(Old) What Are You Wearing Now/Today? Part II - pictures only - no discussion

[Halifamous]

vgcats?

nerd.

 

[Get Smart]

I don't care if someone wears all new designer or mixes it up with hi/lo/vintage. The cost/pedigree/newness/heritage of gear isn't as important as the final aesthetic/fit. If people posted their fits without saying what they are wearing, there'd be a bit more objectivity in appreciating items without knowing it's from brand ____. But since the question gets asked about where items came from, it just makes sense to list who made what to save time.

In the end, I'm not sure I understand the point of "taking risks" with one's choice of dress. What is the ultimate beneficial result in said "taking risks"?

 

[chronoaug]

We've had this conversation many times before. Some people look for different things out of fashion. Some people do enjoy pushing the envelope (chris) and i really appreciate that, but i also don't have a problem with someone having a "safe" wardrobe that compliments them and that they are comfortable with (jpgm). Others simply want to look well tailored and put together when compared with their peers.


jpgm- Sounds good. Hopefully your final exams/papers are go well. I'm only a few months away from joining you (graduating that is, not going to japan).

 

[A Harris]

although I certainly respect that view in fashion, there is also something to be said for an outfit that rushes you immediately and causes a more visceral reaction. Not everything is best when it only becomes apparent by absorption, contemplation, and deconstruction.

A style that doesn't knock your socks off from across the room might do so from a few feet away. And that isn't going to come across in pictures. Many times I have been totally stoked with what I was wearing on a particular day, and yet the pics came out so blah that I almost didn't post them. The bottom line is that most all WAYWN pics are but a shadow. That is why I find it especially annoying when people don't list who makes the clothes in their pics. Often I can't tell that much from the pic, but knowledge of the brands helps fill in the details in my mind.

 

[kronik]

I don't check WAYW for a few days and I miss all the good ****. Thank you for brightening my day.

 

[Souper]

I gotta echo that thought, I have nothing to gain really(and hundreds of dollars to lose) by taking risks. It sure is cool to look at; but being cool to look at isn't high on my list of priorities.

the knowledge I gain from this forum I am using to construct an easy wardrobe that always has others thinking i'm fairly well dressed without me ever actually having to try to dress up. I know other people use this forum for different reasons, but shouldn't try to impose those reasons on others.

 

[jet]

Originally Posted by Get Smart

I don't care if someone wears all new designer or mixes it up with hi/lo/vintage. The cost/pedigree/newness/heritage of gear isn't as important as the final aesthetic/fit. If people posted their fits without saying what they are wearing, there'd be a bit more objectivity in appreciating items without knowing it's from brand ____. But since the question gets asked about where items came from, it just makes sense to list who made what to save time.

In the end, I'm not sure I understand the point of "taking risks" with one's choice of dress. What is the ultimate beneficial result in said "taking risks"?


A wise man's pov. Who the **** cares where it came from, your great grandmother's scarf could easily look exactly like this season's HM scarf. A lot of these people who pride themselves on their style
a) aren't ******* stylish
b) are just ******* kids
c) look like clowns who are asking for a beat down

PS. Putting together random **** doesn't make you stylish, it makes you look like you're blind as a bat or like you got dressed in the dark.

 

[Halifamous]

Originally Posted by Get Smart

In the end, I'm not sure I understand the point of "taking risks" with one's choice of dress. What is the ultimate beneficial result in said "taking risks"?
The same benefit that comes in taking part in any artistic movement. Something intangible, the idea that you are moving things forward, and that someday because you helped push something, others will find inspiration from it. Basically Jason, I love the way you dress, it's slick, it fits you, it's a very coherent whole. You however, are mainly drawing inspiration from the original mods, a group who did push a style, push an envelope, take risks. This is no detriment to you, on any given day, I like how you look more than how chris looks. What I respect about Chris, is that he is in generally uncharted waters. He wears a lot of accepted designers, yes, but he also wears unknown thai items, he wears gap in ways the gap stylists NEVER meant for it to look. He creates, often from nothing, uses items in unforseen ways, with no real precedent. That creative force is worthy of respect, I believe.

