Random Rhetorical Hypebeast Fashion Thoughts

[can-]

can someone (Syeknom) explain some of the ins and outs of tailoring?

I've been surprised to find that high end luxury brands (margiela, Prada, givenchy) produce suits and jackets that are half canvassed or full fused. particularly givenchy and Prada which I hold to the highest standard of production quality. (it was less surprising but still disappointing to find that my margiela blazer is fully fused)

how much do these things matter?

[Syeknom]

With Prada as I understand it they have a few different lines of suits: some are excellent and made by Belvest, others are fused and probably quite bad especially for that money. Think they might do some half canvassed ones too but I'm not sure. Can check on the inside tag to see who made it (which can be extremely telling with these high end houses). The internet tells me that the lower end ones are made by Cantarelli. Prada put out some absolutely wonderful and tip-top stuff but are also responsible for a lot of overpriced tat at the same time. Important to push beyond brand name for these big houses.

Don't know the the first thing about givenchy sorry!

Fusing is not always the end of the world (modern fusing is surprisingly good for what it is) and even half-canvassed or fully canvassed jackets can still feature some light fusing to the front part especially when using fine or light fabrics. I'm sure there can also be some arguments made for using fusing "artistically" in much the same way that one could use a wool blended with a small percentage of synthetics to give a different character to a suit (unnatural stiffness for example), but I struggle to imagine many real circumstances in which full fusing is used with the consumer in mind. The most likely scenario is that Diesel or MMM wanted to increase profit margins with that piece. Fusing requires almost no real labour or time to produce. However, if the jacket still hangs well (e.g. isn't stiff), the lapels roll ok and there's no bubbling then it's probably quite ok functionally although still disappointing when paying Margiela prices.

[bels]

It's a shame because there's some stuff you want to buy and just assume it's the best. Like when I bought my capelli tie. It's nice to just ignore having to research anything and just go for a name that you know is going to give you the goods.

I think those companies tend to be more boutiquey though. Like ACR or old Ital stuff. Anything that can trade on name tends to trade on name in some way.

[germinal]

The reality is that in 2013, for luxury brands, fusing and whatnot is the difference between a $2k jacket (givenchy, prada, etc) and a $4k+ jacket (thom browne, lanvin, dior homme etc.)

On another note, it's crazy that Christopher Kane S/S14 stock is coming in at oki-ni in november... that mac is lovely though

[Syeknom]

Felt up some Lanvin suits the other day, wow those things are impressive.

[RycePooding]

Bitterly cold this morning, had to layer on layer to stay warm.

Semi freeze on bank account until I decide on a quality down coat. I have about $400 set aside already, but I realize I'm probably going to need at least $600 ($7-800?) for something really great. Of course, would like to see if Dana Lee has something I want in F/W13 (has this released yet?) but otherwise will absolutely be looking at different Canada Goose offerings. Anything else you guys can recommend or can steer me in the right direction?

[bels]

Acne Vancouver except if you buy one and I don't (looking likely) I'll be mad.

[can-]

I second acne, I love canada goob but don't think they are practical for urban / suburban life.

I forget what their 'fashion' line is called but it's worth a look, much better design than their mainline parkas. (goose)

if u can scope out a jil sander down piece at resale or deep sale , their down offerings are the ultimate option in the 'fashionable down' market IMO

my buddy is selling a green goose ma1 size medium if anyone's in the market

[can-]

women of care tags, can someone explain to me the cotton olive trenches with leather sleeves (maybe quilted) to me? I see like thirty variations of these everyday-- some have epaulettes, some have gold hardware, many have asymmetrical Moto closures. some are wool bodied.

I see so many of these everyday that i imagine everyone must be making them. who invented this thing, when did it catch on, and do any respectable designers make nice versions of this item? I've noticed them in the last year but in the last month in NYC it feels like they've hit critical mass, like when Steve Madden and everyone else came out with the knockoff marants and literally every girl in soho was wearing a pair.

[sknss]

i think zara makes them? not sure. tho if everyone is wearing them it probably means that everyone is selling them. they're cool because you get TWO JACKETS IN ONE. what a bargain. i guess they're the result of the military jacket trend meeting the double rider trend. and we get this weird half and half baby.

[maj]

noticed this too, my suspician is primark and whoever they buy from is fueling the uk scene as topshop pulls a blank,

http://www.shopstyle.co.uk/browse?fts=f ... ive+jacket
http://www.karmaloop.com/product/The-Er ... ive/265167
http://www.tactics.com/element/roam-jacket/olive

[RycePooding]

Why don't you think CG is appropriate in sub/urban life, ben? They look pretty unassuming to me. Love the look of that acne parka, if I could find one for ~600 I'd probably pounce. Is it warm enough for midwest winter, you reckon?

