Perfect Imperfection

June 18, 2012

The great Yohji Yamamoto once remarked:

“I think perfection is ugly. Somewhere in the things humans make, I
want so see scars, failure, disorder, distortion. If I can feel those
things in work by others, then I like them. Perfection is a kind of
order, like overall harmony and so on… They are things someone forces
on to a thing. A free human being does not desire such things. And yet
I get the feeling there are a lot of women who do not seek freedom;
women who wear symmetrical clothes.”

Now I don’t see anything wrong with trying to attain perfection. However, how often do we notice that originality, taste and excitement are being cast aside for the sake of scoring more retweets, hypes and likes? Or am I the only person who thinks that internet fashion is too pretty, perfect, and most importantly, so much alike?

The democratisation of fashion promises a vast wealth of information for outsiders to tap into so that we can all be inspired, get out and do our own thing, instead of being told what to do by the magazines. While it does hold true to a certain degree, the power of influence did not disperse completely. It shifted from respected publications (by respected I don’t mean any of those Cosmo crap) to ‘fashion leaders’ of the online community. We admire them, wish to be them, and want their popularity. As a result, we see too many girls sporting dip dyed hair, wearing pyjama pants, and strutting around in the shortest ‘jorts’ (?) topped off with the tallest platforms, or the latest Alexander Wang heels.

In order to prove that I’m not making a far-fetched claim, I made this collage out of some of the most hyped looks from Lookbook.nu this week:

Just in case you need more evidence, here are some collages I found from Blueisinfashionthisyear. The site does a good job in documenting the latest trends to grace the internet.

I do realise that a big part of fashion is to be aesthetically pleasing, but it is also a celebration of the human body, of expression and creativity. Many of the most revered designers are not afraid to redefine the established ideas of beauty. From Rei Kawakubo, John Galliano, Alexander Mcqueen, Martin Margiela, Rick Owens, Nicolas Ghesquiere, to Issey Miyake, just to name a few, all of them have very unique aesthetics, but what places them in the same league is their fearlessness in breaking the boundaries, to get tongues wagging, to excite and give hope to fashion connoisseurs that fashion is perhaps not dead. (I must confess that while researching for this essay, Issey Miyake’s works almost moved me to tears). As cliched as it sounds, these designers garnered loyal followings precisely because they bring us out of our comfort zone, challenging us to appreciate something new.

Wanting to look well-put together is the primary reason why we read so much into fashion, but by golly we should be doing it with a bit of fun. Take for example, Susanna Lau of Style Bubble. I remembered when she first started, half the comments she received for her loud sense of style weren’t positive. The brave girl never once gave in to the pressure to look conventionally pretty, yet she’s now become one hell of a respected figure in fashion blogosphere. I have to admit I wasn’t taken with some of her choices but I appreciated them nonetheless because they made me think.

It is of course our prerogative to choose whichever path we take, whether it’s maximalism, minimalism, avant garde or anything else in between. Whatever your taste is, we shouldn’t allow ourselves to be trend whores. It’s no fun when internet fashunz looks like one large elitist sorority group. Fashion should be celebrated in its own merit. It should not be dictated by the potential number of strangers you need to impress but by us and ourselves only. Therefore the question we should be asking is, do we really love fashion, or are we doing this to earn the approval of virtual fans?

EDIT: I love the discussion that’s trickling in. If only I could reply to individual comments separately. Is there an option for blogger for that?

(11 comments)

For The Love of Rick

June 7, 2012

Rick is not cheap, in fact he’s so bloody overpriced sometimes I hate that I love him (by that I mean his clothes). But thanks to the internet, crafty designers are now able to re-interpret his works to give us the watered down versions. Granted they’re not made of the same high quality fabrics, and often not as interesting, but you know, that’s where our creativity comes in. The only thing I can’t forgo though, is his shoes. In fact, I just can’t bring myself to buy any inspired versions of designer footwear. There’s a reason why designer shoes are expensive and not easily replicated. Innovation, research and developments cost a big chunk of money to make sure the shoes don’t collapse under our weight and look good at the same time. Not only that, the replicas tend to look so out of proportion that they cease being flattering (case in point, JC Litas vs Charles Anastase).

Ultimately though, it is up to us the consumers who make the judgement whether a pair of shoes is indeed worth its price tag. While some brands command high prices just because they can, some shoes are worth saving up for. So you know, if you ever think of buying a pair of Rick’s boots, DO IT, don’t care if it’s through Ebay or Yoox or, if you’re a trust fund kid, at full price. It’s worth going without five pairs of mediocre shoes.

F21 cardigan; Improvd dress; Dick boots

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Introducing: Pedro Korshi

June 3, 2012

Just discovered this talented young man who makes his own leather pieces. I’ve singled out this jacket because I love the colour, the cut, and the high standup collar. And also the fact that I just bought it.

Do look trough his blog where you can find more fascinating DIYs and his ultra minimalist approach to fashion.

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A summer wishlist

May 30, 2012

1. Martina Spetlova knit dress – LN-CC
2. Guidi white knee high wedges – LN-CC
3. Simone Rocha perspex brogues – Colette
4. 3.1 Phillip Lim Pashli bag – Moda Operandi
5. Rick Owens Tura boots – SSENSE

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Land of the Rising Sun

May 22, 2012

I made my last trip to Melbourne two weeks ago and it goes without saying that I paid a visit to my favourite place – Camberwell Market. The weather was crisp, the people good-looking, and best of all I found someone selling hand-cut kimonos for $25 each. Naturally I had to snag one.

Notice how the silhouette looks like Comme des Garcons’s FW2012 flat coats?

Hand cut kimono; Sussan vest; Damir Doma ‘obi’ belt; BlackMilk Cathedral leggings; Rick Owens boots

I admit I’m not wearing it the traditional way due to the lack of details, but in my head I knew it’d make one hell of a dramatic silhouette. When I walked on the streets I felt like an Asian assassin, even though my mission for the day was just to attend trade and runway shows for work purposes (’twas fashion week here). Needless to say with my piercing smoky eyes, religious-themed leggings and billowy kimono, some people looked at me like I’m the confused farmer cousin of Beelzebub.

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Junya Immabeya

May 11, 2012

Some days I want to look like a nun, or a vampire, other times I want to look like a cyborg, simply because I finally own one of Junya Watanabe’s best biker jackets, in fact one of THE best biker jackets in the world. Aesthetics-wise, of course. It won’t save my life in any crash so thank God for a ridiculously cautious boyfriend.

Junya Watanabe biker jacket; Geoffrey Beene shirt; Blackmilk Liquid Silver leggings; Phi boots

I was hesitant in putting up the photo below because I look like a happy eight year old kid here. No that is not the look I would like to endorse in this dark blog because The Rosenrot is all about being sad, depressed and lonely. I jest. But the Junya jacket begs to be shown off in all its glory so here is the full frontal photo.

*tee hee*

I admit the fit is not really as majestic as the back, possibly due to the angle, or the under shirt, or the person wearing it. With that said I’ll think of other ways to wear this really cool jacket without looking like 80s washed out groupie.

Now here are some pictures of Junya Watanabe’s Fall 2007 collection, just so you know why they are my favourite, which ranks way up there with Rick’s best seasons. Imma be Ash Ketchup who’ll catch all the biker jackets, eventually. Not only is Junya able to deconstruct such a classic piece of clothing in numerous creative ways, it’s hard to believe that each one of them is vegan-friendly. The texture of my jacket could have fooled anyone into thinking that they’re stiff goat or cow, but they’re in fact 100% cotton.

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