Originally Posted by Souper

that always has others thinking i'm fairly well dressed without me ever actually having to try to dress up.
Honestly, when I started getting into this whole scene, I really wanted people to think I was well dressed. My "best dressed" phase from other peoples standards was probably when I was into paul smith and armani and all that junk. I however, soon realized I didn't really like it, it wasn't true to who I was, and I moved beyond it. I'm not saying you care, although it is partially implied by your post. Basically I just wanted to make a PSA that, in my opinion, and it is an opinion shared by many people I know who've been on the scene a while, don't give two ***** what anyone thinks, dress for you, always.

 

[Arethusa]

Originally Posted by Halifamous

The same benefit that comes in taking part in any artistic movement. Something intangible, the idea that you are moving things forward, and that someday because you helped push something, others will find inspiration from it. Basically Jason, I love the way you dress, it's slick, it fits you, it's a very coherent whole. You however, are mainly drawing inspiration from the original mods, a group who did push a style, push an envelope, take risks. This is no detriment to you, on any given day, I like how you look more than how chris looks. What I respect about Chris, is that he is in generally uncharted waters. He wears a lot of accepted designers, yes, but he also wears unknown thai items, he wears gap in ways the gap stylists NEVER meant for it to look. He creates, often from nothing, uses items in unforseen ways, with no real precedent. That creative force is worthy of respect, I believe.
While I'm generally not hostile to the aesthetic territory you want to head for, you're practically equating Donne with a myspace goth because they both write poetry about death. Taking risks is not, alone, worthy of attention. On top of that, I really don't think you can ever equate fashion trends with artistic movements. There is an argument for clothing as an aesthetic medium in separate from fashion, but fashion is, by nature, vacuous. Everything else you said I more or less agree with.

 

[CDC]

Originally Posted by Get Smart

I don't care if someone wears all new designer or mixes it up with hi/lo/vintage. The cost/pedigree/newness/heritage of gear isn't as important as the final aesthetic/fit. If people posted their fits without saying what they are wearing, there'd be a bit more objectivity in appreciating items without knowing it's from brand ____. But since the question gets asked about where items came from, it just makes sense to list who made what to save time.

In the end, I'm not sure I understand the point of "taking risks" with one's choice of dress. What is the ultimate beneficial result in said "taking risks"?


Although it sounds noble to champion simply the aesthetic, fashion should speak beyond simply color coordination and fit. To express creativity and craftiness in your appearance is every bit as much a part of the aesthetic as the color and fit. Stating the brand is nothing I've ever taken issue with. I'd certainly have more name brand stuff if I could afford. Though I do take pride in the fact that I can find inspiration or create my style from more than just my favorite name brand stores (again, not dogging name-brands or the stores they come from).

Risk is pointless? Well then, this is fashion - what's the beneficial result of any of it? As I said earlier, fashion should also be considered an opportunity to communicate creativity/individuality/sensibility/practicality to some extent. If you can break a mold (possibly even our own tired patterns) by reaching beyond simply high-end, expensive name brands and communicate a certain level of individuality or cleverness, you've accomplished more than someone who can simply afford to walk into a high-end store and walk out with the mannequins outfit. Having said that, I take as much issue with the dirty DIY kids who refuse to buy anything new, opting to make/repair/steal/thrift virtually everything they own.

 

[Halifamous]

Originally Posted by Arethusa

While I'm generally not hostile to the aesthetic territory you want to head for, you're practically equating Donne with a myspace goth because they both write poetry about death. Taking risks is not, alone, worthy of attention.
This is silly, while it wasn't explicitly stated, I assumed that people would understand I meant risk-taking by skilled and creative individuals who know (sort of) what they are doing.
Basically your post assumes I respect chris and myspace goths equally, while in truth, the only similarity is all the black.

