Urban Travels
I have to admit that my thoughts and imaginings have a natural tendency to romanticise in the images they create. Indeed when thinking about the colder months I can never quite shake the image of technical sportswear donned to traverse a harsh ice-laden landscape, strewn with jagged rocks beaten into shape by the buffeting winds. Of course the hardships that such a journey would entail happen to remain happily upon the fringes of my mind as I conjure up the first seeds to a magical tale. And yet those thoughts which I put aside in my imaginings, become very real when I consider the image as a whole, and indeed the fashion that goes with it.
Whilst the concept of technical clothing has always appealed to me in light of the Winter months, I find myself at odds to the idea of pulling on a bright goretex mountaineering jacket and some ski boots. Then again, judging by some of the city commuters one happens to run across in the Tube, maybe a red nylon Bergen bag is the perfect accessory to a suit. Whilst I suppose one could indeed use a piece of technical sportswear by incorporating it into one's daily outfit, there is something to be said for a piece inspired by the original, rather than simply the original itself.
Indeed as tends to be the way with such stylistic inspirations, there is always the potential to adapt a concept or aesthetic. Whilst I would feel out of place wearing arctic gear to weather out the rain upon the streets of London, there is a certain charm to the idea of wearing technical-inspired gear and clothing. One would perhaps refer to it as a filtered down concept, as something adapted and re-imagined for more practical everyday use. Indeed as I looked over the Fall '09 look book for Canadian-based label Krane, I found myself rather enticed by their technical outerwear pieces.
The simple use of toggles, buttons and extra fastenings in the detailing of the garments certainly added a more practical appeal. And yet, there was something about the practical and technical look to the garments that immediately filled my mind with romantic images of a modern day nomad traversing an urban landscape. The understated designs, which revealed much more upon closer inspection, carefully towed the line between form and function. Indeed there was something almost militaristic in pieces such as the last olive green coat. Perhaps this is no surprise, given that Ken Chow describes his label as 'a remembrance of vintage uniforms with an ode to modern industrial design'.
As my recent posts would have undoubtedly shown, my mind has been pre-occupied with images and fantasies of futuristic urban nomads. For me, the outerwear pieces by Krane are ones that manage to fit that mould, albeit with a more polished feel than the slight creative destruction shown in previous posts. Perhaps they are on the verge of being a touch too polished, which was certainly the case for the varsity jacket, which I felt to be just slightly out of place. However, the mask makes the model look like an urban ninja...that's cool in my books!
Currently playing: The Instrumental ft. Jonah Matranga - Lupe Fiasco
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