Random Fashion Thoughts (Part 3: Style farmer strikes back) - our general discussion thread

[Coldsnap]

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Needed a good running shoe in wide with max cushioning. Usually wear Hoka but thought I'd give these a try. I only wear sneakers for athletics and don't aim for style but not a bad looking shoe, really.

I always hated the way my 1080s looked, but damned did I get a solid 3+ years of beating the hell out of them. Recently had to replace them because the sole wore through.

 

[FlyingMonkey]

I don’t understand that reasoning at all. That other stuff you mentioned is awful as well. And you just it’s no more stupid than all that other stuff but still said that the Margiela is cool.

So everything is awful? What do you value in clothes? Some kind of 'authenticity'? How do you decide what constitutes 'stupid' clothes and whatever it is that you like?

 

[OccultaVexillum]

No, not everything is awful. That Margiela shirt is though. And "paint splashed" workwear and fake boro patches sound equally awful.
I value things the same way it seems Regis does, and how I imagine everybody else does - personal preference.
But you can generally see the value in something even if you don't personally enjoy it. I don't like that shirt personally, I think it's corny and bad, but I also couldn't understand the viewpoint of people that did like it which is what made me comment.
Like EG and Kaptain Sunshine. I don't personally enjoy that stuff at all but I can completely understand the appeal. Lipstick shirts on the other hand....

edit: I'm just being annoying and obtuse. ignore me.

 

[dieworkwear]

Some of their patterns look the same as ESK Cashmere knits that I own, so I'm not surprised. I don't think ESK Cashmere is particularly profitable, so it makes sense that they also produce a "budget line" under a different name. Some of the sale items do seem to be a good deal for the yarn. @dieworkwear I am reasonably certain that GSN is not past season ESK. Many of those yarns and colors did not appear on the ESK site.

It's not just a mark up. Most of the yarns used for GSN, including shetland and lambswool, can be generally boring and itchy. My ESK Cashmere knits are mostly camel hair and chunky extrafine merino, which are considerably more expensive. If you want to talk about markup, compare ESK Cashmere to Nigel Cabourn (produced by ESK). I bought the same Norwegian knit in chunky merino from ESK for half the price from Cabourn. Plus, if you can catch an ESK sale (didn't seem to happen this year), you can get some really nice deals on beautiful knits.
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i think they have two lines? classic and contemporary. the elbow patch one is a contemporary/ seasonal sweater. the classic stuff is perennial.

i saw some sweaters on their site that look like the same yarns and colors in previous seasons lookbooks ive downloaded. here's a green shetland

and here's an old lookbook photo (sweater no longer on the site)

they also have noble fiber yarns on the gsk site. the cashmere dressing gown is a 30/ 70 blend of cashmere and fine merino. 395 gbp on esk; 195 on gsk.

i dont know if there's any rhyme or reason to the stock on gsk. i think it's just overrun. i also don't know if i would call it "fake mark ups on esk" (to @Purplelabel's point). we have no idea what it costs to make these things and brands have to survive.

i imagine some of this is about how a factory needs to smooth out seasonal production. since fashion runs on a seasonal calendar, many factories have spikes in their production system. so there are a couple of months where it's super busy, then it's just dead. but since you want/ need to employ people on a yearly contract, not a seasonal contract, you need to give them work during those low points. otherwise, they would leave to find more stable work and you'd have to retrain people. (would be like trucking).

some of these western factories have developed in-house brands partly to smoothen out the ebbs and flows in production year-round. i imagine some of this on gsk is just overrun to keep the machines going, even if it means selling a bit at a loss.

imo, the real question is just whether they're using the same yarn count, ply, knitting tension, etc. all the sweaters on there look stylistically the same, but maybe they're a lower ply or knitted with more slack. i assume gsk and esk are the same though cause having two sets of specifications can be more complicated than it's worth for a small factory.

 

[Purplelabel]

I’ve had this belt for a year now just sitting in a drawer. Bought on eBay for like a fiver and still don’t know what to do with it it.

Either get the leather extended somehow or just buy a new strap? Toying with the latter. I’m trying to put together a @RegisDB9 Miami FU vibe fit for the summer.

 

[notwithit]

So everything is awful? What do you value in clothes? Some kind of 'authenticity'? How do you decide what constitutes 'stupid' clothes and whatever it is that you like?

No, not everything is awful. That Margiela shirt is though. And "paint splashed" workwear and fake boro patches sound equally awful.
I value things the same way it seems Regis does, and how I imagine everybody else does - personal preference.
But you can generally see the value in something even if you don't personally enjoy it. I don't like that shirt personally, I think it's corny and bad, but I also couldn't understand the viewpoint of people that did like it which is what made me comment.
Like EG and Kaptain Sunshine. I don't personally enjoy that stuff at all but I can completely understand the appeal. Lipstick shirts on the other hand....

edit: I'm just being annoying and obtuse. ignore me.

To be fair, though, everything is awful.

 

[Chaconne]

At least if you think Kapital’s boro stuff of awful tell me that you think all boro is awful and that you’re not hung up on authenticity. In pictures I’ve seen of the vintage boro stuff, it’s not as nice as Kapital.
It reminds me of these guys from Philly complaining that they can’t find a real cheesesteak outside of Philly when there are plenty of places doing a better version in many different places.