Originally Posted by Arethusa

but fashion is, by nature, vacuous.
This is a perception that is commonly perpetrated, and it is not necessarily true. We laud art that is often self indulgent and vacuous, while at the same time condemning all manners of innovation in fashion because the medium is easily dismissed as superficial. In fact, whole movements in fashion are dedicated to subverting the superficial trends of the day. It is hard to call the guys who work in purely black tones, and prize volume and drape above all else, creating new interpretations of the human form, vacuous or superficial. They are sacrificing what is generally considered attractive in a pursuit of what is considered the pinnacle of their chosen aesthetic.


To compare fashion to something that cannot be assailed as anything other than art:
While I certainly agree literature is a more important art form than fashion, I see parallels. For instance, the displacement of the overindulgent and (by that time) bloated romanticist movement by modernist writers was a triumph of realism and simplicity. At the same time, it brought increased complexity, with a focus on human psychology and the cause of their actions, as well as the introduction of the concept of a meta narrative. Writers like Knut Hamsun brought a sparse, modern style, that cut through the flowery excess of the romantics.

Likewise, in the bloated fashion environment of the 80's, with neon gone absolutely wild, exaggerated silhouettes abounded, slouchy italian and power shoulders were the norm. Helmut Lang quietly and dertermindly, set about outfitting his few, but influential clients with extremely severe, monochromatic, clothing. These garments were beautifully made, appearing very simple, yet creating striking, powerful silhouettes that worked more with the human form than against. Owing much to minimalism, Helmut Lang managed to carve out a niche for himself, defying the giants of the age and creating his own art.
One only has to look at the dark and the slim today, from Dior to the former Cloak, to see the influence Mr. Lang had in bringing about a change in the entire art form.

 

[LabelKing]

An interesting point that you brought up Adolf Loos previously. Adolf Loos as people might know was an Austrian architect who eschewed extraneous ornamentation and voiced his disdain for ornament in a very obvious and caustic manner (Ornament & Crime); he, however, also was fond of tailored English suits as he saw such things--provided they were well-cut--to be emblematic of his own esthetic ethos--a sort of spartan but altogether luxurious look that was designed to be integrated, perfect and elegant without the decadence of the Secessionist movement or the fussiness of the Victorian era. I suspect a lot of traditionalist dressers aspire to that, but they usually fail since they've not the style that Loos innately possessed.

 

[nyc_gaucho]

Originally Posted by CDC

Although it sounds noble to champion simply the aesthetic, fashion should speak beyond simply color coordination and fit. To express creativity and craftiness in your appearance is every bit as much a part of the aesthetic as the color and fit. Stating the brand is nothing I've ever taken issue with. I'd certainly have more name brand stuff if I could afford. Though I do take pride in the fact that I can find inspiration or create my style from more than just my favorite name brand stores (again, not dogging name-brands or the stores they come from).

Risk is pointless? Well then, this is fashion - what's the beneficial result of any of it? As I said earlier, fashion should also be considered an opportunity to communicate creativity/individuality/sensibility/practicality to some extent. If you can break a mold (possibly even our own tired patterns) by reaching beyond simply high-end, expensive name brands and communicate a certain level of individuality or cleverness, you've accomplished more than someone who can simply afford to walk into a high-end store and walk out with the mannequins outfit. Having said that, I take as much issue with the dirty DIY kids who refuse to buy anything new, opting to make/repair/steal/thrift virtually everything they own.

very well put, cdc...you've articulated what i've been striving towards and what led me to this forum...lately, i'm compelled to commune more with the world and clothing/appearance/fashion is, indeed, an excellent opportunity to do so...unfortunately (or fortunately), i feel that formulas, color-charts and name-brands aren't going to be enough to satisfy that urge...

anyway, thanks for the perspective...and, thanks to all of you participating in this excellent discussion...you should be on the charlie rose show

 

[berlin report]

So...what's everyone wearing today?
Anyone?

 

[ts4them]

Originally Posted by berlin report

BF took the pics today.
BF? I didn't realize you were "family"!