Being fashionable without wearing high fashion?

[jake snake]

.....................

[diewhitegirls]

First off, great post. I think a good deal of things that people pass off as high fashion on this board is misguided hypebeasting. Anyway...

Red Wing- Love them. When I say love, I mean LOVE. They have the feeling of quality, yet my g/f absolutely hates them. She says they're ugly. I tell her she's ugly. She hits me. I hit her. I go to jail. I take a shower...Ok, I'm drifting.

Onto the denim. Yes, premium denim costs a lot and yes, it may be a tad overpriced, BUT, the detail that goes into a pair of well made jeans is well worth the extra dollar over Levi's. I have never seen a pair of Levi's fit as well as a pair of RRDS. Does that make it a rule? No, but for the majority of people that buy Nudies, they're paying for the fit. Brands that are selling 19-21 oz. denim also fit into this category. Levi's just doesn't make anything comparable to this quality and you get what you pay for. I could go on, but I truly think you get what you pay for with denim.

No, onto the "fashion" world. I'll bear a touch of my soul for a minute: I did work for Wilhemina about 6-7 years ago. Wore tight shit, walked down narrow aisles and looked "good". A secret? I hated almost everything I wore. The world of high fashion has become overpriced, unwearable crap and is basically the reason that denim is enjoying such a surge. You're not paying $300 for a white shirt because some dingleberry happened to design it, you're paying $300 because you're going to wear those things every day for a year and they will also double as your toilet and plateware.

Now, brands like Supreme and Bape and to some extent W&H and Spruce really piss me off. Throw Nike SB's in that mix too. Good quality? Sure. Some even being better than good? Yeah, ok. But $100 for a fucking t-shirt? Please, felate yourself. I really don't get the love that this forum shows for some of this shit, but then again, I'm sure I like things that would have people scratching their heads too.

All in all, I think I agree with you, except on the denim front. A quality pair of jeans becomes a second skin and you really can't put a price on that.

[Ott]

you're going for a "dark semifuturist look" but you want to stay authentic to your dark-semifuturist roots? :confused:

[lilodxd]

i don't really have a response right now, but this is a great first post.

[Selegna]

Lately, I've been trying to stay away from high fashion brands. I've been noticing that, for me anyway, almost everything casual at Barney's feels really fake.

The same goes with lots of premium jeans.

The Captial E part is kind of cheating, but $40 denim is just really fragile and poorly dyed.

They're genuine boots, meant to be used hard.

The Fred Segal in LA has some Chippewa boots that have been beat to hell on display, if anyone is interested.

I saw actual BDUs at Ralph Lauren

I'm a big guy compared to most people on this forum (165-170lbs, 5'9") and growing as fast as possible (weight training )

My style is closest, I guess, to what Julius and now Rick Owens is putting out - that sort of dark semifuturist look.

I figure I'll have to turn to high fashion to get some stuff

(10 characters)

[jooles]

I feel like I've just read a page out a teenager's diary.

[Ott]

I'm just saying I'm leaning toward that style. I like lots of leather (like Schott jackets - I forgot to mention them) and layering. I'm not really talking about staying true to my roots - but more staying true to what a leather jacket, military wear, or a pair of nice jeans once was.

this is kinda silly imo. A leather jacket, military wear, and jeans, was/is/always will be a leather jacket, military wear, and jeans, respectively.

The people you're referring to that have "authenticity" would be the genuine, unpretentious, salt-of-the-earth types, right? Some farmer or dockyard worker or biker or whatever; these people have an aura of authenticity right?

Well, guess what, none of those people give a single shit about what they wear. The thought literally never crossed their mind. They wore leather jackets and jeans because they were durable, and military gear because that's what they were issued. They didn't think about fits or authenticity or internet clothing forums. If clothing ever did cross their minds, it was when the stuff they were wearing began to fall apart.