[germinal]

i don't know which designers started the olive jacket leather sleeves thing, but it was bigger this time last year, in london at least. at this point it's definitely considered played-out by the woman who shops at zara, who are now aping celine and saint laurent. The only people wearing it now look like they shop at river island/new look & read heat magazine

[deadkitty]

[RycePooding]

whats not happening?

[can-]

I think goose jackets are more practical in arctic climates and the like, it's really warmer than I usually need especially for urban living where you are only usually outside for <1hr at a time. that said I've never owned one and don't know what Midwest winters look like, I've only tried them on.

first snow in NYC today and I wore my down jacket. forgot how comfy and convenient a down jacket is.

[bels]

Super warm coats are great when you're standing outside for a little while. They're hell if you're walking about or if you get on a train.

[RycePooding]

This is all stressing me out.

[bels]

Cop Uniqlo

[schiaparelli]

outerwear is the most stressful purchase
can i recommend you get some instead?

i've noticed i buy large quantities of patterned tights when i'm afraid to buy other things

[germinal]

ryce:
http://www.yoox.com/uk/41368403GN/item? ... GN&sizeId=
http://www.yoox.com/uk/41386720TH/item? ... H&sizeId=6

[deadkitty]

[teck]

help me out guys.

ok so i really want some nice combat-y boots. Something like CCP or doma or Ann D but i dont know if i should invest that kind of cash. was thinking just going cheap and getting docs, which for the life of me i cant figure out if the internet likes or not. waht do people think? any recs?

[UnwashedMolasses]

Damn teck, this is something I was stressing about for months before I picked up my Red Wings. I'm still looking at possibly picking up more. The main other boot I was looking at was the Palladium Pampa Tactical:



Good product video here:



I like the mix of leather/rubber/nylon, tread, and zipper, but I worry about the shape of the top of the foot/toe area and the zipper quality. They're cheapest off of Amazon, going for ~70-80 USD.

I did a lot of research into Corcorans but everything said the quality was shoddy (leather & hardware) and the Munson last is pretty ugly in the toebox. Other than those, I was never able to find a good $100-200 combat, which is why I picked up my RWs when they went on sale down to $150.

The internet seems to like Docs as far as I can tell. To me they fall into the same kind of pseudo-authentic-cool realm as Air Force 1's and Timberlands, in the sense that people recognize them as signifiers of much larger cultural movements or ideas. I've actually liked the patent black Docs every time I've seen them worn, I just have no idea how I would wear them. They'd probably be a lot of fun to fuck up.

[Bobbin.Threadbare]

Those look really low, and the distance between the eyelets is going to make anyone who wears them look like they have flat wide feet.

I really want to like Palladium, and I've tried to convince myself for years, but I feel like they're just off the mark with everything they do. For a moment a few years ago they seemed like they were on the London zeitgeist, but then they totally lost it by marketing to the cool kids, instead of letting them discover the brand themselves. They ended up on the feet of same BLOKES that ruined All Saints for East London.

It doesn't help that they don't seem to know if they want to be Converse, Dr. Martens, or G-Star.

[UnwashedMolasses]

Exactly how I feel, there always seem to be a couple tweaks away from a really good product without ever really landing it.

[schiaparelli]

"nice, combat-y boots" is pretty much the eternal holy grail/mythical one true love that you spend your life searching for. when i was trying to buy mine there were so many tiny details that i suddenly realized i was ridiculously opinionated over. docs have extremely prominent contrast stitching. a lot of women's combat-y boots have ridiculous heels and you're like why, i want to walk and not just pose for street style bloggers. and then the toebox is always a struggle if you don't want an especially bulky look. and also side zips are important for efficient taking-on-and-off and that's such a good way to COMPLETELY RUIN A SHOE

i think certain doc styles can get a bit clown-shoe-y, just what with the proportions of the heavy sole if you have delicate/slim ankles. i guess it's all in how you use/apportion volume in your fits. quality is not what it once was, people keep on saying, but i assume the made-in-england collection (what's it called?) would be deec

[starfox64]

mainline cg jackets are fucking huge. like ben said, their fashion line is pretty cool though.

[bels]

My mom wreckedd her Uniqlo Down Jacket by trying to wipe a stain away using a wet cloth. What's up with that? Some kind of cheapass waterproof coating that got abraded away?

Coat isn't one of the shiny down coats, has a more "matte" appearance.

Sort of annoying really and worse quality than I'd expect. Care label does say dry clean only but still. Maybe she scrubbed at it super vigorously or something.
Do we all have to buy #600 jackets? Is that the world we live in?

[RycePooding]

There's a healthy medium between Uniqlo and Canada Goose, I just need to find it.