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  • Faust
    kitsch killer
    • Sep 2006
    • 37852

    Francisco Costa exits Calvin Klein. Rumor has it that Raf will take his place.

    Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months - Oscar Wilde

    StyleZeitgeist Magazine

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    • Voltairine
      Junior Member
      • Jul 2012
      • 14

      Originally posted by Faust View Post
      Francisco Costa exits Calvin Klein. Rumor has it that Raf will take his place.

      http://www.businessoffashion.com/art...3cc6-417178845
      Didn't Raf complain about the breakneck pace of Dior? Wouldn't Calvin Klein be even more demanding?

      Comment

      • Faust
        kitsch killer
        • Sep 2006
        • 37852

        Who knows. We'll have to wait and see.
        Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months - Oscar Wilde

        StyleZeitgeist Magazine

        Comment

        • unwashed
          Senior Member
          • Dec 2008
          • 694

          Today I received my first Raf piece (Cape/Hoodie). Also first full retail purchase in quite some time and I was very exited about the item due to an interesting pattern which reminded me of a FW09 Damir Doma piece I regret selling.

          Anyway, I was very disapointed by the quality or better yet said lack of quality of the fabric.
          Compared to Rick Owens or even Drkshdw the fabric felt cheap and fake. It is the same level of a recent Helmut Lang sweater I returned due to cheap fabric (worse than H&M) and I'm returning the item for the same reason. For the price I paid (550EU), I feel like I'm ripped off!

          So I was wondering, since this is my first Raf experience, what is the general consensus of his use of french terry fabric quality? Avoid hoodies, sweatshirts etc??
          Grailed link

          Comment

          • Faust
            kitsch killer
            • Sep 2006
            • 37852

            I haven't bought an RS piece in ten years. I agree that his quality is crap.

            That HL is crap should be obvious - I mean it's a high street brand, what did you expect?
            Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months - Oscar Wilde

            StyleZeitgeist Magazine

            Comment

            • Erich Fromm
              Member
              • May 2017
              • 85

              Hey everybody making my first post on SZ today,

              I've been reading through this thread quite a bit and I feel like the general consensus is that Raf's newer collections are sub-par. Now since there has not been much discussion lately, I'd like to hear your opinions on the past couple collections and his work at CK.

              Comment

              • Faust
                kitsch killer
                • Sep 2006
                • 37852

                Originally posted by Erich Fromm View Post
                Hey everybody making my first post on SZ today,

                I've been reading through this thread quite a bit and I feel like the general consensus is that Raf's newer collections are sub-par. Now since there has not been much discussion lately, I'd like to hear your opinions on the past couple collections and his work at CK.
                Why don't you start with giving your opinion first.
                Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months - Oscar Wilde

                StyleZeitgeist Magazine

                Comment

                • Erich Fromm
                  Member
                  • May 2017
                  • 85

                  Originally posted by Faust View Post
                  Why don't you start with giving your opinion first.
                  Sure :) Personally, I was not a huge fan of his work after AW 06/07, up until AW 14/15, which I was quite impressed with. It was definitely not his strongest collection, but I do find myself lusting after those bleached coats. Although after that I have not been impressed at all.

                  I had the opportunity to pick up one of those ludicrously oversized coats in all black from AW 16/17 for a very low price and I have to say that the quality is just as sub-par as it has been described on this thread. The coat is fused and as far as I can tell entirely machine stitched. And the fact that the wool is actually quite nice does not really make up for that.

                  The way I see it is that Raf still designs stuff that is much better than most of the crap that calls itself "high fashion" nowadays, but that he is definitely lacking the appeal he used to have. Maybe he should have just left when he as at the top, just like HL, which was coincidentally at the same time.

                  Comment

                  • Faust
                    kitsch killer
                    • Sep 2006
                    • 37852

                    I entirely agree, perhaps with the exception of wanting him to quit. That AW 14 was a flash of former brilliance and sharing a collection with an artist down to the label was a fashion moment. I haven't bought an RS piece since AW06. And I agree on quality, but quality has gone down across the board since that time.
                    Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months - Oscar Wilde

                    StyleZeitgeist Magazine

                    Comment

                    • Erich Fromm
                      Member
                      • May 2017
                      • 85

                      I honestly feel like the main problem at the moment, which might also take its toll on Raf, is that the fashion market has become so incredibly oversaturated. I don't want to sound like a snobbist, but the fact that fashion has become such an easily accessible thing to the mainstream through things like Instagram etc. is really changing the game at the moment. Like I mentioned in my earlier post, everybody nowadays calls themselves a designer because they slap a screenprint on a hoodie and extend the sleeves a little bit. It just becomes completely commercialized because now the only way to become very finacially successful in fashion is to produce what people see Kanye wearing on Instagram. Look at Julius for example, their AW 17 was not Julius. It was Gosha and Vetements. Distinct aesthetics are being destroyed by hype and logomania. Don't get me wrong, Raf is definitely still above that, but creativity can quickly be destroyed by the market.

                      I think one must make a distinction between financial and personal, creative success and what that means for oneself as a designer.

                      Comment

                      • haydn
                        Senior Member
                        • Feb 2013
                        • 106

                        First pieces of Raf for Calvin Klein are up for preorder on Antonioli.

