Pushing the envelope - avant garde style

[softgrey]

sometimes it could be the progressive art of solitude, in order to actualize yourself and be more whole, which is almost impossible as long as you follow the herd, conventions, etc.
it's personal and individual.
but maybe it also has something to do with pushing the boundaries of human experience, in this case, with the art of dressing.
true innovation for the human race usually comes from the lonely mind of man.
some of you might be trying to progress at once as an individual and as our species.

brilliant comments and observations runner...
'the art of dressing'...

luckyme me spoke about the 'mind of the artist' in an earlier post in this thread...
i have been thinking about this quite a bit actually...
maybe this is where fashion and art actually do cross over...
...
can it be?!?...

i think that many people who dress in an avant garde manner are actually artists or designers of some sort...
ie, architects, graphic designers, etc...

 

[wheneveriwakeup]

Melanie Ward... nice to put a name to a face... ty!

I love that umbrella picture so very much...
Do you know what magazine that shot came from, soft?

I'll have to agree about Kate L...
Blogs ruined her look for me, though... it's so overly saturated @ this pt...


The girl in Junya/Ann D. is a prime example of avant garde designer pieces not translating into an avant garde style of dress...
esp when compared w/ the pic of Camilla Nickerson in the same exact jckt...
It also doesn't help that this chick looks so smug and self-satisfied... ugh.


I love this thread...
I am off to find more imagery...

 

[Inaya]

a prime example of avant garde designer pieces not translating into an avant garde style of dress...

I think that some of us can think of a whole forum of people who that quote applies to very well.


edit - btw softie do you ever look at dropsnap.jp street style pics? the mens are better from the womens generally on there, and of course, a ton of fashion victims like any streetstyle site... but a lot of gems as well.

 

[luckyme]

i think that last girl is the complete opposite of avant garde...
she's wearing all the labels...sure...
but they are all 'trendy' pieces...
that is not a look that comes 'from her soul'...

it's not very original or unique..
case in point...
lucky- don't you actually have that exact outfit???
...

and i have to say...
i have seen a number of people walking around the city with that look...

and to be honest...
i feel the same way about kate lanphear...
she has a great look and she has an edge...
but i would call it trendy...and almost mainstream actually...
it's a classic punk rock look...

in the urban jungle what is trendy is still considered avant garde in rural areas. another layer of the discussion. i think kate lanphear has a very creative ag edge that has been oversaturated by the media, but she has it. the other girl, maybe a bad example, OK, an obvious bad example...but you need the ying with the yang so the picture gets clearer. i think its contrived but not mainstream per se, based on your original definition, a fashion follower not leader.

why, yes, i do have a version of the junya jacket and the a.d. boots, i havent worn them together but not that i wouldnt if i felt so compelled. i have worn my yohji docs with it as well as my favorite pair of old israeli combat boots, what's the difference if on that particular day that's what i grab, other then one is more well known to fashion tribes? most days i dont think so much about what to wear together, it's mostly about groove, weather and mood. some days you feel like a nut and some days you dont [so much]...

do avant garders actually have a plan in their head to be different or they just see their closets as a canvas?

there are two different types of creative people, those that live by structure and boundries and those that thrive on feel and the twist of fate. both have their place in the industry but only one has a natural instinct and flare... that leads to the freedom to experiment with dress.

to me (and i def dont consider myself ag, more punky artsy hippie), its in my heart to be drawn towards certain types of out-there garments (putting them together is never contrived, that takes too much thought), but to my neighbors its out of this world so in their book its avant garde...

 

[softgrey]

i think the closet is the box of paints ...
and the body is the canvas...

and yes...i do think that they have it in their heads to be different...
it's definitely on purpose...
even though it comes naturally to do so...
there is still a conscious effort made...

and anyone who was avant garde would have to stop wearing something if too many people started wearing it in the same way...
it would annoy them on some level to suddenly look the same as others...

*

but to my neighbors its out of this world so in their book its avant garde...

maybe in their book, it's just wacky?!...
...



inaya- i don;t know that site...thx..i'll check it out sometime...
wiw- sorry, can't remember where i got that image from...

 

[pucci_mama]

and to be honest...
i feel the same way about kate lanphear...
she has a great look and she has an edge...
but i would call it trendy...and almost mainstream actually...
it's a classic punk rock look...

I have to agree re. Kate Lanphear, she has her own way of wearing the items..but everything she wears is very trendy at the moment Margiela jacket..studded and black.. if it is about context then how can she possibly be avant garde?
Especially as she works in fashion as well..

 

[luckyme]

so , i must be coming at this from a different point of view. please explain to me how being in fashion nullifies you as an avant garde style maker?

 

[softgrey]

it doesn't...not in my opinion...
i mean- look at lori and melanie and camilla, etc...on and on and on...

i think kate lanphear has great personal style...
i just don't think she is avant garde...
it's just that same look from alexander wang over and over...
and he didn't invent that...
that's been around for ages...
she's just particularly good at it and it looks great on her...

but it's not original...
originality is a big part of this...
i guess that is why i always have a thing about giving credit to the originators of a look or style of dress...
because those are the innovators...
those are the people who move things forward and change public perception...

 

[wheneveriwakeup]

I don't think avant garde individuals are dictated by structure and boundaries...
I also don't think anyone really throws on clothes without a least a bit of conscious effort... whether it looks good or bad is another story in itself...

