Pushing the envelope - avant garde style

[runner]

it needs a certain kind of destructive energy that may basically be the same thing as what wiw referred to as creative energy.
it is based on things that have already been there before you, like tradition.
you have to know them well in the first place because, without the subjects of destruction, you cannot destroy/create anything.
you understand what they are, then some of you might come to have some drive, or volition against them. and you learn to see your own direction you wish.
so mostly the avantgarde are able to be a classic, orthodox dresser beautifully too, if they had to. maybe they have mastered the fundamentals. that's part of why instant avantgarde is impossible.

 

[BerlinRocks]

^ nice post !

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.

anyone read her article in the last vogue us ?
insane !
...
but i'm going off-topic !

 

[gius]

indeed... I would say that most people who are truly of an avant garde style are not lovers of the spotlight. the want for attention, opinons and acceptance, imo, is basically the antithesis of someone who is avant garde.

and maybe this is also a reason a lot of the photos in this thread are generally black and white or beige. neutrals..

colour doesn't hide anyone.
it's like when i am on the bus and take a red book out of my bag. everybody turns to look at it.

what does everyone think??



i was reading through the older posts before i saw the last page in the thread, with all the colour...
i really love this one http://www.thefashionspot.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=449913&d=1242320247 the jacket even matches her hair.

 

[wheneveriwakeup]

it needs a certain kind of destructive energy that may basically be the same thing as what wiw referred to as creative energy.
it is based on things that have already been there before you, like tradition.
you have to know them well in the first place because, without the subjects of destruction, you cannot destroy/create anything.
you understand what they are, then some of you might come to have some drive, or volition against them. and you learn to see your own direction you wish.
so mostly the avantgarde are able to be a classic, orthodox dresser beautifully too, if they had to. maybe they have mastered the fundamentals. that's part of why instant avantgarde is impossible.

That is very true. I feel that most avant-gardist are very open ppl. In order to truly formulate a style of this caliber, one must be very aware of not only what is behind them, but also what is in front of them as well as what is to come. That also goes back to the whole idea of ppl believing something is avant garde due to a lack of knowledge about the genuine origin it hails from.. ex: Kate Lanphear's style

Good pt. about the very minimal, but unexpected use of color, Gius.
Perhaps in the mind of an avant gardist, texture and silhouette take precedence over color...?
I feel that texture and silhouette have a more permeating affect than color in regards to this style of dress...
Color can be so haste and all-consuming when you think about it... the exact opposite of what an avant garde dresser strives for...
Texture and silhouette, however, are two elements that will cling to the memory and resonate at all levels.. at the emotional core as well as the mental core..
it can truly be a feast for the senses... it's an enigma, whereas excessive amounts of color may just give everything away... much too soon.

Color is there to support and/or highlight rather than lead the way...

 

[wheneveriwakeup]

I think Marni designer Consuelo Castiglioni's style is avant garde...
She is elegantly esoteric..












source: style, zimbio, thesartorialist

 

[uberwench]

I think I finally get the concept of this thread...
The difference between eccentricity and being avant garde is that being avant garde is quieter, less attention-seeking. It's being different, but by accident. Eccentrics are different because they try to be; the avant garde happens to be different, but is following its own momentum.

Or, at least, that might just be the line we draw to rationalise the fact that there are some looks that seem to work in a full, sophisticated way; and there are others we just don't. Could be entirely arbitrary.

That said, I love all of the pictures in this thread (apart from maybe some of the guys with the very bright colour, perhaps a bit too 'NOW' for me). So maybe there is something intangible but real which we're tapping into here?

I've been thinking a lot about the way I dress recently and find that I'm torn between aiming for something beautiful, artsy and which I will look back on in ten years and still find balanced and not dated... and between looking fashionable, so that people will know I'm so fashionable and be like, oh, yah, you're so cool, yah? . I feel like I'm maturing and hopefully I will break out of the chrysalis of topshop into the avant garde... or at least, halfway there.

That's an interesting question, especially for the people who don't work in fashion -can you be avant garde and still have a practical wardrobe? The Hannelore pictures make me think yes.

 

[wheneveriwakeup]

I think I finally get the concept of this thread...
The difference between eccentricity and being avant garde is that being avant garde is quieter, less attention-seeking. It's being different, but by accident. Eccentrics are different because they try to be; the avant garde happens to be different, but is following its own momentum.

Or, at least, that might just be the line we draw to rationalise the fact that there are some looks that seem to work in a full, sophisticated way; and there are others we just don't. Could be entirely arbitrary.

