THE REVIEWER New York Journal of Books

http://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/reviewer/jeffrey-felner

Fall 2014 .. the Fashion Rx

I don’t see myself as a fashion designer. I see myself as a person in design.

The words of Reed Krakoff resonate in my mind as he amongst so many so called designers who seem to be far more concerned with the blah blah blah rather than the fashion. Simply said, there are too many people in design who fancy themselves designers and not enough fashion designers who live the business of fashion.

 

No matter the season, the year or the location, fashion designers seem to be travelling a route which leads to a destination of  generic fashion. This is not the generic fashion of let’s say a Walmart or JC Penny, but a new classification which is being embraced within the so called designer or top tier of fashion. What seems to be happening is that clothes are being designed in some communal design room that yields clothes which have no distinction. The clothes can bear almost any label and the only thing that sets them apart is their particular blah blah blah, a color, a fabrication and, of course, the label.

 

Whether in Europe or the USA or wherever there is a fashion week, we are experiencing a sameness that will not benefit anyone other than the fast fashion and down market brands. As a reasonably astute observer and participant in this business we call fashion, I would be hard pressed to differentiate between Prada, Proenza Schouler, Chloe, Reed Krakoff, Balenciaga, Alexander Wang and I am pretty sure the latest Ghesquiere vision for Louis Vuitton. Apparently designers seem to think there is safety in numbers and no reason to be individual in their approach.

 

With all this being said, please do not twist the words to think that stepping out from the crowd will solve and ensure notoriety; this is not a sure fire recipe for success. Think of this, instead of showing clothes that seems to be far more than just reminiscent of,  let’s say, Rick Owens (men’s or women’s)… why not harken back to great design as well as some sort of vision or trend. Fashion has never been about sameness or going with the flow; it has been a constantly evolving business which today  seems to be stagnating with “people in design” a rather than fashion designers.

 

Having seen many pre-fall women’s collections and many men’s fall collections, it became blatantly apparent that the business is broken and no one wants to fix it because the so call called media or fashion cognoscenti no longer reward originality and only applaud “designerless” looks and collections. Not everyone who spends money for top shelf fashion wants to fit in; not everyone wants the same shapeless (in women’s) and snug fitting (in men’s) silhouettes. Retailers complain that business stinks, inventories at clearance time are on the rise and the growing importance of outlet stores filled with mark downs is evidence that something needs to be fixed.

 

Creativity seems to be at an all-time low, with few exceptions, and what needs  to be remembered is that the true greats of fashion design were not super stars because they fit a mold, they were pioneers and free thinkers who had a vision based on their idealization of beauty and what women wanted..okay and men too. Today we seemingly only have clothes that are to appeal to size 2 robotic faceless women who for fall will wear anonymous shapeless and oversized clothes or pre-pubescent boys dressed up in oddly tight fitting suits or slovenly layered oversized garments.

Fall 2014 Men's Collections

I want to wish all the high end designer stores good luck selling these clothes. With few exceptions, the collections in Paris have been of various “schools” and they would be …  the been there, done that boring school, what can I do to be as outrageous as possible and unwearable joke school or the school of pubescent androgyny.

What happened to wardrobes of dreams and clothes that begged to be owned and coveted?  What happened to designers who want to see their clothes on real live men above the age of 16? What happened to clothes that look like real people wear them and not the dwarfed, hunched or deformed wear them? What happened to designers who longed to see their brands be revered for other than some shrunken jackets, tee shirts, sweat shirts or high water freak show pant paired with shrunken jackets?

There is an evolution to fashion, or at least there used to be and at one time when brands really stood for something tangible other than some media hyped load of bull. With all the so called fashion forward and advanced design we get to see during these weeks, the end result is a highly generic variety of fashion where everything looks like it came from a communal design room.

The phrase “designers who design” has often cropped up in my writing but in the world of menswear there seems to be a HUGE lacking in this arena. All of this is compounded by the stratospheric prices that now accompany so called designer collections. The aspirational customer must now decide between eating and owning the latest sweat shirt with a designer label or even worse paying the rent or looking like some over aged fashion victim. Apparently there is very little logic that applies to collections for the most part such as... who can afford this stuff and why would anyone want to look like this for 1000s of dollars. Rhetoric is the new trend! Cartoon characters rule!!

So far there have been a few stellar stand out collections and here names will be used … Ferragamo, 

Zegna, Etro, Berluti, Balmain, Hermes and Vuitton. Balmain and Vuitton should come as a surprise to most that “follow” me but hell there were some truly fabulous and lust worthy pieces in those collections. No doubt these few collections will not have received the rave reviews of so many of the minute designers but  who cares as their sell throughs will reflect the obvious and that is simply men need clothes to wear !!! Not stare at!!