Avant garde individuals do put a lot of thought into all aspects that go into the overall conception of their style + look...
However, the difference between genuine avant garde dressers and those masquerading as such, is one seeks approval/praise/shock-value while the other only wishes to establish a voice by way of clothing..

Like many have already stated, avant garde dressers are not looking to impress or seek approval...
It is a personal journey of self-expression... the only person the avant gardist is dressing for is themselves.

 

[wheneveriwakeup]

Some pics of Hannelore Knuts...
Her style is very avant garde, imo... just lovely..















Notice the way she plays with varying textures... as if she's working with different artistic mediums...

** Hannelore also designs jewelry... makes a lot of sense considering her style of dress... I'd love to see her stuff..

sources: style, the sartorialist

 

[wheneveriwakeup]

I've been 'drop-snapping' like crazy...
Thanks for reminding me of this fantastic website, Inaya...

Some lovely ladies..




** This girl has managed to combine many counteractive items together in a rather poetic manner. Her color palette is also rather unusual, but incredibly fresh and forward.


** very simple, but effective...


** Very understated, subtle details...

source: dropsnapjapan

 

[pucci_mama]

so , i must be coming at this from a different point of view. please explain to me how being in fashion nullifies you as an avant garde style maker?

When one is doing a look which many are doing at the moment how can one then be avant garde? With Kate, she is doing a very 'person in fashion' look, she is subscribing to a look..that IMO is not avant garde, has she been a person in a village somewhere, then yes.

 

[wheneveriwakeup]

Guys..


** His color palette is exquisite and so elegant...
I also love that he has managed to take items (cardigan + skirt) that have seen a recent upsurge in popularity and totally make them his own..


The necklace...


** Lots of wit and charm, but there is nothing overt or ostentatious about it.. He just doesn't look like the type of guy who would wear his jckt inside-out to get a rise out of ppl; looks like a natural inclination and very 'just so' on him...


** Another masterful use of color and use of counteractive articles of clothing.. very subversive...


** Very beautiful color scheme and intriguing play on proportion and scale...

source: dropsnapjapan

 

[wheneveriwakeup]

I don't think geographic locations have anything to do with avant garde styles of dress...
Its all up to the individual... and inspiration can come from anywhere, not just one's surroundings...

Also, a style of dress that is deemed as 'progressive' in a lagging geographic location is only deemed as such by way of default, not b/c it is truly avant garde..
For instance, Kate Lanphear may get some weird looks in slower parts of the world, but that is only due to a lack of general exposure, not due to the content and complexity of her own style... as soon as the 'editor look' trickles down to the masses (and it already is beginning to happen), those in the lagging parts of the world (if not of the avant garde variety already) will either consciously or unconsciously adopt that style of dress because it's reached the highest pt. of cultural and social domination as well as over-saturation...

This whole concept is so fascinating..

 

[softgrey]

yeah- i already said that i don't think it has to do with geographic location...
the world is too small these days...you can access everything via TV or the internet...

context- yes...in terms of society and history...
but not location...

i really like hannelore's pics......

i am less crazy about the guys pictured...
...

 

[Inaya]

wiwu, thank you so much for those Hannelore images, I hadn't seen a couple of them before. she is always great.

 

[luckyme]

what about Lynn Yaeger? is this just wacky or avant garde? she has always confused me as far as definition of style goes...educate me.

also loved the picture of the fashion school, working on a design that seems to have the intent of being fashion forward.

the girl with the gorgeous flaming hair, is this a style that can be conceived as avant even though the hair is the main focal point?

thesatorialist.com

 

[wheneveriwakeup]

Thanks for the karma everyone!!

I wouldn't call Lynn Yeager avant garde... not at all...
She definitely does not look like the average person, but nothing about her look is forward, imo... she hasn't styled her clothing in a progressive manner...
She is also missing a very vital aspect akin to the whole movement... simplicity...
her make-up alone is more 'costume' than avant garde...

Flaming redhead, while very cool looking, isn't avant garde either, imo...
Her look is very 'of the moment'... she still looks good though..

Two ideas that don't really correlate with avant gardism are 'nostaligia' & 'trendy'...
Nostalgia, especially, is an idea that always manages to be labeled as 'avant garde'...
If someone only wears vintage, ppl tend to deem that person's style avant garde b/c they're the only individual in their circle of friends doing it. However, if the individual is taking these nostalgic pieces and breathing new life into them by way of styling and subversiveness... making the piece timeless, if you will, that is avant garde...

As far as personal style goes... it's all about the way items are blended together... there is no template..

** Question for you all...
Would you all call Tilda Swinton's style avant garde? What about Johnny Depp?

 

[softgrey]

i agree lynn yaeger is just wacky...
gotta love her ...

yes- i would call tilda swinton avant garde...often...
also kate blanchett...very often...

johnny depp also has his moments...
but more often than not i would just call him eccentric and sexxxyyy........

 

[chanelnumber5]

but i think that true avant garde style goes even beyond fashion forward...
it's doing something that no one else is doing yet...anywhere...
it's pulling stuff out of the sky...or out of your imagination...or from the bottom of your soul...[/B]

I love this idea, the concept of emotions and something "deeper" influencing avant garde style. It is so...refreshing when so much of fashion has been reduced to wearing such-and-such a logo in the most obvious way or owning the latest it bag in every colour - I guess avant garde can be seen as a 'movement' against such things.

Thank you to everyone whose posted pics