faust said:
That's interesting - I have found nothing to rave about NN in terms of his quality. I would agree that it's better than Cloak, of course, but Raf's better pieces, and especially his wool, have always been top notch (except maybe last season, but they were so intricate that I'm sure he had to compromise in terms of quality to keep the prices palatable)...
I've got a different experience. I've tried on Raf's pieces - wool or not - for the past two years (about 4 seasons), that I've disliked because of the kinds of wool he uses or the constructions and fits he favors. I recently rejected buying some o the old Raf hoodie capes from two falls ago because I didn't love the material or sizing. Plus last season's production fiasco just took it over the edge, and
this season, a suit button broke in half as I was trying it on at the store! I thought about quietly returning it to the the rack, but then I realized, the jacket is over a $1000 dollars (for cotton) and the button broke as I buttoned it? I took it to an SA immediately and glared.
Meanwhile, if you're talking about N(N) stuff that has reached the United States in the past two seasons that he started showing in Europe, I'll admit there isn't too much to see. But it's often the details you don't see that are damn amazing.
I have stuff from Taka as far as 1996 that is leagues over a lot of *designer* things I own in terms of quality production and cut, as well as current stuff I've seen that never made it to the US but were available only in his Japanese stores. His cuts on many shirts and jackets may look simpler in silhouette, but coming from a fashion background as I do, I really appreciate the tailoring on some of the pieces being so intricate and detailed it was actually a wonder he could charge as
low as he did. And I am not talking about buttons and strips of fabrics added, I'm talking multipanelling construction on traditionally one-seam areas that would send production houses into tearing their hair off; hardware and linings that are custom-made and change with every season, and seam details so intricate as to defy any sort of alteration, because the construction was so unusual that the tailors here could not replicate it ("X" seam details on the elbows of a cotton shirt, for example, to shape the sleevefacing! He's insane.). And even his shoes are pretty incredible, with details like rabbit fur lining in the inside of his already multiple material shoes (this past fall, from the Tokyo store) that can only be seen when you cross your legs. I like some of Raf's stuff more in terms of silhouette, but really, I've never seen anything he's done that made me marvel at his tailoring skills (despite overlooking recent shoddy production).
I recently bought one of Taka's heavier cotton turtlenecks from spring and accidentally left it in my laundry pile. Despite being wash and dried in the machines by my cleaning lady, it held up beautifully and didn't shrink a wit. I have N(N) corduroy jeans from 1997 that I wash constantly despite the leather piping details and the "Dry Clean Only" labels, and they look better than some of the European designer stuff out there brand new. I may not love some of the styles from recent collections (the Axl Rose one was just mind bogglingly strange) but N(N)'s quality has been impeccable in my experience.
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