For now fashion, by and large, has latched on to the idea that exposure translates into sales without (to my knowledge, maybe people better versed in marketing can correct me) any viable way to verify that Instagram views convert into sales.

[Shucks]

my point about 'showrooming' is that a lot of people will go to stores, take a photo of (or try on) products they like and then use the photo to find that same product (or a knock-off!) online for cheap. this is especially easily done for books.

[Faust]

Yes, absolutely. Though wouldn't be simply easier to just note a book title?

[bukka]

Yes, absolutely. Though wouldn't be simply easier to just not a book title?

You might want a specific edition? Probably faster to just take a picture.
In the end, I noticed that I have the same way of consuming books and clothes, I just go for the second-hand shops. Just like clothes, it's cheaper and most of the time, they manage to have or find for me the specific edition the retail don't have anymore.

[Shucks]

what i really like about used book stores, thrift shops, garage sales and flea markets is that element of surprise and discovery they offer. i rarely get that in 'curated' designer fashion stores anymore.... the experiences are always so predictable... even so called 'avant-garde' spaces usually go by the numbers. just different numbers.

also, the punk in me is triggered when i feel more like a manipulated pawn in someone's retail design concept, than an individual. which is perplexing to me considering i've pretty much given up all my expectations on being 'unique', by buying into rick wholesale...

[bukka]

what i really like about used book stores, thrift shops, garage sales and flea markets is that element of surprise and discovery they offer.

Very true. And I almost always end up with something I had not in mind. It also helps to develop a friendship with the owner of the book shop. He calls me when some rare edition from one of my favorites authors come in - or simply shares his readings he thinks I might like.
It also helps me to give my money to him rather than Amazon. The crazy situation in Switzerland now is that 1CHF is around 1EUR. And books have always been way more expensive in Switzerland but now it's just completely crazy, like three times the french price...
I've yet to become friend with a retailer but who knows, someday maybe.

[Faust]

Agreed. I've always said that the Internet is unable to replicate browsing.

[Shucks]

around 2007-2008 yoox was a real mess though (even more than now...) so that was kind of like going to a garage sale. you never knew what little treasures you could find among the pages and pages of bikkembergs shoes and guess jeans...

[Faust]

Hah, true that.

[Ulf]

I've been shopping on Yoox since 2002, and you could find some great bargains back then. Nowadays, they even price stuff over retail sometimes...

[epiphany]

As a long time lurker,I find the current discussion in the WAYWT thread extremely ironic. I've noticed that many of the pics in the "HOF" are from OG posters who are now banned,or who voluntarily left,because they were openly critical of the arbitrary sz "high standards"

Things that make you go hmmmm?