random fashion thoughts

[Faust]

Saw three Rick Owens totes today, two on people not wearing any Rick. No wonder people pay for them.

[Lex1017]

Saw three Rick Owens totes today, two on people not wearing any Rick. No wonder people pay for them.

I carry them strictly for utility. The big ones hold a bunch of fabric and the little ones hold notes and tools well. It's odd that people think it's a status symbol. I try to keep the logo hidden as often as possible.

[Faust]

I carry them strictly for utility. The big ones hold a bunch of fabric and the little ones hold notes and tools well. It's odd that people think it's a status symbol. I try to keep the logo hidden as often as possible.

I also have a couple in my car for grocery shopping. I am not saying they are invalid somehow to carry around - on the contrary, I think they are great. I am just commenting on the recent surge of them being sold on Grailed for $60 and that I can see that it works and who the customer is.

[newp]

I wear one of mine to the beach but damn, don't tempt me to sell them

[jimmycs]

I have one myself, which came with one of the RO items I purchased years ago. Fail to see the novelty in it.

[beyondthemeans]

NYFW SS17

[Faust]

Guy Trebay liked it.

[zamb]

Good, this is what should happen. this is what NY fashion power players want. a stupid week with no buzz and a bunch of lame designers that are a waste..............

there are a few good mens designers here, but meaningful designers with genuine talent get very little support from this shitstem so let them enjoy being fourth fiddle to Paris Milan and London

[gustavobradley]

At least NYFW still exists...

Toronto Fashion Week Cancelled: IMG Pulls Plug On Semi-Annual Event

It's not like Toronto FW was super high profile or anything, but still sucks for a few of the smaller labels who operate in the city.

[gregor]

i feel it's things like that which create this idea that fashion week is a ridiculous ostentatious show of impractical, ugly, expensive clothes, and it really is a shame, because as zam said, it detracts from the skill of smaller, newer, and far more talented designers as opposed to the trash like that and balenciaga and all that is relegated to parental emails with some caption mocking the high fashion industry.

[gustavobradley]

I wish Guidi made a backzip boot with a more narrow, pointed toe box. I love the look of the shaft on them, but I also love the silhouette of a more pointed chelsea boot

[zamb]

At least NYFW still exists...

Toronto Fashion Week Cancelled: IMG Pulls Plug On Semi-Annual Event

It's not like Toronto FW was super high profile or anything, but still sucks for a few of the smaller labels who operate in the city.

there was an organization producing it for 13 years and then IMG came in and in 3 years decides to pull the plug because they were not getting "local" support?
Great.
Such bullshit, a BIG part of the problem in fashion are the people at the helm.......who have the power and resources to make things right but somehow always find a way to screw up and have things go down hill.

i feel it's things like that which create this idea that fashion week is a ridiculous ostentatious show of impractical, ugly, expensive clothes, and it really is a shame, because as zam said, it detracts from the skill of smaller, newer, and far more talented designers as opposed to the trash like that and balenciaga and all that is relegated to parental emails with some caption mocking the high fashion industry.

Gregor, there was a time when there was some TRULY Great designers, fortunately i am older and experienced the last golden years of true fashion.
I remember the winding down years of Montana and Mugler in the 80's, I remember when Lagerfeld found his stride at Chanel. i remember when YSL (the man himself) was king in Paris.

When the 90's came around there was Tom Ford at Gucci.......Mr. Arnault bought Moet Hennesy and revived Dior and gave truly talented designers the resources to make exiting fashion and fashion spectacles
It gave Rise to Galliano, McQueen, increased the profile of a Struggling Marc Jacobs and fashion was exiting.
Haute Couture was something spectacular......
2000-2008 was the last of the really golden years, when fashion was TRULY EXITING, with Ann, Raf, Margiela, Lang and a slew of immensely talented designers like Chalayan and Theyskens were doing real fashion.

This Bullshit called Street wear had its place but it was not elevated to high fashion...........there was Urban wear (black people clothing) and streetwear brands that was separate from "designer fashion."

What has happened to the fashion industry is that a whole bunch of untalented hacks have been given places of privileged and power and they do not have the talent that merits the reverence they have been given.....
The result?
A whole bunch of ugly clothing and the decline of pure design and top tier designers that lifted everyone.

Thom Browne is one of the last great showmen around doing great clothes and a great show and when you go to the stores you see something really well made with high standards across the board.

As for this Men's Avant garde niche, I went to Paris last month and i wanted to puke.........

Song for the Mute is doing some great work.
LEB has evolved leaps and bounds and had a really impressive collection
Boris is now a fully formed fashion god
I didn't see Geoffrey's collection but a Master like him is worthy of his respect.
I always hate as a designer to comment on other people work, but some of these people who are doing collections need to stay home.......

[monster]

As for this Men's Avant garde niche, I went to Paris last month and i wanted to puke

Dear Zam, could you, please, elaborate on this. I can imagine the reasons, but still very intrigued to hear a deeper opinion from the man working in the field and whom I truly respect. My question is mostly related to the artisanal side of the so-called avant-garde, is everything really so bad?
Thanks.

[beyondthemeans]

(Credit:le21eme)

[ProfMonnitoff]

2000-2008 was the last of the really golden years, when fashion was TRULY EXITING, with Ann, Raf, Margiela, Lang and a slew of immensely talented designers like Chalayan and Theyskens were doing real fashion.

Absolutely.

I was fortunate enough to discover fashion during that period, and it was truly exciting. Even a lot of the 'mainstream' was doing great work. I remember going on catwalking or thefashionspot or wherever the runway photos were back then and it was just mind blowing. Now you really have to look very thoroughly to find anything good at all. Thom Browne is of course great, and there are a few others, but the rest of it has gotten worse across the board. How anyone can fall in love with fashion right now is a mystery to me.

I wish I could say that it's because I've become a curmudgeon and don't give anything a chance anymore, but I really don't think it's the case.

A big part of it is that fashion journalism/criticism has become a joke. In the past bad designers were culled out by bad reviews, as it should be. The idea that the opinions of bloggers and people on forums or comment sections are inherently as valuable as those of someone like Suzy Menkes is just ridiculous. This is unfortunately how it's treated right now, but I think that the opinion of someone who has an understanding of the history of it all and spends the time to ensure that it's well-educated and thought-trough just deserves more merit and attention than that of some guy who vomits on his computer keyboard. I don't see this getting better in the foreseeable future either.

On one hand you can't get upset when some hack is getting showered with praise, it happens in every creative industry and will always be like that. But on the other hand, these people are stealing opportunities from those with actual talent and imagination.

Dear Zam, could you, please, elaborate on this. I can imagine the reasons, but still very intrigued to hear a deeper opinion from the man working in the field and whom I truly respect. My question is mostly related to the artisanal side of the so-called avant-garde, is everything really so bad?
Thanks.

Well I'm not Zam, but honestly, yes. I don't want to call out anyone because there are real people running small businesses and it's good that something like that can exist. As long as it's possible to make a living in a niche, there is still hope.

That being said, the short answer to your question is that currently a lot of it is just a bad copy of what Carpe Diem was doing over a decade ago.