dapper kid

Work Clothes

2012-01-31T08:00:00.001Z

Dries Van Noten

Hussein Chalayan

Kris Van Assche

Nicolas Ghesquière

Phoebe Philo

Rick Owens

Umit Benan

Yohji Yamamoto

I am one of those people who enjoys seeing what the designers themselves wear on their show days. Unlike your Karl Lagerfelds of the world, most designers need to wear something comfortable that they can actually run around and work in - after all backstage is not usually the calmest place in the world. I find that these invariably simple work outfits draw a far more intimate portrait of the designer as a person, as opposed to the designer as the designer. These are clothes they work in, that they find practical, that they find personal. Everything you need to know about them as a designer, you can see in their clothes. But sometimes you want to know more about the actual person behind that label of designer. It is not about having some romantic notion of the designer as great artist or genius (even if they do happen to fall into those categories), but rather about being interested in the creator of work you love.

Wait For Me - Vangelis

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310112

2012-01-31T07:59:00.001Z

white/BLACK

Dope Boys ft. Travis Barker - The Game

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Thom's Power Play

2012-01-28T08:00:00.007Z

Thom Browne

Fall/Winter 2012

Comme des Garçons

Spring/Summer 1997

Grotesque, freaky, weird, absurd. Those are just a few of the comments that were levelled at Thom Browne's recent Fall/Winter 2012 collection. The popular media has damned it as void of intellect, void of interest, being nothing more than a freak-show than a fashion show. As with most things in fashion, this is nothing new, it is oddly reminiscent of Rei Kawakubo's infamous Lumps and Bumps collection of Spring/Summer 1997. Kawakubo's collection was vehemently accused of being ugly, absurd and devoid of meaning. It is interesting to note that similar claims have also been made about much contemporary art. I would not go so far as to claim fashion is art, but as a form of artistic expression I think there is something more under the surface of Thom's latest outing. It made me smile, it made me think, and quite frankly, it surprised me.

Not so long ago advertisers and men's magazines were scared of using men to sell to other men. They feared displaying and revealing the male body because they feared it would be seen as homosexual. Revealing the female body was fine, it was normal for men to gaze at that, and it could be used as a reassurance of the viewer's heterosexuality. This was particularly of concern in magazines that usually aimed to sell what was considered outright feminine - fashion, cooking, interior design, etc. However whilst sex certainly sells, sometimes women are not the best advertising vehicle, especially when something needs some masculinity.

As more and more men crept into advertising, the media soon found that men were actually quite at ease with the display of the male body. Indeed they were often perfectly happy to see a male body revealed, whether it be a topless male, or even quite an erotically suggestive body. The men looked at the muscles, the women looked at the man. And so men were comfortable to admire in what was assured by the magazines and media as being in a perfectly heterosexual manner. The implicit homoeroticism is downgraded, because the male viewer is seen not as lusting after the person therein, rather they are desiring (lusting) after the body image. Looking at the man they want to look like the man. The nude male physique becomes a fetish object.

I can look at a photograph of David Beckham, shirt unbuttoned to show oiled abs, laid back and thrusting his padded underwear towards me, and my gaze is perfectly safe and heterosexual. The fact that the photograph is so incredibly erotically-charged, even though he is advertising a garment for what is assumed to be mostly heterosexual men, does not put the male viewer's gaze at any risk of being misinterpreted. The fact is that advertisers can produce images like this, clearly aimed at women, yet advertising products for men. For women the sexual element is explicit, whereas for men it is the fetish of the muscles. However the anxiety is always there, and advertisers are always careful of which side of the erotic line to employ.

For the modern self it has been argued that men fear being soft, whilst women fear being fat. A man supposedly needs to be hard, to be muscled, to be fit, all to be masculine. A woman supposedly needs to be thin, to be attractive, to be beautiful, all to be feminine. The difference in terms of social power between these two socially constructed gender ideals is massive. Freedman used the distinction of agonic versus hedonic power. Men are encouraged to exert agonic power, through their muscles and strength, they have a physical presence and a power that is overtly apparent. Women are encouraged to exert hedonic power, through their beauty and display, they have an indirect social power, where they are essentially encouraged to use their looks to wield power that is subvert. Where women employ elements of agonic power, for example with female bodybuilders, it is viewed as too masculine, and so they have to compensate with overtly feminine traits - hence the usually rather gaudy extensions and nails one sees. The same applies in reverse to men, for their masculinity is questioned through their use of feminized 'soft' power.

The masculine ideal is therefore strong and muscular, a physique most readily apparent in that most masculine of arenas - sports. Of course it is no coincidence that sports teams can be read as implicitly, if not on occasions as explicitly, homoerotic. This is also apparent in other arenas where the masculine ideal is present, namely the muscular and uniformly presented body of the soldier. With the army it is not only the physique that becomes fetishized, but the presentation of that body, with rigorous and exact detailing of dress and uniform. Designers have thoroughly explored the homoeroticism of the army stereotype, and it is one that has been appropriated and subverted by elements of the homosexual community for decades now.

In this collection I would argue that Thom is exploring masculinity and the sexualized body through the main elements of his own work - sportswear and tailoring. The hyper musculature, with its overt hyper masculinity, is applied to sportswear and tailoring to draw attention to the obsession with the ideal male body and the fetishization of muscles. He applies this not to athletic wear, not to sweaty gymwear, but to tailored and formal sportswear, making the point through a form of clothing thoroughly traditional and deeply encoded within the ideals of masculinity. The suit is an incredibly potent and traditional symbol, and so to subvert it in any way is to immediately question the very core of the masculine identity.

Note that Thom's hypermuscled men are entirely covered in cloth. The muscles bulge to comic proportions, but they remain within the confines of his expertly cut tailoring. We are not fetishizing their flesh, rather he makes sure that it is the muscles we notice. He makes this distinction thoroughly apparent by covering the muscled men up. Whilst this distinction is usually subtle in reality, for the male physique is usually shown partially nude, the suggestion is always implicit, regardless of the extent of its homoerotic content, that the (heterosexual) male gaze is aimed at the muscles and not the sexualized body. The man is seen as admiring the muscles, not the nude flesh, and here Thom makes sure that this is the only form of viewing available. We have no option but to gaze at the shape of the muscles, for with the flesh entirely covered there is nothing overly erotic on display.

Now we move to the looks where the fetish and the feminine is introduced. Interspersed amongst this supposed hyper-masculinity, with its agonic power, are looks suggesting submission and the feminine, with their inherent hedonic power. It is in these states that the sexual element and the erotic is explicitly evoked. Suddenly eroticism is allowed. But notice that here, where the sexual and erotic are so thoroughly pronounced, that there are no muscles.

The gimp mask is a highly powerful symbol, which in its normal context, so to speak, is paired with an entirely covered body. The body is usually covered head-to-toe in latex or leather, binding the flesh, with the mask making the person anonymous. They are reduced to the role of a sexual plaything, a submissive for the pleasures of the dominant partner. With the gimp the eroticism is not based on flesh, far from it, although there is the body revealing quality of this second skin - for you can 'see' everything, at the same time you can not, and you most certainly can not touch it. The leather or latex acts as a second skin, so whilst the dominant partner can touch the body of the gimp, they are never touching the actual flesh, there is an intermediary.

In Thom's gimps however, you can see flesh, you can see a midriff, exposed in a decidedly feminine manner. These are not the bulging abs of David Beckham in a men's underwear advert. They are trim, but they are not excessively muscular, rather they are almost feminine in their ideal. And it is in this feminized and submissive state that Thom allows the gaze of the viewer to be erotic. It is suddenly allowed in this exposed and hedonic state, whereas it was thoroughly denied in the muscular state. Indeed note the pubic wig, the sensually soft and furry merkin, peeking out of the trousers, drawing attention to the sexual organs. The erotic charge of these looks is made thoroughly explicit.

Whereas with the hyper-masculine muscle men, the flesh was covered, thus denying the erotic, with the submissive and feminine looks, the erotic is encouraged, if not outright shoved in your face. In such a way the collection effectively presents the dual roles of the male body, between the masculine ideal and the sexualized site. It questions the nature of the male gaze and subverts traditional notions of masculinity and the masculine-coded body.

The collection was not subtle it its approach, but why should it be? It is fashion - the subtle gets overlooked. Sometimes you have to shout to be heard, and here Thom did that with charm and wit. Besides, let us not forget that he has clothes to sell, and a presentation such as this is perfect to drum up attention. I do not think commerce stands in opposition to artistic expression - we tend to forget that Renaissance masters were not doing it for free, they were commissioned. It is only recently that artists have had the freedom to create for the sole purpose of exhibition rather than sales (although the prior usually leads to the latter).

This was a collection that made me think just as much as it made me smile, and that is never a bad thing.

GHOST! - Kid Cudi

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280112

2012-01-28T07:59:00.001Z

"Reeek"

Curuncula - Psapp

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The Usual Suspects: Part Two

2012-01-24T08:00:00.003Z

Issey Miyake

Fall/Winter 2012

The main draw of this collection for me was the trousers. The traditional Issey pleats were out in force, and the look in movement was wonderful. I like the effect of their pleated garments for they appear so thoroughly architectural and precise...until the body moves. But rather than disrupting the line, each movement simply allows the pleats to expand in places and thus add a sculptural element to the design. These are clothes to be worn, not simply to be displayed on a hanger. I also rather liked the geometric jackets, again providing a sculptural element, whilst simultaneously deconstructing the rigid perfection of that geometry to provide what is arguably an even more alluring image. I do wish Issey would come back to actually designing his line, but hopefully his research is proving far more interesting.

Missoni

Fall/Winter 2012

A knitwear bonanza. I liked the colours, the textures, the details. I am not particularly a fan of the louder Missoni prints, and the less said about their recent collaboration the better, but the menswear has been outstanding for the past three seasons. A collection that makes you smile - what could be better?

Rick Owens

Fall/Winter 2012

This collection was at once both a curveball and a natural progression. Rick has pretty much perfected his casual sportswear, with the washed leathers, slouchy tops, cropped and drop crotch trousers, and extended tongue sneakers. The silhouette has consistently been long on top and short below, albeit with the centre of gravity migrating ever further South as time went on. This reached its inevitable conclusion with the free-flowing robes and pillar skirts of Naska, so where does he head next? He inverted his traditional silhouette, choosing high waisted trousers and a short top. Not only was there this reversal in silhouette, Rick also returned to tailoring. His casual look is so well-defined that it seemed natural for him to want to define his eveningwear. He has slowly been returning to tailoring in the last few collections, and here with the short blazer and high waisted trousers, I think he has presented something unexpected, something sleek, but something still incredibly Rick.

Yohji Yamamoto Pour Homme

Fall/Winter 2012

This was one of my favourite Yohji collections in a while, although the current season comes close. Here he presented his various archetypal men, from the military man to the traveller, all in his thoroughly beautiful way. I was most taken by his wandering romantic, for like he himself said, 'I don’t think we should try to make space our own. I believe that as modern people we should live in mobility. We should always be moving'. The modern self is a lonely self, even within the city we are an island, with our interactions being fleeting. We experience the clothing of others in flashes, in movement, lost in the crowd. So why not dress for that reality in the best possible way? Comfortable, elegant and romantic. I can not wait to see this collection on the rails.

In hospital for a little while.

Catch you on the flipside.

Lightwork ft. Ellie Goulding - Lupe Fiasco

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240112

2012-01-24T07:59:00.002Z

Remember

Pet Grief - The Radio Dept.

