Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Fashion Week Ramblings - S/S 2015

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts
  • Faust
    kitsch killer
    • Sep 2006
    • 37852

    Fashion Week Ramblings - S/S 2015

    Hello all,

    Here are my afterthoughts on this past men's season. Please discuss (constructively).



    Fashion Week Ramblings S/S 2015

    As I am being airborne back to New York, I wanted to share a few thoughts on the menswear season that just ended.

    My adventures started at Pitti Uomo in Florence, where I go every season to report for Diane Pernet and other media. I’ve been coming here for six years and when I began doing so I would have to look far and wide to see another person dressed in black at a place where suit is king. This has been slowly changing, and I begin to see “people in black” among the sea of color of Pitti Uomo’s attendees. There is also a steady trickle of exhibitors mining the goth aesthetic. Several of them suggested that they should be in the same pavilion in order to make a statement, which is not a bad idea.

    Coincidentally, the guest of honor at Pitti was none other than Marcelo Burlon – a Milan-based DJ and t-shirt entrepreneur who came to the fair to present his expanded offerings for the first time. In a way this was symbolic for two reasons.

    First, it showed that the whole street-goth aesthetic popularized by the likes of Hood by Air and KTZ is growing beyond the teenagers that congregate in front of show venues during the fashion week hoping to get noticed by street style photographers.

    Second, it cemented the idea that what is called fashion today is no longer the provenance of designers. There is now a formula for making money off of apparel. It goes something like this – attract a following, take a basic t-shirt, put some Instagram-friendly graphics on it, get your influential friends to wear them, and presto – you have a money-making venture. To his credit, Burlon does not consider himself a fashion designer, which is, depending on how charitable you want to be, either admirable for its honesty or clever for its skirting of criticism.

    The Burlon experience seemed to continue seamlessly in Paris where one of the first shows was by Gosha Rubchinsky, a Russian Marcelo Burlon (not of the DJ, but of the artist variety). Rubchinsky also started out with tees and sweatshirts, flinging nostalgia of the Soviet/Russian variety. This might be exotic and therefore desirable to the Westerners, but as someone who grew up in the Soviet Union I find this exploitation of symbolism tired and tiresome. And as his insipid show proved, perhaps if you are not a designer by trade it’s better to stick to basics.

    But, onto real fashion. The Paris shows were decidedly mixed and so were people’s reactions. More and more I find that for all the hoopla about democratization of judgment when it comes to fashion shows – everyone can see the pictures online – there is no substitute for seeing the shows live. There is the side view, the back view, the motion that work in favor of making a more informed judgment. There is the music, the hubbub, the smiley PR people, the feeling of belonging that may actually work against it. Thus, I wonder if I thought that the show of Dries Van Noten, a perennial favorite, was weaker than usual because I did not attend it, or because I find the pajama-aesthetic disagreeable. The color combinations were lush as always, of course.

    Speaking of lush colors, I thought Haider Ackermann, whose show I also missed due to the air-controller strike in France, created another strong collection. There is an indisputable mastery and confidence in the way he handles fabric and in the richness of the hues he favors. And though the more decadent of his offerings can feel over-the-top, I was strongly drawn to the shade of olive he used. There were several tailored pieces in his showroom (where, coincidentally Charlotte Gainsbourg was browsing the collection as well) in this color that were quite impeccable.

    Boris Bidjan Saberi also meditated on the olive color in his show that was true to his roots without feeling repetitive.

    I was disappointed in the Rick Owens collection, which felt underdeveloped and narrow, with endless variations of several garments. The stand out would have been the long bomber jacket, were it not attached to a cheesy harness. Usually, in times of doubt Owens’s showroom proves me wrong, but not this season, and were I a buyer I would be scratching my head.

    Ann Demeulemeester’s collection, now officially headed by Sebastien Meunier, however, was a major hit. And though it felt strange not to see the familiar petite figure emerge for a bow at the end of the show, one must give credit where it’s due to a man who has been actively involved in the brand’s menswear for four years. In the showroom the collection looked as confident as on the runway, and both cuts and choice of fabrics were beyond reproach... (continue here)
    Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months - Oscar Wilde

    StyleZeitgeist Magazine
  • trentk
    Senior Member
    • Oct 2010
    • 709

    #2
    Street Goth / HBA is terrible fashion wise, but I have to admit that there is some phenomenal music associated with it. eg:

    Explore the largest community of artists, bands, podcasters and creators of music & audio

    DL: https://www.dropbox.com/s/4jz9zuhetcp9eob/Damsel%20in%20Distress.mp3?dl=0 100% crafted/handled/lifted by @LOTIC. cover by @M-E-S-H Lotic - Chunk Lotic - Heterocetera Lotic - Hummingbird feat.
    "He described this initial impetus as like discovering that they both were looking at the same intriguing specific tropical fish, with attempts to understand it leading to a huge ferocious formalism he characterizes as a shark that leapt out of the tank."

    Comment

    • lost53
      Senior Member
      • Dec 2010
      • 658

      #3
      Thanks for the musings.
      A point well made regarding viewing collections in reality.
      Some people forget this virtual way in which most absorb the world/culture around is indeed just that a virtual experience.
      It goes beyond clothes, but people can develop pretty sincere but distorted view points on things, based on a cursory glance on the web..

