Random Rhetorical Hypebeast Fashion Thoughts

[smiles]

If you want to be free from the pangs of consumerism in relation to clothing there are a few things you need to give up:

N.b. this is meant as a series of suggestions. They may or may not work.

1. Affectation of historical or cultural significance (in relation to the marketing of clothing). I.e buying something because you want to buy in to the image created by the designer. Especially if that's the only reason you want something. Note that this is different from wanting a specific item from a designer I.e a 'Grail' piece.

2. Concepts of quality as a heuristic

3. Concepts of need/function. No "I need x because I am missing x in my wardrobe." That can be endlessly justified and you will be unhappy.

4. Concepts of 'wardrobe'. This is a construct. Your clothes are not more than the sum of their parts. The harder you try to think about/pin down 'style' or 'wardrobe' the more dissatisfied you will become with your clothing and will make questionable purchasing choices that you will regret.

5. (Optional, based on ability/preference). Value as a heuristic.

6. Cop freeze. One could argue that to truly be free from consumerism you need to do away with the concept of 'cop freeze' because that exclusively frames clothing in their monetary context. If you spend most of the time thinking about what you will buy (my experience) you aren't going to be happy with the actual clothing when you get it. The ideal in your head can never be surpassed. Unless you have the mental discipline of some kind of monk it's not going to work.

[insted]

very well put - i've often been considering the crosshatch of form and function. are there instances when one trumps another, based on contextual value? for example the artistic merit of a designer - a runway piece is beautiful and tells a story, but does not "function" as a utilitarian object - is it important to own said object? is it subjective? how subjective?

the conversation tends to start deviating here between clothing as necessity and clothing as art. true these lines can blend, an example I would reference being acronym. their explicitly functional approach to design is indeed an artform, not to mention the actual aesthetic quality the work possesses.

however it really is difficult to lay down a specific paradigm when talking about clothing, a lot is being left out when it's referred to strictly as consumerism. i think within reason it is fair to develop a personal relationship with the allure of a designer, or a style. what can be ultimately defeating about this though is the ravenous nature of the market.

i also believe that the instant transmission of informational media as apparent in a post-modern society has a lot to do with the consumeristic tendencies many tend to adopt. there is just so much calling for stimulation that you want something to be new and current in all aspects of your life, so why not clothing as well.

[oucho]

what if you just collected really nice clothes but never wore them, I think that would actually be pretty cool

[starfox64]

[smiles]

For some reason the 'authority' of possession is still quite powerful in fashion. People can't seem to let go of the idea that you must wear something to truly appreciate it. My opinion on facetasm is not more valid because I own a number of pieces, except maybe in discussion of how it fits. Oucho, the other end of the spectrum is collecting. A man with a bunch of women's clothing that he appreciates and does not use carries aesthetic authority because of the collections uselessness to him. He appreciates fashion as art because he can afford to buy something purely for its visual beauty (or so the perception goes). Again with facetasm, but probably 50% of the reason I bought the big and slim jeans was because I wanted to posses them as a kind of collector.

Fashion is art. As a subset of clothing. Same as there is descriptive photography and artistic photography. There can be aesthetic value in clothing or (diagrams) or whatever non-art but it is not necessarily designed in that way. The same idea of how heritage/vintage clothing (or brands that reproduce them) have aestheticised a non-art object. Patagonia or outlier are non art non fashion but they can be aestheticised, especially in relation to function. Acronym is fashion because function is the end within itself, the relentless pursuit of the limits of functionality beyond any human need. Their aesthetics are driven by the concept of function, not the consumption of it. Confusing because the end result is often so similar.

Edit. Sorry for the meandering posts

[Rosenrot]

[Prince of Scandinavia]

I feel like buying a black double rider and stitching on a few patches on the sleeves and a big logo of some sort on the back, as if it was a denim jacket or a motorcycle gang jacket.

Thinking of sleeve patches like this:

[ballast]

[oucho]

I don't know if fashion can really be called art,from what I've read most fashion designers don't really consider fashion to be art, and don't care either. I don't think that devalues it though.

[kyung]

[IsaiahSchafer]

Been keeping an eye on Julius pants on rakuten. Second time in a row that I've had a pair I was going to get usurped from me hours before I pull the trigger. Bums me out, man. :(

[iamacyborg]

[oucho]

[wiggly--woo]

The fashion as art discussion is interesting, and I can emphasise with both side. However, to me at least, there's almost no point debating whether or not fashion (or anything else really) is an 'art'. I'd say 'art' has become such a contested term that it's starting to verge on being meaningless. Defining 'art' in a useful way is virtually impossible.

