Louche

Cameraman in the background on every runway picture...fail. But Yang Li is getting traction.

http://vf13w2.arcteryx.com/Article.aspx?EN&article=New-GORE-TEX-Pro

 

 

looks promising and about the Patrol IS it reads:

There is a fun story about this fabric as the Pro fabric is exclusively reserved for outdoor and sport collections so when Conroy wanted to implement it in the Veilance collection they were originally not allowed to do so, but after Arc'teryx flexed their muscles and put some force into the argument they were finally allowed to use it.

As for the general discussion here regarding qualities; the products from "famous" brands such as Gore, Schoeller or Vibram are not necessarily better than everyone elses but they have trusted and recognizable names and if their products are not THE best they are certainly up there. But in the end every fabric and component needs to be judged on an individual basis and how they are being utilized. There are huge differences in the performance of the different products that these suppliers offer so one can't catgorically say that Schoeller or Gore is either this or that. Vibram might have an expanded rubber compound that is fantastic in terms of flexibility and cushioning but it might be useless in terms of grip in snow so you really have to look at what that particular component or material is suited for and if it matches how you intend to use the product. As for waterproof membranes it is easy for everyone to achieve this, but the difficult part is of course to combine this with breathability and comfort and I find a certain trust in Gore compared to generic Chinese fabrics with made-up "sexy names" like Hidra-Nek or similar. Product and provenance.

Lots of good suggestions here. I primarily wear James Perse. Super soft and highly breathable. I have a few Uniqlo pima cotton, but I don't think the breathability is that good. Jungmaven that someone mentioned a while back here are actually very nice. Yes, they are 60 % hemp viscose, but they are still highly breathable and extremely soft. Sleeves might be a bit long and the fit might not be perfect, but it's a good option. Our Legacy perfect tee are nice as well.

Tees are a matter of taste though. I have some White Mountaineering, Visvim and Givenchy tees, and although they are crazy expensive and of very high quality ELS cotton they often use heavyweight cotton fabrics which is not my favourite.

anyone got a source for these perforated common projects?

I'm looking for them in white or black as pictured below :@

I think those are old. SP11 or earlier. The perforated Achilles for SP12 (Achilles Summer Edition SS12 Edition) did not have a perforated tongue.

... I'm familiar enough with other Italian made hiking boots, and they're definitely built for use, but I was unsure of if Fracap wasmaking true hiking boots or something that was just 'high fashion' as it were....

I think most of the footwear brands mentioned in this thread are making "true" hiking boots, but a lot of the styles in this thread have city soles and are consequently not meant to use for trail hiking and certainly not mountaineering. The Cristy sole, for instance, is commonly chosen for it's great flexibility and lightness, and is rather meant for the challenges of the city. If you are actually going hiking, I would rather go for a more modern trekking/mountaineering boot that looks like shit.

Diemme boots are available in half-sizes, it's just that most stores don't order them.

it does look like suede from this picture, but the site says leather..

Washed leather.

FW09 looks sooooo good, by the way. Huge collection. Back to basics colorwise, but keep an eye out for the burgundy ones(!!). New takes on the Achilles, dress and accessories is back, some exciting collaborations...a very strong collection.

did they completely drop the g-line? will i ever be able to get a sz 12 again?

The g-line is definitely not dropped. In fact, from now on the European stores are not able to buy the japanese line anylonger. But to my understanding the g-line will be much closer to the japanese line in terms of styles and seasonal concepts from the next collection and going forward. I guess it all remains to be seen, though. The last g-line collection was tiny, and seemed to consist mostly of knock-downs and carry overs from the japanese line.

I've worked with denim retail and wholesale for seven years, but I've never been introduced in a greater extent to the production part of the denim industry, so I was wondering if somebody could shed some light on something I've been wondering about.

It seems pretty much all premium American denim brands use Candiani, Orta and Kaihara, and some of them also use Nisshinbo, Kurabo, Legler and a few others. I was under the impression that the japanese mills were more experimental and "different", but speaking with a couple of employees at one of the big American luxury denim brands, they said that Kaihara produced great basic denim, and that Candiani was the more experimental and creative of the two. At that point I realized that I really didn't know anything, and that pretty much all my knowledge was based on assumptions that I've probably picked up from people in the industry who like to pretend that they know about denim production. Or people that form an opinion based on their personal experiences with a couple of denim brands, without really being able to back their opinions with facts.

What factors does denim brands take into account when they decide which mills to work with?

Visual characteristics - Are there clear differences in the visual characteristics and how the denim fade if you compare the different mills, or is this more or less changing with every batch of denim they produce?

Lead Times - Obviously the Italian, Spanish and Turkish mills will provide shorter lead times for jeans cut, sewn and washed in Europe, but probably not to the same extent with the wash facilities in Kentucky and LA...?

Stretch denims - are some of the mills better at stretch denim than the others?

Raw denim - It seems most of the luxury denim brands use japanese mills for their raw look denim, is there any particular reason for this besides the cultural fascination with japanese raw denim?

Size - Which of these mills are the largest? Which of these are the more exclusive?

