by Syeknom » Mon Nov 11, 2013 4:03 pm
Very interesting topic this one, nicely done. Enjoyed the double guest format - was great to hear a panel style discussion on the topic. Wish there was some way to avoid sound/connection quality issues though.
Would love to have had more discussion re: sexuality, rick owens and yohji because those two names got lumped together when discussing femininity and clothing cuts but from my point of view the two arrive at these flowing, drapey cuts (skirts, for example) from two very different starting points. Rick Owens uses skirts (something we see as a feminine garb) but in an extremely butch, masculine way; more like an ancient or tribal warrior (hoplites for example) than a school girl. Much as ancient warriors would have worn them for mobility and power on the battlefield so too does Rick use them to play back into his raw, athletic style of masculinity. Yohji's work, on the other hand, tends to be pretty consistently a-sexual or divorced from our traditional concepts of sex or gender. His (pour homme at least) work speaks more to qualities such as relaxation or resignation rather than command, force or eroticism. His skirts are just another form of expression through graceful motion rather than being confrontational about gender. Take a look at these dudes from ss12 - nothing about them, to me, is talking specifically about gender or sexuality (and the diversity of outfits with the skirts reinforces this):
I'm rambling a bit but it would have been an interesting point to explore perhaps.
Thanks for taking the time to participate and make this!