Carol Christian Poell

[cjbreed]

i can't believe i'm saying this and perpetuating the discussion but i don't think i'd lump the olsen gals in with typical hollywood fashionistas. its safe to say they are far more involved and connected in the world of fashion than most of us.

this book is actually pretty nice:

Influence

i'm sure you all know they have 2 decent clothing lines

elizabeth and james

the row

i get the impression they are quite authentic in their fashion interests. and having seen and handled some of the pieces from "the row" i'd say they are legitimate. are they ann dem? no. are they ed hardy? definitely not

surely it could all be construed as a vanity hobby for the absurdly wealthy but i don't see it that way...

[theaddict]

Nah...I will be watching "the good wife"...

for fucks sake

you can wear them with leggings while watching re-runs of gossip girl

[Peasant]

I don't doubt that the Olsen twins are interested in fashion. They did have their very own clothing line in Wal-Mart, afterall.
If they were members posting their own photos, it'd be a different case. But it's always "Oh, look what so-and-so was wearing" in a photo taken by paparazzi. Which personally is contradictory to a fundamental reason I'm always on here.

Anyway...what's the word from Milan? Keeping images tight this year.

[croatoan]

I find it very hard to believe that few, if any of these celebs are wearing the garments out of respect, intrigue and love of the designers. It's good for the designer, but the designers are hardly struggling to pay their rent. So don't get too hyped. I have respect for the men and women who sacrafice rent to obtain these things. Fuck pop culture.

Oh please.

It is all just clothes. The fact that she has been photographed wearing them so much shows that she obviously does respect them. What do you expect her to do? To what lengths must she go to gain the respect of your holiness?

[Peasant]

I never said anyone in-particular. She (I don't know which one it is) just seems to be who was discussed. Yes. Clearly she likes her boots. Who cares.
To be honest it's not who I had in mind and I'm speaking about celebrities as a whole. It doesn't annoy me if someone wears something. It's the reactions that ensue. I don't care if Obama is wearing an Intarsia right now. I just don't care to hear about it.
In general, good things do not come from huge celebrity exposure. Yes, it's good for the designer, but often times quality and design take a hit to fulfill demands.

I don't know..it's not all just clothes for me. If I thought that way I wouldn't pay over a grand for one item. And I wouldn't research and seek out designers based on their philosophies on fashion and how their garments are made.
We obviously have a different take on things. But I suppose that's what this forum is for.

[huckleberry]

I dunno, Obama x Dick collab would definetly be picture worthy. I don't see the harm in seeing the pictures as long as the other aspects that this forum relates to are maintained in th rest of the discussion

[Faust]

Jude Law posting on SZ would be pretty cool though.

[cjbreed]

i lol'd at faust

well the silly thing is to assume that simply because a person is a celebrity that they somehow lose credibility. in truth acting is supposedly a "fine art" and it is not a stretch to think this type of temperment extends to other art forms. and design. (isn't mr pitt like a part time architect or something?) real actors dedicate themselves to a "craft". surely they can identify with other individuals that dedicate themselves to other "crafts" like fashion design. and would be particularly drawn to those that truly embrace the craft and not the business.

of course not all movie stars are "actors". so there's that...

i don't know i think u can spot the true fans quite easily in the way they wear the clothes. the styling. the consistency. and i get a lot out of seeing the clothes in action. not staged for waywt or lookbook

dear japan. put up some pics so we can get back on track

edit - i am the least celebrity oriented person i know. i can't believe i've posted about this so many times.

[Faust]

Truth is we don't know, but I don't think Peasant's opinion is without merit. It's a pretty justifiable assumption that quite a few celebrities wear what the stylists give them without any regard for the garment's provenance. The Olsen twins seem legit though.

[kunk75]

It's like actors in bands. It might be easier to get signed but it's harder to gain respect and credibility.

[Faust]

Something like that. I was thinking more along the lines: every creator who has more than a superficial approach to his work (i.e. "has something to say") wants to be understood. The same goes for his fanbase. They want to find like-minded people to share their appreciation and their worldview. And when instead they get people who don't go beyond "this is cool/makes me cool," it is natural for them to get upset. It's like you are trying to explain something important or interesting to someone, but it falls on death ears, or even worse, your words get twisted and debased. I felt that back in the day at Rage Against the Machine concerts. I am pretty hardcore leftist (not as hardcore as they), but the kids were there just to be cool. It's one of the reasons RaTM broke up by the way - Zach de la Roha seemed to have come to the same realization. I give such a poignant example to illustrate a point - I am not saying that designers should get political or anything like that.

Now, we have to assume in the first place that these designers have something to say and look for appreciation/understanding. That is the $1mil question. I know Ann does. I know Rick does. Others had something to say and they said it and now they ran out of things to say (Raf Simons, Jun Takahashi), and that's alright. (The last five Milan Kundera's books are forgettable, but that does not diminish his early work.) For the rest of designers, I am not sure. Maybe they just want to make cool stuff, and that's alright, too.

[CUTUP]

^Well put, I feel the same way about much of what you said.

I realize that many times ( myself included) we are always looking for deep and meaningful answers to our questions, and sometimes the answers are far more simple then that

Any good designer wants what they do to be understood and respected, if not, your just in it for the money and mass consumption IMO

[Peasant]

I have a tendancy to fly off the handle with this subject. It doesn't stem from anything inparticular. I suppose growing up in America where everyone is famous gets old. I obviously don't know these people and they may like and support the designer(s) far beyond what I do. But I think it's foolish to assume this is usually the case. Everyone has a right to own these clothes. But given the wealth and access (and stylists) these people have I fully believe that there are times when they obtain something solely because it is rare and expensive.

I do feel something beyond just wearing clothes. A personal connection. An extension of myself, as it's often said here. And when things are lesser known it just adds something a bit more special to them. Maybe I'm the only one. Call me vain or selfish. It's just what I have going on in my head. And to see fame and stature connected to them bums me out sometimes. For the most part I find celebrities to be irrelevant. I guess I just don't get it.
It's not going to stop. I don't expect that. I'll keep buying the clothes that I can barely afford. I don't feel ripped off or foolish for tackling giant price tags. I'm honored to wear them. I hope they are too.

[nictan]

I'm honored to wear them. I hope they are too.

these two short lines say so much. so good.

[Faust]

I hear you, Peasant.