Random fashion thoughts - Part II (A New Hope)

[LA Guy]

Horyn actually welcomes the new free-for-all world of fashion. I do too (I think?). I assume everyone thinks this is better, since it gives people more fashion choices. I'm just wondering what a chapter on post-2010 fashion might look like in twenty years. If we're really in a post-trend universe, it seems like it will be hard to synthesize things.

Maybe it would focus on silhouettes? If there's any "trend" I see emerging in the next 5-10 years, it's fuller and fuller fits across the spectrum. Suits and casualwear are probably going to be a bit fuller, just out of reaction to the skin-tight, cropped things we've been seeing for so long.

I apparently owe Ms. Horyn an apology. I was conflating her views and attitude with those of Suzy Menkes, as expressed in this op ed: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/10/t-magazine/the-circus-of-fashion.html?_r=0.

I'm sure that you've read it, but the gist of it is "OMG, it's all so tawdry now. Can just anyone be cool now?"

 

[dieworkwear]



Not to go full pomo but this might be somewhat mistaking cause and effect. You could easily argue that the predominance of major designers wasn't because of some inherent world-shaking qualities that those designer possessed but because of the way fashion news/opinions were disseminated in a more centralized way where a few big institutions/magazines had control over the discourse and the narrative in the pre-internet.  The interwebs and the rise of fashion blogs and forums have changed all that. I suspect that the means of communication and the dissemination of ideas have changed way more than any innate qualities of designers have, and the timing of the "post-trend" world seems to back that up.

tl;dr - designers haven't changed, the means of discourse about them have

Hm, that's interesting.

There's some academic work on the effect of media structure on political views as well. Somewhat related. The story goes: in the 1970s, everyone watched the Vietnam war on the same three news stations, and probably read about the war through the same three newspapers. So you had a national discourse. Nowadays, there are a million media outlets, which makes it easier for people to filter out anything that doesn't already conform to their beliefs. So you have a fragmentation and polarization of political and social views. Tons of political micro-communities can exist because of the new fragmented and Balkanized media landscape.

Bringing this back to fashion, I guess you would have to somehow figure out how influential those "big" designers really were -- although I suppose their influence was also really tied to the media structure at the time. Kind of two-way relationship. People write about you because you're kind of influential, and then you become influential because people write about you.

 

[BostonHedonist]

I wonder, do smaller independent designers ever gain major notoriety without being bought by some larger label? In Paris and Milan, down the side streets well away from the Margiellas of the world, you can find fresh and interesting designs from unknowns. But they seem to stay unknown.

 

[LA Guy]



I wonder, do smaller independent designers ever gain major notoriety without being bought by some larger label? In Paris and Milan, down the side streets well away from the Margiellas of the world, you can find fresh and interesting designs from unknowns. But they seem to stay unknown.

What is your definition of big? Rag&Bone is now a staple is both department stores, online and b&m boutiques, and it is in 700+ doors and has nearly a dozen freestanding stores. It's partially owned by Andrew Rosen, who owns part of Theory, but I believe that he is a minority owner.

 

[dieworkwear]



I wonder, do smaller independent designers ever gain major notoriety

Drew Keith is a smaller, independent designer and he's pretty notorious.

 

[habitant]



Not to go full pomo but this might be somewhat mistaking cause and effect. You could easily argue that the predominance of major designers wasn't because of some inherent world-shaking qualities that those designer possessed but because of the way fashion news/opinions were disseminated in a more centralized way where a few big institutions/magazines had control over the discourse and the narrative in the pre-internet.  The interwebs and the rise of fashion blogs and forums have changed all that. I suspect that the means of communication and the dissemination of ideas have changed way more than any innate qualities of designers have, and the timing of the "post-trend" world seems to back that up.

tl;dr - designers haven't changed, the means of discourse about them have

This is true, look at the music industry nowadays.

 

[cyc wid it]

I never realized Abasi Rosborough had a webstore.

http://abasirosborough.com/store/

 

[BostonHedonist]



Drew Keith is a smaller, independent designer and he's pretty notorious.

What ever happened to ol' Drew, anyway? Hear he went off his rocker and disappeared.

 

[SirMeowly]



I never realized Abasi Rosborough had a webstore.

http://abasirosborough.com/store/

All their images are so nice... Clothes look great but $$$. Anyone here buy anything from them yet?

 

[Find Finn]



What ever happened to ol' Drew, anyway? Hear he went off his rocker and disappeared.

He spent all his money on korean hookers, blow and dog treats.

 

[BostonHedonist]

What a shame. He had a good thing going before it got ahead of him.

 

[Zeemon]

https://instagram.com/moscow_metro_fashion/

 

[cyc wid it]



All their images are so nice... Clothes look great but $$$. Anyone here buy anything from them yet?

Nicelynice owns some and I think most of the NMWA crew have handled their stuff.

 

[ManofKent]



All their images are so nice... Clothes look great but $$$. Anyone here buy anything from them yet?

Ivwri has I think (not seen him around for a while)

 

[Mulan]

https://instagram.com/moscow_metro_fashion/

Thank you.