      Anyway, glad to hear you are keeping it real and black.

      Comment

      • ES3K
        Senior Member
        • Oct 2008
        • 530

        #4
        As I told it to a friend last week: Dsquared² is the new Harnden!

        Comment

        • Irara
          Junior Member
          • May 2014
          • 13

          #5
          Originally posted by Faust View Post
          Rubchinsky also started out with tees and sweatshirts, flinging nostalgia of the Soviet/Russian variety. This might be exotic and therefore desirable to the Westerners, but as someone who grew up in the Soviet Union I find this exploitation of symbolism tired and tiresome.
          I wonder if multitudinous designers who still work with imagery that belongs to the tacky souvenir section somewhere between matreshkas and ushankas are doing that out of lack of inspiration from contemporary culture of ex-USSR countries or if they reflect the new circuit of imperialist revival.

          Originally posted by Faust View Post
          It seemed like every other showroom in the Marais was serving up knock-offs of the knock-offs of Rick Owens, Boris Bidjan Saberi, and Julius. Black, drapey, drop crotch, long tops, etc, to the point where the clothes seemed completely interchangeable.

          This bandwagoneering is dispiriting and it’s safe and sad to say that goth has become a trend.
          However expected this still an extremely upsetting situation, I'm scared tothink of what comes after the trend is over and the original idea that brought it to life is sucked completely dry. On the other hand, it is always possible to answer recuperation with détournement, but it's still vague which forms it may take except return to color.

          Originally posted by Faust View Post
          They were worn and presented by people who probably have never listened to an industrial song in their life.
          Well, I doubt them listening to industrial would have changed a thing. There are lots of people who wear their music/literature/art preferences like they would have worn a hat, talk about Heidegger with a duckface.

          Comment

          • messenoire
            Senior Member
            • Nov 2009
            • 1232

            #6
            thanks for posting this. commenting on the black, it seems with the "all black" designers wanting to be lumped into one tent to show a stronger aesthetic is a polite nod to the early days of yohji and rei in paris, no? i am hoping the trend piques as all trends do and the t shirt brands can go back to their regularly scheduled programs. i look forward to reading your fashion week ramblings every season

            Comment

            • Faust
              kitsch killer
              • Sep 2006
              • 37852

              #7
              Thank you.
              Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months - Oscar Wilde

              StyleZeitgeist Magazine

              Comment

              • lazyguru
                Senior Member
                • Jun 2008
                • 268

                #8
                Very nicely written thanks!
                Woudl love to also get an insight into the unusual suspects who do not show or present the likes of LUC / MA+ / Forme /Lost n found etc?

                Fashion has really become more about marketing a brand & selling stuff over creating clothing it seems , the ones above exist outside of fashion maybe they need their own term now.

                Really happy to see the hints of color infused this season

                Comment

                • Faust
                  kitsch killer
                  • Sep 2006
                  • 37852

                  #9
                  Thank you.

                  Unfortunately, there were some showrooms that I would've liked to visit but simply had to omit because of my crazy schedule - namely, LUC (for reasons outlined in the LUC thread) and Thamanyah (which this season was across town).

                  I liked m.a.+ a lot - the cuts on many items was just impeccable. Particularly liked the slim spiral pants, the white gauzy coat that was basically the aviator without the hood and chest pockets and with a shirt collar instead, and a gray (linen, I believe) coat with an Edwardian cut and a silver clasp.

                  At Forme you had to pick and choose. The variations in Koeun's work are subtle, but there were definitely beautiful tailored vests, jackets, and pants. I also wonder why no one seems to buy her scarves, which are consistently gorgeous.

                  I did not go to Lost and Found.

                  Also, tried on the anatomical leather jacket by Leon E. Blanck and holy shit - this thing fits like a glove, indeed. The photo is on the StyleZeitgeist instagram.

                  Also, looked at Geoffrey's work, which was beautiful and full of soul, as always. And it was timely to take another careful look at it, since I am bored to tears with Paul Harnden.
                  Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months - Oscar Wilde

                  StyleZeitgeist Magazine

                  Comment

                  • eleves
                    Senior Member
                    • Sep 2012
                    • 524

                    #10
                    Tons of good points, Faust. It's good to hear that m.a.+ had some strong pieces, I never get to see enough of the presentations or pieces before they are actually released but I have tons of respect for Maurizio Amadei. It is also good hearing that Ann Demeulemeester had a good showing. I don't think I'd ever wear anything by Haider Ackermann but he truly is a master of his craft.