Now, they might care about quality, which is also what you've decided to focus on but instead you've gone in the opposite direction. Buying a $30 pair of levis is not more authentic than a higher quality piece, and you can bet that your idealized noble biker would take the quality jeans if they had the opportunity. So, there's no such thing as an authentic garment. Only inauthentic people.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that by taking the first step in looking for authenticity, you've blown past it.

whoops!

never fear, you'll be right at home with the rest of us sugarcane wearing cubicle-dwellers and dior rocking college students

(of course, this is ignoring the fact that we all seem to assume that authenticity matters in some undetermined way, but jesus christ we don't want to open that can of worms do we?)

[kidicarus]

I'm probably asking for it, but to me this thread seems a tad precious, or at least unnecessary. Getting all self-congratulatory for wearing "real" work wear, even though you're still shelling out for relatively high price point shit like Capital E? I don't buy it. APCs are only $20 more, so it's not like the price is your real objection. Red Wings have been inexplicably cool with the SF set for a while now, nothing revolutionary about that. Ditto Spiewak, unless you're sporting their WeatherTech EMS Protective Parka or something. Their line is pointedly targeted at young, fashionable people.

Good style for real people has always involved a well-tuned mix of "high" and "low" elements, unless you're the scion to an oil fortune who wears D&G underwear or the Prince of Wales. Likewise, fashion has always borrowed from "authentic" work wear and military surplus, and in most cases people buy designer reinterpretations because talented designers can improve on the original, be it a pair of well-cut and expertly-constructed jeans, a Nice Collective jacket or a pair of Visvim Kiefers. You can think of designer versions of these items as "fake," or you can see them as interpretations of an archetype. Look around on the board. Most people here would implicitly agree with the idea of buying cheap, high-quality and well-fitting clothes when we find them.

It'd be different if you'd done a Kim Jong Il and said, "That's it, I'm only wearing a Dickies jumpsuit from here on out," in the service of some kind of anti-fashion or anti-consumerism ideology, but to just say "I'm not going to give in to fashion, except when I do" seems like it's better not said at all. But maybe it's part of your semifuturistic outlook.

[Ott]

okay, I see what you're getting at now. Kinda. There's a huge number of brands that produce well made utilitarian style clothing. Rag & Bone/ Engineered Garments/Sugarcane/Buzz Rickson (and about a zillion other japanese denim brands)/Dunderdon/5EP etc etc.

However, none of these cater to the cyberpunk/futuristic aesthetic at all, and you might have a hard time finding pieces that look like Julius, are constructed like Red Wing and priced like Levis

[Hedior]

a simple v-neck and a pair of jeans either baggy or skinny style plus a pair of converse can be stylish and impressing as well, but it mostly depends on the sizes of outfits you choose for yourself. wrong sizes make some people look weird.

[hollaforadolla]

the thing is with high fashion, not everything is completely emulated. take dior 19 cm. they emulate skinny jeans, but they bring something else to the table (anti fit + stacking). while levis has done antifit for the longest time, i cannot recollect a point where any brand has combined antifit, tapered, and stacking, all in one bangin pair of jeans. Hence the reason to purchase high fashion clothing pieces: it is pioneering in some sense. you can buy a cheap pair of lees but it probably won't look as good.

this illustrates the reason to purchase high fashion: they make concepts better and add more to the table (including quality rarely found in thrift clothing).

i guess its a matter of personal taste. but to me, an inch added to the pit to pit measurement or a sleeve half an inch too much. in my clothing, perfection is a must and you tend to find that in high fashion, more so than thrift shopping, or cheaper alternatives.

if you are smart with your purchases, you can get very nice items that will be well worth your money. keep in mind though that not everything that is expensive is good.

[dismalfuture]

is that you, startmeup?

[minya]

if you are smart with your purchases, you can get very nice items that will be well worth your money. keep in mind though that not everything that is expensive is good.

This is really all it comes down to.

