Rick Owens

[Faust]

Hey, my coat from the same season (which I thought was a very strong one for Rick) is fantastic - no complaints. (BTW, those same creepers you bought are not even lined, as proper footwear should be, and the ones I got from SS14 were so badly made that I returned them right away). Some well-made items, which are to be expected, do not necessarily negate that quality can go down for a lot of other items. Of course we love painting everything in black and white (well, really just in black, but...).

[cjbreed]

i think you are totally correct. gotta be choosy

[dji]

for what it's worth I thought the extended cashmere lining calf leather jackets from this past fall winter collection were very good quality wise. was half expecting the cashmere melton lining to pill up in no time but it's holding up perfectly and is the perfect weight for the mild/moderate winters we get (for the most part) in the Mid-Atlantic.

well i purchased two items from the aw14/15 collection and both of them are actually very good quality. after seeing the goodyear welting and the nice thick leather on the creepers i just bought it is apparent that they are a vast improvement in terms of quality over prior seasons that used glued soles and fake stitching. the other item was a heavy calf leather stooges biker that is in fact very nice. one of the best leathers i have ever seen from him. and definitely built to last. i love both items.

I bought both of those recently as well, might be time to report to recent purchases..

[DudleyGray]

Rick's offerings are like a Rorscharch test; the quality of the materials, construction, and design seems to depend on who is looking.

[Faust]

Rick's offerings are like a Rorscharch test; the quality of the materials, construction, and design seems to depend on who is looking.

That's true in general. It's just most people have no slightest idea what quality was because they have neither basis for comparison nor knowledge of materials and construction.

Quality of luxury goods has deteriorated across the board. But it takes someone who remembers how things were made to see the difference. A lot of judgment is a theory of relativity.

[C.R.E.A.M]

How can quality stay that high when designers have to produce at least 4 collections per year?

I'll quote a chat i recently had with Geoffrey B Small about Giorgio Armani. Early 80's Armani's work was among the best. Tailoring, cut, fabric...and you could still buy them for a fair amount, which is not the case anymore. But nowadays...how many collections Armani is able to produce each year for all his brands? 10? 12? 16? That's crazy. Of course he has a huge team behind him and monster €€€. But how can you produce so much and so fast and still keep the highest quality standards? Impossible.

Geoffrey produces 1400 pieces only per year for example. But Rick is not an up and coming anymore. He's in the big league. His business must turn around 60 millions euros per season. Maybe more now. So of course you can't get the same kind of quality because its "chain factory". Absolutely not handmade.

But i agree with DJI here, his cashmere are really good. Cotton stuff and wool too. That's all i buy from now. Everytime i had a leather jacket i've had issues with them, or were kinda annoying to wear near the armpit.

[Faust]

Funny you should say that cause I hear a lot of complaints about the cashmere starting to pill quickly.

[mrbeuys]

Make that "instantly".
I have accepted it as an evolving texture.

[curiouscharles]

I have accepted it as an evolving texture.

funny, that's what i've had to start telling myself about my vicious combats...

"they're just blistered leather."

"well, the right boot is blistered, or getting there at least."

[dji]

the mange is part of the charm.

haven't had any issue with the cashmere fleece from Moody thus far and the extended Stooges has been my go to winter jacket since I got it.

[etgreg]

Make that "instantly".
I have accepted it as an evolving texture.

I disagree with the idea that it's ok for expensive cashmere or his other tops to pill as quick as they do. I've had really good luck so far with the thin Merino sweaters.

I have cashmere sweaters from other designers costing less than half RO price and a lot older that show hardly any signs of wear.

Quality does not seem to be a priority to him.

[Shucks]

People outrightly dismissing Rick's quality as diminishing really don't know what they're talking about. Sure, some stuff might not be as good as it used to be but there's plenty that is far superior. It's incredible that people always bring up the shoes– both models of the Goodyear boots are the best Rick has ever made in terms of overall quality and construction. I find it interesting that, despite people complaining about the glued soles on the boots for years, no one has really mentioned anything about this drastic improvement. Did anyone even notice?