Authenticity is bullshit.

/rant.

 

[notwithit]

At least if you think Kapital’s boro stuff of awful tell me that you think all boro is awful and that you’re not hung up on authenticity. In pictures I’ve seen of the vintage boro stuff, it’s not as nice as Kapital.
It reminds me of these guys from Philly complaining that they can’t find a real cheesesteak outside of Philly when there are plenty of places doing a better version in many different places.

Authenticity is bullshit.

/rant.

Cheesesteaks are also awful. And I live in Philly.

 

[OccultaVexillum]

Authenticity has nothing to do with it. A random, giant, black "ink stain" just objectively does not look good to me. If it was an actual ink stain from an archival Margiela fountian pen that was gifted to him by Jenny Mierens it would still be silly.

 

[sinnedk]

@dieworkwear I read your blog post a few days ago about Genuine Scottish Knits and their potential link to ESK. Bought something from them this morning and the paypal address paid was 'ESK Valley', think that's that confirmed! Cashmere/silk blends for £49 is kinda nuts.

would like to know how this turns out, i've been looking for a good sweater albeit not wool

 

[RegisDB9]

I’ve had this belt for a year now just sitting in a drawer. Bought on eBay for like a fiver and still don’t know what to do with it it.

Either get the leather extended somehow or just buy a new strap? Toying with the latter. I’m trying to put together a @RegisDB9 Miami FU vibe fit for the summer.
View attachment 1124775 View attachment 1124776 View attachment 1124777

I’m like the anti-Fok don’t like cold weather, don’t like belts...I think own one

But if I were to wear that red belt I’d American Gigolo the **** out of it with a ss shirt tucked into some jeans and some tan side zips

 

[Purplelabel]

I’m like the anti-Fok don’t like cold weather, don’t like belts...I think own one

But if I were to wear that red belt I’d American Gigolo the **** out of it with a ss shirt tucked into some jeans and some tan side zips

That’s exactly the response I wanted.

 

[zissou]

i think they have two lines? classic and contemporary. the elbow patch one is a contemporary/ seasonal sweater. the classic stuff is perennial.

i saw some sweaters on their site that look like the same yarns and colors in previous seasons lookbooks ive downloaded. here's a green shetland

View attachment 1124770

and here's an old lookbook photo (sweater no longer on the site)

View attachment 1124771

they also have noble fiber yarns on the gsk site. the cashmere dressing gown is a 30/ 70 blend of cashmere and fine merino. 395 gbp on esk; 195 on gsk.

i dont know if there's any rhyme or reason to the stock on gsk. i think it's just overrun. i also don't know if i would call it "fake mark ups on esk" (to @Purplelabel's point). we have no idea what it costs to make these things and brands have to survive.

i imagine some of this is about how a factory needs to smooth out seasonal production. since fashion runs on a seasonal calendar, many factories have spikes in their production system. so there are a couple of months where it's super busy, then it's just dead. but since you want/ need to employ people on a yearly contract, not a seasonal contract, you need to give them work during those low points. otherwise, they would leave to find more stable work and you'd have to retrain people. (would be like trucking).

some of these western factories have developed in-house brands partly to smoothen out the ebbs and flows in production year-round. i imagine some of this on gsk is just overrun to keep the machines going, even if it means selling a bit at a loss.

imo, the real question is just whether they're using the same yarn count, ply, knitting tension, etc. all the sweaters on there look stylistically the same, but maybe they're a lower ply or knitted with more slack. i assume gsk and esk are the same though cause having two sets of specifications can be more complicated than it's worth for a small factory.

Fair points, especially on that dressing gown. As far as I know, ESK never sold anything that was 100% shetland, though. Even the Jim crew is 25% extrafine lambswool. I suspect you're right about the bulk of it being production during low periods, but with cheaper yarns for the most part. Folks on here should not come to the conclusion that it's just ESK but without the markup. I'm wearing my ESK Norwegian knit today, as inspired by our conversation.

 

[nahneun]

I can't see that it's any more stupid than any of the other fake ageing, patching, staining etc. that is everywhere in the clothing industry from basic washing of jeans through 'paint-splashed' workwear to Kapital's entirely fake boro stuff that looks like it was taken from the body of a murdered rice farmer from the nineteenth century. If anything, it's more interesting because it deliberately draws attention to its own fakeness and thereby comments on the whole phenomenon more generally, while still managing to look kinda cool (which is Margiela all over).

the ink blot is pretty tasteful aesthetically though

but it has a chest pocket so **** that shirt

 

[Chaconne]

Authenticity has nothing to do with it. A random, giant, black "ink stain" just objectively does not look good to me. If it was an actual ink stain from an archival Margiela fountian pen that was gifted to him by Jenny Mierens it would still be silly.

My rant was more for Flyingmonkey calling the Kapital stuff “ fake” boro and really just a general rant about people preferring some ratty old vintage military jacket to a new well made one because It’s more authentic. Again, if someone just doesn’t like that stuff in any way more power to them.

On the other hand, I don’t like holes in new jeans so whatever.

Edit: and I hate the Margiella shirt too.