Rick Owens Men's SS12 Paris

[Wiggles]

i think we all need to remember that things mostly never appear in reality as they do on the runway. it's inevitable that a lot of this collection will be dumbed down for greater consumption. i'm still perplexed by some of the people lambasting this collection because it's not manly or whatever - since when is that the main concern to a lot of us on here? like eat me said, it's comments like those that are just disappointing.

with that said, i'm still extremely excited for some more info on these skirts/kaftans. definitely buying.

[Faust]

Unsurprisingly I think this is all gorgeous. Especially for a S/S collection from him this is finally doing what I have been waiting for. A proper collection, serious but still eccentric without the need to resort to cheap tricks. I admit, the glasses made my heart sink a bit, not because I don't like them (they look like carbon copies of the Porsche designed Carrera shades from the 80s which Yoko Ono used to sport), but because it feels like one of these things he wasn't going to do. Like jewellery and perfume and ads.
This feels en par with his recent Women's offerings for S/S and as much as I love the dropcrotch and tanktop look, this is so much more confident and risky. Leathers will always be there, no question.

But he was.

Although he wants to expand, Owens is wary of overdoing it and alienating his core customers. He wants to create a perfume, and he has been talking to several beauty conglomerates. "In order to do the perfume right, with a big company, you have to advertise. But I am very reluctant to advertise. When I first saw a Yohji Yamamoto perfume ad, I kind of cringed, precisely because I have utter respect for Yohji's work. I would not want the same thing happening to me. At the same time, some of my closest friends have urged me to do a perfume and advertise it. At first I resisted. Then I realized that they are looking for a certain 'fashion moment.' I remember those Comme des Garcons perfume ads with the ghetto kids with the braces, or the first minimalist Helmut Lang ads - these were fashion moments. Still, I am not going to advertise because of the cringe-inducing sellout element, unless I find the right way to do it."

[Faust]

does anyone have a closer look at the boots of this collection?

the boots were my favorite part.

[trentk]

But he was.

And it sounds awesome.

I’ve had a personal scent made and want it to fill the shops, but frankly, everyone hates it but me. It has Easter lily, civet, eucalyptus and a mothball-like pungency. I admit it might be a little challenging.

The scent idea is one I've been mulling over for a while. I like perfume. Scent is one of those mysteries of memory, allure and dreams that's so tempting to harness, manipulate, and possess.....

...I’m just producing it myself with a master perfumer in Paris whose work I’ve followed over the years. I have no deadline or boundaries and have gotten exactly what I want. Its like sinking into a beautiful, dense, slightly unhealthy Gustave Moreau painting. Well, to me at least.

[mrbeuys]

But he was.

Oh yes, I mean before he changed his mind on that. Like with the accessories like the bracelets. it's ok and part of his appeal, remember when he said he hated any kind of jewelry on men and then comes out wearing huge silver bracelets 6 months later. At least he's aware and can laugh about himself.

[xeraphim]

does anyone have a closer look at the boots of this collection?

the boots were my favorite part.

[Oh weh mir]

i think we all need to remember that things mostly never appear in reality as they do on the runway. it's inevitable that a lot of this collection will be dumbed down for greater consumption.

I'm not sure if that will be the case. Isn't it a staple of Rick Owens' design, to release collections that exist on both the runway and on the rack without the loss of more than a few pieces in the process? Looking back at shows like Crust or Gleam, the only pieces I recall never seeing production were a few rather extravagant gloves (sadly my favorite aspect of the Gleam collection).
Even the more opulent pieces, crocodile leathers, fur lined coats, etc, were produced and bought, albeit in very small numbers and sold at incredibly high price points. I feel that in this case you may be right though, there is a great deal more that never makes it further than the runway in the women's collections, as the menswear seems to be, even at it's least practical, more wearable by comparison.

There is however, a great deal of cohesiveness here, a consistency in the silhouettes that is a significant enough departure from his last few collections that if something about it doesn't gel with consumers I can't imagine what would be omitted and what would be deemed acceptable.
It feels like there is less here to like, if you aren't fond of the collection as a whole. A rather bold move, considering the ever-growing popularity of the label and the uniquely Rick Owens 'world' in which must inhabits.

If it can fit into that world, already heavily bought into by faithful consumers and admires of Owens' work than it is a successful collection, but if it does not then it is a notable failure, regardless of the strength of the collection itself. So I think how this is received by fans of his work will determine it's worth more so than anything, with the expectation that every season be another piece of a much larger body of work that sells the clothing much more effectively than any amount of press or widespread exposure could.

[Shucks]

Oh yes, I mean before he changed his mind on that. Like with the accessories like the bracelets. it's ok and part of his appeal, remember when he said he hated any kind of jewelry on men and then comes out wearing huge silver bracelets 6 months later. At least he's aware and can laugh about himself.

not to mention the fact that he did "pockets big enough to carry a sandwich", so you'd never need a bag...

still, eyewear is the dirty skank whore of brand extensions.

ps. those tall boots are fiiiiiine - i was hoping they would have eyelets too, and they dooo! will look nice laced too i think. and i'm even into those tumor pockets on the low ones. (good for sandwiches.)

[mrbeuys]

I wish he'd stop with those pockets on the boots. They just look like goiters and no one ever uses them.

[nadir]

Agreed - the boots are a step too far toward (useless) practicality. The local army surplus store has better boots with pockets.

[trentk]

still, eyewear is the dirty skank whore of brand extensions.

Sure, eyewear can be construed that way if a house is making its money off of ugly branded eyewear. However, for a designer offering a cohesive aesthetic universe like rick, eyewear is a necessary component. I personally find sunglasses absolutely necessary on bright sunny days... how can an aesthetic universe be called cohesive if one must wear a highly visible look changing non-rick item every time the sun comes out?

Sidenote on cohesion and superfluous items: the rick socks are a little ridiculous, so I won't entirely defend them. However, socks are a prominent look changing element when one is wearing shorts, so I can understand why rick would make socks.

[Matis]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWNMtFUiwXs

Short video so you can see how the dresses move,they look comfy, but some seem really constrictive.

[hurricane08]

Really liked the grey colours (especially the first 7 pics on gq),not feeling the sunglasses and that beige blazers.I guess the grey boots will be the "must have" of the collection and the short blazers reminds me Balenciaga .
My fav

[SeptSeptSept]

most of the "dress" look even more ridiculous in motion.
otherwise I pretty like that.. shirts are really nice and the more tailoring stuff seems well done too.

[jogu]

hmm u kno what , im reallllly likin those boots with the high tongue . i didnt notice them before but in that close up shot above i was like verrry nice

i love readin how polarizing this collection is to the ppl on here . i kinda just assume that skirts and wedges are a pretty common thing for guys on here so i was a tiny bit surprised to see how much dislike this ones gettin . it also shows me somethin that i hadnt rly considered before , even tho guys into rick mite be ok with a skirt here or there there still has to be some neutrality when it comes to stuff like that . i mean like it cant be too ostensibly girlish , now that i think about it tho i dont rly find the long skirts here to be that feminine becos of the way its styled but maybe its just cos my ideas of girlish are skewed