tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34993991.post1166303409438936536..comments2023-10-05T07:46:44.392-04:00Comments on And Now the Screaming Starts: Stuff: Torture couture.CRwMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07896615209770501945noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34993991.post-61185381720220547402008-10-30T11:54:00.000-04:002008-10-30T11:54:00.000-04:00Anon,I guess I've never found the ideas expressed ...Anon,<BR/><BR/>I guess I've never found the ideas expressed in haute couture to be any inferior to the ideas expressed by other artists. At least, the actual clothes themselves are deeply resonant and complex to me.<BR/><BR/>Admittedly, when designers are asked to explain their work, I find designers in general to be a profoundly inarticulate group and that, I think, often contributes to the idea that what they do must be equally dumb. Though, honestly, I think artists who can explain their work as well as they can do it are pretty rare in any medium (if rock music's power depended on the the ability of the rock musicians to explain it to us, it would be a long dead genre), so I don't really hold it against anybody.<BR/><BR/>As for the bike, I don't know crap about motorcycles, but now I can't get over the idea that a VBS must be how this guy ended a ghost in the first place. Far from being gothically appropriate, perhaps the rider's like "Oh, great, now I'm stick on this death machine forever!"CRwMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07896615209770501945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34993991.post-4421991077363910842008-10-30T10:44:00.000-04:002008-10-30T10:44:00.000-04:00I guess I share the populist hatred against high f...I guess I share the populist hatred against high fashion, not sure what my underlying class and gender issues might be though - I always found that stuff just fairly laughable because any "intended statements" just seem so hopelessly simple-minded or poorly expressed when compared to other "avenues of art".<BR/><BR/>Anyway, slightly offtopic, but I found the idea that anyone would drive a Vincent Black Shadow in London fairly amusing - it's a bike that's infamous for its handling and probably the last thing a sane person would choose to drive in a city like London.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34993991.post-32117417948820927792008-10-29T13:50:00.000-04:002008-10-29T13:50:00.000-04:00Screamin' Spacey,I don't think Saw inspired Kagami...Screamin' Spacey,<BR/><BR/>I don't think <I>Saw</I> inspired Kagami so much as it was something in the air that both folks picked up on. The less sinister version of the same impulse might be what drives all this steampunk stuff right now. Maybe it's a rebirth of what Neal Harris dubbed the "operational aesthetic," the Victorian love of clockwork, visible seams, and overly intricate design.<BR/><BR/>As for slasher chic, I don't know. Hockey gear never became a must have item, but who knows?CRwMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07896615209770501945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34993991.post-68531660314731638622008-10-29T13:44:00.000-04:002008-10-29T13:44:00.000-04:00Screamin' Sassy,To be fair, trying to make a livin...Screamin' Sassy,<BR/><BR/>To be fair, trying to make a living doesn't disqualify you from making art. Painters don't try to NOT sell paintings, you know?<BR/><BR/>The runway shows might directly lead to a sale or two, but it is really a showcase of talent and ideas meant to increase the visibility of the designer (or their house, in those cases where they work for somebody) among taste makers. This then translates to increased sales of their regular products. So it is about selling, but not really about selling the pieces you see.<BR/><BR/>You're right though: Practicality is not in it. Trying to walk through a crowded room in some of Kagami's outfits could very well lead to injuries for the wearer and several innocent bystanders.<BR/><BR/>Eh. Not all art is for all folks. We've all got our bags - ain't no shame in it. <BR/><BR/>My wife and I go to the opera a lot. Every time we go to the Met, we pass all these posters for ballet and modern dance performances. Though I have no problem spending several hours (three and a half, generally) watching folks sing their way through some pretty silly plots, I cannot imagine suffering through a modern dance performance. I'm sure dance is art and I'm certain everybody involved is working their asses off to produce something beautiful, but that sounds like torture to me. That said, I can understand how opera must have the exact same affect for somebody else.<BR/><BR/>People dig what they dig.CRwMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07896615209770501945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34993991.post-18845353698756995002008-10-29T13:28:00.000-04:002008-10-29T13:28:00.000-04:00Kids in the hall.. You're right.. Funny of me to g...Kids in the hall.. You're right.. Funny of me to get some canadians confused for monty python.. hahah.. That is the right answer for the skit I was thinking of..<BR/><BR/>It was never clear to me that the runway shows were about art.. I mean, it's a runway, they are fashion designers, so isn't it about selling clothes ? <BR/><BR/>Guess I'm too pedestrian for that world ;) (or populist as the case may be..) I stick to "if it's cold, wear something warm" type of practicality that doesn't seem to be a part of high fashion..Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34993991.post-80181917351889899052008-10-29T13:20:00.000-04:002008-10-29T13:20:00.000-04:00Good lord, five Saw movies in as many years. I can...Good lord, five Saw movies in as many years. I can't believe the franchise only started in 2004. They're like a factory.<BR/><BR/>I guess there weren't any Jason Voorhees/Michael Meyers-inspired fashions in the early 80s?spacejackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14902182763527176185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34993991.post-29275769006652864152008-10-29T12:03:00.000-04:002008-10-29T12:03:00.000-04:00Screamin' Sassy,Haute couture pieces, like what yo...Screamin' Sassy,<BR/><BR/>Haute couture pieces, like what you see here and in your bigger runway shows, are essentially artworks and they are bought up by collectors and museums. Few buyers, if any, will actually wear any of the pieces they purchase. In fact, I doubt that some of the pieces - like Kagami's corset that it actually made of surgical clamps and a shattered mirror - are wearable for more than a few moments.<BR/><BR/>What actually gets sold and worn is more likely to be either a less expensive and elaborate version made for the mass market or a custom piece made specific to be worn by a single client.<BR/><BR/>If you think about it, it isn't really all that different from any other art medium. We don't expect every painting sold in the art market to be pitched at working class prices so people can hang it up in their bathrooms.<BR/><BR/>But there's always been a strain of populist hatred against high fashion that I assume has to do with, among other things, class and gender issues.<BR/><BR/>I don't know the Python piece your referring to, but I do remember a similar bit from the Kids in the Hall involving a high fashion spike through the head and shoes that are boxes full o broken glass.<BR/><BR/>Oddly enough, despite the torturous look of Kagami's work, the metal pieces actually adjust the outfits to fit the body of the wearer. His clothes - especially his shoes - also incorporate design elements from medical tech that help support the body and correct posture. Despite its look, it's designed to wear easy. Reportedly, it's pretty comfortable stuff.CRwMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07896615209770501945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34993991.post-55857665062461172792008-10-29T09:50:00.000-04:002008-10-29T09:50:00.000-04:00I do kinda wonder, goofy crazy gothic crap like th...I do kinda wonder, goofy crazy gothic crap like this or not.. Who buys the stuff I see in the WashPost Style section ? I read the section for the comics, but the run way picture just look absurd. I don't care if they are $8k dresses, they look silly. Who buys them ?<BR/><BR/>Then this gothic look.. Well, didn't Monty Python did that about 30 years ago, I believe.. ("A nail through the head. Very fashionable.." something like that)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com