Julian Roberts Productions (Nothing Nothing etc)

[sea of stitches]

1) What designer garments really make you FEEL good?
the ones that are comfortable and unique make me smile.
2) Who in fashion do you really hate with a vengeance?
i'm trying to cut down on my negativity, so none.
5) Which designer outside London/ New York/ Paris/ Milan/ Tokyo, and who isn’t stocked by Selfridges/ Harrods/ Browns/ Collette/ Saks/ Barneys etc etc etc would you most like to bring to my attention? Feel free to try to influence me.
i quite like osvomode right now. there are quite a few others but the names escape me.
8) Seed EACH of the following three lists into the right orders from BEST to WORST:ii) Cut, stitching, fabric, label, style iii) fashion, sex, music, food, art.
cut, fabric, style, stitching, label. food, sex, fashion, music, art.

[rui]

What designer garments really make you FEEL good?
The ones that design for concept sake.

Who in fashion do you really hate with a vengeance?
I once read that when you talk about how much you hate somone or something your actually promoting that individual or idea because you are discussing it. So I decline to comment!

Which designer outside London/ New York/ Paris/ Milan/ Tokyo, and who isn’t stocked by Selfridges/ Harrods/ Browns/ Collette/ Saks/ Barneys etc etc etc would you most like to bring to my attention? Feel free to try to influence me.
Is this were I shamlessly self promote my own menswear line?

Seed EACH of the following three lists into the right orders from BEST to WORST:ii) Cut, stitching, fabric, label, style iii) fashion, sex, music, food,
Cut, style, fabric, label, stitching.
food, fashion, sex, music, art

[hjsxx22]

Hi I am a student at the Manchester Metropolitan University studying textiles. For my 3rd year project I have been inspired by Julian and Sophie's work to design a collection of knitted garments. So far I have only produced a couple but Julian has advised that I post the designs on here and get some honest opinions. I would be grateful for any comments or advice that would be of benefit to me. Thank you Helen x

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[finalfashion]

I am loving it. I love how the stripes give a clue to the structure of the fabric, and the garment. It looks like they could probably be worn in different ways, can they? I love how wearable, how wantable this looks. Great job. Do you have pictures of the patterns?

[hjsxx22]

hey thanx 4 the positive response. The concept behind the garments is that the wearer decides how the garment looks and it can be worn many ways so that you don't have the problem of wearing the same item twice. As for the pattern just follow Julian's guidelines and put your own twist on it.

Thanx Helen x

[Zazie]

Julian is right. You might even want to start your own thread but probably in another section of tfs. Your pieces are very nice, very desirable. I've always loved accessories pieces that can be worn many ways. If you ever put these into production, remember to include instructions. I bought a strange piece from Yohji Y at a sale, and to this day, I still haven't figured out how to wear it.

Like ff said, the stripes are a good idea to heighten the sense of structure in your pieces. One idea that I've always loved, but because I'm not a fashion desiogner and am morbidly afraid of sewing I can't ever realize, is to have something like what you did and have it two-sided, eg. wool on one side and satin on the reverse, or cotton/leather, and if it is really cold, two layers of wool, etc... You add one more way of wearing the garment (inside out/outside-in), and in the twisting and turning of the structure, you get a glimpse of the other which functions like your stripe patterns in showing up the structure. The possibilities can be extended, eg., if you make the "lining" partly detachable and which the wearer can twist and turn to add another layered dimension. If you ever make one these, please.... let me buy a piece from you!

Good luck to you and do pursue your designs. It's headed in the right direction in the thinking.

[hjsxx22]

Its funny you should mention Yohji Y as I have been looking at his work as inspiration.

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I have actually started to think about making the pieces reversible and also twisting them so that both sides are visible. I really like your idea of putting different material or design on the reverse side and this is something I hope to pursue with my next designs.

Thank you for your positive response it has been really helpful.

Thanks Helen x

[fab_fifties_fille]

Hi and welcome hjsxx22, I'm no expert but I really like how they look and the concept behind the garments...I echo final fashions sentiment how the stripes give an idea of the structure, especially on a dark fabric, it can be hard to decipher the draping and structural element. I adore the idea of one item being worn in different ways...so fresh in this disposable society.

