Carol Christian Poell

[galia]

no one else thinks the long skirts look awkward in a bad way?

I love the grey pants and short dresses, but the bag is something else

[tricotineacetat]

no one else thinks the long skirts look awkward in a bad way?

I do, and I also think that the majority of the pieces lack an idea of gracefulness and feminine allure that even designers like Yohji, in times when he puts oversized, mannish outfits on a woman, possess... Maybe it's the fabrics that he works that give it the same impression than his menswear, but I feel he is working on the women's as exactly the same thought process than his menswear.

Call me old-fashioned, but I like to see womenswear that actually supports an idea of elegance and feeling womanly in the clothes - There are pieces like the white leather jacket that are nice, yes, but all in all, it really just looks like sized-down menswear, without any sensuality...

[rider]

I do, and I also think that the majority of the pieces lack an idea of gracefulness and feminine allure that even designers like Yohji, in times when he puts oversized, mannish outfits on a woman, possess... Maybe it's the fabrics that he works that give it the same impression than his menswear, but I feel he is working on the women's as exactly the same thought process than his menswear.

Call me old-fashioned, but I like to see womenswear that actually supports an idea of elegance and feeling womanly in the clothes - There are pieces like the white leather jacket that are nice, yes, but all in all, it really just looks like sized-down menswear, without any sensuality...

you are right on.

[DRRRK]

^+1. These are the thoughts I had yesterday when somebody recommended this store and I checked out their blog.

http://www.researchanddevelopment.ca/blog.html

All the clothes are beautiful, but together on this model they evoke a masculine effect. From a male point of view.

[tricotineacetat]

It´s been up before. Maybe he don´t want the femininity and elegance that some of you might search for. I think that pretty much is what I would expect with CCP. He does not glorify the beauty of the female body.

Maybe it would be better then to focus on doing men's clothing, which is where his aesthetic actually works well - It's easy from a men's perspective, from which all these clothes make sense as menswear, to completely forget about making a woman feel comfortable in her skin - I don't see what kinda woman would spend a lot of money on clothes that neither evoke a sense of ease and comfort, nor of elegance and feminity. There's something about Poell's severity that makes a woman look pretty asexual in a bad way. I don't think that actually speaks to any woman, unlike, maybe someone like Hedi Slimane, who's tuxedo suits and jeans had an element of cool missing in regular womenswear.

[tricotineacetat]

^+1. These are the thoughts I had yesterday when somebody recommended this store and I checked out their blog.

http://www.researchanddevelopment.ca/blog.html

All the clothes are beautiful, but together on this model they evoke a masculine effect. From a male point of view.

I actually thought at first it was a guy wearing parts of the women's DRKSHDW when I saw the pics for the first time - but yeah, in these images, it makes the clothes look kinda 'butch'.

Nonetheless, I have to point out that there's something decidedly feminine about Rick's womenswear that separates it's notion entirely from what Poell is doing - the cutting is very womanly, almost like Mugler or Montana, which balances the edginess of his designs well.

[maldoror]

I hear what you're saying, but I don't see it.

none of these pictures convey even the slightest sense of power to me. instead my general impression is one fundamental ill-fitment/a lack of interface between garment and wearer, characterizing everything save the most straight forward suiting. and, in terms of power, even the suiting can't compare to e.g. jil sander's (or raf for jil sander's) variations on the theme.

[galia]

I actually think that most of the pieces are interesting, some I would be interested in trying. But I just think the design of the long skirts is bad and poorly executed, in short it is sub-par especially coming from ccp

[tricotineacetat]

CCP is to me about elitism, and I think he would really appreciate this as a compliment. It is strict, it is traditional tailoring skills with total innovation. It is formal, yet pushing the limits of what is acceptable.

That could summ up just as well what Nicolas Andreas Taralis', Helmut Lang's or Boudicca's clothes stand for - and I wouldn't call these designers as being less elitist or directional, just more believable in doing women's clothing - Looking at these designer's works, I also don't get much of a coquette-ish, girl-y notion or a sense of obviously displayed sexyness - nonetheless, there is an element of discreet chicness that is empowering for women, as it's different from a womenswear designer borrowing inspiration from menswear.

If the price for elitism was to completely forget about a woman to feel womanly or otherwise flattered in the clothes she is wearing, I don't see what would be convincing to aspire that sort of exclusivity.