[RomanEmpire]

I think fashion or just clothes in general can be an art form, not necessarily always though. I know there's a group of people that make garments that I think are just meant to be on display. For example they had a dress made out of spider silk, another that would react to light or wind, not quite sure, and it would move or have lights in it that changed color. I hope I have it bookmarked, I'll try to find it when I get home later. They had really cool stuff, but I think there was only one of each garment, so it was mostly for display purposes, as well as to see what boundaries they could push.

[ptozzi]

Whats the worst fashion faux pas you have ever seen?

Today during my presentation for microbiology I noticed another student wearing a navy blue cable knit sweater vest over a pastel yellow polo. WTF

[bhajz]

am I the only one who finds it odd that LN-CC is stocking Acne now? I looked through their old brands list and it used to be so much cooler I feel.

[RycePooding]

fuck fashion faux pas's

[iamacyborg]

[kyung]

Bought this yaeca wind shirt/pullover type deal a while ago. I love it to bits but I've realized that I'm too big for tiny japanland man clothes. The weight is perfect to just throw over an ocbd or a sweater and the collar is always popped.



Recently lowballed this guy on ebay hoping for the best and I scooped up this arpenteur smock/pullover/popover/what-have-you in what appears to be my size on steep discount and I feel like i've reached some sort of popover nirvana. can't wait to wear this with faded denim/olive chinos and some birk clogs this spring

[RomanEmpire]

I found what I was looking for

http://yinggao.ca/

Some really interesting concepts, looks like they've added some stuff from the last time I checked.

[TheOttosauraus]

What are your favourite lasts? EG 82 takes a strong spot at first for me, followed by G&G MH71 and Deco.

On a side note, does anyone else think that Corthay's lasts are ridiculously similar to caricatures with that aggressive taper?

[pips]

One of the more remarkable VI covers in a while in terms of layout and direction. I love how it looks like a Wong Kar Wai film still and that makes me want to pick up a copy even if I dont ever read VI and I find a lot of their covers questionable.

[Rosenrot]

[maj]

the idea of constant re-sale of clothes have always appeared weird to me, the idea that some people will buy loads of new threads then 6-8 months later suddenly have a "epiphany" and realize they have to sell everything and chase this new direction. it just seems counter productive as all that time and effort you spent was in vain but maybe they learned some lessons about themselves along the way. not to mention most people end up regretting it to some extent or re-buying at least some of what they sold (albeit a slightly different model or make ) increasing not only the monetary loss but damage to wardrobe curation. i've always thought it's best to keep what you have bought as long as the decision was somewhat informed as you never know when you might need it.

this has been spurred on by the fact today i'm dressed essentially how i would have liked to dress 8 months ago and it still feels cool to me and has reinforced my views on not reselling stuff i don't wear. i'm sure my tastes will change from where they're currently are in the next 8-12 months as it's almost inevitable and will happen to everyone (although key themes may stay consistent) but i somewhat embrace it as i'll always have essentially 2 more wardrobes to fall back on. over time in 10 or so years i'd have like 4-5 wardrobes (given some clothes will break along the way) that i could swap in depending on what i feel like. to me that sounds amazing as it's essentially like having the worlds best dressing up closet of "socially acceptable" items, one day i could be a jap lumberjack, the next a cyber punk and then by friday a football hooligan.

i'd like to hear someone elses side of the coin though, people who re-sell entire wardrobes why do you do it?

[Blastoise]

[can-]

who else is making jackets with interfaced gloves other than aitor?

I've become obsessed with sleeve/glove interface lately. I find a sick satisfaction in wearing leather gloves with tailored blazers or topcoats. I love how large puffer coats combined with chunky gloves completely upset the levels between your top and bottom half-- it reminds me of video game monsters, and suggests the lopsided figure of the Minotaur.

this picture of AT x stone island winter collection doesn't demonstrate what I'm talking about but it's a good example of jacket/glove interface.




I'm keen on the idea of finding white leather gloves for next winter, but I have no idea where to start looking because they have to be touchscreen compatible leather. gloves with touch screen panels on the fingertips don't fly with me,

[tttigre]

[kyung]

i want to look like a rice paddy farmer this summer

[can-]

this seems a little sus.