Rick Owens Men's SS11 Paris

[Chant]

Go work there !

[ultimaratio]

Uh, I could be looking at it the wrong way, but the skate-punk and urban street influences are more opaque this season than last. Dropped shorts, long t's, heavy footwear, it's all there. Maybe I'm crazy, but aren't the 'nun's habits' are looking more like do-rags? Structured coats become armoured jackets for the urban gangster? 'Contemporary' American sportswear from Paris, I think it's all real funny/subversive.

There's always been a clear dialogue between Rick's avant-garde and his origin, in that these references are integral to his vision, regardless of what he's doing. It's the soul operating underneath his menswear. Maybe it's less direct his women's clothing because there is less of a relationship between what he makes and wears himself? While it's totally possible to find his work compelling from an objective standpoint outside of his circle of references, I don't think it's possible for him to design his menswear and women's by the same approach. They're just two different worlds.

[cjbreed]

^cjbreed approves of this post .

[Fade to Black]

There is dissolution in his vision for men; his womens' is too sculpted to be so.

[CUTUP]

Agreed ^

The more narrow the road, the less room there is for drifting from the original path

[mrbeuys]

Woot, no staples. Finally learnt from the Korean fakes.
Progress...

[AKA*NYC]

am i the only one who actually liked the staples and the transient quality they lent the sneakers? probably. the new ones look too clean.

[kunk75]

yes, you are. well, let me correct that, the Firm likes them too, I bet.

[mrbeuys]

A, I think I understand what you mean, especially about these lookin too clean but it is kind of annoying when you have to stop every 200 yards to push your staples back in

[XSKY]

too clean in my opinion... but it doesnt change the fact that these are still the best RO sneak version :)

[BUMMER]

No AKA, you're not alone.
I always regarded the staples as an important part of the design. I like the way that the extra strip of rubber and the clunky staples accentuate the oversize quality of the shoe. They also add a strange handcrafted yet d.i.y./homespun effect. (I see a funny combination reference to punk and rave culture here.)
The molded sole without staples seem more bootleg to me particularly because they seem a bit less 'intentional'...

[BUMMER]

And by design, I mean mainly design aesthetic. I'm aware that the staples don't contribute much to the well-known sole construction issues..

[AKA*NYC]

should we reanimate the ro trainers thread with a staples poll?

[XSKY]

^ thumbs up...

uh oh

[graydot]

the staple rust and subsequent bleed on to the white sole was always my favorite part of the rick dunks. well maybe not my favorite, but definitely a key element. overall i think the design was more forward-thinking. the height and exaggerated tongue created a unique silhouette that the new sneakers just don't have.