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The Usual Suspects: Part One

2012-01-22T08:00:00.017Z

Ann Demeulemeester

Fall/Winter 2012

The gradients, the multiple layers, the longer silhouettes. With Ann's womenswear the use of red in her looks often seems to indirectly play the role of subverting the traditional sexual coding of the colour. She seems to approach red much as Yohji or Rei would, it is for the tonal value the colour provides, rather than for any popular cultural or symbolic meaning. In this collection I think that tonal quality was more readily apparent, especially when placed alongside looks that featured electric blue used in the same manner as the red. The black to red gradients sit comfortably with the black to white gradients, albeit with the rather intricate feather/fishbone pattern towards the end of the collection providing a greater depth. This collection is so much stronger than the current season, which I enjoyed despite of the rather messy show styling. I have fallen in love with Ann all over again.

Comme des Garçons Homme Plus

Fall/Winter 2012

The skirts, the large rose prints, the bouclé jackets. Rei does what she does best with her menswear - play with gender. This is not the forced feminized androgyny of recent Rad Hourani, nor is it the comic fetish of Jean-Paul Gaultier. Rather, with the shaggy hair, the youthful faces, the bare legs, the bow under the chin, the slightly stacked heel, she combines elements of the young (pre-pubescent?) girl - playful and eternally youthful - with traditional tailoring and suiting - the very symbol of masculinity and (male) maturity. Fashion is its own death and so designers either seek to create an everlasting present, or remove their designs entirely from time, thus preserving it from its inevitable fate. Kawakubo states that her designs are meant to be timeless, and here one sees how - the youthfulness denies the passing of time, whilst the tradition places it outside that time. Fun, carefree and elegant.

Damir Doma

Fall/Winter 2012

The luxury, the fabrics, the sensuality. Damir moves on from his Ottoman Turkish inspirations, further East, to the foothills of the Himalayas. Whereas before one saw woven blanket shawls, essential for the cold desert nights, one now sees the fur shawl, perfect for the lord of some mountainous terrain in Central Asia. It was a far more opulent collection than Damir has shown previously, building upon the tailoring of the past two seasons and combining it with the more traditional Eastern influences of his earlier collections. I am never really a fan of the more common 'ethnic' inspired collections (especially where my own heritage is concerned), for it is usually done in a manner that plunders and fetishizes the Orient/Other, however with Damir I find a natural grace and elegance (and dare I say a cultural authenticity?). I must say I enjoy a more luxurious Damir.

Dries Van Noten

Fall/Winter 2012

The tailoring, the cuts, the clean silhouettes. I have to be honest and say that I was not a fan of the majority of the collection. The prints and colours were too loud for my liking, but they did work for what they were. This was not Dries at his best, but I enjoyed the more toned down pieces. His tailoring is exemplary. Besides, his collection was worth mentioning for that second look I posted alone.

Nocturne in E Minor, Op.72, No.1 - Frédéric Chopin

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220112

2012-01-22T07:59:00.002Z

melancholy

The Time Is Now - Moloko

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The Manifesto

2012-01-20T08:00:00.002Z

Yohji says...

I believe that there are three conditions to a woman’s beauty. First, you must realize that not all women are beautiful all of the time. Sometimes beauty comes on a subconscious level. When she is in love, or has met someone new and exciting, she shines. Second, you must understand that life is unfair. Beauty is something that, for some, must be worked at. The third condition is luck. Some women can just be lucky.
My role in all of this is very simple. I make clothing like armor. My clothing protects you from unwelcome eyes.
Color, for me, has too many stories wrapped around it. I like black, white, gray, and navy. Like a uniform.
Life is better for beautiful people. You can become lucky if you are beautiful, you can become rich. But there is no truth in this definition of beauty.
If you feel strongly about someone, go up to them. Pursue what you want in life. Why be shy about something like that?
You can tell what a woman is going to be like in bed just by looking at her. There is a feeling about someone that comes from experience. When you’ve seen it once, you will recognize it again.
Fashion cannot make you sexy. Experience makes you sexy. Imagination makes people sexy. You have to train yourself, you have to study, and you have to live your life.
I love the back. A beautiful back makes a beautiful front. When you slouch, think about what happens to your front. You have to keep your back in the right position. This is where your spirit lies.
Men’s clothing is about tiny details, and I hate that. I am very small and I look stupid in a perfectly tailored suit. I want to be able to wear things that don’t fit perfectly, with the sleeves far too long. I wish clothing came with no sizes at all. It would be much better that way.
The biggest mistake you can make in fashion is imitation. If we keep on like this, fashion will die. There was a time when I used to fall in love on the street every day. I would see someone with such a way about them or such a flawless item that I would have to say, “Stop! Please! That’s perfect.” That never happens anymore. Everything is too similar. Soon it will be only a T-shirt and jeans.
I don’t think we should try to make space our own. I believe that as modern people we should live in mobility. We should always be moving.

(via Details)

Part Like Waves - Psapp

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200112

2012-01-20T07:59:00.003Z

Another year

In For The Kill (Remix) - The Glitch Mob x La Roux

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Across The Sands

2012-01-18T08:00:00.004Z

Silent by Damir Doma

Fall/Winter 2012

Considering what I wear on a day-to-day basis I come to the realization that I seem to wear a Silent garment on most days of the week. The line, curated by Damir Doma, has quickly become my dependable go-to for simple but well-designed basics (it even featured when Steve asked me about some of my most treasured items). Diffusion lines are generally a minefield, often being notoriously bland (as much as I love Comme des Garçons, Play is an abomination) or plagued with flaws (Coming Soon quickly became going soon). However Silent is not a diffusion line in the traditional sense, if at all, and seems to avoid the common pitfalls inherent to that side of the market. It can be thought of as Damir's side project, more akin to Yohji's work at Y-3 than a mere grab at the market, which most diffusions unfortunately seem these days.

Some days you want to be able to throw something comfortable on instinctively without sacrificing aesthetics, and so well-considered basics are always welcome. Whether it is for wearing around the house, out and about, or stays in hospital, the Silent garments I own have proven to be comfortable and easy to wear for the every day. I am particularly fond of the soft cotton jerseys they utilize, although rather unfortunately the decision was made recently to move away from organic fabrics. Thankfully comfort does not come at the cost of design, and the garments are all cut in what, I suppose, is now a typically Damir fashion. It is probably a childhood fancy but I am always drawn to longer sleeves, and so having sweater sleeves that are usually long enough to pull down my hands is a nice touch.

Although still a relatively young line Silent has expanded noticeably over the past two collections in particular, and it promises to carry on evolving in an interesting direction. Whereas it started with simple organic basics, it now includes a range of outerwear, bags and a number of footwear options (as opposed to the single sneaker design of the first collection). Whilst I am not entirely convinced by some of the options from the current season collection, namely the tribal print, I do rather enjoy the move away from the more basic designs of its inception to a broader range of everyday garments and pieces. Indeed the Fall/Winter 2012 collection posted, whilst thankfully remaining true to the original ethos of the line, still slowly broadens its scope in terms of design. I am rather drawn towards the heavier black knitwear, as they seem to fit the bill nicely for Winter layering, as well as the outerwear pieces.

They may not necessarily be ground-breaking new designs, but in a way I like that, after all they are not meant to be. What I see is comfortable, high quality, every day garments, and for me it works. Interesting but unobtrusive, I do love quiet design.

Still Speedin' ft. Kano - Sway

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180112

2012-01-18T07:59:00.001Z

"...ha, too easy"

I'm On ft. MDMA, Lupe Fiasco, Big Boi, Wale & Wiz Khalifa - Trae Tha Truth

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Closer

2012-01-16T08:00:00.001Z

Veronique Branquinho

Fall/Winter 2001

I really do like the idea of personal luxury - something intimate, something subtle. It is like having your own personal secret, something between you and the garment. Whilst fashion is a social phenomenon, dress is a deeply intimate art, and so for me (as for most others) it is always about the garment in hand. Luxury in fashion is for me not something that is simply visual, it is something that is in the very wearing of the garment. A soft lining, a hidden print, a subtle drape, a quirky detail - something that you have to be close (or even simply wearing) to notice. Something about Branquinho's work always made me want to get closer, but it never shouted for my attention, it simply caught it and drew me gently in. It is a feeling that is unfortunately most difficult to describe, but I do hope you are able to understand, even if only a little, where I am coming from with the help of these images.

Selkuth - Loess

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160112

2012-01-16T07:59:00.002Z

An extended line: Silent/Drkshdw

(Next time I will try to use an actual camera)

Year Of The Cat - Psapp

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It's Personal

2012-01-07T08:00:00.001Z

(images via Organization)

When you’re finished changing, you’re finished.

Takahiro Miyashita

I know I mention this collection far too often, but it was a moment that entirely changed my view of fashion. But unlike so many other fashion moments (whether they be images, books, films) that have influenced my way of thinking, it was one I actually experienced as it happened. Fashion moments always seem to be something you read about rather than experience first-hand, which can initially seem rather odd. But then when you think about it, perhaps it is not so strange after all. It is only ever after the fact that journalists, or historians, or curators, are able to alchemize fashion history into fashion myth. In the present, that is to say in any one of those important moments, we are often too busy experiencing life to question the significance of what is unfolding before us. Only after can we truly consider what we have seen, what we have felt, and how it has changed us.

Every show crackles with excitement, and every garment speaks to somebody, so I am fascinated by the change that occurs when a moment is transformed from the ordinary into the extraordinary. For that change to happen it must necessarily be a moment that was shared by many, and then thought by many to be important. Sometimes it is only with hindsight that one can trace back the path of influence that a moment provided, thus highlighting how special it truly was. Indeed looking back one realizes the importance of the moment (although even if unrealized the effect can still be profound). Whether it was Richard Gere wearing Armani in American Gigolo, or when the last model disappeared back into the darkness at Raf Simons' Woe Unto Those Who Spit On The Fear Generation...The Wind Will Blow It Back collection. But history is never merely a singular narrative, and neither is fashion. There are different ways of seeing, different ways of recollecting, and different ways of narrating the story.

Sometimes you find your own fashion moment. Something you experience as it happens, that changes the way you think and feel about fashion. I remember the first time I saw the runway images for A Closed Feeling. It took my breath away. I devoured look after look after look and it seemed as if Miyashita had somehow captured the stuff of my dreams and used it to paint his canvas. I remember thinking, "This is what I love about fashion". And for me, it still is. The luxury, the beauty, the drama, the melancholy, the feeling. It was pure fantasy - a fleeting moment of beauty in the grand performance of fashion, doomed to be forgotten all too quickly, but that did not matter to me. I went on to obsess over every detail, watching video of the show again and again, and feeling as if this really was something special, something extraordinary, something I would never forget. It was a beautiful moment, even if only for me. I hope there will be many, many more to come.

Number (N)ine is dead. Long live...The Soloist?

Gibraltar - The Radio Dept.

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070112

2012-01-07T07:59:00.003Z

jhana

Burn My Shadow ft. Ian Astbury - UNKLE

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A Whisper

2012-01-05T08:00:00.003Z

My favourite look

Yohji Yamamoto

Spring/Summer 2011

The collection as a whole was certainly not Yohji at his best, it was a touch too busy in places, lacking that certain sense of restrained elegance, or playful demureness, that for me makes his work so magical. The collection was the product of a company at one of its most turbulent times, but even so, there was for me immense beauty to be found. I far preferred the quieter looks - my favourite look was actually the second one I have posted, a simple black dress. Make it simple, make it subtle, make it intimate, make it natural. I don't like things that are too loud, there is already far too much noise in the world, I want something that whispers its beauty in my ear.

The Last Waltz - Jo Yeong-wook

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050112

2012-01-05T07:59:00.004Z

Faded

To The Order Of Night - Balmorhea

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A Gentle Start

2012-01-01T08:00:00.003Z

Guinevere Van Seenus by Javier Vallhonrat

Kinga Rajzak, Sonia Rykiel SS08

A new day, a new year.

