Culture, Aesthetics and Fashion Discussion

[Fade to Black]

hmm...sounds like a lot of people in ny...

Yes, that is true...but it could also be applied to any major metropolis where people from low status go with big dreams of making it in the city...of course mixed with the general hectic pace/lifestyle of the citizens, people can easily get caught up and lost in their own insecurities.

However I like NYC a lot more than Hong Kong, there are just so much more opportunities there for someone like me...maybe because I'm westernized, but New York just strikes me as a place with more character, maybe too much character sometimes...I'm always a bit intimidated whenever I set foot in New York, dunno why...heh...

 

[softgrey]

thx matt...when you said horse racing i was imaging you at a racetrack...
you watch the races on tv...how do you place a bet?....is gambling big over there?...

 

[Fade to Black]

You place bets at designated Jockey Club betting centers...located throughout the city, where you can also bet on Soccer matches. Fortunately for me, there's one that's about a ten minute walk away from my grandparents (which actually feels a lot longer in the summer heat).

I'd say gambling is pretty big...a lot of newspapers have sections dedicated to horse racing and soccer betting strategies.

 

[softgrey]

thx...i never knew that...

is david beckham popular?...is soccer the most popular sport?...do most people go to college?...
so do people try to copy what popstars and actors wear...the way they do here and in parts of europe?...and what western stars are popular?...if any...

thx again...

 

[softgrey]

so what about belgium?...
what is it about that place that turns out a group of innovative designers the way they have?...is it just the school?..and how did a school like that end up there?...why not paris or ny...or london...?

 

[faust]

so what about belgium?...
what is it about that place that turns out a group of innovative designers the way they have?...is it just the school?..and how did a school like that end up there?...why not paris or ny...or london...?

I hate to be so superficial with my asnwer and I wish we had some Beligan members to answer this better (maybe Scott can chip in here), but I think it's... the Belgian beer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kidding. I think that Belgium always had a good tailoring/artisanship tradition, and appreciation for quality (the same way the French do). I've been there twice, and everything you look at is marked by this quaint care and quality (whether it's architecture or food or clothes or chocolate). So, that might be responsible for the designers' attention to quality and craftmanship. At the same time it looks like in the 80's there seemed to be the youth cultural revolution happening there that already happened in the US/UK in the 60's/70's - that rebellion against the rigid and the puritan way of life (which STILL seems to be prevalent there today) - so that might be responsible for the edginess and the newness of the Belgian designers. Yet, the Flemish (be it of the Belgian or Dutch origin) seem to be very reserved, very cool, almost Scandinavian like (excuse the stereotype) - so that might be responsible for that romantic sensibility and that subtlety of designs (as opposed to the screaming Milan trash).

BTW, if I know anything about anything and my analysis are even remotely correct - watch out for Austria. There might be big things coming out of there...

 

[softgrey]

what about denmark...hanne keeps posting all these cool designers from denmark...
aren't viktor and rolf from denmark?...

helmut lang is austrian ...right...?
maybe we need some new austrian blood...

 

[faust]

what about denmark...hanne keeps posting all these cool designers from denmark...
aren't viktor and rolf from denmark?...

helmut lang is austrian ...right...?
maybe we need some new austrian blood...

I think they are from Netherlands. Helmut Lang and Carol Christian Poell are Austrian.

 

[softgrey]

faust ...did you get to rotterdam at all?...
you would fiind it fascinating i'm sure...the city is sort of a labratory for architecture...
i think the city funds or subsidizes or promotes or whatever..but they encourage innovative design and there are all these unusual bldgs and bridges mixed into the historical bldgs..it's really kind of jarring ...but fascinating...there a some works by some famous architects there too...

it seems like they place a high value on those types of things there...design and cultural pursuits and aesthetics...not just in the area of fashion...they also produce some pretty cool furniture...

