Rick Owens Women's FW 12

[safeword123]

of course it is up to the spectator to interpret the veil/mask. and i am sure it does not conjure the same image of brutality to a majority of the people out there. but we all come with our own history and experience, and i admit i am biased largely because i am deeply disturbed by the history.

rilu, really appreciate your comment.

just saw the video where RO was being interviewed about this collection, he said something like it is a brutalized version of old Hollywood veil. so there you have it.

[Qwerty]

Rick Owens a "misogynist"? Hell, no! He has a specific woman in mind in his design, likely someone close to him like Michelle Lamy. However, I can accept that I'm probably not the customer for this collection, not possessing of the same disposition as a tribal Jeanne d'Arc. Perhaps when my mood darkens, some of these would find their way into my wardrobe. I like A F Vandevorst, Yohji Yamamoto, Raf Simons and Ann D.'s interpretation of our more sombre times much better.

[beardown]

i totally echo her feelings! i am sorry, but the cage thing just reminds me too much of Scold's Brindle, or something that the slaves were forced into wearing. the brutality of it just makes me unable to shake off that image. i am not inclined to believe that's what RO intended, but gosh, with that music in the background and fire and all, it just sends chills down on my spin.

I think if it sent a chill down yoir spine then that's proof positive that it's effective, powerful imagery. This brings around the topic (lamentably, to some) of fashion as 'art') but makes a good point.

With effective art, it does elicit emotions...positive and/or negative. It should stir something in the viewer. And as viewers, we look for something we can connect to personally. And everyone's interpretation is likely different just for that reason.

I don't think it's too important to understand what someone has in mind when there's a presentation because likely all that will matter to thise who see it and, specifically critics, is what they walk away with in terms of Impressions and feelings.

If it stirs a discussion or causes a reaction (and I'm speaking apart from imagery specifically meant to shock because I feel like that's the refuge of the desperate) that's pretty powerful for what most people would casually refer to as 'a bunch of clothes.'

I don't want to veer too far off course from the main discussion but as part of the overall presentation and the garments and styling, I think it's a good sign that the imagery strikes different people in different ways. It means that the sum is more than the individual outfits combined and proves in a way that it's all more than just cuts and fabric and the female form.

[Nikov]

[Heirloom]

beautiful, classic, modern elegance quite simply. and some really perfect sleeve construction, especially on the short leather jackets.

[Qwerty]

Thank you for the video. I am impressed how elegantly the high-waist and long skirts hug the body and legs in motion. It is a strong, beautiful collection, though it feels too heavy for me personally. Perhaps the leather tops are not as hefty as they look, especially if he uses the same supple and really thin leather in his older collections, but I doubt it, seeing how they hold the fuller shapes. I can still appreciate the mastery of Rick Owens in every piece here.

[mrbeuys]

Why would a woman in a caged mask be interpreted as weak? Who's put such a caged mask on her body? Why not she herself? The masks look beautiful, so they could easily be interpreted as something deliberately worn.

Of course they will be deliberately worn once they hit stores and I am totally with you in the argument that it's a very narrow interpretation of feminism. And it's a question of perception, as everything in life. To me, these women are incredibly powerful, graceful and not to be messed with.
And am I totally off in thinking the lyrics of the song make that perception even stronger?

[Faust]

I don't know - I don't know see "bitch" is positive, nor do I see how that word can be "reclaimed," as ruli says. That seems the same line of logic of how posing half-naked on the cover of Maxim is "empowering women through display of sexuality." (Take that, Alanis.)

If by "bitch" we somehow are implying a strong independent woman, all I see in my mind is some lonely 45 year old real-estate broker or a PR agent with three Shih Tzus and a SoHo loft, some kind of a bitter misanthrope, lol. I like nice people :-)

[Faust]

/\ So that makes the male counterpart an asshole? Same logic.

[Faust]

Are you serious, rilu?! You don't see how this is the same sexploitation, only now done with gleeful consent?! Do you think men think ogling that Maxim cover that it's a powerful, independent woman they are looking at?

[Qwerty]

As for the music, I thought I heard a version of Miss Kittin's "Requiem for a Hit" ..."I beat that bitch with a hit..."...and she's no pussycat.

In the case of those cheesecake magazines, it depends on the context. If it's a woman who wants to do it, as a path to fame and fortune, etc., and not out of some need or coercion, it's perfectly fine. After all, there are also their cheesecake male counterparts.

[safeword123]

If by "bitch" we somehow are implying a strong independent woman, all I see in my mind is some lonely 45 year old real-estate broker or a PR agent with three Shih Tzus and a SoHo loft, some kind of a bitter misanthrope, lol. I like nice people :-)

i don't see how bitch can be reclaimed either. didn't someone just call the author of the article a bitch a few posts ago, and you know it was not meant to be humorous. (didn't mean to call anyone out, just saying bitch is still being used with negative connotation). likewise, all the racial derogatory terms will be hard to reclaim, at least not in the U.S. at this junction.

i am glad most people find the show to be empowering to women. i guess i just have a sick mind

[Faust]

After watching the show, the song + looks, all I see is some woman ready for a cat-fight, two ghetto girls after school. Eehhh.

[Ochre]

Music is extremely disappointing and far less mature than the clothes themselves. Although I'm almost always unimpressed by the selections for shows, especially for Rick.

That being said, this show doesn't strike me as being misogynistic.

[cjbreed]

oh man. the music sucks. maybe it was supposed to be funny.