Let's make the world a better place.

Let's make the world a more beautiful place.

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010112

2012-01-01T07:59:00.001Z

We own the night

Twenty Minutes - edIT

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Boy Meets Girl

2011-12-30T08:00:00.001Z

DRKSHDW

Spring/Summer 2012

Skirts, skorts, skweatpants*

"There are the same differences between a man's and a woman's skirt as there are between a man and a woman."

Dries Van Noten

"Clothing, as an aspect of culture, is a crucial feature in the production of masculinity and femininity: it turns nature into culture, layering cultural meanings on the body."

Joanne Entwistle, The Fashioned Body

Sex is biological, gender is cultural. A simple observation, yet in our society today it is one that proves to be just as controversial as ever. Every society has its own gender roles, behaviours, codes, and styles. Nowhere is the issue of gender more potent in Western dress than with the skirt. It has become embedded with such cultural meaning that it can signify gender even in absence of the body. Think of the signs at a public restroom, the man is pictured in bifurcated garments, that is to say trousers (or he could be naked), whereas the woman is pictured in a skirt. The two look otherwise identical. The majority of people going into that second room may not even be wearing skirts, but the symbol is laden with a powerful meaning.

Whilst women have over the decades adopted menswear, modifying and encoding it to the extent that it becomes feminine, the same cannot be said for men wearing traditionally 'feminine' garments. A woman can wear a suit, or a tie, or even just a pair of trousers, and be nothing more than a woman. Indeed it is even often deemed as attractive. A hundred years ago she would have been publicly ostracised if not harassed. Yet a man wears a skirt and there is uproar. In doing so gender is dislocated from the body, he flouts the cultural norms of gender, and thus the very idea of masculinity is threatened. It is not viewed as attractive, it is viewed as weird. It does not reinforce his supposedly inherent masculinity in the way a woman wearing a man's shirt reinforces her supposedly inherent femininity.

The phenomenon is almost exclusively a contemporary Western one. Go back in time and men wore make up, tights, heels, dresses, etc. That is not to say gender was not just as strictly demarcated in those days, but rather that the garments are in and of themselves utterly meaningless. Clothing has no inherent gender, it all depends on the cultural circumstances surrounding them. Look East and you see men today wearing skirts (lungi, sarongs, etc.) and dresses (thawbs, robes, etc.), whilst remaining safely within the realm of masculinity according to their culture. Men in the West even wear skirts without noticing - we wrap a towel around our waist when we come out of the shower to form a skirt rather than fashioning a more masculine loincloth. We see various traditions of masculinity, all essentially surmounting to the same core of social ideals, merely expressed via different channels. Those channels can however change, it simply (or perhaps not so simply) depends on a certain number of individuals appropriating a material and using it in a new way.

I am not saying that fashion should become sexless or genderless, in fact I would hate that. Fashion will always be tied to sexuality for me because it is about revealing and concealing the body (there is for example something I find incredibly attractive when a woman wears a long skirt and flat shoes - it is that reveal of ankle and lower leg e.g.). I am merely trying to highlight the fluidity of gender in fashion. I am particularly interested in how masculine and feminine elements can be played with and combined, to either reinforce or destabilize, rather than negate, gender stereotypes. It would require a number of posts to do this topic justice, however I simply wanted to introduce the topic in light of Rick Owens' Spring/Summer 2012 collections for both his eponymous label and his DRKSHDW line.

The appearance of men in skirts in a decidedly masculine fashion was to my eyes a rather welcome sight. Whilst there is much to be said for designers who use skirts in a fetishistic or gender bending manner, there was something more casual, for want of a better word, of Rick's use of skirts. I do not personally indulge in drag or cross-dressing, however I am interested in the mixing of masculine and feminine elements to play upon the idea of masculinity. Many commented that they wished Rick had been more aggressive in his use of skirts, to stamp out the territory, but I think the balance was achieved quite nicely within the collection (as well as in upcoming the DRKSDHW releases).

The full length and narrow front profile of the column skirts provided an almost statuesque platform for the male body. In this past season Damir Doma sought to elevate his men, using platform boots to quite literally provide that effect, whereas Rick is at once more subtle and more blunt in his approach. Using such a heavily symbolic-laden garment, it at once provokes in terms of cultural significance, whilst simultaneously obscuring and hiding the lower body, and thus promoting the torso. In a way the male torso is almost thrust upon the viewer, and what (...phallus projection aside, but then an argument could be made for the narrow and long skirt standing in place for a certain part of the male anatomy) could be more masculine than that?

This is of course balanced by the reveal, with the slit back, that allows the calves to emerge in movement. The reveal is made all the more powerful in light of the long front, and yet that display of the calves is perhaps what makes it all the more masculine in its appearance to my eyes. It is not the intimate flesh of the thigh, or the full lower leg with arched feet in heels, it is the calf framed by the top of the skirt and the monumentality of the chunky sneakers or boots. What it seen is the calf muscle, not the unprotected shin or dainty ankle. It is powerful and masculine within a garment that is most often viewed as feminine. (Click here for Schwyzer's view on men's fear of being soft and women's fear of being fat).

It could of course be styled either way, but were I to wear it I probably would counterbalance the strong feminine associations with more masculine elements, so as to naturalize rather than highlight its perceived otherness.

* I may have made the last word up, but they are the piece I have my eye on (unfortunately not pictured above - I may actually get the thicker F/W version on account of my knees not being on speaking terms with the cold...in fact they refuse to be in the same room together).

Feather ft. Cise Starr & Akin - Nujabes

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301211

2011-12-30T07:59:00.001Z

Black Comme des Garçons

Lupe Back - Lupe Fiasco

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G[e]mma Waves

2011-12-28T08:00:00.043Z

Altered States

W Magazine

November 2005

Photographer: Nick Knight

Stylist: Camilla Nickerson

Model: Gemma Ward

Reality:Representation
The image of an image of an image of an assumed reality.
The subject ostensibly remains the same at every level.
But each new layer creates a new meaning and a new reality.
Yet here those new individual meanings are the subject.
And so you start back where you began with a new way of seeing.

Besides, the pictures are pretty.

Enjoy.

Árvas - Sofia Jannok

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281211

2011-12-28T07:59:00.010Z

Spots

LTLP - edIT

xxxx

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T08:00:00.001Z

Wishing you and your loved ones a beautiful Christmas.
Eat too much, dance too much, sing too much.
Have a blast, and maybe make someone smile.

xxxx

251211

2011-12-25T07:59:00.001Z

"Just try to look inconspicuous, and if anybody passes, for God's sake, don't moo"
"Don't moo? It's the pinnacle of bovine poetics you Philistine"

Natural Selection ft. The Black Angels - UNKLE

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Ghost:Shell

2011-12-23T08:00:00.005Z

Yohji Yamamoto by Yukata Yamamoto

Yohji Yamamoto, Spring/Summer 2005, backstage, by Donata Wenders

Spring/Summer 2005, Pleated red silk dress, in honour of Madame Grès

Spring/Summer 2005, Black pleated silk dress, and Fall/Winter 1997, Harlequin coat

Spring/Summer 1998, Tuxedo-dress in black silk with train

Spring/Summer 1999, Wedding dress in mother of pearl coloured silk and hoop skirt

Fall/Winter 1999 and Spring/Summer 2005, shirts in white poplin

Fall/Winter 1995, Long evening dress in black silk

Fall/Winter 1998, Wedding dress with crinoline in bamboo and petticoats in wool jersey

Guinevere Van Seenus by Paolo Roversi

(all scans my own)

"Everything that is graceful, gentle, decent and kind comes from asymmetry. Symmetry is ugly. If you are a human being you cannot make perfection."

Yohji Yamamoto

Apologies for the absence, been rather unwell.
Here are some pretty pictures.
I Go Loco For Yohji Yamamoto.

The End Of The World - Lupe Fiasco

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231211

2011-12-23T07:59:00.002Z

Probability Waves

Derezzed (The Glitch Mob Remix) - Daft Punk

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A Fresh Start

2011-11-17T08:00:00.006Z

Klaus Biesenbach
W House Tour
Photography by Dean Kaufman

Muji

Homes Project

I remember first reading the Wmagazine article on MoMA PS1 Director, Klaus Biesenbach, and being totally taken back by, what I first saw as, the brutal minimalism of his home. How could anybody live like that? Where were all his things? What happens to a man to make him want to live like that? As I read on what at first seemed too cold, too clinical, too empty, soon revealed something truly intimate and personal. For a man who spends his life surrounded by the visual, by the creative, and by the loud, it must be true relaxation to return to a home where there is no noise. Where others would see emptiness, he sees calm and freedom. And in that is something I actually find myself looking for as well.

What struck me most were his last words in the article, "Once I have the time, I will get furniture, I will have chairs. I think it would be nice to have a stove. It just doesn’t seem urgent.” What is urgent for one person may be nothing but an afterthought for another. It is what creates such diversity amongst us. Indeed it is for that reason I suppose that we are all so interested in seeing into other people's homes or wardrobes. We like seeing something different, something alien, some insight into how other people live. Although perhaps we look at first for something different, in the end, all we really see are the little things that connect us. There is always something we share.

I decided to post the images of homes designed by various architects for Muji alongside Biesenbach's home as an example of different takes on minimalism. Connected by a theme, separated by execution. In both cases there is something about their simplicity that I find incredibly inspirational. I like the idea of simple and functional design, if for nothing else than as acting as the bare foundations of a home. Once you have those foundations, or to put it another way, the necessities, then all other objects are something to be added at your leisure. But maybe there is a luxury to be found in having only the necessities, especially when those necessary objects are objects of beauty. The idea of simplicity is beguiling to me for the freedom it seems to bring.

But then I suppose no matter how simple the canvas is, we all by nature wish to express something upon it, however grand or small in gesture. A red brush stroke is all the more striking when laid upon a pure white canvas than it is when surrounded by an array of other colours. I like the idea of having a few individual elements that represent something grander in their totality. They do not necessarily have to be striking and bold, but rather hold meaning to the individual. Whilst I would struggle to find myself living for any extended period in the emptiness of Biesenbach's home (although were you to add a decent kitchen, I would be good to go), I could be quite comfortable in one of the Muji homes. Yet in both cases I would still need to make small personal additions. I like the idea of being able to refine those additions down to what truly matters to me on a personal level. A few things of importance are nicer than many things that hold no real meaning to me.

The way I like to think of it is like going on holiday. You arrive at your hotel room - there is a window, a bed, a television, a cupboard, a desk, a fridge, an en-suite. The space is equipped with the necessities, but it is missing an individuality. And so with one bag and one suitcase you unpack a condensed version of your life into this empty vessel. There is a freedom within the fact that you have only what you need, what you love, what you wanted to bring. You are, in the travelling process, forced to edit your life down to only what you can quite literally carry with you. I think it is a magical process, and one I wondered whether you could somehow bring into your everyday life. Not necessarily to the same severity, but as an approach to material possessions. It is not about denial, of getting rid of things you love, but rather of editing to exactly those things that you do love. Of course it is then a matter of assessing what it is that you do find beautiful, you do find meaningful, and you do love.

I met a genius on the train

today

about 6 years old,

he sat beside me

and as the train

ran down along the coast

we came to the ocean

and then he looked at me

and said,

it's not pretty.

it was the first time I'd

realized

that.

I Met A Genius, Charles Bukowski
(as Sean Penn would say - "an uncommon thought on a common matter")

More Voltage - The Glitch Mob

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171111

2011-11-17T07:59:00.001Z

Arson

If Rap Gets Jealous ft. Kirk Hammett - K'naan

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Lost In A Fantasy

2011-11-15T08:00:00.001Z

I absolutely love this image

Mechanical Dolls

Vogue Italia

October 2011

Photographer: Tim Walker

Models: Kirsi Pyrhönen & Audrey Marnay

Stylist: Jacob K

An unsettling beauty.
Whisk me away.

