Unique Chic

[PrincessImp.]

It's really tacky to wear labels from head to toe.
I am not surprised that something like this is happening but really the truly fashionable don't need an article like that to point it out.

It is a challenge of one's own taste and style to mix together unique pieces.
How many people can do that well and carry it off?

 

[PrincessImp.]

And here's me getting worried / excited about a thread with my name!

Yea, I thought of you immediately when I saw the title

 

[Spacemiu]

I'm glad that people are moving away from just beeing intrested in big names, but they will never disapear.

 

[UniqueChic]

I wish everybody could have their own style, and use everything and everyone else as mere influences, but no matter how hard you try, there will always be a style or a look or a trend similar to what you do. I personally try to have my own look, but people always manage to categorize. It's how we're raised; everything goes in a particular box, and things that don't fit are 'abnornal.'

Here's the question; Is there any originality any more?

 

[PrincessImp.]

^
Pure, distilled, unadultered originality.. I doubt it.

As you have put it, people like to categorize everything, and that includes fashion collections, people's style..
I really have yet to see a collection which is totally original and free of any influence.

Avant-garde, refreshing, ground-breaking..yes, but it is difficult to attain originality, because influences can always be traced back somewhere.

 

[frugalsquirrel]

Some of the most creative and well-made pieces I own--all done in mindblowingly luxe fabric, fur and brocade-- have labels in Korean and Japanese I can't even read. As usual, I found them at resale shops. Shopping at luxury consignment and thirft stores teaches you to get an eye for fabric, design, and quality first, label later (if at all!)

Many "in the know" ulttrawealthy Mahattan philanthropist/socialites carry handbags personally designed by "one of their own" which you can only buy at a special boutique in the New York Bergdorf Goodman... definitely a clique thing which I stumbled on by accident and learned about once I started talking to the saleswoman about them.

"Wow, these are great-- I had no idea she did bags. Who buys them?"
"Her friends."

Over the next few weeks as I was looking through the society photographs and eyeballing people I was volunteering with at charity events, it was funny to see just how many of this woman's friends were carrying them. It was like a secret cult. Talk about a hyperniche label and covert cachet!

Here's an excerpt from an article called "Charmingly Fussy: Kristen Richardson on Branding and the Modern Socialite":

"Suddenly, a whole host of New York City socialites are creating artisanal products. Mostly they concentrate on hyperniche cloting or beauty items-- handbags, creams and candles are all popular. [...] Corporations have come to understand that plain old expensive is no longer exclusive enough. We are living in the day of the limited edition, the special batch. Today's socialite is all too aware of her image and what it can do for her: the right product can fill the gap between her and that worrying Paris Hilton. Her social standing allows her to leverage her taste into a marketable product, and association with a charming product-- her very own brand-- can be equally good for her social standing."