Is Minimalism Dead?

[Afreekan]

This was a question that ran through my mind looking at all the shows this year. I for one am a big fan of minimalism... because it forces you to focus on the things that matter... no distractions in any way. To me there is nothing like concentrating on a clean silhoutte and trying to figure out what is making such a simple dress so complex. I personlly don't think it is dead, it just isn't going to be as relevant as it was in the 90's. I would like to know y'alls thoughts about the situation. Do you think it is? Why so and do you think it will ever be as influential as it was in the 90's?

 

[BaroqueRockstar]

i don't think minimalism will ever be dead. i dont know where you are from, but if you were in paris during the fashion shows, the french were very minimalistically chic. in my opinion, everyone should be more like them. minimalists we see today include narciso rodriguez, olivier theyskens (although he was absent this season), calvin klein, marni, just to name a few

 

[Afreekan]

I know all these designers and I love them all... I guess living in the U.S. you can't get into a minimalist state of mind because it is all about excess over here. It's all about who is driving the nicest car, who has the biggest jewelry, or who can put on the most designer labels at once... It can be kind of overwhelming!

 

[nqth]

Minimalism is just more "elitist" now I think.

 

[Scott]

it's there,it's just not as blatant as it was in the 90's. There's not a narrow "minimal" trend like it was in the 90's...things are alot more ambient I think these days. Of course,I think most NY designers will always play with minimalism as NY is a very "uniform" concious city and it's kind of a reflection of that.

Personally,I never enjoyed it. It was depressing to me. And it became so monotonous towards the end it was exciting to finally see designers turning a new leaf in the new milleneum.

 

[Scott]

baroque,I dunno if I'd really put Olivier or Marni in that category as I think they spend a tremendous amount of time on surface detail as they do underneath. I do consider somebody like Veronique Branquinho very sublime and minimal though.

 

[cutxpaste]

I definitely don't think it's dead... even though it's not as present on the runways, it's influence can be seen in a lot of recent collections (Jil Sander, Marni, etc)

 

[casem83]

Hi everyone, first post here, I've been on men.style for awhile, thanks for the invite fashion_boi to join TFS.

I think minimalism will continue to be relevant in all forms of art/design/music. As our sociey and lives get more and more complex I think we will continue to appreciate simplicity in art. I agree that we won't go through another concentrated form of minimalism as we did in the 90s, but it will continue to influence designers.

My perspectve comes mostly from music, I am a composer and I'm very interested in the minimalist style. So I'm sometimes confused about the way people use the word in fashion. It seems like people tend to throw it around way too easily to describe anything that isn't lush and romantic. While at the same time it seems designers are quick to distance themselves from the label of minimalist (Helmut and Raf more recently have denied that's what they do).

Minimalism is really the stripping away of certain aspects of an art so that one is forced to focus on other aspects (that may have been ignored otherwise). So in fashion I can see minimalism taking many forms. I would say what Raf did for Jil Sander F/W 06 is minimalist (though he denies it), the repetition of black pants, black shoes, white shirt, makes you concentrate on the silhouette, fabric and necklines.

I can't help but think of how in science or logic the most desirable solution is an "elegant" one, or the simplest explanation that still accounts for everything. To me, this is the heart of minimalism and an idea that will never go away.

 

[tott]

Well said, casem!

 

[elschic111]

i second that. ^^^

would you consider these minimalist?




source: a post i wrote about new minimalism back in august...they're all from spring 2007 resort. original source is firstview

 

[Afreekan]

I would consider all the pieces to be minimalist... but I am not too sure on the one at the bottom left.

 

[Couture_Tribe]

I think the idea of minimal is very tasteful and chic, I think it will never ever die or at least it should not. I am born in the 90's, so I do not know.......

 

[kanita]

Nothing in fashion ever dies it sometimes just lays down low.

 

[Lena]

as a matter of fact, i see a new kind of 'reworked' minimalism emerging from the latest collections..

 

[kanita]

as a matter of fact, i see a new kind of 'reworked' minimalism emerging from the latest collections..

I agree, it could very well make an comeback.

And if Raf Simons for Jil Sander is going to be an (commericial) succes, others might follow.

 

[strawberrywater]

I don't think minimalism will die anytime soon. It's been there for ages and it's really beautiful if well done.

 

[just_me]

what exactly is minimalism in terms of fashion?

 

[dreamecho]

Here's the dictionary definition, but I would love for someone to elaborate more on it.

"a style or technique (as in music, literature, or design) that is characterized by extreme spareness and simplicity"

(Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary)

 

[Whitelinen]

I'd like to know too, since many people seem to have different explanations...

 

[just_me]

How much can you put on to not be regarder as minimalistic anymore?

How are the 'rules'?