How I Faked My Way to the Top of Paris Fashion Week [video] • Hacker News Board

Re: How I Faked My Way to the Top of Paris Fashion Week [video]

#121

Post by ksdale » Fri, Oct 12, 2018, 4:13 AM UTC

beaconstudios wrote: post #76

lazerpants wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>In fact, "formal" clothing and couture has long been a way to show you're on the way up, not that you're there. Old money doesn't try to keep up with fashion. It's my job to deal with lots and lots of tremendously wealthy people (mostly billionaires). They usually wear formal or semi-formal clothes, or occasionally polos, etc. They do not wear Balenciaga, any of them, ever when I see them, in business environments o…

I've heard it said that high fashion brands are meant to be bought by upper middle class people who want to emulate celebrities and the wealthy. Actual celebrities get given this stuff for free so your fashion conscious upper managers and lawyers see them wearing brand X and buy the same thing to emulate them.

I remember watching an interview on Golf Channel long ago, someone asked Bubba Watson about his $100k watch, and he said he would never ever spend that much money on a watch. It seemed like the wrong thing for a person who was sponsored to say, but it gave a glimpse into the way that some pro athletes feel about the things they wear.

Re: How I Faked My Way to the Top of Paris Fashion Week [video]

#122

Post by skookumchuck » Fri, Oct 12, 2018, 4:38 AM UTC

StrictDabbler wrote: post #31

acconrad wrote: post #6

My wife and I went to Paris for our anniversary and we didn't realize until we were there that it was Fashion Week. I am genuinely not surprised at all that this guy made it to the top. Streetwear has become so ironic because the lines have blurred between haute culture/high fashion and bargain basement designs that you genuinely can't tell what is $800 (Balenciaga Triple S https://www.balenciaga.com/us/triple-s-shoe…

That Balenciaga is an absurd shoe. It's the running shoe equivalent of a Gaudi hotel facade. It looks like it belongs on the cover of Yellow Submarine. The lines are crazy. The curves of the sole section near the front of the shoe are in a complicated dialogue with the curves near the back. Check those tangents, man. If you've ever used something like illustrator, imagine where the spline controls would be. Then try…

It reminds me of Homer Simpson's car:

http://simpsons.wikia.com/wiki/The_Homer

Re: How I Faked My Way to the Top of Paris Fashion Week [video]

#123

Post by shard » Fri, Oct 12, 2018, 6:40 AM UTC

lazerpants wrote: post #70

StrictDabbler wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That Balenciaga is an absurd shoe. It's the running shoe equivalent of a Gaudi hotel facade. It looks like it belongs on the cover of Yellow Submarine. The lines are crazy. The curves of the sole section near the front of the shoe are in a complicated dialogue with the curves near the back. Check those tangents, man. If you've ever used something like illustrator, imagine where the spline controls would be. Then try…

>In fact, "formal" clothing and couture has long been a way to show you're on the way up, not that you're there. Old money doesn't try to keep up with fashion. It's my job to deal with lots and lots of tremendously wealthy people (mostly billionaires). They usually wear formal or semi-formal clothes, or occasionally polos, etc. They do not wear Balenciaga, any of them, ever when I see them, in business environments o…

Do you interact with them only in a business setting, or in social settings as well? And are they mostly older men? I am wondering if they also dress in formal attire in social situations, and if age/gender has something to do with it.

Re: How I Faked My Way to the Top of Paris Fashion Week [video]

#124

Post by Bayesiano » Fri, Oct 12, 2018, 6:48 AM UTC

notyourday wrote: post #97

notyourday wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you live in a walkable city and you walk, there's no $800 shoe that would last you proportionately longer than $55 shoe. If you Uber everywhere or drive everywhere then it is quite possible that an $800 shoe would last 4-5 years.

It is too bad that the reply to this message got [dead]'ed because it contained the typical mistake that people make when talking about "fixing" something - the gist was that for $15 it is possible to replace the sole of a $55 shoe. Here's the thing: $55-$200 shoe can be had at TJMaxx or Marshalls for $25. Quality sole replacement is claimed to be $15. That's not really correct - it is closer to $40 in sole + labor +…

10-15$ is what it costs to glue a rubber sole over the leather one, I believe it's calle a topy in English. It's mainly used so you don't fall in slippery floors but can also be added for durability. A quality sole replacement for a goodyear welted shoe costs around 100$.

You're not buying an 800$ shoe for durability but for aesthetics and comfort. There isn't much difference in durability between a 200$ shoe and an 800$ one. There is a great deal of difference between a 55$ and a 200$ shoe.

I have 200$ shoes with dainite soles that have been worn three or four hundred times over the last 4 years and are completely new.

We can't evaluate how much a sole lasts objectively because we should:

- Specify the sole that is being used.

- The construction of the shoe.

- How the wearer walks.

- How many kms does he walk.

- Where he walks.

- The weather.

- ...

In my experience a dainite sole is perfectly fine after one year of usage. Some of my days have 30-50k steps. I don't wear shoes daily though because it's bad for them and I have 22 pair of shoes.

My reply wasn't stating that an 800$ shoe lasts 14.5 times longer that a 55$ shoe but the notion that a 55$ shoe will last around the same time. A 200$ will last 5 times more easily. An 800$ shoe will look better than a 55$ shoe 30 years later at a cost of a 100$ resole every 5 years. We should take into account the environmental costs of buying new low quality shoes every year instead of having 3 pairs of good value quality shoes (200$) and taking good care of them.