[diamonds]

whoa whoa

HL is definitely all about sexiness. Nothing sexier than a female astronaut. But that is for another thread I guess.




white leather jacket for women is pretty nice though. might look good on the dudes too.

[Alesha]

I think Poells woman is a young tall and slightly anorexic sadistic lady whose alure is both scary and enchanting at same time, like the allure of fencing scars or whip scars on skinny and fragile back...

And yes, it's not for everyone.

[snafu]

diamonds thats what im thinking :) but the photo of it open is selling it to me, the photo of it closed is not... im sure in the skin' it will be beautiful

personally i love his take on womanswear; i don't see the need for women to look over effeminate, his take on the long skirt/trousers as they are joined at the bottom aren't they?
i think the thumb shirts are stupid, even his jersey pieces with the thumbs would probably annoy me. but i feel with jersey it would be easier to wear/live with.
The long tank dress im not sure of because it looks like a horrible coated fabric julius used last season, rubberised jersey doesn't really work but its hard to really tell from that photo.

I feel he gets it best when he keeps it simple, the rise of his pants are high anyway and it looks great on the straight cut trouser(men and woman) but when he starts dropping the crotch and asymmetrical/spiral fly opening; it doesn't sit correctly on the body . It may be innovative but in the end i feel its just a fail, i would rather have straight opening, its almost working with a women with the seat it fitted or on the skirt because their is no seat (or at least close to the body as they might be low low trouser). But other than this wether it be atelier's photos, his shots, or even when i have seen it on a person it just looks awkward.
Even the shirt jumpsuit thing is a bit of a gimmick.
The bag is beautiful but only because of the leather, other than that the framework/opening is copied from an antique.

The cape/poncho he has done is dramatic and stunning, probably my favorite piece i have seen from him this year.



The dress which is one of the christian posted which is made from shirting and cut wide lower down so it wraps or fold around, is perfect for a female; it shows enough of a womans back to hit the balance right and is cut high in the front covering even the collar bones, but just the drop at the back is seductive.





to me carol is still one of the best woman's designers as far as what i find attractive, even miss olsen looks great in the rubber band boots. Any girl wearing poell has already got my attention; just because it is a more intelligent contrast to what you see flooded all over the market. You just have to go LVR to see what is out there and what is selling. I just hope carol is not going to blow up, its getting sold on more sites and its generally getting more attention which saddens me as always we want to keep the best for ourselves... even if you can't really afford it.

[tricotineacetat]

CCP discussions on SZ has mainly ended up with that you need to suffer in some ways to wear CCP. Some pieces limits the movement of the body, they create limits for the body and you have to learn how to live in these pieces.

This is not how the "perfect man" should be in this society, and this is the price the man wearing CCP has to "pay". I honestly don´t see why some women should find it hard to throw away the norm society managed to create about how women should feel wearing their clothes. I think some women might be really fed up with having to look womanly all the time.

Not to extend this part of the discussion for too long, but in regards to limited movement and comfort level, this is the price you are paying with any designer that cuts tailoring as close as that to the body. I've had a particular jacket from Nicolas Andreas Taralis which equalled turn of the century frock coats in tightness so that you almost needed someone to help you in and out of the jacket.

Yes, Poell has got a sharp silhouette and particular fabrication features, but let's not make him appear as the sole inventor of the slim, tailored silhouette in menswear... let alone a designer who aims to impose questions of gender images with his collections - With his persona almost just as much left in mystique as Martin Margiela's and the collections presented statically, the aim clearly is to let the clothes do the talking and to focus purely on the craftsmanship and the ways in which he pushes those principles further.

[delirium]

cool stuff. those tengu boots are interesting. do they become regular boots once you've worn down the blade? or is the sole irregular too?

[rider]

i know i'm out of my league here but i've at least got the right parts to risk entering the arena... some of ccp, for women, just looks plain clumsy and unflattering and then there is the cape/poncho that is incredibly appealing. his work can appear a bit bloated on a womens frame. perhaps thats the point, not sure. it could be why i like the leather trouser more than the other shapes, it reminds me of a mummys bandages and forms around the scaffold of the body.

restriction isnt always a bad thing...take junya for instance...but he always gives you a way out. with poell perhaps, he wants to keep you there...dunno.

edited: looking back at the pictures i see that if he "contains" he also "releases" elsewhere.