Bowsprit - Balmorhea

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151111

2011-11-15T07:59:00.003Z

Bondage

Leech - Alison's Halo

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An Apocalypse of Culture

2011-11-11T08:00:00.002Z

Comme des Garçons Homme Plus

Fall/Winter 2011

"I never lose my ability to rebel, I get angry and that anger becomes my energy for certain. I wouldn't be able to create anything if I stop rebelling."

Kawakubo in interview with Takeji Hirakawa (1990)

Patricia Mears called her "the quintessential postmodern designer". Academics and fashion writers alike have consistently called her an avant-garde genius and interpreted her work as expressions of ardent feminism. And yet when one considers the fashion media at large, the work of Rei Kawakubo, in the form of her mainlines Comme des Garçons and, its menswear partner, Comme des Garçons Homme Plus, are usually ignored, or at best dismissed as avant-garde oddness. Comments describing her work as being strange, weird, and even ugly, are not uncommon. Kawakubo's work has been simultaneously exalted and mocked, called genius and decried as unwearable. I have never really seen unwearable garments, merely garments that require a little confidence and a little humour - they are either right for you or they are not, and if they are not, that is totally fine by me.

Describing Rei Kawakubo's Fall/Winter 1983 Comme des Garçons collection, Suzy Menkes wrote of models coming down the catwalk "like a race of warrior women". Defying standard ideals of beauty and commonly inverting notions of the sexualized body, Kawakubo's treatment of the female body is at once empowering and shocking. Her work, as evidenced prominently in her Spring/Summer 1997 collection, 'Dress Meets Body, Body Meets Dress', has sought to draw fashion away from an objectification of the female body, to having a deeper respect for the wearer. Many newspapers and critics at the time dismissed that collection as her "Quasimodo" collection (it is now usually referred to as her 'Lumps and Bumps' collection), and yet it has since been recognized as a dexterous exploration of the dialectic between body and dress, manipulating the way we view the female body and what is considered as beautiful.

In her seeking for a new understanding of the female body, Kawakubo also seeks to constantly redefine the present and what it means to be a woman today. Indeed as she herself was quick to proclaim, "We must break away from conventional forms of dress for the new woman of today. We need a new strong image, not a revisit to the past." (New York Times, 30th January 1983). This disruption is symptomatic of her avant-garde design, a classification which in itself suggests an iconoclastic aesthetic that seeks to disrupt itself from popular culture. In this respect her work disrupts itself quite clearly, both visually and intellectually, from popular high fashion. Indeed for a designer who seeks to constantly rebel, and even refers to her company as the Comme des Garçons "army", this distinction is more than welcome.

Yet to find oneself labelled as part of the avant-garde is also to often find oneself summarily catergorized and thus easily dismissed. Avant-garde is by definition applied to that which does not prescribe to the prevailing notions of beauty and the popular image of its time. In an industry that is based upon appearances, this conscious attempt not to fit in can cause problems. This is especially so when one of the main sectors in that industry is geared towards packaging design into neat little boxes of trends to be pushed upon consumers. Whilst no designers wants to be simply part of the crowd, standing out too much can be a problem. Take for example Olivier Theyskens, a designer recognized as genius, classified into a class of his own - the demi-couturier, and yet does not even work at a fashion house.

Fashion tends to require classification and catergorization at every level - designers and fashions are grouped by decades, nations, the city they show in, some vague sense of a shared aesthetic, a shared trend, schooling background, predominant colour, materials, etc. Consciously seeking not to be so easily defined is problematic for the gatekeepers who rely so heavily on being able to do so. And so the term avant-garde comes into play. It becomes a term to describe what is not easily marketable and what is not easily understood, and as such it becomes a term to be applied simply as an excuse not to have to understand. Essentially, once it is classified, it does not need to be understood, for the label supposedly says all. One sees Kawakubo's work being dismissed as avant-garde frippery, some genius outpouring that is nevertheless impractical for everyday wear, and it is a reaction I find confusing.

Speaking in I-D Magazine in May 1992, Kawakubo stated, "You don't have to talk to me, look at the clothes and then you see, you know me, what I want to say is there". So why not look beyond the label of avant-garde, or weird, or strange, and look at the clothing? For a designer who is usually defined by her treatment of the female body and feminine beauty, I am interested in her treatment of the male body and how her aesthetic is transferred across both the gender and sex divide. By exploring the way in which she interacts with men's fashion, perhaps one is actually allowed a greater understanding of Kawakubo and her skills as a designer.

Given the constraints of my writing platform some broad study of Kawakubo's menswear is obviously impractical, so I would simply like to look ever so briefly at the themes within her current Homme Plus collection (Fall/Winter 2011), which I believe allow one a fascinating insight into Kawakubo's work. To return to how I started this post, this collection is nothing if only a display of Kawakubo's post(or would that be neo?)modernism style at work. The collection was a vision of a cultural apocalypse, quite dramatically highlighting the practice of bricolage in fashion. In particular it highlighted fashion's tendency to create a new present through a process of broad transcultural and transhistorical referencing. At the same time she treatment the male body as a site not for anxiety in this apocalypse, not requiring protection or armour, but as a site for celebration and a display of extravagance.

In Dick Hebdige's seminal text, Subculture: The Meaning of Style, Hebdige used the anthropological concept of bricolage (in particular building upon Levi-Strauss' work in The Savage Mind) and applied it to the process of subcultural appropriation of commodities in order to apply new meanings to them. One of the examples he gives is of mods "functioning as bricoleurs when they appropriated...[a] range of commodities by placing them in a symbolic ensemble which served to erase or subvert their original straight meanings" (p. 104). The appropriation and subsequent subversion or resignification of cultural commodities is a practice we are all too familiar with in fashion. A designer references a cut from one decade, combines it with a pattern from another decade, and uses it to present a finished article that is relevant to the present. Other cultures and other times are simply part of the tools of creativity for fashion designers, however it is the way in which they combine these references to capture a feeling or thought that determines their final expression.

Kawakubo's collection piled reference upon reference atop each other, in an ostensibly unrestrained manner, highlighting in an almost visually aggressive manner the very process of fashion design. I say aggressive due to the decadent and diverse nature of her bricolage, referencing Japanese heritage alongside Chinese print, or an American flag alongside Edwardian London. And yet in this diverse referencing, Kawakubo also provided each of those individual references with an all new meaning for an all new present. The extent of her transcultural and transhistorical referencing in singular looks alone, not only highlighted the practice of bricolage in fashion as a whole, but rather it seemed to foreshadow the extent to which the contemporary world is becoming ever more global in terms of culture. It was a witty remark on the chaos of contemporary culture, finding in its apocalypse not a degradation of individual influences, but a celebration of its individual components. Indeed, by placing contrasting references clearly alongside each other, it did not obliterate those references, but rather made them all the more apparent, and invested them with a new contemporary meaning.

In order to provide a new meaning, the commodities appropriated are never merely transplanted. They need to be deconstructed, pulled apart, and applied in new ways in order to be relevant. One does not simply replicate, otherwise a garment can become visually jarring and quite obviously anachronistic (a notable exception would perhaps be Margiela's Replica line). The skill lies in making that reference relevant to the now (or at least the now that the designer wishes to conjure). This translation was quite literally exposed by Kawakubo in her ostensible deconstruction of garments. Vintage printed t-shirts were sewn together to provide elongated double printed t-shirts, or jackets were worn reversed allowing their patchwork printed linings to be exposed. This construction, or deconstruction as it would be called, allowed Kawakubo to quite literally appropriate commodities from the past and entirely subvert and rewrite their meanings. This is nowhere more apparent than in the use of logo printed t-shirts. And yet this clear visual deconstruction is particularly distinct, for in its reclamation of the old, it did not destroy but rather recomposed. Whereas the punks used an aesthetic pauperism, tearing and shredding garments to provide them with new meaning, Kawakubo tears the garments apart only to carefully reconstruct them to suit her new meaning.

In a world in which culture is increasingly global, and in which fashion continuously plunders various cultures and pasts (often its own), Kawakubo sees the end result not as a destruction of these elements, but as a celebration of diversity. In light of a cultural apocalypse, the male body is not a site of anxiety or vulnerability, but rather the vessel for a display of decadent beauty. In consciously allowing multiple references and commodities to be simultaneously displayed Kawakubo is not hiding behind the safety of conformity, here she is celebrating individuality in all its colours. Pushed to the realm of the almost comic, and exaggerated in its display, there is no hiding, merely an acceptance of diversity. And boy is it wearable.

(Thank you so very much for the kind words with regards to my last written post, it really did mean a lot)

Letting Go ft. Sarah Green - Lupe Fiasco

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111111

2011-11-11T07:59:00.001Z

Muji alpaca sweater

Muji bio cotton long sleeve

Comme des Garçons H+ wool trousers

Uniqlo socks

Clarks Originals creepers

Pet Grief - The Radio Dept.

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The Harlequin

2011-11-08T08:00:00.018Z

"...a surreal and dreamlike vision takes a nightmareish twist..."

Clown

AnOther

Fall/Winter 2009

Photographer: Nick Knight

Stylist: Panos Yiapanis

Model: Carmen Kass

(a SHOWstudio project)

In hospital.

Be right back.

Fascine - Loess

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081111

2011-11-08T07:59:00.002Z

"...das trübe Wetter - man hörte Regentropfen auf das Fensterblech aufschlagen - machte ihn ganz melancholisch."

Fire In Freetown - K'naan

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The Garment Says All?

2011-11-05T08:00:00.002Z

Citroen, Rick Owens, Spring/Summer 2004

Queen, Rick Owens, Fall/Winter 2004

Moog, Rick Owens, Fall/Winter 2005

I am not sure who reads my ramblings these days, so feel free to just comment on how pretty this or that piece is. But if you should so happen to have the time to read this, thank you. I would bake and send you a cake of your choosing if I could (unless you, like me, are allergic to egg, or do not have a particularly sweet tooth, in which case we can have tea).

Once creativity becomes commodity the possibilities for the thinker to freely explore are inevitably reduced. Audiences have expectations, and money matters, especially where fashion is concerned. The media and buyers (what Kawamura called the 'gatekeepers of fashion') need to be catered to with every collection. Whilst it is easy to have the romantic vision of designers creating without limits and presenting a collection they love each and every season, the reality is never quite so smooth. You need balance - the balance between what sells and what risks you want to take, the balance between spectacle to drum up the press and something substantial that will actually make it to the stores, and so on. As Takeji Hirakawa said "Designers make three types of clothes: things they want to make, things they want to sell, and things that they think will sell well." This balance understandably produces compromises. But there are some designers who seem to find the balance quite naturally, and as such can show an articulate and fully coherent vision most seasons.

I suppose the most obvious example would be Yohji, a designer consciously looking to the past whilst walking backwards into the future, allowing his buyers to pick up pieces from almost any season and combine them. A jacket from a season over a decade ago can be paired with trousers from the current season, and a shirt from next season, and somehow it looks easy and natural. I find myself most drawn to designers who have this confidence and coherence in their design. I suppose it shows that they know themselves, and as such, you know the vibe to expect when you approach their work, even if every new season is full of surprises. And when your thoughts align with those of the designer in any moment, then the result is clothing that has all the more meaning for you.

There has always been something about a designer who jumps around from season to season that, although I find it impressive, sits a little uneasily with me. That is however just my own feeling and pretty much at odds with the way the majority of the fashion industry works, but I would rather support a designer (when it comes to what I actually buy and wear) who I can see is working to refine their voice, rather than one who simply tries to follow the zeitgeist or set a trend. It would seem today that mass market is the buzzword, and so a designer who has a certain dexterity with executing multiple aesthetics is perhaps more appreciated than one who works on a more focused path. I suppose the former is required at houses where the namesake is no longer designing.

