Lockwood: Fashion For People Who Understand Fashion
“Quelque chose je prendrai non souillé hors de ce monde…mon panache.”
–Edmond Rostand, Cyrano de Bergerac
I have a confession to make: I am a fashion aficionado.
I don’t mean solely in terms of Home; due to the low prices, there’s no shortage of people who can slap together various garish combinations (regardless of the gender of the actual user), strike a pose, and call it fashion. And, on the other end of Home’s economy, Sony’s “Exclusives” lineup is, quite frankly, an insult. I give them credit for making a profit off of people with more allowance money than enculturation, but damn it, it’s a crime against good taste. And, at least in SCEA Home, there is already no shortage of poor taste from the user base.
No, I’m referring to real life. Fashion is more than just a vain personal indulgence, or a statement of one’s personal preferences; it is an unspoken code that says you have taken the time to learn what is correct and what isn’t, and you are more than just another part of the petty bourgeoisie circus. Fashion, in certain business circles, is a remarkably critical component which one dare not overlook.
(If you want to see a film that got this correct, watch the remake of The Thomas Crown Affair. The proper application of fashion, in all of its contexts, was handled beautifully in that movie.)
Actual boat shoes
Drey bowling shoes
Yes, I’m aware that it’s easy to take it too far. Gianni Agnelli’s sprezzatura was more about the power statement of getting away with such flagrant violations than trying to make a statement himself. And I’m probably one of the six people on the planet who actually went and saw Prêt-à-Porter, which was a delicious satire of how crazily incestuous the fashion scene can get. That said, fashion is something that I do take quite seriously, because it does make a difference.
Now, I’ll admit my own personal biases. My tastes skew far more European than American. Frankly, I’ve always felt much more comfortable throughout western Europe than I have in my own country. This is not to say that the USA hasn’t culturally contributed greatly to the rest of the world; it’s simply a matter of what we personally gravitate towards.
Which is why the latest offerings from Drey caught my attention.
Michael Douglas, dressed appropriately for a day on the continent
The clothing designers at Lockwood do their homework. Let’s use Figment as an example: the men’s suit has a couple of touches which really do set it apart. Most notably, the shoulders have no padding, and slope noticeably. While this is somewhat exaggerated, it is a correct representation of a proper English suit, as opposed to an American or Italian cut. Even something as subtle as the cutaway collar on the shirt is appropriate to the culture.
Maybe you haven’t noticed this detail. Maybe you have. But Americans tend to have this idea that a suit is a suit is a suit — and it is a uniquely American belief that suits can simply be bought off the rack, and that’s enough. The truth is far more nuanced.
So now then. Drey.
Drey, if we’re honest, hasn’t been my personal favorite collection; the style is too youthful. It’s designed for the early twentysomething, and I’m a decade too old to pull off that look. That said, I applaud Lockwood for creating correct riffs on modern youth fashion for those who want to appear a bit more upscale (at least by American standards). But these latest Lockwood offerings under the Drey line are much more interesting — because they’re classics.
Look at the knitwear, and the shirt pattern underneath it. Look at the bowling shoes (not to be confused with saddle shoes, although boat shoes would actually have been more appropriate). Yes. YES. This is correct. This is how it should be. We can forgive the pants (and the belt) as a concession to today’s youth culture; we can even forgive the brand logo conspicuously planted on everything, even if it is rather gauche. I’ve seen this disturbing trend creeping up in the real world (when the hell did Dunhill start plastering their logo on everything?), and it does seem to be all the rage right now to display what you’ve conspicuously spent money upon. The point is that Lockwood has finally offered up some Drey fashion that appeals to a broader age range, and in fact is remarkably accurate to the cultures they stem from.
Excerpt from Bernhard Roetzel's "Gentleman: A Timeless Fashion" -- if you don't know about fashion and you want to, this is an excellent primer. Home fashion "experts," take note.
Occasionally, I sometimes think that Lockwood has run out of ways to take my money. Surely it’s not possible for one developer to keep reaching into my brain and coming up with stuff that I like, right?
Except that’s exactly what Lockwood does: the reach into my brain and come up with stuff that I like. And now I have to go spend more money. Dammit.
May 15th, 2012 by NorseGamer | 3 comments
NorseGamer is the product manager for LOOT Entertainment at Sony Pictures, as well as the founder and publisher of HomeStation Magazine. Born and raised in Silicon Valley, he holds a B.A. in English/Creative Writing from San Francisco State University and presently lives in Los Angeles. All opinions expressed in HSM are solely his and do not necessarily reflect the views of Sony DADC.
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Pants were actually the first thing that caught my eye. I wear knits over plaids or dress shirts for semi casual, but these are pretty plain, i normally prefer argyle. I like the shoes too, not something i normally wear but i dig them. I don’t understand the man purse though. Tote bags, or sling bags are more american i think, but is it me or are the pants sagging? That may be a deciding factor on not getting them for me.
Bravo, Norse – another excellent article!
I’m sure I don’t have the experience you do in Europe or in fashion to be sure. But I grew up in Europe at times during my childhood and there is a huge difference in style, quality and the care that is in European clothing. It is a whole different world then American clothing quality and expectation of quality.
I have definitely noticed the quality and attention to more detail that has been given by a few of Home’s clothing “designer’s. But I have to say that my favorite clothing seller for quality in the look of clothing, hands down, is Bilabong. And, they’ve always seemed to hold themselves to this higher standard of quality design. No plastic looking clothing there! Code glue also seems to give a lot of time to detail in their design too.
To me, even if I can’t buy as much or as often because their prices are a bit higher, I’ll do that. At least their higher price is justified in their quality. I also have to share in your love about being in Europe, it feels like home to me too. Like being where I truly belong. Even the air is different there. lol