[i_<3_chanel]

mmm interesting thread !
just discovered it . . . a lot to take in . . intense ?
it's lovely to have a real presence frm someone behind the concepts & ideas
* i liked yr point tht 'anyone can be a designer' . . . it's a nice thought . .
will collect my thoughts & reply properly later !
;]

hjsxx22 i like it . . .
also echo wht zazie said abt playing arnd w/layers . .

[*sayan]

late discovery of a weird thread, hope julian is still around, because i dont get anything of what's happenning , exept in softgrey's head.

I dont mean any disresspect, really i dont to anybody of the spot, nor to julian.

I dont see it. There are a couple of interesting pattern twists, but how could it all become such a big theory. Softgrey said it, CdG and Yohji did everything here. And the thing is, making it was never an acomplishment.never. Its just experimenting. Rei is Rei because her designs are transcendental, it's all about how she feels the balance of the pleats, the balance of the volumes, the angles , the curves. The experimental technique was never something relevant, its the result that matters. Sometimes she(her patternmakers) make an experiment, and she reworks it visually for days, weeks before she nails something. That's CdG. And same fo Yohji, and many many more. Technique is nothing in the face of communicating a vibe through visuals.

And also, I don't see how making a dress in 30 minutes is good. The result i saw here was not appealing. It had absolutely zero movement( the fabric was twisting around the body, but the garment wasnt moving in any way, let alone a beautiful way, when the person was moving). Some parts of the result were interesting, and thats why u have to make this pattern out of paper, and redo it, and again and again and again, and use handstitching, and finesse, and LOVE. And then one has something(maybe).

The first pages of the thread were interesting because they expressed one truth in any creative form. There are no rules. But after that i find it a bit disrespectful towards..erm...everybody? (Not using any techniques that took LIVES to build, not giving credit to CdG , Yohji and all the avant guarde creators..do you really mean it when you say, all these things are(were) easy to make or are you ill-informed?..and honestly, how easy is it for you to come years later and pull out theyr experiments...)

[Zazie]

Originally Posted by *sayan

late discovery of a weird thread, hope julian is still around, because i dont get anything of what's happenning , exept in softgrey's head.

I dont mean any disresspect, really i dont to anybody of the spot, nor to julian.

I dont see it. There are a couple of interesting pattern twists, but how could it all become such a big theory. Softgrey said it, CdG and Yohji did everything here. And the thing is, making it was never an acomplishment.never. Its just experimenting. Rei is Rei because her designs are transcendental, it's all about how she feels the balance of the pleats, the balance of the volumes, the angles , the curves. The experimental technique was never something relevant, its the result that matters. Sometimes she(her patternmakers) make an experiment, and she reworks it visually for days, weeks before she nails something. That's CdG. And same fo Yohji, and many many more. Technique is nothing in the face of communicating a vibe through visuals.

And also, I don't see how making a dress in 30 minutes is good. The result i saw here was not appealing. It had absolutely zero movement( the fabric was twisting around the body, but the garment wasnt moving in any way, let alone a beautiful way, when the person was moving). Some parts of the result were interesting, and thats why u have to make this pattern out of paper, and redo it, and again and again and again, and use handstitching, and finesse, and LOVE. And then one has something(maybe).

The first pages of the thread were interesting because they expressed one truth in any creative form. There are no rules. But after that i find it a bit disrespectful towards..erm...everybody? (Not using any techniques that took LIVES to build, not giving credit to CdG , Yohji and all the avant guarde creators..do you really mean it when you say, all these things are(were) easy to make or are you ill-informed?..and honestly, how easy is it for you to come years later and pull out theyr experiments...)

A few points:

Clothes aren't *all* about movement. There are clothes that are about shapes and forms, eg. a cocoon/shell, kimonos, clothes that are about materials and prints, eg. heavy brocades, ceremonial clothes, etc.

I don't see any similarity between CdG, YY and Nothing Nothing at all. I don't see "their experiments" "pulled out and used years later". Unless you can examine and compare all their garments, and point out the copying, you cannot accuse someone of plagiarism.