Back to that sense of strong personal aesthetic, I am reminded of the Nomenus Quarterly retrospective on Ann Demeulemeester, a beautiful editorial showing how she has worked at refining her aesthetic over the years. Indeed Ann herself stated that "each collection tells a different story and projects a different mood. Yet, the Ann Demeulemeester style is clear. Whatever we want to express, we do so within our own aesthetic. This enables our clients to gradually construct their wardrobe. You can wear something from ten years ago with something from today, and it will work, because the soul is the same." I like the idea of the same soul being present throughout a designer's work. It reminds of something Yohji said, that he is not worried about people trying to copy him, because he designs using his own voice, and nobody can truly copy that. Originality is not so much in the clothing, although it is apparent therein, but within the skill of the designer.

A strong personal aesthetic on the runway is usually mirrored by a strong personal style of dress with the designer themselves. Whether it be Yohji's uniform, or Rei's uniform, or Azzedine's uniform, there is often a palpable connection between a designer who is secure in their vision with regards to both the runway and what they themselves wear. I have always been fascinated by the idea of personal uniform, which I would argue is simply a very refined visual sense of personal style. We all have a personal uniform, however broad it is, for there are garments or stylistic elements we will return to time and time again. I suppose it is a matter of identifying what those elements are and refining it to our own body and tastes. I think a personal uniform in these cases is far from being restrictive, because it is not a denial of style, but merely a concentration of it. This in turn allows that personal uniform to be natural and reflective of the individual.

I chose to look through a few past collections from Rick Owens because of how strong and easily identifiable his design aesthetic is. I always enjoy looking back at past collections of designers I admire, both in order to see how they have changed and sought improvements, but also to see the threads that connect the tapestry they have created over the years. Rick is particularly interesting in that respect because of his view that everything he will ever create is already there in his mind, he just needs to edit it. I think that idea lends itself quite naturally to self-referential work, especially once a designer has a large body of work. Indeed I enjoy seeing designers referencing themselves and going back to earlier ideas, just to see how they transform those ideas to make them relevant to today. With Rick it is clear to see that his work today contains references to these earlier collections, just as I am sure his collections in the future will contain references to his work today.

I initially looked back at Rick's earlier work after the presentation of Naska (Spring/Summer 2012), seeing immediate references in the men's robes to the long knits of Dustulator (Fall/Winter 2006). Whilst the self-referential nature of his work is something one finds in the work of a number of designers, where designers reference more specific ideas rather than broader themes is at once both more subtle yet more apparent. I suppose to appreciate these references, or as I put it earlier, coherence of aesthetic, it is about knowing the designer. Someone who sees a single collection may form an opinion of the designer that is quite accurate, but one who has seen twenty collections will undoubtedly have a better image of that same designer. Of course one could argue that everything you need know about a designer is contained within a single piece, but I mean in terms of what they are trying to express as a whole, rather than a snapshot of their personality. Although perhaps the latter is more common in an age where we buy pieces from here and there, from a number of designers, whereas previously people would buy into the vision of a designer.

But how does one better understand a designer? Is it simply a matter of having seen collection after collection? Perhaps an even more pertinent question for the modern consumer is whether the designer even needs to be understood? I would say that even if a collection as a whole is not understood, the individual garment needs to be understood, especially when seeking what to wear. This would naturally follow one learning more about a designer and their references. But gaining an understanding of the expression in terms of information alone is problematic. With modern criticism and analysis of the creative arts, the intention of the designer is merely one interpretation amongst many. What the writer had in mind when he wrote the book is on equal footing with what the reader understands of it. You can express yourself using whatever means you have at your disposal, but it may never necessarily be interpreted in the manner in which you intended. Yet that is the beauty of language and art, it is why a painting or a poem may entrance the viewer or reader.

In much the same way I would argue that where fashion is concerned, it is more about the experience of the wearer, rather than some fixed notion of a designer's intentions. We exist in a very real dialogue with our clothing, for the material expression does not end on the runway, it is then bought and sold, and thus used in any multitude of contexts by the wearer. Yohji says that his work is only 90% of the clothing, the other 10% is up to the wearer. It is the way in which we wear the garment that impacts its ultimate meaning. But at the same time, it is the way in which us wearing that garment is interpreted by others that has a greater impact of its meaning, for it never ends simply with us. We take the material outcome of a designer's expression and use it as a tool for our own expression. But perhaps by aligning both of these ideas something more powerful can be expressed. Think of it as using the right tools for the job.

Another reason I say that it is down to the experience of the wearer is because I think understanding fashion in abstract can only get you so far. Words and images are used to represent a very real garment, and yet they are perhaps the furtherest thing away from that tangible reality (here I suppose I ought to recommend Barthes' linguistic study The Fashion System). I can look at a designer's collection through static imagery, or even video, but that never really gives me a full understanding of the clothing. And yet it is the way in which the majority of fashion is constructed and consumed - a series of visual identities laden with multiple meanings far removed from the material object. I would argue that fashion needs to be approached through its functional reality in order to be fully appreciated. Just as words and images about food can never capture the way a certain dish tastes, words and images about fashion can never capture the way a certain garment feels. You have to wear it in order to fully appreciate it, otherwise there will always be a piece missing in your understanding and appreciation of it. I think this applies to all creative expression, whether it be a play (you have to watch it) or a painting (you have to see the original). It has to be experienced as intended in order to be properly appreciated and understood.

Today fashion is consumed mainly through imagery, but no image can tell you how a garment feels against your skin, how it feels when you move, or even just how it looks on your body. I am not saying that you need to try on every collection just to appreciate it, but rather that doing so allows you a glimpse that you may never otherwise get - into the garment and into the designer. Appreciating aesthetics is one thing, but appreciating an individual garment is another thing entirely. Sometimes people forget the latter.

Outkast ft. Wretch 32 - Sway

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051111

2011-11-05T07:59:00.004Z

Dover Street

Avenue - Agnes Obel

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Dancing In The Dark

2011-10-31T08:00:00.002Z

Ann Demeulemeester

Fall/Winter 2011

"I was always alone, so I just let my imagination work. I constantly tried to create beauty around me. I had this sort of secret world in my head that didn't correspond to the environment in which I was. I was constantly dreaming. I still am."

- Ann Demeulemeester

I have found myself looking through the current season of offerings from Ann Demeulemeester on quite a few occasions now. I see, I go over, I touch, I look, I feel, I see something beautiful. The clothes stay where they are, but at the same time they stay inside my mind, dancing in the darkness. And so I find myself returning to them, reacquainting myself with them, as if we have long been friends. But as I have been there, my eyes have been drawn each time to the other rail.

The way the light sinks deep into black fur, finding a core of pure darkness. And yet simultaneously it is as if that light has somehow been captured, rolling fluidly across the surface of that soft fur, encircling it in a warm embrace. I see an intricate threading of lace through leather, a corset undone, its soft and pliable form belying its supposed function. There is a belt, a bandoleer, loaded with black feathers, ammunition made to caress. Leather, fur, silk, an almost primal sensuality. I see a woman trying a piece on and in that moment she is not transformed, but rather something already within her is realized. It is truly magical to behold.

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311011

2011-10-31T07:59:00.001Z

Dotty

MANIAC ft. Cage & St. Vincent - Kid Cudi

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A Reminder

2011-10-27T08:00:00.022+01:00

Hedi Slimane

Melanie Ward

Katy England

Hussein Chalayan

Nicolas Ghesquière

Veronique Branquinho

The Influnce

Self Service #13

Fall/Winter 2000

Anuschka Blommers / Niels Schumm

(via)

It is odd to think that these portraits were shot over a decade ago.

Today it would seem that just yesterday was a long time ago in fashion.

But someone has to be looking back.

...

Dior Homme

Fall/Winter 2002

by Hedi Slimane

The Daisy Age

The Face #22

July 1993

The 3rd Summer Of Love

Model: Kate Moss

Photographer: Corinne Day

Stylist: Melanie Ward

(admittedly long before the above portraits were shot, but who could resist?)

One In Ten

Women who have fought breast cancer and won

17th November 2000

A SHOWstudio Project

Photographer: Nick Knight

Stylist: Katy England

Ambimorphous

Hussein Chalayan

Fall/Winter 2002

Balenciaga

Spring/Summer 2001

by Nicolas Ghesquière

Veronique Branquinho

Fall/Winter 2001

The What ft. Method Man - Biggie Smalls

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271011

2011-10-27T07:59:00.003+01:00

Chunky

Alien ft. Maxsta - Kano

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A Delicate Touch

2011-10-25T08:00:00.005+01:00

matohu

Spring/Summer 2012

Conventional works of art or craft establish their existence simply by virtue of their appearance. They need little else, and are beautiful without further embellishment.
But when things set each other off, definition can create fresh beauty, something that did not emerge or was overlooked when only one thing was present.

(from the collection manifesto)

-
A breath.
A tear.
A moment.

It's Personal - The Radio Dept.

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251011

2011-10-25T07:59:00.001+01:00

Cropped & Wedged

Steerage And The Lamp - Balmorhea

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Make Room

2011-10-20T08:00:00.001+01:00

Helmut Lang

Fall/Winter 2001

We miss you Helmut.

Edit your wardrobe.
Edit your possessions.
Edit your life.
But remember:
Reduce and refine.

Everything's already there, I just need to edit it.

- Rick Owens

About five or six years ago I felt strongly that my role was done. But nowadays, especially in Tokyo, New York and Los Angeles, everything is covered by fast fashion. Faster, faster, cheaper, cheaper. People have started wasting fashion. So suddenly, there was some space again for me to do something. Minor in terms of numbers, but there might be young people who have questions or doubts about this trend, they might be waiting for something to come back or for something new. So I said to myself: "Yohji, you can continue to do your job. Don’t change. You can just continue to do it." I told myself this last year.

- Yohji Yamamoto, August 2011
(via The Talks)

More, more, more. It would seem that we are encouraged to be nothing more than the money we spend, always buying into some dream of a better me. The modern self is stuck in a state of continuous flux, refining and redefining themselves, fuelled by the feeling of never quite being happy with who they are now. Or perhaps to be more accurate one should say deconstructing and reconstructing themselves. We seem to severe ourselves from our own pasts all to readily. Sometimes there seems to be no coherence any more - one trend today, another tomorrow, the old you vanished in an instant. Although it should probably be noted that even dramatic twists and turns can still contain a thread of coherence. That coherence speaks volumes about the individual, a testament to their refining.

We are caught between two points, going from the perceived lesser us, to some ideal endpoint that is ever-elusive. We are taught to change and change and change, looking totally new each time, but without any real substance behind those changes. Glossy smiles and glossy eyes, airbrushed waists and airbrushed lives. I can always look better, dress better, live better. Self-improvement is important and the journey is beautiful, but people tend forget the 'self' part. It is about you, your character, your personality, your mind, and yes, your body.

But I think it is always about more than simply surface - you change your thoughts and you can change your life. All actions begin with a thought, so exploring those thoughts before changing actions seems to make the most sense. I own things, I am attached to things, but usually I could live without most of those things. I am not saying throw everything away and live like a monk, but rather that sometimes having less rather than more allows you a sense of freedom. Think about what you have, consider why you have it, consider whether you need or want it, and edit what you have - reduce and refine down to what you love.

