Your Style Philosophy

[Faust]

I agree that neither should be taken as a must, I just wanted to highlight the value of evolving as a match to the idea of pushing-the-boundaries that is so often applied to designers as a plus :)

Either one is Ok by me. I think I know what both of you are getting at. To me it's like an alphabet - if you develop your alphabet from A to Z, like Yohji or Ann have done, then it's become wide enough for you to work within it. But if you've only done A to F, then you are at a risk of being stagnant.

[endorphinz]

yep, def a true icon

[Denpatou]

We do speak of musicians getting stuck, doing the same old thing over and over again (an actual example that comes to my mind now would be Deerhunter - a band that hasn't faced any new challenges for a few albums now, which makes them boring in some sense to me).

not wanting to turn this into music discussion, but i just wanted to chime in to say that i find this to be a pretty baseless statement--having followed the band since moses & brad's early drone days, i'd have to say this couldn't be further from truth. if you can't find "new challenges" explored between cryptograms/microcastle & weird era/halcyon digest then you must be mistaking your ear muffs for headphones...

[MJRH]

Also, stagnation/evolution is a false dichotomy.

^That is what I was failing to properly communicate with my last point.

Rilu: I think the music-analogy might be a bit tenuous and is getting us into a bit of semantic trouble. To downright abuse said analogy: Guidi is like... er, Motorhead. Neither ever changes but we don't care because they've explored an alphabet (I like that comparison, Faust) fully and are not interested in other languages.

I think it would be interesting to talk about this issue with regard to designers who exhibit a fascinating craftsmanship (e.g. Guidi), which is the main thing to notice about their products (rather than the design as such).

Perhaps the issue is that certain designers seem to be making, maybe I can say "pretensions" towards innovation, whereas they actually fail, and other designers do not have any pretense of innovation, which would be called like you said "craftsmanship" or somesuch?

So, can we agree innovation in design is a non-issue with designers like Guidi, and musicians like Motorhead?

[MJRH]

I don't buy the stagnation/evolution argument, as it seems to limit examination of change to just the creator or artist. Audiences change, media change, "taste", appreciation changes.

Could you expand on this, please? I started to respond and then realized I hadn't given it due thought. Aren't we already viewing this from the perspective of an audience? Or are you saying the argument is too abstract?

[Pumpfish]

MJRH,

If I can explain it in mechanical terms, it is about relative motion versus absolute. The observation point (the audience and their taste) is in motion as is the creator / artist.

If the audience's taste / appreciation is moving more rapidly than the artist's then it may look like the artist is stagnating. But it just appears so from the moving point of observation.

A further thought here.

The audience is not a closed population. It is made up of individuals, each with its own taste trajectory. Some get bored and drop out, others discover and join. All move along at a slower or quicker pace.(Members here love to record their progress through taste evolution!) The movement of the audience's taste (as an aggregate) depends on the make up of the audinece (whether it is growing or shrinking, and how fast it's components are evolving).

While individuals matter, the audience as a whole has much more importance (economically and in determining value).

Faust must have thought about this (perhaps not in these terms) as he watched the SZ community grow?

[Faust]

MJRH,

If I can explain it in mechanical terms, it is about relative motion versus absolute. The observation point (the audience and their taste) is in motion as is the creator / artist.

If the audience's taste / appreciation is moving more rapidly than the artist's then it may look like the artist is stagnating. But it just appears so from the moving point of observation.

A further thought here.

The audience is not a closed population. It is made up of individuals, each with its own taste trajectory. Some get bored and drop out, others discover and join. All move along at a slower or quicker pace.(Members here love to record their progress through taste evolution!) The movement of the audience's taste (as an aggregate) depends on the make up of the audinece (whether it is growing or shrinking, and how fast it's components are evolving).

While individuals matter, the audience as a whole has much more importance (economically and in determining value).

Faust must have thought about this (perhaps not in these terms) as he watched the SZ community grow?