 

[*Happiness*]

well...just take a look at this site in general...
even though we are one of the least superficial websites about fashion...
the star style and supporting cast sections of this site get more action than designers an collections...

we've got a walking, talking barbie...a korean pig...and several know-it-alls(who have not really done their homework but act as though their word is gospel)...and lying seems to be perfectly acceptable...

it does seem that there is little value placed on culture and education and integrity in recent history...
it seems that people do want some sort of distraction and don't want to have to work too hard...maybe they're lazy...or maybe they work hard enough at their job...so they just want to kick back after work...but it does seem like there is more emphasis placed on celebrity and fame and $$$ than there is on integrity and any sense of honour and/or self-respect...

i may be an exception simply because both my parent's are educators...and one of the things they passed on to me is a sense of curiosity about the world around me...
i am always searching for something...always curious and wanting to learn something new...

but i'm in ny...where people come to seek fame and fortune...i have no explanation for why things are the way they are in the rest of the country...it's as much of a mystery to me as it is to anyone outside the US...becuase technically...i live on a little island off the coast of the united states...

SF, I couldn't agree more. I think education and the act of continuous knowledge seeking is very important and we must continue to enforce that and protect it. With technology at its height...there seems to be a vast laziness that has crept in our societies. People aren't "hungry for knowledge" like they used to be. People don't ask questions anymore, just accept it because the masses accept it. People have lost the art of debating and agreeing to disagree. I hope when I become a parent some day I will teach and show my children how to always seek and find answers. I remember growing up when I asked my dad or mom what a word meant or how to spell it they would tell me "go look it up in the dictionary" and when I did they would ask me to use it in a sentence to them. It amazing how something that small had a such a profound impact on my life.

 

[helena]

SF, I couldn't agree more. I think education and the act of continuous knowledge seeking is very important and we must continue to enforce that and protect it. With technology at its height...there seems to be a vast laziness that has crept in our societies. People aren't "hungry for knowledge" like they used to be. People don't ask questions anymore, just accept it because the masses accept it. People have lost the art of debating and agreeing to disagree. I hope when I become a parent some day I will teach and show my children how to always seek and find answers. I remember growing up when I asked my dad or mom what a word meant or how to spell it they would tell me "go look it up in the dictionary" and when I did they would ask me to use it in a sentence to them. It amazing how something that small had a such a profound impact on my life.

I think its the disease of affluence. Thanks for your post Christiann. My parents used to do the same....

 

[*Happiness*]

I think its the disease of affluence. Thanks for your post Christann. My parents used to do the same....

Dis-Ease of Affluence! I like that! And....You're welcome.

 

[softgrey]

hee!...my parents did that too...LOL...that's funny...

and christann...look how well you use words now...

 

[Mr-Dale]

Of-topic, but I'd prefer my parents explaining the word to me in a playfull way and then let me try to use it

 

[kit]

I wonder if I can dare revive this debate and link it to the Dior Homme thread at the same time .

On Monday evening , I can confidently predict , this board and that of the Dior Homme MSN site will be swamped by Hedi's fans discussing in intricate detail the latest tweaks to his ' heroin wasted , stick-thin rock star ' aesthetic .

I keep abreast of the news on the MSN website and I have noticed that perhaps the largest proportion of members are of far eastern origin . Many members of that site have recently joined these rapidly expanding fashion forums on TFS - hence the Dior Homme thread that runs to umpteen pages !!!

What attracts them to Hedi's clothes with his ultra - slim tailoring and constricted shapes that someone described as being ' distinctly posturepaedic !!! ' ?

With the affluence of the tiger economies of East Asia , plus Japan , has come a far better diet that has allowed people to achieve maximum height , combined the fact that their diet is far more healthy than the western one , relying on lots fish , cooked and raw vegetables , and other healthy ingredients ( rather like the healthy Mediterranean diet of fresh ingredients and olive oil rather than animal fats ) . Being naturally slim , and with the required height ( at LEAST 6foot 2-3 inches tall ) ,WHY does far eastern youth go a bundle on Dior Homme , which perpetuates an aesthetic of doomed , if not unhealty youth , rather than say go for the clothes of Ann Demeulemeester or Raf Simons , who originated this aesthetic ?
Labels such as Number(N)ine and even Cloak have jumped on the Hedi bandwagon , but STILL Hedi is top man !!!