Live life, love life, and surround yourself with beautiful things, but know what you want and never settle for less. Think, research, look, find, choose, meditate, decide. It is about knowing what you love and trying to find it, not going out and buying anything that catches your eye or what happens to be popular at the time. I like the idea of a refined and highly edited wardrobe (and life) because it means I can focus more on what I love. Without the noise there is only what you find beautiful. Look back, look around, look forward, and find something that speaks to you. Ignore trends, ignore fast fashion, ignore keeping up with everyone else. Go at your own pace and find your own beauty.

I do not believe that you need necessarily go to any extreme to prove a point. Sometimes the smallest of whispers can be more powerful than any shout. I like silence, I like subtlety, I like people to see me and not my clothes. Personal luxury in fashion is about wearing things that are beautiful to you. You are wearing the clothes, so it should be something that fits and feels right to you. Then comes the context and what everyone else sees. However whilst you are dressing for you, we do live in a social world, so to entirely dismiss others is to do a disservice to the art of dressing. I believe context is important because wearing a three piece suit to go for a run is not individual, it is impractical and just a little stupid (charity runs notwithstanding).

What do I look for in a garment? I put something on and it is as if in that moment the designer knows everything about me and I know everything about them. I may never meet them, or speak to them, or ever know anything about them, but through that garment maybe we have said everything that needs to be said. It is that connection I look for and that connection that takes me back time and time again to the same designers, or artists, or writers, or thinkers, or people. Everything is built upon personal connections. Of course knowledge follows from that initial contact as you learn and research about the person whose work spoke so softly to you.

I always used to think of style as a process of transformation, of becoming someone new or someone better. Therein I think there was disconnect between me and my clothing. But in the past year I have come to view style and dressing as a process of realization. I am not trying to become someone, I already am someone. Even if that someone is different from the someone I was yesterday, or from the someone I will be tomorrow, at least I will be dressed accordingly. Being true to yourself and all that sickly stuff. Or perhaps more to the point, the freedom and happiness to be you.

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201011

2011-10-20T07:59:00.001+01:00

Print is not dead.

Congratulations Eugene et al.

Palace Of The Innocents - The Glitch Mob

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Float On By

2011-10-08T08:00:00.002+01:00

Ann Demeulemeester

Spring/Summer 2012

(via NYTimes)

Breathtaking.
A reminder of why I love Ann.

Rachel's Song - Vangelis

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081011

2011-10-08T07:59:00.001+01:00

Morning rituals

Slaves ft. Why Why Peaches - Kano

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Opposing Elements

2011-10-05T08:00:00.001+01:00

Blaak

Fall/Winter 2011

A basic opposition - black versus white. It sounds simple, and yet everything is contained within that opposition. Life is about opposing forces, not simply in terms of life and death or hot and cold, but in every choice and instance. Everything and everyone is subject to forces pushing and pulling in different directions, and it is how we react to those forces that define us. We may not have a choice in some cases of the outcome of those forces acting upon us, but it is the way we adapt in our own ways that make us unique. By choosing to go in one direction one necessarily chooses (whether consciously or not at the time) not to go in another. But it is never simply an option between one or another, life is far more intricate than that, and that makes things both more complex, but also more worthwhile.

The opposition of black and white may at first seem a simple opposition between two colours (or indeed non-colours), however that is only if one considers them in abstract. Colour has no inherent fixed meaning, and as such context is everything. Being at either end of the spectrum - the pureness of white, and the totality of black - makes them a fascinating case study for the exploration of oppositions. They are in essence the purest of visual contrasts one can make, and yet their inherent complexity of socially embedded meanings makes their juxtaposition all the more engaging. I suppose in a way both are liminal colours, for they are at the very boundary of non-meaning and meaning. Colour is never perceived on a purely visual level, for we all ascribe our own meanings and memories to a colour, which in turn imbues the use of any colour with a greater complexity.

White embodies emptiness, black embodies totality. White is curious in that is the absence of all colour, made starkly apparent when it is placed alongside even the slightest hint of colour. Design is about controlling differences, placing one thing aside another and finding a balance. In finding that balance, white is the beginning, the silence before the chaos of life - the whiteness of bone, the whiteness of eggs, the whiteness of milk, the whiteness of paper. But it is also used as a contrast, to highlight the vibrancy of another colour, for when any colour is placed alongside white it becomes even stronger. White is able to do so through its stark purity, which is in essence its emptiness. Emptiness is distinctly different to nothingness, for whilst nothingness defines lack in its rawest sense, emptiness encompasses the potential for any possibility. Emptiness is alluring precisely because it is a blank canvas waiting to be filled, and in doing so, one comes to appreciate more the beauty and potential of emptiness.

If colours become more vibrant, and their vivacity all the more apparent when placed besides the emptiness of white, imagine what would happen if it were placed besides the authority of black. Black would seem to be the very opposite of white. Black has been invested with many powerful, often opposing, meanings throughout history - the dignity and power of black in the Spanish court, the piety and austerity of the priest, the sadness and tragedy of those in mourning, the elegance and luxury of the fashionable lady. It would seem to be full of meanings, all jostling to emerge. Paradoxically designers talk of their preference for black because it is devoid of meaning, allowing one to focus on line and texture, and thus the very essence of the garment. But I would argue that it becomes devoid of meaning exactly because it has such a brilliant multitude of meanings. Thus one who is able to wield it effectively can pick and choose from an array of culturally embedded meanings to suggest all manner of significance.

In such a way perhaps black is closer to white than one would initially perceive. By being so full of meaning that it effectively cancels out, so that black in its totality comes to signify everything, and thus nothing. White is symbolically devoid of meaning, allowing one to apply it as one sees fit - an emptiness awaiting fulfilment. Black and white would seem to converge in their potential to be utilized to express a whole array of meanings, and in their visual pureness they are able to express that meaning all the more powerfully. However context is everything here, for the way in which either non-colour is used will suggest the final intended meaning of the garment. This is obviously built upon or changed by the wearer who will then place the garment within a new and unique context.

That final meaning is only ever suggested, for there is no fixed meaning for any colour or piece of clothing. It is that undefinable quality that lends it such potential and makes fashion so intriguing. I can wear something with a certain intention, however it may not necessarily be read in that way. Barthes wrote that 'everything is meaning, nothing receives it', and yet with fashion the original state is often seen as without meaning, or indeed as he puts it, existing in a state of inertia. The garment is fact, whilst fashion is a social construct, and in such a way whilst what we see may be a black skirt, it is in actuality anything but. Even if the applied meaning is entirely arbitrary, whilst that meaning exists, even if only briefly, the garment thus becomes something more. Even if that only ever be realistically so for the wearer.

If black is seen as devoid of meaning due to its infinite multiplicity of meaning, and white is seen to be devoid of meaning due to its symbolic purity and emptiness, than what could be more fascinating than to juxtapose the two? The opposing forces of black and white create the strongest contrast in terms of colour, shade and tone. However it not simply a contrast on a visual level, for the two can be employed to construct a meaning that fully compliments the intentions of the designer in pushing the meaning of the garment. By choosing two colours that are ostensibly pure, the focus is therefore placed upon the garment. Colours and prints may draw the eye away from imperfections, but they can never make up for those imperfections. Black and white force the designer and wearer to consider the cut and look of the garment at its fullest. It is about the essence of the garment itself.

Nomon - Loess

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051011

2011-10-05T07:59:00.001+01:00

perfer et obdura

Still Speedin' ft. Kano - Sway

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An Environment

2011-10-03T08:00:00.001+01:00

Awaji Yumebati

Awaji, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan

(Photography by Ken Conley)

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031011

2011-10-03T07:59:00.001+01:00

Then

Lament - Balmorhea

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Power

2011-09-30T08:00:00.002+01:00

Varón Vol. 4

Photographer: Tom Allen

Models: Sam Buchdahi & Solomon

Stylist: Tracey Nicholson

I have no wish to deprive fashion of the added allure and charm of colour, but I could perfectly well design a whole collection simply in black or white and express all my ideas to my complete satisfaction. Colour cannot transform a failure of a dress into a success: it merely plays a supporting role in the cast where the cut is the star performer.

- Christian Dior, Dior by Dior, 1957

Black. White.

Purity not severity.

A beguiling simplicity.

There is no hiding - line is everything.

I'm back to the starting blocks.

Explore, understand, refine.
Learning.

Next Summer - Choir Of Young Believers

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300911

2011-09-30T07:59:00.001+01:00

Shuttered

The Funeral - Band Of Horses

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Finding The Calm

2011-09-28T08:00:00.002+01:00

Robert Geller

Spring/Summer 2012

Polaroids by Robert Geller

(via NYTimes)

Show season seems to have pretty much passed me by so far.
For the most parts - too much noise, but hardly anything said.
You just have to look harder to find something worthwhile, but that is the fun of it.

I'm not as cynical as some, even though I agree in part...
"It reached its peak when all those designers became orators and philosophers, when they began to believe that they could design their customers' lives as well as their clothes. Everybody waited for them to say something significant, but they never did." - Malcolm McLaren

As far as New York goes, I liked Geller's collection
(...and Y-3 and Preen for that matter).
I want a wide brim hat - Ann, N(N), PH, Dior, Lanvin, Geller - one or all.

Back And Forth - UNKLE

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280911

2011-09-28T07:59:00.000+01:00

Cracked

Righteous Way ft. Junior Reid - RZA

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Airborne

2011-09-20T08:00:00.002+01:00

Patrik Ervell

Fall/Winter 2011

Estragon: We are happy. (Silence.) What do we do now, now that we are happy?

-Samuel Beckett, Waiting For Godot

Barthes argued that with fashion we yearn for the represented image, but all we end up with is the used garment. It is the image that sells. If we are indeed what Susan Sontag labels us as, 'image junkies', than this is hardly a surprising state of affairs. The postmodern consumer was taught to believe that they should use commodities, or rather the symbolic meanings of those commodities, to construct their identity. Fashion was there to mark individualism, and yet the paradox of fashion is that it means that one at once belongs to a wider network, and yet is simultaneously believed to be individual. Individuality is allowed provided it conforms at some level - there is such a thing as too much individuality, especially where fashion is concerned.

The idea of constructing identity through symbolic consumption is something we are all sold. And yet what you end up with in many cases is a constantly shifting visual exterior, an expressed identity that changes every season, or indeed every week, with nothing substantial behind that façade. In and of itself it risks becoming entirely vacuous. Identity can be deconstructed and constructed again continually with (fast) fashion, it becomes a fully fluid notion, without any sense of permanence or, more importantly, coherence. You can not only severe yourself from your own past, you are even encouraged to do so. It is symptomatic of the (post)modern age that identity is no longer fixed, and although Foucault would argue that it is about inventing yourself rather than finding something already there, I find it a bit of an uneasy notion.

The consumer continually looks for their dream object - the perfect pair of jeans, the perfect black sweater - but it most often ends up being a disappointment. It is an incredibly common feeling, to buy a garment you think will be everything, only to find out that it isn't. You thought you were done, but you end up yearning for something else. You yearn for something infinite, but will usually end up disappointed. It is the perfect consumer for our contemporary market. The German Romantic Friedrich Schlegel argued that one who desires the infinite does not really know what they desire. And I believe this rings true for many consumers - not actually knowing what we desire. Indeed it was one of the major motivations for purging my wardrobe and starting from scratch.

It is perhaps unsurprising then that the idea of uniform is something that interests me greatly. Not necessarily in its most literal incarnation, but rather the concept of uniformity of style. Something understated, something subtle, something clean. If it draws too much attention, it is perhaps not appropriate to the situation, and perhaps not natural to you. I would rather wear something plain but well considered, something simple but luxurious, something subtle but beautiful. A uniform, in the sense of style rather than a rigid dress code, is something I actually find quite liberating as a concept. It allows one to create a coherent and personal visual identity that breaks away from the all too common cycle of dramatic and frenzied change that I find so needless.