                    It will never cease to amaze me how quickly people jump from trend to trend without thinking about what they actually like. It will also never cease to amaze me how many people can like shit like Marcelo Burlon or Gosha Rubchinsky. So many people in the fashion industry are into what's currently "cool" and it makes the whole thing just seem lame. It really is quite annoying when the people who were talking about how great Italian sprezzatura is suddenly want to be seen wearing an entire rick owens outfit just because. And another thing is that half of these people just want to be seen being cool! It's so obvious! Of course, the industry does thrive on trends and people funnel so much into the industry because of these trends, but when you go to shows like Pitti and you see the people wearing black like you mentioned, nowadays it just comes off as annoying. There are clowns like Nick Wooster wearing Rick Owens just because. I don't know even what it is about Rick this season either, it seems like he's just churning out a collection, maybe eating too much of this rise in mass appeal that's been happening for him. It was cool seeing someone else in black at Pitti and knowing that, this is the person who really doesn't care about the bullshit, a sort of "nod" to what we like here. It's hard to make out that person who is about the zeitgeist now when everyone is trying their hardest to put on the best "let me hide the fact that I'm a bandwagoneer" face. All of these brands are definitely trying too hard, I've worked with labels recently that are suffering because the youth is into the "goth thing" and not buying into the heritage or tailored americana they were into before. Some brands wait it out and rightfully so, sticking true to their guns while others bite the bullet, try to fit in and just churn out garbage. The bandwagon is easy to spot. I never thought that Pitti would house so much of the darker aesthetic, it's pretty crazy seeing it there
                    Originally posted by Faust
                    HOBBY?! HOBBY?!?!?!?!?! You are on SZ, buddy - it ain't no hobby, it's passion, religion, and unbounded cosmic love rolled into one.

                    Comment

                    • Faust
                      kitsch killer
                      • Sep 2006
                      • 37852

                      #11
                      /\ you were at Pitti?!
                      Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months - Oscar Wilde

                      StyleZeitgeist Magazine

                      Comment

                      • eleves
                        Senior Member
                        • Sep 2012
                        • 524

                        #12
                        Originally posted by Faust View Post
                        /\ you were at Pitti?!
                        Nope, sadly all of my observations are photo based
                        Originally posted by Faust
                        HOBBY?! HOBBY?!?!?!?!?! You are on SZ, buddy - it ain't no hobby, it's passion, religion, and unbounded cosmic love rolled into one.

                        Comment

                        • apathy!
                          Senior Member
                          • Jan 2014
                          • 393

                          #13
                          good read

                          stay critical

                          stay black

                          edit:


                          Just want to add my 2 cents:

                          I don't think anyone should be condemned for abandoning something when it is overun by the mainstream. A drastic change of the context the aesthetic is placed in changes its appeal.
                          Last edited by apathy!; 07-06-2014, 08:37 PM.

                          Comment

                          • eleves
                            Senior Member
                            • Sep 2012
                            • 524

                            #14
                            Originally posted by apathy! View Post
                            good read

                            stay critical

                            stay black

                            edit:


                            Just want to add my 2 cents:

                            I don't think anyone should be condemned for abandoning something when it is overun by the mainstream. A drastic change of the context the aesthetic is placed in changes its appeal.
                            Definitely true, I get the shudder when I see these people running around in Rick Owens and skirts because it's all about "avant garde fashion" right now. I am acquainted with some of "these people". If people stopped wearing geobaskets and ramones because of their present rampant use in mainstream culture then I'm not going to hate or condemn. I distinctly remember the first time I saw a Rick Owens dunk (2008 on someone's feet shopping at Steven Alan) and how much I liked it, and how much that one moment changed fashion for me forever. A dunk still turns my head but for the most part, it doesn't garner the same kind of attention especially when I look up and I see hood by air and pyrex. It's more of a wistful afterthought, waiting for this "trend" to blow by so we can sink back into the shadows!
                            Originally posted by Faust
                            HOBBY?! HOBBY?!?!?!?!?! You are on SZ, buddy - it ain't no hobby, it's passion, religion, and unbounded cosmic love rolled into one.

                            Comment

                            • Fuuma
                              Senior Member
                              • Sep 2006
                              • 4050

                              #15
                              I like Gosha Rubchinskiy and I would say his influences are as legitimate as early Raf, in fact they're relatively similar except that he wasn't in Belgium but in the USSR. I don't see how 80s and 90s alternative and club scene as the main look + some earlier art& design references peppered in more discretely or at least graphically leads to it being Soviet-kitsch. In fact there is no "Soviet nostalgia" of any kind; nothing references military uniforms, famous Soviet propaganda or anything having to do with that, that's the kind of lazy criticism that comes from not having taken a look at the clothing but having a ready-made answer. It doesn't mean that a graphci designer from the Soviet period might not be used, rather that it is used as any other designer would use it: a piece of design translated to another context not some tool to evoke a bigone era.

                              I definitely agree he's more of an intermediate step between a hype skating brand like Supreme and designer clothing but I don't think CdG made a mistake when they spotted him.

                              I own the Transfiguration book and, once again, no Soviet-kitsch in sight, but a sorta non-creepy Larry Clark documentation of St-Petersburg skater culture coupled with classical art displays and an undercurrent of homo-eroticism.

                              Last edited by Fuuma; 07-08-2014, 10:17 AM. Reason: wrong book title
                              Selling CCP, Harnden, Raf, Rick etc.
                              http://www.stylezeitgeist.com/forums...me-other-stuff

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X
                              😀
                              🥰
                              🤢
                              😎
                              😡
                              👍
                              👎