A lot of the high fashion stuff I've looked at and tried on has been boring crap that I wouldn't pay $25 for. As a result, I didn't buy it. A lot of the high fashion stuff I've tried on and looked at has been the complete opposite -- the exact "total package" that I have been looking for. In those cases, I bought the particular garment, sometimes even paying a hell of a lot more than I felt item X "should" be worth.

Durability and quality is always a very large aspect to what I buy. I will not buy a garment if it's poorly made, full stop. No doubt some of my $200 shirts aren't as durable as a pair of Red Wing boots, or maybe even a $40 Dickies canvas duck workshirt, but they serve different purposes.

You can be fashionable without wearing high fashion; you just need to find interesting pieces (thrift, vintage, eBay come in handy here) and get everything tailored to fit you properly.

And to reiterate... you can't always have it both ways. Like I said, sometimes high fashion is the total package, and that's when it's worth it to me. Getting 75% of what I wanted from that particular garment, even if it cost me 85% less, would not be worth it to me.

[minya]

oic

Are there any other brands like Red Wings you'd recommend? I've been trying to find workwear like Dickies, but not shitty, and have come up empty handed. Hardy, but still flattering canvas pants are a hard thing to find

Engineered Garments, old military clothing, and thrift/vintage will be your best bet.

[thelion1856]

you should also look into Alden. they make nice shoes. All their shit is hand made in USA somewhere on the eastcoast. I saw a CNN special on them once. I own a pair and their shit is high quality but will run you about 150 to 400. with a few priced even higher.

[kudos]

Popular culture says labels and brand names are all that matters when it comes to fashion. It has to be the truth because there is no other excuse for the horrible shit I see every day I go to class.

I dont mind bape and its ilk so much because of the use of vibrant colors. I fucking love the bright colors they use.

[lacquered]

i love what you are trying to do.

[superBobo]

This is a really intersting topics. I´ve started a couple of threads about workwear and canvas pants and silly stuff like that you can check out.

Im sharing a bunch of your ideas, but I think it´s important to remember that for most people that actually are interested in clothes, autentic/work wear is just another choice of style, which in someway or another suits you. As stated before, being fashionable isn´t hi priority for a contruction worker or hunter, utility is. If you wear these kinds of clothes as a "fashion" choice it is probably cuz you like something of what they signify, for example autenticity, timelessness, simplicity and such.

Very interesting topic, unfortunalty I cant express even half of what I think, english not being my first language.

For me it´s atleast to a big part about looking good for a decent price. I rather get something for 40$ than 300$ ,especially if the latter is a "take" on the former (as in fashion inspired by work or military wear) Having the orginal thing (as in Levis opposed to some European denim, or whatever) is also related to taking part in the "aura" of the object (old cultural studies term, don´t know if you are familiar with it) Like having the original, instead of the reproduction of a painting (not really the same thing though, as levis themselfs makes reproductions) Probably something could be said about the search for truth and eternal values, in an era of post modernity

Functionality is important aswell for me, but at the same time I rather get clothes/shoes of natural materials like cotton, wool, leather instead of synthetic, even though synthetics might be more "functional". Again, it isnt that simple.

[cheapmuthafukr]

this thread is interesting...

ive been doing what the op talked about for a while... but mainly because i dont have the money for designer stuff. i also have great thrift stores and live in a military city.

im not too sure how fashionable you can be if youre not buying fashion shit, but you damn sure can be stylish.

[superBobo]

I´d be in heaven (the dirty thrift one atleast) if my town had the kind of thrifts yours seem to have CMF. Military stuff aswell... I´ve made some nice pick ups, but shoes and boots seems impossible.

Stylish is by far prefereble before fashion in my book atleast.