And there's still some really good leathers, albeit less than there use to be. LGE is a fantastic shoe leather and so is LNE– the reverse horse. and the LCW leather that was used for jackets for Moody was excellent; probably one of the best Rick has done, along with the old oiled calf.

If you look for it, there's good product. I don't know where you're getting this idea that the buyers are appalled. They're the ones that often overlook the best fabric options and styles, whether it's down to their own ignorance or consumer demand though i'm not sure.

ok let's continue the discussion.

so far, all the mainline stuff i've picked up from moody, faun AND vicious have been great. for instance, i just got the horse leather ramones and that leather is like my favorite material EVER of his footwear ones. i even like it more than the snakeskin sneakers i have. and the faun shorts i got today are super super meticulously constructed with perfect seams, beautiful detaling, eight buffalo horn buttons and a lovely crisp and tightly woven cotton and great cut. even better than the big shorts from last season!

the outerwear (rider leather in a thick-ass LGN and a wool rider coat) i got from moody were the same excellent level (fleece cashmere detailing holding up great...), and i've had no quality issues with anything else from moody either. i don't often buy woolen knits though so i won't comment on them... as for soles of the sneakers, yes, most DEFINITELY much better quality now. much much more durable than both the crepe rubber and the first seasons with solid white/black rubber. also the more formal footwear have better soles - my favorite is the xl extralight though.

#doesn'tworkforrickbutishould

[Nickefuge]

ok let's continue the discussion.
[...] i don't often buy woolen knits though so i won't comment on them... [...]

I got the Moody virgin wool turtleneck knit and I like it very much.
It keeps me warm and is super comfy and stretchy (although it´s 100% wool).

[imblurredout]

I got warned when I bought my boots that the extralight soles would wear down quickly, but have had them for years now and hiked in them etc. and they're still holding up.

Extra light soles were my favorite, they've lasted a very long time for me. The only problem was adding a new protective sole. The ridges wore down in different ways making it difficult to add a smooth consistent sole. But still my favorite sole.

Someone should construct a chart of leather codes and their quality...

[AKA*NYC]

ok let's continue the discussion.

so far, all the mainline stuff i've picked up from moody, faun AND vicious have been great. for instance, i just got the horse leather ramones and that leather is like my favorite material EVER of his footwear ones. i even like it more than the snakeskin sneakers i have. and the faun shorts i got today are super super meticulously constructed with perfect seams, beautiful detaling, eight buffalo horn buttons and a lovely crisp and tightly woven cotton and great cut. even better than the big shorts from last season!

the outerwear (rider leather in a thick-ass LGN and a wool rider coat) i got from moody were the same excellent level (fleece cashmere detailing holding up great...), and i've had no quality issues with anything else from moody either. i don't often buy woolen knits though so i won't comment on them... as for soles of the sneakers, yes, most DEFINITELY much better quality now. much much more durable than both the crepe rubber and the first seasons with solid white/black rubber. also the more formal footwear have better soles - my favorite is the xl extralight though.

#doesn'tworkforrickbutishould

this.

i have been wearing / collecting / archiving rick pieces since 2007 and in general the quality (if quality = durability) has gotten better with each season. if anything has been lost it has been for the sake of consistency and durability. the staples and crepe soles are gone from the trainers to be replaced by a compound that hardly wears down even with miles of wear. the soles of the boots don't peel off. the blistered leather is blistered evenly instead of looking boiled and frayed. the lamb is less plasticky. the precious silk lining that drove the price of the garments up and shredded all too easily has been replaced with a more durable and less expensive rayon blend. the jersey doesn't shred like it used to. the color doesn't fade. the crotches don't blow like they used to. his cashmere (other than the tokyo) has pilled since the beginning and that is arguably the point.

for me the initial allure of the brand was the fragile/erratic/inconsistent (ie. artisanal) nature of the garments so if anything my only complaint about current rick production is that everything is too durable. i would rather more things break down like they used to.