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Another lovely article, this time written by Rick himself.
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Rick Owens on What Makes a Man
Courtesy of Vestoj, Rick Owens reflects at length on his life and work, masculinity and whether clothes make the man.
BY ANJA ARONOWSKY CRONBERG
DECEMBER 15, 2016 05:30
MILAN, Italy — I’m a Los Angeles cliché. I had a conservative, controlled childhood, then became as uncontrolled as I could, then realised that I liked control after all. This is the story of my generation: kids that were too controlled and then became drug addicts and alcoholics before finding spirituality and Zen. It’s so common. I’m totally common.
I was pretty effeminate and sensitive as a boy. It’s that same old story: sensitive boy in a small town, trying to fit in. I felt threatened pretty much all the time. Growing up, there was a certain set of rules or expectations about how to behave. That angered me, and later on I felt vengeful. I tried to conform, but I never managed to do it very successfully. I was forced to bend, to act in a way that I was uncomfortable with. Their rules didn’t seem fair. They were limiting and uptight and didn’t make sense. I had to become more masculine. I couldn’t be flamboyant; I had to butch it up. It was humiliating. In a way I suppose it helped me form a sense of defiance and rebellion and when I left to go to art school in the big city, I became as flamboyant as I possibly could.
I lived in a warehouse by the railroad tracks in LA. You had to climb in from a set of stairs. I had this great car with fins on it. I wore platform boots and capes and full makeup. I wore gloves to bed. But when I went back home to Porterville to see my parents, I’d take off all the makeup and nail polish and put on normal clothes. What would be the point of going to their house and provoking them? If I wanted to have a relationship with them, I had to compromise. That isn’t a bad thing. And in the later years, when I was completely honest with them and allowed them into my life, they had to make some compromises too. That was lovely. In a way, it was the money that made them change their minds about me. (Laughs.) My parents figured, well as long as he’s successful he must be okay. It was kind of bittersweet because obviously it was a false context, but then life isn’t perfect.
I’ve always wanted to participate in the world, to be involved. When I was younger I was timid and had a problem fitting in so I drank to give myself courage, but I’ve always found a way to communicate with the world. The world that I propose to people is not meant to impose or insist. It’s not a manifesto, it’s a proposal. It’s meant to be gentle. Although it was born out of my reaction to the rules imposed on me, I want it to be an alternative, not the only option. That’s really important to me.
I like artifice. I don’t mean lipstick and Botox — I’m talking exaggeration and enhancing ideas, rather than trying to look young. Think of Kabuki or the artifice of a room with a scroll on the wall and one flower arrangement. A tea ceremony: artifice as formalised ritual. Well, maybe it’s not that different from Botox and lipstick after all. Maybe it’s wrong of me to think that one is more sophisticated than the other — I don’t want to be the kind of person who claims to know what the rules really are. I hate sounding opinionated even though I probably am. The artifice I like is always exaggerated and borderline ridiculous. It’s challenging the codes of good taste and notions of conservative beauty in a good-humoured way. Humour is one of the most elegant things in the entire universe, you know. [...]
Continue hereHi. I like your necklace. - It's actually a rape whistle, but the whistle part fell off.
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This was great! I love Rick's intelligence and deep capacity for introspection. This is one designer who does need a PR company.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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You meant to say "who doesn’t need PR company", right?
Here’s a short article from W Magazine about his upcoming furniture exhibition at MOCA.
Rick is back at it again with very quotable statements like this one:
“[...]I like a room with something sticking up in it,” he said. “So this might all be a phallic thing, appreciation of a big dick, a room with a boner.”"The only rule is don't be boring and dress cute wherever you go. Life is too short to blend in."
-Paris Hilton
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Yes, sorry, the vagaries of typing on one's phone.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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This: Humour is one of the most elegant things in the entire universe, you know.
And this: Being polite is more important than being defiant.
The older I get, the more these 2 things are affirmed.
I didn't know that his father died this year. Wow.
Thanks for turning me on to this, F. Wouldn't have seen it otherwise. At least not for a while.
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The furniture exhibit and Michele's talk on Sunday in LA were great, did many people on here make it out there? For those that haven't been, a books been released on the furniture and will get full public release in February I believe. Really nice :)
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Originally posted by stemcell View PostThe furniture exhibit and Michele's talk on Sunday in LA were great, did many people on here make it out there? For those that haven't been, a books been released on the furniture and will get full public release in February I believe. Really nice :)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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BUTT MUSCLE
A NSFW new video directed by Matt Lambert is the perfect antidote to the built-in shame surrounding queer bodies and sexuality – watch it exclusively here and read about the making of ‘Butt Muscle’
There are too many boring people slovenly committing mortal sins in this world. Too many computer chair activists, terrified at what might happen if they air an opinion they hold in real life. Too many people afraid to go out and just do it. Not Christeene. No, the self-professed “drag terrorist” wields 10-inch dildo guns and if you’re not a fan, then you can kindly “fuck off”, in her words.
But here’s why you should be a fan: she’s our generation’s Divine. Her unapologetic transgressions and outrageous music are what’s required to wake us up to battle the horrors and injustices that we now face. She’s an advocate of vulnerability, because we’re too ashamed to own our feelings, however alien they may seem. She’s a sexual pioneer, unashamedly carnal in her signature look – smeared lipstick and a dishevelled wig. (Clothing very much optional).
CONTINUE READING HERE
Hi. I like your necklace. - It's actually a rape whistle, but the whistle part fell off.
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I deliberately linked to the article rather than straight to the video or the site so people can make up there mind by reading the interview. I watched it once and don't intend on going back to watch it again and while I don't think it's insanely shocking I think this is ballsy ( no pun ) being funded by a pretty sizeable fashion house.
Catchy tune though :)Hi. I like your necklace. - It's actually a rape whistle, but the whistle part fell off.
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Read the article, loved it and the video. Definitely made me feel uncomfortable at times but that's the video's intention (and more often than not Rick's as well).
"Well, that’s the big message here in a way. The fact that I’m independent means that we get to do shit like this. We can do whatever the fuck we want. And I want to emphasise that and celebrate it. We get to do anything we want. And being independent is a rarity now, isn't it?"
Why I love Rick.
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Hmm, I didn't find the video so transgressive. I mean, I am sure a lot of people would. It's just so aestheticized that it kind of takes the transgression out of it. Oh maybe it's because Dazed ruins everything. See, if they did that article for Business of Fashion, that would be transgressive! I am sad to have missed the party, because on a big screen in a club it probably would've had an awesome impact.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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