WTF

[Johnny]

This thread is not called WTF for nothing

[Fuuma]

All those sneakers price are stupid but this takes the cake. I'm not buying designer sneaks anymore anyway but WTF WTF WTF!!!

[Faust]

don't be so sure......

http://www.colette.fr/#/eshop/articl...rowne-belt/88/

Jesus. Are they egging us on on purpose?

[Fuuma]

Colette is everything you hate in one stop so they're def egging you! I sorta like them but this is WTF!

[doldrums]

if anyone is sitting in front of the tv - turn on the katie couric interview with lil wayne. Its the most bizarre tv I've ever seen.

[Fade to Black]

I found those Thom Browne Isetan anniversary collaboration sneakers a bit baffling...as a standalone shoe I suppose its alright not considering the ridiculous price, in line with TB's inaccessibility with his pricing scheme (IIRC the next most 'exclusive' collaboration in that lineup was a Mastermind Japan Chuck Hi-Top that was about 1/3rd the cost of the TBs)

But when meshed with the rest of his body of work, where does it fit? Is one supposed to wear that with a TB suit? Cardigan + flannel pants? I dunno...seems like something that has his name on it, but would only work in an outfit context where the rest was entirely devoid of any connotations of his signature aesthetic.

[Servo2000]

Are those the weird grosgrain like $1000 ones?

The thing about those is they're not for the Thom Browne customer. They're for the wealthy and lazy to wear with ugly Levis and and maybe a polo or something. Then point to the sneakers and go, "Thom Browne, motherfuckers!"

[mass]

replace with thom browne converse

[Servo2000]

replace with thom browne converse

i cant do it

[Fade to Black]

re: mass - yeah i can see that. good styling eye

but servo's post is most likely closer to the reality. Especially the "Thom Browne, motherfuckers!" part.

[Fade to Black]

but would this mean anything to the sort of people one would be pointing this out to? you could just as well point at your shoes and say "Eric Glennie, motherfuckers!"

I would imagine the target customer to be similar to the ones who splurge on the Levi's Fenom X MMJ jeans or other sartorial delicacies of that nature...probably they move in circles where people are quick to spot out a very particular garment rather than look at an entire outfit, let alone just to glance for a general vision of the wearer's personal style.

This is pretty common in Asia, where every now and then (actually all the time) certain buzz items come up that become urban legend and can be spotted a mile away. Like some editions of Visvim Christos...wear those in Ypsilanti, Michigan, people think you were just rollin out of bed to buy milk rather than wearing $600 slippers.

Makes sense, since that TB shoe was originally produced for an Asian boutique concept.

[Servo2000]

thanks for clarifying, matt. i am very much uninformed with regard to that culture, though i was aware of its existence.

I feel like it's basically the same as people I see walking around in absolutely nothing interesting (not even in streetwear terms) and then wearing a pair of Lanvin sneakers (or somesuch). I can literally imagine the Barney's Sales Assistant (or whoever) selling these wealthy middle-aged men designer sneakers. I mean I've heard them doing it while I'm in there before so I can't imagine it being all that much harder to sell the Thom Browne ones.

[Fade to Black]

Hypebeast/trendwhore derogatory connotations aside, I think it's a pretty fascinating subject of "style anthropology" if such a genre exists.

HK/Taiwan/Singapore is so close physically and increasingly, culturally as well with Japan, everyone seeing JP as a hub to derive their individual identities with regards to aesthetics, cultural tastes, what have you, from...but the interpretation and appropriation seems to be completely distorted. Most Japanese streetwear and fashion magazines which I enjoy browsing seem to focus on the clothes conveying the wearer's identity in the total presentation, occasionally using a designer or runway aesthetic as a template, if that...really it seems that making the most out of creativity and a limited budget seems to be the focus there.

Whereas with everywhere else in SE Asia that borrows from Japan, they take the most overt and blatant status/wealth symbols (ones that may be completely lost on a middle American demographic - nobody figures that raw hem flannel shirt from NN is $500) as distinct markers. Hence people are not recognized for their identity and personality communicated through clothing, as just one medium, but rather their ability to latch onto the latest 'tick boxes.'

The fashion media's split-personality within a single publication that evolves too fast might be to blame for this. If going by what I self-educate with at the newsstands, my outfit today should resemble something like a Nike Loopwheeler hoodie, Black Fleece button down, Mastermind Japan jeans and Lanvin sneakers.

That sounds a bit extreme, but that is more or less the way the media orgs are attempting to 'inform' about style.

[Johnny]

shit i have two out of those four things. hopefully this is to some extent negated by the fact that i don't know what the other two things are.

[Avantster]

Matts comments re Japan vs SE Asia media/magazines ring fairly true to me.

I think you're safe Johnny, assuming it's the button down and the sneakers.