NYFW: In Hindsight

EDITOR’S NOTE: THE FOLLOWING SERIES OF EMAILS OCCURRED BETWEEN TWO PARTIES OF THIS BLOG.

Sam Franklin

Subject: NYFW

Sent: Tuesday, February 19, 2013 9:46 AM:

Wat did you think of nyfw

Sam Franklin

Subject: Re: NYFW

Sent: Tuesday, February 19, 2013 9:49 AM:

Wat did you think of nyfw pls email me soon possible

John Lugg

Subject: Re: NYFW

Sent: Tuesday, February 19, 2013 10:02 AM:

It was alright, I guess. Billy Reid was cool.

Sam Franklin

Subject: Re: NYFW

Sent Tuesday, February 19, 2013 10:02 AM:

What did u think of street style

Do you have anything to complan about like all theother bloggers who are washed up

John Lugg

Subject: Re: NYFW

Sent: Tuesday, February 19, 2013 10:57 AM:

Of the collections? No, not really. Nothing was atrocious. Everything was nice and looked alright to me.

I don’t care about blogger drama. That seems kind of dumb. And a waste of time.

However, now that I have some time to reflect on it I do have an input, however inane.

As more menswear bloggers start paying more attention to fashion shows rather than buyer exhibitions, I think some things need to start to shift – and in certain areas – are already shifting.

At buyer exhibitions, photographers catch the details. They stop the passage of time to allow the reader/viewer to take some time with a garment that they may not even have when they are looking at the garment in a shop. Sure, you don’t get the feel and weight of the garment, but you know what to expect. There are a lot of menswear photographers who are very good at catching those little details that give you a great impression and feel of the garment.

But as you watch fashion shows, what does the photographer do? They capture little details and brief, quiet moments of time. Can they fully express what is going on at the show? They could do that when they took 10 pictures of a pair of jeans and posted it to a blog, but 10 pictures of a fashion show does little to convey what is actually going on there. When I sit down and view photographer’s work at fashion shows, the quiet expression is what is most praise-worthy – it is the photographer’s ability to capture a special moment rather than convey the entirety of the show. This is all good, I’m for photography as an art, but I think evaluating shows through pieces of art is difficult.

For the internet “consumer,” you can’t go to shows and looking at pictures isn’t ideal. There are the art photographers, as previously mentioned, and those awful, low-res, shots that national publications collect. There has got to be a way to see the show “better.”

Here is where video comes in. People have been taking videos of shows for a few years now, but I don’t think they’ve started to pick-up until recently.

Take in point, Billy Reid from his S/S 2013 show:

 

I can’t say I’m blown away. It still sort of feels like those inorganic shots that GQ collects after each show.

Now watch Billy Reid’s F/W 2013:

Improvement?

I think there’s a lot of improvement. I actually enjoyed F/W 2013. It captured details, mood, and the general feel of the clothing and show. It moves the viewer along and doesn’t allow the video to stagnate. People are figuring out that video can be effective. They’re using it. I, the internet consumer, am enjoying it.

Sam Franklin

Subject: Re: NYFW

Sent Tuesday, February 19, 2013 11:02 AM:

Wow ur dumb