How can you say that just because a dress was cut in 30 minutes, it isn't done out of "love"? Is "love" = amount of time and work spent on a garment? There are artists, photographers whose works are done spontaneously, in-situ, instantaneously, does it mean they didn't put "love" into their works? Although the dress was cut and sewn in 30 minutes, there was a long and laborious process of experimenting with the concept to arrive at the results - a method of sewing. Eg. A chef can experiment for weeks before he perfects a dish, which he can whip up in 10 minutes in front of an audience. The intention of the 30-minutes dress is to disclose the designer's method to the audience, instead of sending finished products down the runway.

Besides, there were other NN collections that weren't about quick cutting and sewing. I think we are first and foremost fascinated by NN because of the beautiful results we see. Of course this is subjective, not everyone will love it. For me, it becomes even more fascinating when Julian revealed *one* (this is important because this is not all) of his methods - I've never seen another designer doing it without patterns or mannequin-fitting, but going about it in 3-D thinking. If CdG or YY do, that's great, but they haven't explained this in a public exhibition. Maybe softgrey and you do not find it as fascinating, and probably a whole legion of skeptics out there, but obviously, it hits a chord with some of us. It also boils down to a freer way of thinking about fashion, i.e. to quote your post, not using any techniques that took LIVES to build. Why should he? What's wrong in inventing something new? Fashion should be free for experimentation, or we'll just recycle looks, "Edwardian", "Dracula", "Prince of Wales", "James Bond" and there should be room for everyone, even those with unorthodox thinking and approaches.

[Zazie]

Originally Posted by hjsxx22

Its funny you should mention Yohji Y as I have been looking at his work as inspiration.

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I have actually started to think about making the pieces reversible and also twisting them so that both sides are visible. I really like your idea of putting different material or design on the reverse side and this is something I hope to pursue with my next designs.

Thank you for your positive response it has been really helpful.

Thanks Helen x

You're most welcome, and best of luck. You already have a lot of positive feedback from some of the respected tfsers, 1<3 Chanel, finalfashion, fabff, wow.

The Yohji piece I have is white silk, and it just falls off no matter how I try to "wear" it.

[rui]

Originally Posted by Zazie

You're most welcome, and best of luck. You already have a lot of positive feedback from some of the respected tfsers, 1<3 Chanel, finalfashion, fabff, wow.

The Yohji piece I have is white silk, and it just falls off no matter how I try to "wear" it.

when did you get it? maybe i can help you?

[*sayan]

hey zazie

about some points you mentioned,

-Clothes are not ALL about movement, but in the video, the dress he was cutting was compared to Avant-Guarde designers, well whenever i saw a CdG or other real avant guarde designs of that type, it had mkovement, it had something, not just a randomly placed pile of pleats and folds.

-The similarity between CdG and Yoji is not necesseraly the final design, its not plagiarism at all, It's just that i feel he's teaching these techniques that were pioneered by these people ears ago, without even mentioning them. Before CdG and Yojhi came to paris, nobody was free cutting. They brought this freedom to pattern cutting.

-I didnt say that making a dress in 30 min is not made of love, when i said love int that part of my post it was to underline what goes into redoing a dress 20 times to nail the right proportions. The cook does a great meal in a couple of minutes, but he uses a very precise recipy.(therefore we should be using a very precise pattern after having worked on it). Rei K. spends days moving pieces one millimeter at a time until she gets what she wants, she couldnt show that to teh audience could she.

-Yes of course the result of NN may or may not be beautiful to different people, to me it wasn't, but that wasn't really my main point. it's really the fact that free cutting, is known things, maybe im too deep in the field to see objectively, but i feel it's quite basic, and it's just one aspect, one needs to mix free cutting, with tailoring, with draping(draping takes a lot of time). Actually the way i think clothes should be designed should be all at once, little pattern, little free cutting, then jump to the sewing machine, go on the doll, a little draping, pinning, back on the pattern table, back to the doll, back to sewign machine, and you travel into your work.

- It is very nice that his work opened up ur mind on some aspects of fashion, i really mean it. It's quite important to eduquate the people in order for them to understand the work. Maybe CdG and others a too misterious for the non-insider.

-To me discarding all tradition is wrong, it's just me. I feel innovation should blossom from tradition. Most of the greatest unorthodox approaches in art(architecture, painting, sculpture, and ay other creative forms)where made while circling around tradition. But thats just me.

[Hye Park Lover]

Where's Julian gone? Juliaaaan? Where are you?