That said, I love all of the pictures in this thread (apart from maybe some of the guys with the very bright colour, perhaps a bit too 'NOW' for me). So maybe there is something intangible but real which we're tapping into here?

I've been thinking a lot about the way I dress recently and find that I'm torn between aiming for something beautiful, artsy and which I will look back on in ten years and still find balanced and not dated... and between looking fashionable, so that people will know I'm so fashionable and be like, oh, yah, you're so cool, yah? . I feel like I'm maturing and hopefully I will break out of the chrysalis of topshop into the avant garde... or at least, halfway there.

That's an interesting question, especially for the people who don't work in fashion -can you be avant garde and still have a practical wardrobe? The Hannelore pictures make me think yes.

Nothing the avant gardist does is by accident. A lot of thought and conscious effort goes into every aspect of their style.
This style of dress is one that requires lots of thinking + pondering...
very cerebral as well as organic...
However, because it is such a personal, subjective experience, the avant gardist never looks overt or fussy...
because it is their natural disposition to be dressed as they are..

Eccentrics definitely want to be different, too. Some want to seek attn and others really don't give a damn. However, unlike an avant gardist, Eccentrics never really capture that sense of timeless. I feel this happens because they are mostly hellbent on setting themselves apart from the 'now'. Whereas avant gardists aren't really following a scale of time... their instincts and motives are from within.... it's somewhat of a war raging with themselves... to do what has not been done and never repeat themselves... it has nothing to do with society or what society may think of what they're doing...

You can definitely be avant garde and still have a practical wardrobe. As softgrey mentioned, most avant gardist have many classic pieces in their wardrobes. The classic pieces serve as a basis... like clay that is ready to be molded into something subversive + fresh by way of styling and/or the aid/support of garments specifically derived from the science of avant gardism as well as counteractive garments... two elements, that, otherwise, would never have been paired together...
ex - mixing Yohji with J.Crew & vintage pieces.. but in a thoughtful, elegant, timeless manner... one that defies the trends and satiates the desire to find new light in a dim surrounding...

Uberwench, you can shop wherever you want! There are no restrictions! That is the beauty of it... it's all about what you do with the items... and how far you're willing to push your mind and bend the rules...

 

[softgrey]

it seems that we should have a link to the japanese avant-garde thread in D&C posted here...

lots of amazing info, interviews and images here...
enjoy...


http://www.thefashionspot.com/forums/f116/1970s-1980s-1990s-japanese-avant-garde-25936.html

 

[fourboltmain]

Loving this thread. I only skimmed the first couple pages, now I may even be so bold as to subscribe. I'm bust trying to tie avant gardism to music and art without being pretentious or hi-jacking the thread...

 

[softgrey]

wiw- you seem to have an excellent grasp of this entire concept...

tFS member petite lucille recently posted a cute shot of herself in WAYWT...
very cool use of colour...
i will have to pull it over here ..

 

[softgrey]

here she is...
isn't she adorable..

__________________

 

[wheneveriwakeup]

^ Ty for posting, softie!

She looks lovely...
That is a perfect example of breathing 'new life' into nostalgic/vintage pieces...
There is nothing costume-y or retro about it... the colors are beautifully subdued too...

 

[Petit Lucille]

i've just read this, thank you!!! especially since i always think people stare at me and go: "she must be in a play or something.."

 

[softgrey]

it's funny...
because i went to a b-day party at a bar where there were all people from the fashion industry and i brought some people who aren't...
and the people who aren't asked- so, who is with the party?...
and i said -'all the people who look like they're wearing a costume!'...

but, they weren't avant garde...maybe they were just a little 'over the top'...


i just re read this thread and i have to say that this was a very inspired and interesting conversation with some great points and some great questions...
very thoughtful...very cool...

 

[Petit Lucille]

a couple of months ago, my bf's mom asked me what kind of clothes i design (still in university) and she asked me if i did avant-garde designs, and i replied: well, if we think of the origin of the concept, the first-liners in battle who are most likely to be crushed, then yes.

and she always says that it's impossible to buy me things because i like strange things, a couple of times i pointed out that most of the ensemble were basics

 

[Amillion]

I always thought Avant Garde was more fashion art, someone who puts together an outfit that tells a story . Not just throwing on a bunch of different textures and colors and "standing out"

 

[softgrey]

Why Weird is Wonderful (and Bankable)

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[jun3machina]

lol^^ so the current gothy rooney mara?? :whistle:

 

[softgrey]

i don't think she's weird...i think she's boring!...

*yawn*...

 

[YoninahAliza]

^Haha... that's brilliant! I guess I'll continue to be weird... I'm pretty good at it.