Carpe Diem, Lmaltieri, Linea, etc.

[Enaml]

That is a curious point... I'm not knowledgeable enough on the topic to be able to say either way, but it seems there may be a perceived lack of 'spirit' or something along those lines with avantindietro. I've never seen nor handled any avantindietro piece so I wouldn't be able to say. Possibly, a small community (SZ regulars, etc) are familiar with the high quality (as some have spoken here) as well as where the label stands chronologically in the continues line (this is considered among it, no?), which is important, whether we acknowledge it or not. I have a difficult time imagining a project like avantindietro taking off whatsoever without the knowledge of altieri's previous work.

And then again, maybe not.

[Faust]

From what I've seen AV seemed underdeveloped, as if he gave up half way through the process...

[snafu]

maybe he spent too much time perfecting 'the shoebox' anyway from what i own, handled and seen i can't fault it in anyway.

[philip nod]

yes, first pics of moto which i acquired in 1/08.
i think av is underdeveloped in the sense that is an essentially an abandonment of an idea. most of the ideas that we see from the core labels come to fruition are hammered out through at least 3 consistent, driven seasons, so inconsistencies flatline and genius hardens. however, av is sort of an experiment cut short in its infancy, from what i've gathered, a salingeresque "teddy". an eastern philosophical journey devoid of commercialism and individualism, overtly obsessed with ideology gone wrong in men's fashion, (the interview is a remote reminder) yet so detached that the throwaway gesture over time becomes a stand in for a lost visage of what once was. i'm not saying that AV bests CD, which it doesn't, but you see a desire to complicate the simplicity of Cdiem, which, for better or for worse, shows are artist lost in his tracks, a frozen moment of experimentation, complicit in a reawakened moment of overengineered longing and a zeitgeist which sacrifices sales over vision. so you ask yourself, why do i love the trainwreck?

[theaddict]

Hmmm, when I worked for KH I handled quite a few AV pieces and I must admit that i never felt a connection with it. Of course the fabric was nice but somehow the simplicity never stroke me a something "special". Maybe I am too strict, but I was a bit bored back then trying on the AV clothing. The shoes are a different thing though

[snafu]

My opinion is not quite valid as my experience is no where near others with this line. I feel Altieri possibly after the shut down of carpe for whatever reasons: possibly over growth, too commercial, getting too close to what he hated in fashion; i heard a loose fact from quite a reliable source that carpe one season/year sold over 1000 leather shirts.

So Avantindietro to me seems to be simplicity & refinement within a garment, carpe always had an organic roughness. It is not that i prefer one to the other maybe i am slightly more drawn to Avantinditero. It to me seems to me clothes for clothings sake; broken down in technical terms of what a garment could be. Some may say this is the lacking of spirit and soul. But i feel he wanted the soul in a garment to come over time with wear; avantindietro seems to be clean cut and only makes statement in technical references (just like Poell does, rather he does it in a surrealistic way) he doesn't make a cut in drastic fitting of the garment but approaches his design in simplifying within a garment and its construction.

To me the quality and this simplicity: no need for any more, is where the appeal stands.

I agree this seems to underdeveloped as i have never come across a shop really with the clothing, it was handed out in minimal shops. But i feel it always was beautiful in terms of what there was, the boots should sit in museum; of course Altieri would hate that.

[Faust]

/\ Funny, but this is exactly how I feel about CDiem/L'Maltieri!!!

Some eloquent posts on this page - SZ at its best.

[zamb]

I would hate the idea that we would allow SZ to become "trendy"
I thought the forum was created to be the very opposite of trendy and all things associated with trends.
Wherever a respected designer like Yohji or Rick happens to become "of the moment" and as such, being caught up in a seasonal trend, so be it, so long as they maintain their philosophical position and design integrity. While all of us here has changed and evolved, at least the people I am familiar with have had a slow evolution, where from what I have observed, I see a slow and intensifying evolution of thier style, than a radical, trendy transformation.

if there is anything I dislike that has developed on the forums, it is the calcifying of the parameters where certain brands exist, to the unreasonable exclusion of others............. there are some good people doing good work out there, and I sometimes feel like the Carpe Diem family, Poell, and a few others are given an extremely elevated status, at times undeservedly so. Maybe some of them based on certain works have earned it, but wherever a work is a fail, it should be seen as such and called as such even if its my own.

And P-Nod,
let me say this personally to you. I always try to be polite, but I dont kiss up to people, but I am going to say that you are in my top five forum members here, because of your breadth of knowledge and the way you present the information you have. I can't tell a man how to live, but please don't radically disappear again. its fine to take time away because we all need to from time to time, but the forums just aren't the same without you Bro.............

[Venus in Furs]

Great post zamb, all of it is very true

[philip nod]

appreciate the kind words zambo

[Peasant]

Hear, hear. Always get excited to read a new PNod post.
Those pieces look great. I can see why the LS gets so much wear. More of an extension of the Carpe/L'maltieri family than the footwear of AV.

That being said; Snaf's description of the footwear has been the most intriguing yet. Wish I hadn't waited so long for all the derbies to disappear.

[MASUGNEN]

I feel Altieri possibly after the shut down of carpe for whatever reasons: possibly over growth, too commercial, getting too close to what he hated in fashion; i heard a loose fact from quite a reliable source that carpe one season/year sold over 1000 leather shirts.

This speculation is thought-provoking as I reckoned Carpe diem broke down due to personal problems. Doesn't anyone factually know why Carpe diem disbanded? The news weren't really eclated, no?

[lowrey]

I don't think there are any facts per se. going from what some of the designers have said about it (the ones I have talked to speak very little about the later times), it seems like the whole thing just wasn't working the same way anymore, probably for a variety of personal reasons.

[awlouie]

AV leather shirt

peas,
I've got a few AV pieces ---
the calf leather shirt I had was unfortunately too small. my friend over at the archive made it work by washing it or something daring. I gave it away for the unbelievable amount of $550 after it sat for months in the dustbins of the classifieds with a level of interest that rivals my number nine boots up now...

This is the AV leather shirt from PNiddy; it was a bit big on me so I had soaked and washed it in hot water and then I threw it in the dryer...shrink to fit, now its perfect...this piece is all hand-made, hand stitched...the photo below of the sleeve, you can see the pinch stitching...quite amazing imo:

[philip nod]

HOLY FUCK that looks incredible!!