That is not to say that one can not follow fashion, or dress according to the zeitgeist. Indeed dressing consciously outdated or decidedly unfashionably still requires an awareness of and engagement with fashion, and often seems more costume than dress. Rather having some sense of uniform, however broad, enables one to filter through the new and find what is relevant to express some sense of their own personal identity. Of course it can be argued that human nature means that we will always yearn for more, but I think that being more aware of what you want (I hesitate to use the word need) in terms of clothing will always make you the better for it. I suppose you need to have a good idea of what it is that you desire in order to seek it otherwise you will inevitably end up disappointed.

The reason I decided to post images from the Fall/Winter 2011 Patrik Ervell collection (I was not particularly impressed by Spring/Summer 2012), was because of Ervell's exploration of uniform. His formula is admittedly strict, but I think it is a good example of a designer who has developed an aesthetic quite organically to produce something subtle but alluring. There are many designers who have a coherent design model, that is to say not trend-based, however I thought Ervell was a good example for its ease of wear. His work does often remind me quite strongly of Branquinho or Schneider, but strict originality (or to put it another way, uniqueness) is not particularly of concern here. Rather I am fascinated by the quiet sophistication of these looks.

Simplicity is always interesting because it makes up the building blocks of any look. In this sense I think a simple garment will always have a greater dexterity of meaning than a visually complicated garment. By choosing a context of your own choosing you may ascribe your own meaning. You choose how to wear it and where to wear it. By comparison, a visually complicated piece will often dominate any look and provide quite a similar meaning regardless of context (I would argue that this is also the case with 'iconic' pieces, such as a particularly popular and recognizable handbag). I would not avoid them, but I would approach them with caution, for even though there can never be a singular fixed meaning for any garment, there is still a popular, if transient, meaning for many. I would much rather wear something seemingly understated than overstated, because it is easier to add to a look than to pull things back.

In terms of meaning and symbolic value, I say ignore the marketed image if it does not apply to your purpose. A garment or look can only ever have some deep meaning because of you and what you bring to it (whether it be you aligning with the meaning that the designer tried to express, or something wholly individual). It is the reason people can so easily point out a 'fashion victim' - they are people who wear something without regard or thought. I'm not looking for something infinite, I'm looking for clothes that best suit my desires and, why not, my needs. It is a constant journey, and should be, because to come to the end of that journey would simply beg the question - what next?

Moves Like Jagger ft. Christina Aguilera - Maroon 5

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200911

2011-09-20T07:59:00.001+01:00

silent

One Nerve - Clayhill

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I Breathe You

2011-09-13T08:00:00.005+01:00

Helmut Lang x Jenny Holzer

(The good old days)

In hospital and stuff.

Be right back.

As If By Magic - La Roux

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130911

2011-09-13T07:59:00.000+01:00

Another time

Animus Vox - The Glitch Mob

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Less, Less

2011-09-11T08:00:00.003+01:00

Mark Rothko, Untitled, 1969

Dior Homme

Fall/Winter 2011

'Silence is so accurate'
- Mark Rothko

Andante Spianato in G Major - Frédéric Chopin

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110911

2011-09-11T07:59:00.003+01:00

Uniformes

Burn My Shadow ft. Ian Astbury - UNKLE

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A Good Hand

2011-09-09T08:00:00.000+01:00

Furever

Stephan Schneider

Fall/Winter 2010

Everything starts with the fabric. Fabric determines hand, drape, silhouette, shape. Dress as an experience is as much about fabric as it is about cut and construction, the latter factors are often actually determined by the prior. Whilst many seem to give importance to cut over fabric when choosing and buying clothing, I think selecting a garment ought to follow a similar path to designing a garment, in that it should begin with the fabric. When thinking of what I would like to wear on any given day, although I make think of colours, patterns, silhouettes, and so on, the first, almost subconscious, decision is made with regards to feel. Not purely in terms of emotions and desire, but rather the actual physical sensations of the dress experience - I think we all begin with that.

Dress performs the role of our social skin, and in such a sense is perhaps a public consideration, but the intimacy of its role also makes it a fully personal one. I am choosing how I want to feel, that physicality actually being integral to how I look, for it informs our mannerisms and bodily codes. I move differently in a suit than I do in a sweater and jeans, but I also move differently in a suit cut with higher armholes and a double pleat to the trousers to one cut with lower armholes and a tapered trouser, and I move differently still in a suit made of tweed than a suit made in fine wool. Cut and construction are perhaps the most dramatic determinants from a purely visual perspective, in terms of how I observe someone moving and holding themselves, but fabric is a more important, if far more subtle, determinant.

The hand of the fabric, the stretch of the fabric, the drape of the fabric, the weight of the fabric, the insulation of the fabric, the breathability of the fabric, etc. - all these factors determine the garment and how it looks with the body, even though one may be able to manipulate the nature of the fabric. Thus fabric becomes one of the most important considerations when selecting a garment. If the choice is between two seemingly identical sweaters, in terms of cut and colour, but one is a cashmere and silk blend, whilst the other is a lambswool, polyamide, mohair and angora blend, the decision is one of feel and function. A garment can never be thought of in abstract terms when it is a consideration for one's own wardrobe - I need to consider fully how it feels and how it will feel over the course of the day. Function is considered in terms of whether the inherent characteristics of the fabric fulfil a wider scope of need. The garment does not simply have to answer a practical need, and look right, it has to feel right.

I thought I would include images from Stephan Schneider's Fall/Winter 2010 collection, Furever, with this post because Schneider is a designer for whom fabric informs everything. Indeed the majority of fabrics employed in his collections are actually designed by him, thus giving him full control over one of the most important aspects in the process of designing a garment. His work does tend to fall into the unfortunate realm of that which does not fully lend itself to photography or film - you really need to see it in person and try it on. Indeed I have been thoroughly impressed by the Schneider garments I have handled. The fabrics feel luxurious without being overly precious, and they actually remind me of Yohji's desire to create using fabrics that have already been aged for a decade. These are clothes to be worn, kept, cherished and worn again. Just as it should be.

Scott Mescudi vs. The World ft. Cee-Lo - Kid Cudi

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090911

2011-09-09T07:59:00.000+01:00

First blush

Smile - K'naan

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Ballare

2011-09-06T08:00:00.002+01:00

Bliss Lau

Fall/Winter 2011

Photography by Eric Guillemain

"The dress must follow the body of a woman, not the body following the shape of the dress"

- Hubert de Givenchy

Kreukeltape - Machinefabriek

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060911

2011-09-06T07:59:00.009+01:00

Navy/Black/Grey

Anywhere We Go ft. Wiley - Kano

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[halo;]

2011-09-04T08:00:00.023+01:00

[halo;]

Julius

Fall/Winter 2011

^ My personal favourite, I absolutely loved the layering ^

For his Fall/Winter 2011 collection Tatsuro Horikawa was inspired by the idea of 'the urban renegade in the cathedral city'. He sought to express the tensions between austerity and elegance, spirituality and modernism, and calm and chaos. The Julius man was now pushed further underground, a piece of the scattered avant-garde, hidden and trying to survive within the immensity of the city. A spiritual calm amongst chaos, the idea behind the new Julius man attempted to capture the very essence of contemporary life. The direction of the collection was one of significant refinement and maturity compared to Horikawa's earlier work. Gone were the overtly harsh, and often highly aggressive, industrial and distressed elements. It was a far more approachable and refined collection than [goth_ik;], indeed the styling was far less dramatic by comparison, resulting in a more serene atmosphere to the collection.

As with most of Horikawa's work I was initially taken by the draping of the looks. Fluidity of draping, with its subtle obfuscation and simultaneous revelation of the body beneath tends to remind me, perhaps rather understandably, of classical antiquity. Such draping is deeply embedded within human dress culture and history, and indeed it is on one level the most basic element of any form of dress. In a way I suppose it helps to tie certain looks to an idea of timelessness, in that such a drape (isolated) could exist in any culture or period, although it was certainly realized in a firmly contemporary fashion. The combination of fluid draping with such strong pieces, such as the collars and leathers, also helped visualize the very tensions that inspired the collection. Here was a man grounded in peace, but one who had to face the harsh realities of the world.

To follow the train of thought that is classical antiquity, I thought the semi-sheer nature of the knitwear piece in the first look I posted was rather interesting. In seeing it I was reminded oddly of the dandy. To be specific my mind conjured the account by Barbey d'Aurevilly of the dandy bent over his coat, scraping the interior away with a piece of glass. The aim was at its most basic level to create a sheerness to the garment, so that it may better cling to and drape against the body (again highlighting that duality of simultaneous covering and revealing). However an indirect, although far more pertinent allusion, was to classical dress, as well the idea of 'nude fashion' that prevailed so greatly the time. Transparency was arguably an attempt to visually transcend materiality itself, and yet, the dandy was in essence fully materialistic. They plundered visual elements of the past in order to create a thoroughly modern identity, and with it they commodified character and personality itself.

I think that same basic idea applies to fashion as a whole. Fashion is routed in the past, if only in that the outcome of all inspiration is based temporally after the inspiration, however it is also by its nature an expression seeking to look forward. With this collection the dialectic between past and present (and by extension, future) was realized not only in this combination of draping and more sculptural and strong elements, but also in its very inception. The idea of the artist or spiritualist (in truth I think they are often following the same path) in the city creates an odd tension between something apparently timeless and something necessarily contemporary. It is tension that is perhaps symptomatic of the modern world - urban life creates a sense of alienation in spite of its ever changing and constantly crowded nature. And what better way to face such a reality than with the appropriate clothing?

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040911

2011-09-04T07:59:00.003+01:00

Autumn is coming

Cruel - St. Vincent

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That Looks...Familiar

2011-09-02T08:00:00.001+01:00

ASOS, Fairisle Crew Neck Jumper

Raf Simons, Fall/Winter 2011

Erm, so yeah, I'm not falling into that trap again.

Lift Off ft. Beyonce - Jay-Z & Kanye West

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020911

2011-09-02T07:59:00.001+01:00

Silhouette

I Don't Wanna Care Right Now ft. MDMA - Lupe Fiasco

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1.1 Negredo

2011-08-27T08:00:00.000+01:00

The Raven

Directed by Jez Tozer

Starring Billie Piper

A SHOWstudio project

"Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer
Swung by Seraphim whose foot-falls tinkled on the tufted floor."

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270811

2011-08-27T07:59:00.000+01:00

Polyester

Supermagic - Mos Def

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Now and Then

2011-08-25T08:00:00.005+01:00

Good Old Days

DV Man (Fall 2009)

Photographer: Carl Bengtsson

Stylist: Ursula Wangander

Models: Charlie Westerberg, Kristian Akergren, Theo Storesund, Viggo Jonasson

Yohji Yamamoto

Fall/Winter 2009

The term 'vintage' seems to be bandied around far too often these days, usually as a sanitizing term for second hand. It is a term used to give legitimacy. A second hand garment is something someone apparently did not want, but a vintage garment is some gem of the past rediscovered. A magazine may talk of vintage, but talking of second hand becomes dirty and cheap. I am quite happy to say that pieces in my wardrobe are second hand - I could not have paid full retail for certain designers, and some pieces are from past collections that mean they necessarily must be second hand (I had not heard about Comme des Garçons or Helmut Lang in the '90s, nor would I really have been interested). This post is not to make an attack on the concept of vintage, far from it. Rather, I am interested in the relationship between time (or more accurately, the past) to fashion and contemporary dress.

