Designers and what they wear themselves

[Faust]

Good points aka, I like the woody allen quote too.
I actually was trying to argue the opposite- not that every piece was intended or could be worn by the designer- but that in fact, in the case of many of these designers, even they themselves find many of their own pieces to be not particularly wearable, at least for themselves.
And that, furthermore, they themselves are drawn to a personal style that is somewhat simple and utilitarian- which contrasts with their production.
In Lindberg's case the production is cheesy, in Poell's its endless innovation and artisan craftwork, but in both cases maybe they think that they style that they want is about how they look and feel and actual style, rather than logo hoodies or head-to-toe runway-type innovative pieces.
What I'm saying is that, these designers, who in their business lives profit off all of the people who think men's style is about accumulation of "hot" or "artisan" or "(fill in the blank)" pieces, in their personal life realize that actual style has more to do with fit, simplicity, subtlety, how your clothing style fits who you are, etc.

(Sigh). I really think people get jaded here - we are an incredibly small group compared to men who buy, say, Dolce and Gabbana every season.

[Raw Edge]

(Sigh). I really think people get jaded here - we are an incredibly small group compared to men who buy, say, Dolce and Gabbana every season.

i agree- but did my post strike you as especially jaded?
I just mean- instead of thinking of a designer as not representing or standing by his quality for not wearing his stuff- I think we can actually take something away from it, which is-
sometimes in coveting items or designers we lose track of the fact that style is more than that.
the designers we're talking about know it. poell's like,
"I ain't wearing that painfull-ass jointed boot! you wear it, that thing hurts! I just made it to see if I could do it."

[Faust]

Haha, that last quite is funny. I guess I sometimes get frustrated when SZ seems so narrow to warrant someone saying, "you are a fashion victim if you wear poell." And I don't even really wear poell. Fashion is so broad, we are truly a drop in a bucket. Yes, I'd like to think SZ wields some power, but not that much :-)

[Magician]

FWIW: While Woody Allen quotes it in Annie Hall, the "I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member" line is attributed to Groucho Marx, who said it first on screen, but it likely predates both performers by some time.

Not the first time surprising profundity would come out of the Marx Brother's oeuvre.

[Raw Edge]

Haha, that last quite is funny. I guess I sometimes get frustrated when SZ seems so narrow to warrant someone saying, "you are a fashion victim if you wear poell." And I don't even really wear poell. Fashion is so broad, we are truly a drop in a bucket. Yes, I'd like to think SZ wields some power, but not that much :-)

ah yes, very true, and I don't think wearing poell makes you a victim, I like poell, after all.
I just meant that even poell doesn't need to wear poell all the time- if you're goal is to have style then its best achieved personally, and that doesn't have to be through a full ensemble of mindblowing items all the time- even if you're the one that makes mindblowing items.
if the guy wears jeans and a t-shirt sometimes it doesn't mean he has bad taste or doesn't stand behind his items, it just means he wants to tone his own style down sometimes, and I don't blame him.

[Fuuma]

Haha, that last quite is funny. I guess I sometimes get frustrated when SZ seems so narrow to warrant someone saying, "you are a fashion victim if you wear poell." And I don't even really wear poell. Fashion is so broad, we are truly a drop in a bucket. Yes, I'd like to think SZ wields some power, but not that much :-)

To be honest I sometimes find some SZ looks to be quite fashion victimy as it just looks like a huge pile of designer clothes on top of another. I honestly don't think I'm ever guilty of that so I guess I'm feeling smug right now.

[theetruscan]

I think one other thing that needs to be considered when talking about what a designer wears is that designers don't necessarily design for their body type. There are plenty of designers who don't have the body type they design clothing for. It's not necessarily a statement about how they like or dislike their clothes.

The comment about art being mostly on commission was very good. Thank you!

[mass]

i suppose also worth considering is that there are some designers for example slimane who kind of design based off their personal style and style influences, as opposed to maybe having their garments being derived from a specific narrative or idea... and having a very particular vision of someone other than themselves wearing the clothes when they're designing them.

[zamb]

oftentimes what a designer wears if largely based on a number of factors
1. their view of what fashion is and whats the purpose of clothing
this is not easy to articulate as their are so many views of fashion , but basically, if the designer see fashion on some level as a form of artistic expression then there may be a significant disconnect in what one wears and what one designs, ifr the designer doesnt see him or herself as an extension of such artistic expressions.
if a designer view creating clothes that are an extension of thier wold view then its easy to see them wearing thier own creations, if the designer believes in creating clothing appealing to other peoples desires and fantasies, then thier own personal taste might differ from their creations

2. how they want to be percieved in relation to thier work
some designers might see themselves as a spokesperson for their work and thus feels the need to show a beleif in the product by constantly wearing it, others might think the product is so good on its own that there is no need to reinforce it by comforming ones personal style to the clothes being design, alot of times this is also a matter of confidence, i think more confident designers are able to create a mix between their own work and others for thier personal wardrobe, as one can surely appreciate and find interesting things created by other people that appeals to ones own taste

3. what they basically feel comfortable in.
Behnaz sarafpour ones said she wears jeans an T-shirt everyday because it would be impractical to work in the clothing she creates

[laika]

I think it's interesting that the designers who do wear their own clothes are those who are interested in creating a uniform or total wardrobe for their customers, rather than presenting something new every season. Ann Dem, Rick, Thom, and Branquinho all come to mind, and they all wear their own stuff.

Then there are the conceptualists like Margiela, Chalayan and Poell, who are constantly trying to innovate and perhaps as a consequence, tend to maintain a distance from the objects of their creation.

Rei and Yohji are somewhere in between. They do wear their own clothes, but only the most basic, uniform stuff--the things that don't really change from year to year. And yet they are both conceptualists in their own way.

[Fuuma]

Branquinho is That is all I can contribute right now, it's pretty hard for me to say anything about this topic as I have trouble drawing parallels with other fields.

[Servo2000]

indeed

[laika]

Branquinho is That is all I can contribute right now, it's pretty hard for me to say anything about this topic as I have trouble drawing parallels with other fields.

Agreeeeeee. She is so lovely.

Speaking of which, we should have pics in this thread.





edit: servo got their first!

[zamb]

yes she is a very nice lady, and to think that Raf Simons allowed her to get away from him.............

[laika]

yes she is a very nice lady, and to think that Raf Simons allowed her to get away from him.............

yes, the first of many mistakes, apparently!

I know she is a favorite of yours, Zam. You have very fine taste!