Prices - I would assume that Orta is cheaper than the Japanese and Italian mills, but is this accurate?

Other - I'm sure there are lots of other factors where I don't have the necessary knowledge to ask the right questions.

By searching this site for denim mill discussions, I find some people that argue that there really is no particular difference. But as pretty much all luxury denim brands to my knowledge use between 3 and 6 different mills, there must be differences. There would be no need for a single denim brand to use six different denim mills if there was no difference between the fabrics and the logistic and economic part of the production. But what are the differences? Is it even possible to generalize, or is it too complex and changing every season?

I believe the inspiration was supposed to be more Portland Grunge than Brokeback Mountain, but I can understand how one would think brokeback-ish. I thought this collection was really refreshing, and I was glad to see him throw some colour in - as opposed to Ann D who seems to be doing the same old thing, only this time with a couple of feather boas... :confused:

The collection looks really good, and the prices aren't all that bad. At least not here in Europe. Both the Fred Perry and Eastpak collabs for FW08 exceeded my expectations. Not to mention the Raf main line sneakers...start saving up!

Speaking of Ann Demeulemeester stores... I really like this one:

One of my colleagues is heavily into this brand, but I can't really see what's so special about them. Small backpockets and weird placement of back pockets on the styles I have seen. But I am a bit curious as to which mills and factories they are using...?

I haven't seen the Japanese line yet, but I've heard it's amazing. I have seen the g-line, though, and it was pretty much just a tiiiiny collection of carry-overs from the j-line of previous seasons.

Thanks to everybody for the replies and great links.

i don't think it's that simple. how does the consumer know the overpriced jil sander cashmere is actually coming from a different source and not china? remember that zimbabwe cotton denim thread? that's also on "ethically unsolid ground" yet it remains expensive. conflict diamonds? still expensive.

Yes, I actually had the Zimbabwe cotton thread in mind when I decided to post the entry yesterday. I learned a lot by the Zimbabwe post, and I find the social and environmental aspects of fashion scary - but very interesting. It's just such a shame that 99% of people don't give a flying shit about consequences...

I must say that I agree that it is practically impossible for a consumer to know the source of cashmere from any given brand. And to be frank I'd have to say that I at times have a hard time classifying the quality of a certain fabric, be it supima or cashmere or something else, just by merely touching the fabric. Yes, there are certainly times when a quality feels extremely soft and luxurious, but can I really trust that this is of top quality? I certainly don't know how it will age, or how it will feel feel after a year. And it is even more impossible to know if the product has been made in an acceptable social and environmental manner. And this makes it all too easy for people and corporations to get away with cutting a lot of corners.

I guess what I find sad is that the conception I had of 100% cashmere automatically meaning quality is proving to be false, and it makes it all the more difficult to actually be sure that what I'm buying is the real deal. Why can't things ever be easy...?

Djrajio, thanks for pointing out a possible positive effect of the way the cashmere market has evolved.

Ok. I was trying to update myself on cashmere, but when I found myself reading scientific reports on nucleus herd breeding schemes for cashmere goats and quantitative genetics...that was when I just gave up and decided to turn to Superfuture.

We've all noticed that there has been an increasing amount of supermarkets and high-street chains offering 100% cashmere sweaters at prices as low as $50 in the last few years. There has, as long as I can remember, always been problems with mislabeling and fake cashmere - but this is not the part of the problem that I am addressing. I'm talking about the actual 100% cashmere sweaters being sold for a fraction of what luxury brands are charging. When lowering the prices and buying in bulk, you will also be growing the market - but even when taking these types of factors into consideration, I can't justify the price difference.

Today I heard another theory; that the aggressive breeding of cashmere goats in certain parts of the world has caused the price of cashmere from certain regions to drop significantly. And that the general appreciation for cashmere will deteriorate in the matter of few years, forcing high-end brands to move on to other luxury fabrics.

But what is 100% cashmere? The romantic verison tells a tale about the Phashm goat (Capra Hircus Laniger), happily residing in the mountains and deserts of the high plateaus of the Central and East Asian steppe where the climate has made for the most ideal insulation material you can think of. But the cashmere goat is apparently more a term than a breed, describing any breed of goat (except Angora) that produce a non-medullated downy inner coat at 14-18,5 microns (about 1/7 as thick as human hair). Thus, there are "cashmere goats" being bred in places such as Australia, Turkey, Scotland and Texas. All great places, but not exactly with the same climate as the Tibetan plateau, and I can hardly understand that cashmere from goats raised in these climates can compete with the quality of Phashm goats living in inner Mongolia.

60-70% of the cashmere in the world comes from China, and one can argue that Chinese cashmere has been regarded as the finest available. But since 2005, when we saw the final stages of the ten-year plan to end the WTO Multifibre Agreement (MFA), that imposed stringent restrictions on imports, the market suddenly opened - the opportunities of enormous profit on cashmere breeding has changed the Chinese cashmere industry. In the last few years there has been an explosive increase in the amount of cashmere goat breeders in China, and the breeding has been much more effective and aggressive in terms of goats being hurdled and kept like cows. Something that over time surely must damage the quality of cashmere - but who cares as long as one can label it 100% cashmere?

