Ann Sofie-Back Fall 2005 London

[Scott]

Metal it was before she left to go back to London from Paris. Just a few seasons ago,actually.

 

[Johnny]

I think it's creative and interesting, but very ugly. The pants and especially the jeans strike me as terribly unfashionable. They look like these old, light, grandma-looking, ill-fitting jeans my stepmom wears from Walmart.

Exactly my thoughts. The shapes are just really unflattering, but at least it makes you think

 

[ilonlippa]

^ Well, the Japanese will buy anything if it's ugly enough. And this certainly fits the bill.

???? Is it funny?

 

[Lena]

^ Well, the Japanese will buy anything if it's ugly enough. And this certainly fits the bill.

i dont think that the Japanese will buy anything if its ugly, i believe they will buy anything if its unusual and Ann's work sure fits their esthetics, i dont see why everyone needs to fall into mainstream acceptable lines, breaking up rules of what is beautiful is a part of the creative proccess.

of course she's no Margiela, she's no Junya but at least she's trying her thing, which is both brave, interesting and worthwhile in my book.
even though i wouldn't wear most of her collection, i can't see why designers should be bashed for projecting their personal original esthetical concept?

even though this is not her best offering to date, when looked at in detail, there are some interesting points in this collection.
my fave pieces were the first blouse posted here -the one with rushing on neckline- some of her coats and dresses are real beautiful.

i'm all for 'real waist' trousers but her recent offerings are not for me,
i find them terribly 'mainstream', unflattering and boring -nothing one cannot find in a jumble sale to be honest- so i guess we all agree on those being a bit too 'off', but then.. who's ever made a 'perfect' collection? and who will ever will?

 

[kit]

^ Well, the Japanese will buy anything if it's ugly enough. And this certainly fits the bill.

I take what you mean here , M-O-M , to mean that the Japanese love anything ' quirky and idiosyncratic ' .

You've only got to look at the Japanese Street Style thread , to realise that .

I do agree with yourself and Soft . You've only got to compare this collection with that of PREEN to realise what is engaging and what is off-putting .

 

[helena]

sorry I just don't like this at all.... i can't see it.

 

[metal-on-metal]

of course she's no Margiela, she's no Junya but at least she's trying her thing, which is both brave, interesting and worthwhile in my book.
even though i wouldn't wear most of her collection, i can't see why designers should be bashed for projecting their personal original esthetical concept?

Well with that logic you can defend almost anything and everything. "Oh, Dsquared isn't that bad. They really believe in it, so it must be good! I love Dsquared!" I'm sorry, Lena, but I think far too few people in the fashion business voice their negative opinions. If something is trash, why not call it that? I don't care if she's living out her life dream or whatever. I care about what the end product looks like. And the end product here is trash. It's this kind of cheerleading that only spurs on people like Ann-Sofie, Tara Subkoff, et al.

What is so tragic to me, is that the concept actually is interesting. But it totally fails in the amateurish execution. I wish more designers would find ways to deal with luxury and femininity that aren't total cliches--pink chiffon, big furs, logos, mile-high heels. So this celebration of the 'mundane' is quite novel and could be successful if done in a way that wasn't so 'ugly-on-purpose'. I think Bernhard Willhelm and Miuccia Prada have explored these concepts a little bit, yet their product is worlds apart. High-minded ideas about beauty and style should ultimately return to earth in the form of desirable clothing. But Ann-Sofie fails to deliver.

 

[TheSoCalledPrep]

this is horrible... WAY too masculine... it's beyond androgyny... it's disgusting

 

[metal-on-metal]

I take what you mean here , M-O-M , to mean that the Japanese love anything ' quirky and idiosyncratic '.

That's exactly what I meant. Sorry to everyone if I sounded a little extreme.

 

[Lena]

Well with that logic you can defend almost anything and everything. "Oh, Dsquared isn't that bad. They really believe in it, so it must be good! I love Dsquared!"

.....I think Bernhard Willhelm and Miuccia Prada have explored these concepts a little bit, yet their product is worlds apart. High-minded ideas about beauty and style should ultimately return to earth in the form of desirable clothing. But Ann-Sofie fails to deliver.

but i dont say i love A.S.B. or Dsquared m.o.m.
i just respect their right of both -including asfour and ioc- to exist and go on doing their thing, thats all.

i totally agree with you that Ann_Sophie failed to deliver for fw05.06,
every designer deserves the artistic freedom of failure, its normal.

finally, honestly on matter of exploration/execution, i cant see Willhelm being too far away from mrs Black.

 

[TheSoCalledPrep]

I totally see Lena's point here, but it is much more forgiving than most of us tend to be. And certainly the consumer population in general isn't even in the ballpark of respecting artistic talents and freedoms... this is going to be sent through the shredder...

 

[Scott]

Neither can I,really. Really,alot of her stuff resembles what people like Bernhard and Wendy & Jim are doing. And they've all been around since about the same,btw. So she developed this style when they were just beginning as well. Bernhard I think just has better technical skills otherwise the execution is absolutely the same to me.

No,this is not her "best" collection. Actually,I much prefer the work she was doing whilst in Paris than what she's been doing since being in London.

Metal,I think you should take a look at some of those collection. I don't know how clear they may be,but Diane covered it every season in Paris. You might enjoy a bit more.

 

[utopia]

to me it is mainstream. it looks like stuff my slightly podgy teacher would have worn when I was in the third grade. it's positively revolting to look at, but that's my own perception. beyond that, there just isn't anything special or 'rebellious' about it, in my eyes. like alex said, it just looks like walmart.

but it does ignite a heated argument, so perhaps it has achieved its purpose...

 

[droogist]

Neither can I,really. Really,alot of her stuff resembles what people like Bernhard and Wendy & Jim are doing. And they've all been around since about the same,btw. So she developed this style when they were just beginning as well. Bernhard I think just has better technical skills otherwise the execution is absolutely the same to me.

I'm not the world's biggest Bernhard fan, but I still find his stuff infinitely more palatable than A-S Back's. There's a much greater emphasis on tailoring and embellishment in his collections, and he obviously spends a lot of time developing textiles and prints. I don't see anywhere near that sort of effort here.

While BW's runway shows may look a mess, once you take it all apart many of the pieces turn out to be surprisingly flattering, not to mention fun to wear. I have not found this to be the case with this lady's clothes (like ***, I tell you! )

 

[Scott]

That's what I meant by technical skills,droogist. Obviously he's a master tailor(which btw,he hasn't shown too much of since his first collections)and incredible at detail but in general the approach is extremely similar. Just look at all the--quite ordinary--sweatshirty stuff he's done over the seasons. And they're actually some of his bestsellers too.

 

[Lena]

suzy menkes on Ann_Sophie ..explaining the concept and finally making sense

Anne-Sofie Back showed a quirky sense of humor with an inspiration from mail-order catalogues. The clothes were worn as if just unpacked, sometimes with tissue paper attached and with jewlery still on its display templates, so that pearl earrings nestled on a cardboard base. But the designer did not let her joke go too far and presented pretty wearable clothes.

.

 

[softgrey]

thanks lena...that explains the presentation...

but nothing can explain those pants...

 

[faust]

suzy menkes on Ann_Sophie ..explaining the concept and finally making sense

Sorry, she is no Chalayan

 

[Scott]

Exactly why I like her. She doesn't let her aesthetical approach become overly serious and she jolts everything she does with a wonderful sense of humour.

Thanks Lena!

 

[Lena]

Sorry, she is no Chalayan

did i ever said she was?
btw, i dont have too much respect for chalayan either