The Jeffrey Felner Interview with Ilia Sybil Sdralli

Jeffrey Felner’s short bio in popular news platform ‘‘Examiner.com’‘ describes him as ” a dedicated participant and well informed historian in the businesses of fashion and style. Decades of experience allow him to pursue almost any topic relating to fashion and style with unique insight and unrivaled acumen.”.
Allow me to add his vast knowledge of fashion history plus his overall personality as a journalist, constantly showcasing the difference between a real ”fashion journalist” (in the old-fashioned yet accurate way), from a random fashion blogger. Book reviews in ”New York Journal Of Books” are also another chapter.
I have been happy to get acquainted with as I have discovered great publications referring to fashion history ,fashion semiotics and the culture of apparel in general. His writing represents exactly what’s missing in today’s fashion commentary as he is not afraid to tell a spade, a spade.
Mr. Jeffrey Felner I salute you.” Fashionphiles”,do start taking notes!

by Marc Antoine Coulon

~What attracted you in the fashion world at first place?
I think I always set my sights on fashion as it was always of interest to me. I am lucky enough to have been part of fashion from every conceivable aspect from fabric design to many facets of product design and even retail and wholesale. Fashion remains a never ending source of attraction and fascination.
~With your years of fashion expertise, would you say that certain myths regarding fashion became less intriguing for you?
I think that the absolute hugest myth about the business of fashion is that it is glamorous. When I first began my journey, it was certainly more fabulous than it is today. Fashion magazines were really all about fashion and not advertising and editorials were about fantasy and selling clothes. Today it is very much about dollars cents and the barometer of what is considered successful has been irrevocably altered and damaged by the entrance of corporations who have taken fashion/designers under their awnings.
Today there is a myth about luxury that it is so exclusive which it is not. As far as I am concerned it is far too “democratic” and too easy to find, too accessible to too many people. When there was only a single outpost for a brand, then you had exclusivity and you had luxury.

by Jaff Noel Seijas

~What inspires you? Fashion history, music, images..?
I am inspired everyday by those around me who constantly remind me that fashion changes and that one must be open and accepting of the evolution of fashion. As a book critic, I am always astounded by how much I don’t know about this world that I have been part of for so many years. I am always watching and looking and reading as much as I can wherever I may be. I am blessed with friends who share their talents with me and lead me to others who have great promise. One of the greatest inspirations for me is to find designers who understand the heritage of fashion and utilize the art of fashion in their own particular worlds of fashion

~Which is your personal definition of haute couture? Are there great couture designers nowadays to the height of Yves Saint Laurent, Chanel, etc?
For me, Haute Couture is all about the first the design and then it is all about the “petit mains” or those who make the art of Haute Couture possible. To me, a great designer of the Couture is like a conductor who knows how to lead his orchestra for if the designer has no sense of that, it is possible that he has no vision for the Couture. Couture remains at the mercy of the consumer, not the stores; these ladies dictate the success of any designer. Haute Couture is usually associated with Paris, but I have come to learn that this lost art is present in the United States as well as so many other countries around the world.

 by Tim Otte

~Could you define’’ beauty’’ or ‘’style’’ in your very own terms?
I believe that one of the greatest sources on the topic was the late Diana Vreeland; to me she was utterly brilliant with what popped out of her mouth. She was outrageous and absolutely brilliant when it came to matters of both style and fashion as she made it perfectly clear that they were 2 separate entities and are rarely combined in everyday life. I have read countless books about her and I am always enlightened and amazed at how she conducted her life, her vision and her observations, no matter how outrageous.
Style is a very personal matter and is clearly dependent on the possessor. Fashion, in my mind, tends to be of the moment and fleeting. Wearing the latest shoe from Chanel does not make you stylish! Fashion can be bought but I do believe that style comes from within.

~Do you think that street style influences fashion or rather, fashion trends advertised create followers, fashionistas?
I believe that part of what ails the business of fashion is the media. There are far too many unqualified and uneducated “critics” of fashion. Street fashion is always a fascination for designers but it is the translation of it and the interpretation of it that makes it a trend. A very select few like Mr. Lagerfeld can exercise a huge influence in this arena, he is a zeitgeist of fashion and he is an astute observer of life. I prefer to call those who are immersed in fashion… “Fashionphiles” as I find the term fashionista very tired and overused. What bothers me most about the new generation of fashionphiles is their lack of education on the subject and the apparent lack of interest about the history of fashion.

http://sybilia.wordpress.com/2013/08/17/fashion-by-the-rules-the-one-and-only-jeffrey-felner-in-an-exclusive-inter-view/