There are two opposing extremes one can take as examples - Karl Lagerfeld scorns the past, Yohji Yamamoto is forever looking back. With regards to myself, I am by nature one that romanticizes the past for the present, but I am always wary of particularly anachronistic displays. Whilst fashion always looks back (and here I like most the concept of Tigersprung), and is influenced and inspired by the past, it is never quite as simple as that. Fashion must by definition be new and be of the moment, and thus it must necessarily disconnect from its immediate past. Last season's trend is outdated; last decade's trend is open to reinterpretation. It is as such a highly measured relationship with the past, if not only by virtue of the distance between the present and what point in the past is chosen, then by virtue of what aspect is chosen as an influence.

I can mention 1950s fashion, or 1920s fashion, and generally speaking we all arrive at the same mental place. Time is catergorized, as is fashion, into neatly packaged and highly iconographic pieces. Referencing in fashion tends to be piecemeal and more about capturing the mood and set iconography of a past time rather than recreating it with any real exactitude (of course there are always exceptions). Fashion has been used to create a visual shorthand that allows the viewer to easily situate what it is they are viewing. One only needs to look at period pieces in film, or a certain television series about advertising, to see the power of costume in referencing an idealized and romanticized version of the past. It is however always a version of costume aligned with contemporary fashion and dress conventions, take for example the hair and make-up used with those outfits.

Removing dress exactly from the past and applying it to the present is a difficult task that all too often becomes visually jarring. Vintage recreations can sometimes make one look too affected and it is for that reason I approach that side of dressing with such caution. Context and appropriateness is everything - when one does not consider these aspects when dressing the end result will most often be a disaster. We are all aware of that dreaded feeling of turning up to an event wearing the wrong thing. We not only stand out, but we feel uncomfortable. I often find that dressing in literal transpositions of the past make an outfit visually uncomfortable in most situations. That is not to say that one can not dress whilst looking back, but rather it needs to be not merely (if you will forgive the term) cut and pasted, but rather translated, otherwise an outfit can fall into the dreaded realm of costume.

I chose to post the accompanying editorial as a rather nice illustration of the point I am trying to make. They work as whole images, but even so I find it slightly too much, too forced, and thus verging on the side of uncomfortable. They are not necessarily literal transpositions from the past, indeed they are anything but, however in their attempt to appear veritably vintage I think they miss the mark. The only image I really enjoy from this editorial is that of the gentleman dressed in the Yohji Yamamoto suit (see here for my previous post on that collection). It is not placed so tellingly into an overstylized vision of the past, but rather comes close to what I always feel is the most fascinating aspect of fashion that looks to the past - it has an almost timeless quality. It would be perfectly at home a hundred years ago, as it is perfectly at home today. It is subtle but clearly routed in the past, and that is what I find so magical about it.

Did It Again ft. Kid Cudi - Shakira

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250811

2011-08-25T07:59:00.001+01:00

Paint by numbers

Patience - Nas & Damian Marley

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commiphora myrrha

2011-08-22T08:00:00.000+01:00

Dansk #26

Fall/Winter 2011

Model: Magdalena Frackowiak

Photographer: Aitken Jolly

Stylist: Anders Sølvsten Thomsen

Religion, sex, violence.
Original? No. Interesting? Yes.

In Paradisum - Gabriel Fauré

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220811

2011-08-22T07:59:00.000+01:00

All you really need is a pair of colourful socks

Shining Down ft. Matthew Santos - Lupe Fiasco

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A Work In Progress

2011-08-20T08:00:00.000+01:00

(Comme vs. Chai)

(These outfit shots are admittedly rather unrelated to this post. They were actually originally only going to appear as one of my daily photograph posts. However seeing as we were both in similar basics interpreted in different ways, I thought it an interesting notion to work upon. Plus most people unfortunately seem to look at and comment on photographs alone.)

In building a wardrobe the first thing I have to consider is function. The function required must necessarily dictate need. It can otherwise be quite easy to end up with a disconnect and fall into the well-versed trap of owning lots of clothing but having 'nothing to wear'. Unless you need to wear something specific to pay the bills and do not yet own it (say you are a City worker without a suit), everything else is to be worked upon at your leisure. The fashion industry is geared towards creating a sense of anxiety and constant desire in the consumer, however if one can work to restrain those quite natural urges, it creates a rather odd sense of freedom. Removed from the mindless consumerism of the industry that surrounds it, fashion itself becomes all the more individual and expressive.

Assessing need is something to be done before applying aesthetic and preferences. Within the realm of that which answers your need there is invariably a whole array of options, and in that you have the freedom to choose according to your desires. By first enabling a boundary, of needing a garment to meet a specific need, you are already able to cut down much of that which is unnecessary. However the majority of your wardrobe will fall outside the realms of pure function, so you have to consider function and need in more abstract terms. Dress fulfils the function of visually defining the self, although it is usually also a way of aligning oneself to a particular group - take for example the rather simplistic groupings of 'in' and 'out' of fashion, so that pertinent function is perhaps what one needs to answer.

But how does one go about visually defining the self? Or to put it another way, how does one go about building a wardrobe? Whilst womenswear is often thought of as based upon surface display (and here I am thinking of Flügel's concept of vicarious display and Berger), menswear is comparatively more subtle in its approach and execution. It is naïve to talk simply of frivolous womenswear accompanied by sober menswear, but if one avoids such extremes there are certainly historical differences to be discerned. Menswear is traditionally about the details. A grey flannel lounge suit is a grey flannel lounge suit, true, but it is the details that differentiate them - fabric weight, colour, cut, construction, buttons etc. That sounds obvious, but then when one considers why you buy what you buy, it is because of the details. I am willing to pay more for the details I want.

Take something as simple as a white shirt (although given the accompanying photographs, 'cropped trousers' would perhaps be more to the point). Within that notion, 'white shirt' (which I think of in the Barthesian format of an iconic structure), one can find an infinite amount of interpretations. So what is needed is finding an interpretation that speaks to you. It is a highly individual process for dress is a highly individual process, even though the selection and purchase of it can often become anything but. Of course one can choose several interpretations of the structure, but for the building blocks of a wardrobe, one will usually suffice. Later on one may then find multiple categories within that ostensibly singular structure upon which to expand and explore e.g. 'club collar white shirt', 'formal white shirt', 'short sleeve white shirt'.

Ignore brand names, gender divides and price (yes, even price), and find something that works with your body and what it is that that abstract notion ('white shirt' or its relevant structure) means to you. I say to ignore price because the process needs to be fully inclusive, otherwise you risk limiting your horizons in terms of design. Then consider your wardrobe as it stands, the direction it is heading in, and think of how your chosen interpretation of that garment will fit in. This step is vital - at its most basic it is assessing whether you will actually wear what it is you intend to buy. If you can become more aware and thoughtful of how you engage with dress you have infinitely more confidence in yourself where dress is concerned.

Once you know what it is you need, and what it is you desire, it becomes far easier to move forward. You get a better sense of your wardrobe as it stands and where it is lacking (of course to go back a step further, I would argue that a purging of the wardrobe is perhaps required so that you are starting from the foundations, however it can always be a work in progress). This knowledge and focus helps to cut down those ill-advised impulse purchases. Rather you are working towards a far more defined goal, even though it may change along the way and you may never reach the endpoint - the beauty, and curse, of fashion is after all its ever-changing nature. I dislike the idea of owning a piece but barely ever wearing it. Clothing is there to be worn, and if I am not wearing it enough, regardless of how much I love it, it has to go. There are lots of garments I find beautiful, and that I would quite happily wear, however if they are not right for me, they are not right for me.

Inside - UNKLE

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200811

2011-08-20T07:59:00.000+01:00

The price you pay

I Don't Like It Like This - The Radio Dept.

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Crust

2011-08-13T08:30:00.001+01:00

Raven-Black Hair

HUgE Magazine

October 2009

Photographer: Wataru

Model: Michael Tintiuc

Rick Owens

Fall/Winter 2009

Dustolator is where it started for me.
Exploder had the bomber jacket.
Naska has me looking forward to next year.
But Crust wins hands down.

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130811

2011-08-13T08:29:00.000+01:00

...and Broomsticks

All+All Together - Kano

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Ma'an

2011-08-10T08:00:00.002+01:00

Petra, 2010

via Rick Owens

Relic of the Nabataeans.

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100811

2011-08-10T07:59:00.002+01:00

Nephelae

Every Time - The Radio Dept.

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B/W Edit

2011-08-08T14:35:00.000+01:00

Dior Homme

Spring/Summer 2012

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe used the phrase 'Less is more' in relation to architecture, however the beauty of such a phrase is that it has the potential to become a preponderant mantra in a variety of situations. It becomes more than a notion applied simply to design, or to art, or to fashion, indeed it becomes rather a philosophy in life. A parallel can perhaps be made to the idea of impermanence, and indeed it can be easily applied thus to wabi-sabi, however I consciously choose the phrase, with its architectural connotations, specifically in relation to the latest Dior Homme collection. The word architectural tends to be rather overused in fashion writing, and yet one can look at dress as a construction over the frame of the body - for a clothed body is a complete body (the naked body is by comparison socially incomplete, although as Berger would remind us, the nude is a different matter).

Van Assche's latest collection for Dior Homme was a case of reduction, solid architectural lines, and (admittedly deceptive) simplification. It was in truth not one of his best collections for the house, however it was certainly interesting - a refinement of his style more than an exploration of it. One of my first thoughts was actually that the hats were highly reminiscent of Demeulemeester, however that was probably more to do with the styling, especially when worn with the high buttoned jackets. Beyond that initial thought what I really saw was an elegant simplicity and, thinking of the oft-quoted da Vinci line, sophistication.

A religious (or more accurately, a spiritual) allusion was not hard to perceive, and it was one greatly complimented by the almost severe simplicity of many of the looks. One noticed the dominant use of black and white, both highlighting not a presence, but rather an absence - at its most literal, an absence of colour. Black and white seem to at once negate the body, and yet paradoxically provide solid line and silhouette. I am here, but I am not here. It is no wonder therefore that both are so strongly connected to spirituality and asceticism, for negation of the body, and by extension corporeality, is often the first step in any form of spiritual transcendence. This spiritual notion is almost necessarily defined by material simplicity, and it was the simplicity of this collection that I found most interesting. I am not sure such an idea can be transferred so literally onto this collection, however it was certainly a connection I made when considering the collection from one viewpoint.

The simple and highly edited nature of this collection appealed greatly to me. It read like a well-defined uniform, and although I may not be willing to go as far as to use this specific uniform to encapsulate the entirety of my wardrobe, it is certainly a direction I find myself drawn towards. The rebuilding of my wardrobe (having donated and sold almost everything I owned) has been slow, because I have to recognize that although there are many pieces out there that I like, they do not necessarily work in the rules of what I want my wardrobe to adhere to. The idea is not so much a consciously forced denial, but rather the creation of a small, coherent and highly edited wardrobe. I am looking foremost for simplicity, and within that simplicity I hope to find a freedom. It is hardest to create when given unlimited freedom. You always need boundaries within which to flourish (even working outside boundaries requires by definition those boundaries to first exist). So in a sense I suppose I plan to set my own strict limits and work to build within, and maybe soon with-out, those rules.

First In Line - James Yuill

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080811

2011-08-08T14:34:00.000+01:00

Shuttered

Money And Run ft. Nick Cave - UNKLE

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Pleasure To Peruse

2011-08-03T08:00:00.003+01:00

(Uma Wang, Fall/Winter 2009)

Cet autre, pour s'en faire un charme,
Dans un sachet, d'un chiffre orné,
Coud des violettes de Parme,
Frais cadeau qu'on reprend fané.

And another yet may list
To inhale a faint perfume
Of the violets from her room,
Freshly given — faded, kissed.

'Diamant du cœur', Émaux et Camées, Théophile Gautier

(it's the way she sings "...clicking heels, c'est la vie")

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030811

2011-08-03T07:59:00.000+01:00

Identikit living

Headlines - Drake

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