                        The CK Collection has always been overpriced, but this seems a bit much;

                        Comment

                        • Faust
                          kitsch killer
                          • Sep 2006
                          • 37852

                          Originally posted by Erich Fromm View Post
                          I honestly feel like the main problem at the moment, which might also take its toll on Raf, is that the fashion market has become so incredibly oversaturated. I don't want to sound like a snobbist, but the fact that fashion has become such an easily accessible thing to the mainstream through things like Instagram etc. is really changing the game at the moment. Like I mentioned in my earlier post, everybody nowadays calls themselves a designer because they slap a screenprint on a hoodie and extend the sleeves a little bit. It just becomes completely commercialized because now the only way to become very finacially successful in fashion is to produce what people see Kanye wearing on Instagram. Look at Julius for example, their AW 17 was not Julius. It was Gosha and Vetements. Distinct aesthetics are being destroyed by hype and logomania. Don't get me wrong, Raf is definitely still above that, but creativity can quickly be destroyed by the market.

                          I think one must make a distinction between financial and personal, creative success and what that means for oneself as a designer.
                          Unfortunately, that distinction has been thoroughly erased. Everything is called fashion now - it's a thoroughly postmodern view now. What used to be called style is called fashion now. I've written several articles on this, it's nothing new.
                          Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months - Oscar Wilde

                          StyleZeitgeist Magazine

                          Comment

                          • Erich Fromm
                            Member
                            • May 2017
                            • 85

                            Originally posted by haydn View Post
                            First pieces of Raf for Calvin Klein are up for preorder on Antonioli.

                            The CK Collection has always been overpriced, but this seems a bit much;
                            https://www.antonioli.eu/en/US/men/p...s/74mkta93-687
                            The problem is that huge brands like Calvin Klein have insane marketing, staff and logistics costs. And due to their other lines relatively low pricing they need to elevate the prices of their upscale line. I think most people immediately equate high pricing with high quality, which can't always be the case with brands like Calvin Klein. The best way to solve this problem is to just not buy a 75% Polyamide item for 1040 dollars.

                            The thing is that if one wants a certain item, the only way to obtain it is by paying the price, so if one feels the need to own it, one can lament about cost but there is no way to change it.

                            Comment

                            • Erich Fromm
                              Member
                              • May 2017
                              • 85

                              Originally posted by Faust View Post
                              Unfortunately, that distinction has been thoroughly erased. Everything is called fashion now - it's a thoroughly postmodern view now. What used to be called style is called fashion now. I've written several articles on this, it's nothing new.
                              I have really ambiguous and conflicted feelings about post modernism. On the one side I really appreciate the idea that objectivity is distoreted because I believe that world views, no matter how ridiculous, should always be tried to be tolerated/understould (not necessarily condoned though. The problem is that in this case you can't really talk about anything anymore because nothing can really be taken as true. I think it is important to recognize that everyone is naturally prone to subjectivity but without objectivity we can't function. Now more on the subject of clothing, the whole commercial thing atm thrives on post modernism because the concept of good taste becomes annulled. In this way post modernism is in theory an open and positive thing, but it just does not work, because our post modern society paradoxically is really close minded. Good taste might have been eradicated and everything is about "personal style" but in truth everyone follows the same stupid trends and accepts that as "good taste". It's such a weird paradox of our world atm that everyone is all about opinionand individuality but everyone follows trends and even populists like sheep. And if you look at fashion everything is becoming the same. Individuality is being eradicated by indivuality.

                              Tldr: as a concept I like post modernism but it's incredibly flawed and in terms of art,fashion, music etc. it's a total culture killer.

                              Comment

                              • Faust
                                kitsch killer
                                • Sep 2006
                                • 37852

                                Originally posted by Erich Fromm View Post
                                I have really ambiguous and conflicted feelings about post modernism. On the one side I really appreciate the idea that objectivity is distoreted because I believe that world views, no matter how ridiculous, should always be tried to be tolerated/understould (not necessarily condoned though. The problem is that in this case you can't really talk about anything anymore because nothing can really be taken as true. I think it is important to recognize that everyone is naturally prone to subjectivity but without objectivity we can't function. Now more on the subject of clothing, the whole commercial thing atm thrives on post modernism because the concept of good taste becomes annulled. In this way post modernism is in theory an open and positive thing, but it just does not work, because our post modern society paradoxically is really close minded. Good taste might have been eradicated and everything is about "personal style" but in truth everyone follows the same stupid trends and accepts that as "good taste". It's such a weird paradox of our world atm that everyone is all about opinionand individuality but everyone follows trends and even populists like sheep. And if you look at fashion everything is becoming the same. Individuality is being eradicated by indivuality.

                                Tldr: as a concept I like post modernism but it's incredibly flawed and in terms of art,fashion, music etc. it's a total culture killer.
                                Exactly my problem as a journalist/editor/critic.

                                Also, as I have said elsewhere many times, postmodernism is good for capitalism, because "anything goes" really means "anything sells."
                                Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months - Oscar Wilde

                                StyleZeitgeist Magazine

                                Comment

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