1. Oh, shit, did you just come with fashion's theory of relativity?! I nominate for the Nobel!

2. Indeed, I have. A very acute observation, sir.

[evilsean]

I feel that clothing is undoubtedly an extension of one's self just as their taste in music, grooming habits, etc. I think it's always important to just follow your heart with clothing and not worry about impressing or fitting in (even if it means fitting in to the alternative to the mainstream style). If you dig prep school style, dress like it. If you want to look like Pinhead, dress like it. I finally grew tired of just trying to dress like models from campaigns because it was usually interesting but not quite my style.

That being said, I have simple interests. I dig metal, punk and motorcycles. Black jeans, black shirts, leather and vests. I also am a working father so I wear what looks good that is affordable. My favorite jeans are the same black nudie thin finn's that I have been wearing for about three years. I wear band shirts that I buy XL and tailor to fit myself so that they are long and lean, or I make plain black knit t-shirts out of a simple template. My favorite shoes are Vans era core classics that I painted over with black fabric paint to give a waxed finish and black Converse multi-lace sneakers with the same finish. I have a sleeveless black Levis denim vest I wear over everything that I tweaked with a Watain backpatch and a few pins because I am a metal head. Everything else that I wear I make because I learned to sew from my mom, and I can make everything just as well as a piece I would buy minus a new finishing touches.

I advocate certain designers because I love the style and inspiration, but as someone without a completely disposable income I've become more DIY in my fashion because I think it is a complete crock of shit that designers charge $100+ for t-shirts. Let's not forget people, when you read the description of said items it is STILL a cotton t-shirt. Black knits cost $7.99 a yard at a fabric store. Seriously.

[michael_kard]

MJRH,

If I can explain it in mechanical terms, it is about relative motion versus absolute. The observation point (the audience and their taste) is in motion as is the creator / artist.

If the audience's taste / appreciation is moving more rapidly than the artist's then it may look like the artist is stagnating. But it just appears so from the moving point of observation.

A further thought here.

The audience is not a closed population. It is made up of individuals, each with its own taste trajectory. Some get bored and drop out, others discover and join. All move along at a slower or quicker pace.(Members here love to record their progress through taste evolution!) The movement of the audience's taste (as an aggregate) depends on the make up of the audinece (whether it is growing or shrinking, and how fast it's components are evolving).

While individuals matter, the audience as a whole has much more importance (economically and in determining value).

Faust must have thought about this (perhaps not in these terms) as he watched the SZ community grow?

At the same time, if the audience has become accustomed to certain characteristics and attributes of a designer's work, it's really disappointing when they just move on. This is how I feel about Ann's latest work.

[MJRH]

Thanks Pumpfish! That was enlightening to say the least and I had not thought of the matter in that perspective before.

I have one remaining question though, your answer does explain a lot, but it must still be a matter partly of intent, mustn't it? The same audience (roughly?) that continues to appreciate Guidi without complaint at the same time makes grumbling noises about other designers not evolving.

PS. Pumpfish, please post WAYWT wearing an Einsten wig, stat.

[RRowell]

It always depends on in what mood I am.. when I'm in a "leisurely" mood, I wear Jeans, a t shirt/top, a jacket and comfortable shoes, like boots and a scarf. And it doesn't matter what "brands"(I doesn't really wear brand clothes) these are.
Very often I wear dresses with opaque tights.
Sometimes I wear high-heeled shoes

[leatherscarf]

I'm trying to keep my style minimalistic but still expressing my melancholic attitude while highlighting silhouette and fabric patterns on my well-proportioned body. Trying to make myself look as a solid entirety. I also love to play with colors as long as they are black or gray!

Fuck it feels hard sometimes to please myself, lol.

[Faust]

/\ Consider a career in copy writing.

[leatherscarf]

/\ Consider a career in copy writing.

Thanks for the idea, haha. I'm having a year off school now and about to start university in the fall. First option is to move to Helsinki and study architecture in Aalto university but maybe I should take up some copywriting studies also!

[interest1]

I swear by this philosophy.
.