On Oversized Fits
Autumn/Winter 2023
I saw these images from the Autumn/Winter 2023 collection by Sage Nation recently and thought it looked like a really cool collection. I have a weakness for textures and so enjoyed seeing the heavier weight wools and padded nylons. The idea behind the brand is the fusing of Japanese and British approaches to garment making to reflect the designer’s (Sage Toda-Nation) dual heritage.
With this collection there are clear references to military designs and traditional workwear, allowing for a functional design language, which is something I am always drawn towards. They are executed in a manner that gives due attention to novel design and the construction of the garments, thus elevating them beyond the plethora of mediocre designs by other brands riffing on such archetypal masculine dress domains.
What stands out most to me is the wonderfully oversized fit of these garments. As regular readers will no doubt know, I am an avid fan of oversized clothing. There is a beauty to the drape, a comfort to the cocoon, and an overall elegance to oversized garments (when executed properly) that I adore. To my mind there are three primary categories of intentionally oversized design:
Exaggerated proportions which build upon the body - think Thom Browne or recent Rick Owens
Sculptural or artistic shapes which add to the body - think the dress/body assemblages of Rei Kawakubo
Unstructured fluid designs that drape over the body - think Yohji Yamamoto
Of course you can also simply size up, but that does not necessarily achieve the same effect unless the designer has cut the garment with that in mind.
When it comes to my own wardrobe and what I feel most comfortable in, I am drawn to the fluidity of oversized garments that drape over the body and hang from the body. It seems somehow softer and gentler to me, and feels most comfortable to me in movement. I love a good drape and how a garment can comfortably cocoon the body without having to be sculptural or structured to provide that sense of protection. It can be the softest of fabrics, and yet with that fluidity and oversized coverage, it feels like armour to me.
When I see something like Rick Owens’ recent hyper exaggerated shoulders, I always find that type of garment too bold and structural for me personally. And while I love the creativity of a lot of mainline Comme, it can sometimes be far too bold once again, but in a different way, because it is so much more eye-catching.
There is an inherent paradox in the way I dress. I like oversized fits, which can often stand out by virtue of their shape and silhouette, but I still find myself avoiding clothes that feel “too bold”. I wear black every day because those closest to me get used to the uniformity and so can ignore the clothes and see only my face, but in most situations somebody dressed in all black tends to stand out purely because of their clothes.
I put oversized fits and the colour black alongside each other in my mind because they are both factors I use to mediate and negotiate the borders between myself and the outside world. But they also factors I use to feel comfortable on both physical and emotional planes. I am always seeking clothes that allow me to feel comfortable, which translates for me to a dressed self that feels confident.
I am still trying to understand what it is about those more structural and sculptural oversized fits that I do not feel as comfortable or confident wearing. “Too bold” seems too vague a description for how I feel about them, because many of the clothes I enjoy and wear could easily be described that way by others.
I am wondering if there is a quantifiable variable I could play with to explore the boundary between what I find comfortable and uncomfortable to wear, and thus better understand which individual factors are actually influencing that perception. I have a feeling I would probably be surprised by the results.
xxxx