My thoughts are that if you buy cashmere for a price that seems too cheap...you are either not getting the product you think you are buying, or you are on ethically unsolid ground. However, these are only my views and I am in no way an authority on cashmere production, so I hope for somebody to shed some more light on this issue. :confused:

bet i know why you love their look book. lol

looking forward to this brand landing in europe this feb.

Lol...well, no, it's not just that. But I'll gladly admit that the model in the S08 lookbook looks fiiiine! If she played her cards right, she'd might have a chance with me. At least on a Tuesday or Wednesday with little much on tv.

I love the lookbooks by Marvin Scott Jarrett for Chronicles of Never, but I haven't had the chance yet to see/feel/wear the clothes yet. Does anybody know which qualities/fabrics they use? But then again, I guess their full clothing range will not be delivered until SS08.

PM me if you'd like to see the lookbooks.

Hi

Thanks for your feedback. So you reckon a 30 rather than a 29 or 28?

Doesn't the dry denim stretch out?

Thanks

It will stretch, for sure, but you need to be able to close the button in the first place... ;-)

I'm excited to see where Ksubi will go from here. I've heard that they've lost some of the key people from their previous organisation, and there has been a lot of distractions that has put a dent in their reputation and brand equity. To my knowledge they will be moving large parts of the production to Europe, as part of the new cooperation with Futurenet as distributor, and this should make the prices much more competitive in the European and US markets. But then again I guess they'll mostly be working with Italian denim like Candiani, and I don't believe the wash house they'll be using has the same flair for heavily distressed and ripped washes. If the designers are able to concentrate and focus on the collection, and not get caught up in all the fuzz that follows success, I believe we still should be able to see great things from them. It is one of my favourite brands, and I can't really see any other brands that have managed to combine such a graphic look with fashion in the same way as Ksubi.

Hi

Thanks for the reply - I am looking at what is called the Slim Leg Denim for FW 2007 in Raw Black. It has 2 colored stripes ie. one on each side. How do I tell if it is a PT1, PT2 or PT3.

With regards to me taking a 29 that would be in washed Earnest Sewn Hutch and Fulton. I am between a 28 and 29 in washed Nudies. I am also a 28 in washed APC Cures (not New Cures).

You seem to be quite in the know about Raf cuts so given the above, what size would I take for the Dry Black Slim Leg Denim for FW 2007 that I have described above?

I believe the one you are referring to is the PT2C (body), DT89 (fabric), WS00 (colour). As far as I can tell, this is the only style from FW07 with single vertical stripes on both legs. Sizes are always pretty much a lottery, and I strongly recommend that you try it on before buying - but I would guess that you would need to go for a size 30 or 31. Anything else would surprise me.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=270192811553&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=017

I've got the blue satin ones from SS07. My only regret is that I did not buy two. They are so incredibly wearable...goes with everything, really.

Does anyone know the name of the Italian factory that makes them? I know they do Common Projects and Raf main line as well.

Hi

Does anyone know how Raf By Raf Simons Jeans are sized?

I was looking at some skinny jeans in a Dry Black and also coated.

I am a 29 in washed Earnest Sewns.

What should i go for in these?

Thanks

I suppose you are asking about FW07 styles. For this season they mainly sold three fits; PT1 (slim), PT2 (extra slim) and PT3 (ridiculously slim). The PT1 is referred to as 'regular', but it is quite slim. I believe most people would need to size up two sizes (at least in the coated washes, but these will also give quite a bit if you wear them a lot before washing), but keep in mind that the PT2 and especially the PT3 are so slim that a lot of body types will not be able to wear these styles in any size. Compared to Earnest Sewn, I would say that the PT1 is pretty much the same silhouette as the 'Kyrre' fit, and the PT2 is pretty much like the 'Iggy'. However, Earnest Sewn jeans are cut to be worn standard, whereas the Raf by Raf jeans are cut to be worn lower on the hip like Ksubi's - thus Earnest Sewn jeans might be a bit tighter at the waist, and the Raf by Raf will be tighter around the thighs and legs.

For the SS08 season, Raf by Raf Simons have changed the style codes so please disregard my fit descriptions if you are looking at SS08 styles. Let me know if you would like fit descriptions for SS08.

Hey,

I'm not icelandic, but since nobody else is responding...

I don't think you'll have to learn icelandic as most people up there are very fluent in english. If an economics degree wil be worth anything? I feel that one is a bit hard to answer...but considering that you have some REALLY large icelandic companies and banks, economics might be one of the best fields of education if you are looking for a job on Iceland. Going back a couple of decades, I believe the icelandic economy was mainly based around fishing. Today the greatest export is money, or to be presise; loans and investments. Icelandic companies own quite a few of the major retail chains in the UK, and this fall I've noticed that they have placed bids for some of the major american department stores.

I believe Diamonds is correct.

The european labels with the closest look would probably be Bernhard Wilhelm and Raf Simons. Not very typical Dior, though, as several has mentioned.