IN my opinion , culture , aesthetics , and fashion are all involved here .

Perhaps , before everyone goes ape after 9pm , Paris time tomorrow, and logs onto

http://search.news.yahoo.com/search/news/?c=news_photos&p=Paris+men%27s+collections

our newish members could give my ramblings some thought .

Please believe that I am NOT dealing in racial stereotypes , but simply passing on distinct impressions that I have formed .B)

I've sown the wind , no doubt I will now reap the whirlwind !!!

 

[softgrey]

kit...i can tell you that the majority of the dior homme fanatics on this site have not read or at least have not responded to this thread...so narrowly obssessed are they...

but i look forward to the responses...if there be any...

 

[kit]

kit...i can tell you that the majority of the dior homme fanatics on this site have not read or at least have not responded to this thread...so narrowly obssessed are they...

but i look forward to the responses...if there be any...

Soft

Any chance of linking this to the new DIOR HOMME A/W 05/06 thread ?

The fans will surely flock there .

 

[kit]

Soft

Any chance of linking this to the new DIOR HOMME A/W 05/06 thread ?

The fans will surely flock there .

Hopefully with your permission , I have left a request to look here .

I await replies

 

[softgrey]

we shall see...

 

[raimund]

I wonder if I can dare revive this debate and link it to the Dior Homme thread at the same time .

On Monday evening , I can confidently predict , this board and that of the Dior Homme MSN site will be swamped by Hedi's fans discussing in intricate detail the latest tweaks to his ' heroin wasted , stick-thin rock star ' aesthetic .

I keep abreast of the news on the MSN website and I have noticed that perhaps the largest proportion of members are of far eastern origin . Many members of that site have recently joined these rapidly expanding fashion forums on TFS - hence the Dior Homme thread that runs to umpteen pages !!!

What attracts them to Hedi's clothes with his ultra - slim tailoring and constricted shapes that someone described as being ' distinctly posturepaedic !!! ' ?

With the affluence of the tiger economies of East Asia , plus Japan , has come a far better diet that has allowed people to achieve maximum height , combined the fact that their diet is far more healthy than the western one , relying on lots fish , cooked and raw vegetables , and other healthy ingredients ( rather like the healthy Mediterranean diet of fresh ingredients and olive oil rather than animal fats ) . Being naturally slim , and with the required height ( at LEAST 6foot 2-3 inches tall ) ,WHY does far eastern youth go a bundle on Dior Homme , which perpetuates an aesthetic of doomed , if not unhealty youth , rather than say go for the clothes of Ann Demeulemeester or Raf Simons , who originated this aesthetic ?
Labels such as Number(N)ine and even Cloak have jumped on the Hedi bandwagon , but STILL Hedi is top man !!!

IN my opinion , culture , aesthetics , and fashion are all involved here .

Perhaps , before everyone goes ape after 9pm , Paris time tomorrow, and logs onto

http://search.news.yahoo.com/search/news/?c=news_photos&p=Paris+men%27s+collections

our newish members could give my ramblings some thought .

Please believe that I am NOT dealing in racial stereotypes , but simply passing on distinct impressions that I have formed .B)

I've sown the wind , no doubt I will now reap the whirlwind !!!

Kit,

It's definitely an interesting cross-disciplinary research topic. In fact there're times when the same thoughts as yours on the correlation between posturepaedics and aesthetics of modern times have flashed in my mind, yet without an extended analysis in a humanistic, socio-political, cultural and economic perspective, or as borrowed from strategic management, an "external audit" on the issue. Before we're to investigate further into the issue, should we start by the evolution of aesthetics from a historical viewpoint, both oriental and occidental?

Raimund