Re: How I Faked My Way to the Top of Paris Fashion Week [video]

#125

Post by FabHK » Fri, Oct 12, 2018, 10:15 AM UTC

komali2 wrote: post #105

FabHK wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> formal or semi-formal clothes, Are you actually referring to formal - formal (=full dress, ie morning dress/Cutaway (day) and white tie/tailcoat/Frack (eve)) and - semi-formal (=half dress, ie stroller/Stresemann (day) and black tie/tux/Smoking (eve)) attire, or informal formal (ie suits)?

Er, haven't those definitions been out of date for at least a decade, if not 3? If an office policy is semi formal, do people turn up in a black tie? Why are black tie parties "black tie" parties and not "semi formal" parties? IMO you've listed "opera" followed by "black tie." "Formal" would be "a tie and jacket," "semi formal" would be a jacket without a tie, or (shudder) a tie without a jacket, and then business ca…

Well, I'm not donning a black or white tie for dinner, but then, I'm not a billionaire or deal with them (particularly old money) on a regular basis. That's why I was asking.

Re: How I Faked My Way to the Top of Paris Fashion Week [video]

#126

Post by Broken_Hippo » Fri, Oct 12, 2018, 10:52 AM UTC

Gokenstein wrote: post #111

komali2 wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Er, haven't those definitions been out of date for at least a decade, if not 3? If an office policy is semi formal, do people turn up in a black tie? Why are black tie parties "black tie" parties and not "semi formal" parties? IMO you've listed "opera" followed by "black tie." "Formal" would be "a tie and jacket," "semi formal" would be a jacket without a tie, or (shudder) a tie without a jacket, and then business ca…

Ugh, this is all stressing me out. I have an interview with a tech company in NY that interfaces with the fashion industry and I've worked from home for the past 3 years. My wardrobe consists of 3 pairs of jeans, 2 dad sweaters, 15 tshirts from various coffee shops and festivals, and 1 pair of target knock off slip on boat shoes.

I'm not much different, though I have probably 4-5 pairs of pants and 2 pairs of shoes, but that is mostly because I had to buy some for a "job" (It was language practice in a working environment, part of the joy of being an immigrant).

All pants are black: All shirts are black or darkish grey. I'm also female, and find fashion rules confusing.

Re: How I Faked My Way to the Top of Paris Fashion Week [video]

#127

Post by ericb » Fri, Oct 12, 2018, 12:52 PM UTC

TeMPOraL wrote: post #67

logfromblammo wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My hypothesis is that everybody fakes their way into Fashion Week. It's all one giant LARP event that somehow spun out of control, and now nobody knows how it manages to keep going all by itself without any GMs, or how to stop it, if there were somehow an emergency that required it to not take place. Now go re-read the Verge article or watch the video, presuming that everybody is faking , and see if the hypothesis ca…

God, this comment is so good, I'm favouriting it. It resonates though. I suppose many of us sometimes feel that we aren't the professionals we seem, that we're just faking and role-playing to the best of our ability, and somehow things turn out ok. Then there's a view that this applies to most adults, from janitors to leaders of nations, and the whole world is just one big fake fest...

I agree, great comment. I'd favourite it too, but how does one favorite an individual comment on HN?

Re: How I Faked My Way to the Top of Paris Fashion Week [video]

#128

Post by DanBC » Fri, Oct 12, 2018, 12:54 PM UTC

ericb wrote: post #127

TeMPOraL wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

God, this comment is so good, I'm favouriting it. It resonates though. I suppose many of us sometimes feel that we aren't the professionals we seem, that we're just faking and role-playing to the best of our ability, and somehow things turn out ok. Then there's a view that this applies to most adults, from janitors to leaders of nations, and the whole world is just one big fake fest...

I agree, great comment. I'd favourite it too, but how does one favorite an individual comment on HN?

Click the timestamp of the comment to take you to a page that has a few more menu options- flag / unflag, favourite, etc.

Your list of favourited comments is at the bottom of your profile page.

Re: How I Faked My Way to the Top of Paris Fashion Week [video]

#129

Post by Joe-Z » Fri, Oct 12, 2018, 1:07 PM UTC

deadmetheny wrote: post #62

Joe-Z wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I of course don‘t have data to back this up. But, I think, a lot of it comes down to how you approach these sorts of situations. According to my experience, how open you are - and stay - in kind-of-sketchy situations will get you a long way in dealing with people that others might have just written off as „someone trying to scam me“. That actually reminded me of a really cool poscast episode I listened to this week:…

The second part of that episode is in no way pleasant - in particular when they met the two scammers at the bar. Their flippancy could have very easily led to a much worse ending than it did. https://www.gimletmedia.com/reply-all/103-long-distance-part...

I know, I know... I wasn‘t referring to this part as being pleasant :)

Re: How I Faked My Way to the Top of Paris Fashion Week [video]

#130

Post by GBond » Fri, Oct 12, 2018, 2:04 PM UTC

lazerpants wrote: post #70

StrictDabbler wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That Balenciaga is an absurd shoe. It's the running shoe equivalent of a Gaudi hotel facade. It looks like it belongs on the cover of Yellow Submarine. The lines are crazy. The curves of the sole section near the front of the shoe are in a complicated dialogue with the curves near the back. Check those tangents, man. If you've ever used something like illustrator, imagine where the spline controls would be. Then try…

>In fact, "formal" clothing and couture has long been a way to show you're on the way up, not that you're there. Old money doesn't try to keep up with fashion. It's my job to deal with lots and lots of tremendously wealthy people (mostly billionaires). They usually wear formal or semi-formal clothes, or occasionally polos, etc. They do not wear Balenciaga, any of them, ever when I see them, in business environments o…

True story: I spotted Jack Dorsey 2 weeks rocking Balenciaga kicks and streetwear in Soho NYC. My point is fashion is just fashion and what you wear is relative to what you consider to be your "in group".