[lil brown brother]

this thread is interesting...

ive been doing what the op talked about for a while... but mainly because i dont have the money for designer stuff. i also have great thrift stores and live in a military city.

im not too sure how fashionable you can be if youre not buying fashion shit, but you damn sure can be stylish.

style over fashion any day

[Brienneoftarth]

I'd like to comment on the "authenticity" thing touched upon earlier. I think what this guys getting at is that numerous designers have developed lines and labels based on certain influences. some of these influences are always going to be classic americana, military, and workwear. When one gets to a certain point where they examine how much these designers are charging and what it really means culturally for them to be buying something thats been reappropriated from it's original use and identity for a high fashion label than he/she begins the hunt for the "genuine article". He/she also ceases to have any connection to fashion authenticity. I think alot of people on the board have developed this desire or obsession in some cases to find the genuine article in regards to fashion pieces. I definitely have. For me it's been a confusing task. I am not "authentic" in my mode of dress in anyway. I look for and try to purchase genuine articles in a completely contrived way. I would say the real "authentic" dressers of our day are the A&F mall shoppers who have no self awareness of they're style. That said, the genuine article's are few and far between. It's really as confusing as choosing a religion or a worldview if you want to develop some "philosophically logical" mode of fashion. I'm pretty sure it does not exist. I've mainly settled on deadstock reproductions of genuine articles as they are all i can afford and develop a nice personalized look over time.

[triniboy27]

I'm not a usual advocate for high fashion but one thing it does offer when it re-interprets workwear/military wear is better fit.

Just something to remember.

[cheapmuthafukr]

true, but if someone is looking for "authenticity" they may desire the less fitted item.

example: if you want the look of classic american jeans, you may go with the anti fit sugarcanes before you go with dior. doir is a "better" fit, but would not suit the look you desire.

[keri]

I'm probably asking for it, but to me this thread seems a tad precious, or at least unnecessary. Getting all self-congratulatory for wearing "real" work wear, even though you're still shelling out for relatively high price point shit like Capital E? I don't buy it.

agreed. My father and step father both do construction, my father plumbing, my step dad was a general contractor. They shop for their work wear at the thrift store and at the flea market. quality or not, for them and how hard they work, they have no use spending outrageous amounts of money on clothes for work, even the hardiest stuff would fall apart doing what they do.

[superBobo]

Of course "real" workers don´t buy samurai jeans cuz of quality, but I do imagine they´ll buy something like carhartt instead of the cheapest possible thing.carhartt which probably are aleast as durable as samurai, but without the amazing detailing. Atleast workwear pants in sweden looks pretty much like that (Ive actually worked in a construction setting 3 or 4 summers, belive it or not)

Denim is a thing that I personally are prepared to pay for, to get something I actually like, instead of getting something cheap (do have some raw wranglers though)

[cheapmuthafukr]

yeah, denim is the one thing ill pay for.

id work construction in my sammies too... its less hard on them than skateboarding is(at least the kind ive done)

[Brienneoftarth]

i worked in masonry thre summers and the guys I worked with were mainly immigrants who wore the cheapest possible clothing they could find. No one had nice boots or anything. That said, middle to upper middle class guys involved in construction usually go carharrt and timberland in the states. I would wear my samurais or warehouses to work b/c the fade would be amazing. Though masonry and paving is a whole nother story because cement etc stains and does not look good on denim./

[cheapmuthafukr]

yeah, i wish i was still in the field surveying insted of in an office... im sure my whiskers would be out of control, and id have much less of an ass fade on my jeans.

[sechsies]

i also think this is a great thread, i can justify spending more $ on jeans or a nice jacket would help because its more functional than some designer t-shirt or what have you that doesnt even look good unless your decked out in the rest of their line of clothing. i recently found my uncles old navy peacoat, its warmer than thicker than any $300 trendy jacket. given it has some flaws but for the amazing price of free, its better than any jacket you would pay for. I also just found a northface jacket i had from when i was probably in 6th grade (god knows how it still fits me) also the one of the warmest jackets and it looks nice. with jeans your paying for the cut and quality, you could have the nicest clothing but if you have a shitty pair of jeans it throws everything off.