The best dressed nation in the world

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

Is it Japan, Italy or the UK?

― N., Monday, 22 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Italy seems to be all classic, no twist, whereas Britain and Japan have (oh God, how to say this without sounding like a fashion darling?) innovative and edgy street style. I'm sorry

― Anna, Monday, 22 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Edgy = grrrrrrrrrr. I hate that word.

― RickyT, Monday, 22 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The Edge vs A Hedge. FITE!!!

― Sarah, Monday, 22 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

But why should having "a twist" mean "best-dressed"? I quite admire the Italians for having found a style that works and having the self- belief to stick to it.

Mind you only in the UK would you get the edgy street style of stripey T-Shirt under gauzy maternity-gothwear.

― Tom, Monday, 22 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

When I was in Italy (=12 years ago, oh well) all the nubile chicks were wearing very very very tight, short, low cut dresses to the delight of my dad & brother, so I guess men would probably choose Italy.

― Emma, Monday, 22 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I was semi-taking the piss, honest. Anyway Richard, you look simply marvellous [brief air kiss, sweeps off]

― Anna, Monday, 22 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Apparently my new beard gives me 'an edge'. Also, it makes me look Italian. Go figure.

― N., Monday, 22 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Gedgy streey style?

― Alan Trewartha, Monday, 22 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Hold on Alan this is important.

my new beard

???

― Tom, Monday, 22 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Yeah, Nick, be-ARD.

― RickyT, Monday, 22 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

i've seen the beard. it's the hottest.

japan wins hands down because they have the unique ability to wear potentially unstylish clothes in a stylish fashion. a rain mac on me looks like a practical admission to the elements, on japanese kidz it's a *fashion sensation*

― nickie, Monday, 22 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Be-ARD. Must see this.

― Sarah, Monday, 22 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Is this beard as in facial hair or beard as in a woman who is pretending to be N's girlfriend to conceal his gayness?

― Emma, Monday, 22 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Both!

― Dan Perry, Monday, 22 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Maybe the beard has a beard!

― Emma, Monday, 22 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

But who could possibly be edgy enough to be N's beard I wonder?

― Tom, Monday, 22 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

It's beard as in not very hairy man not shaving for 2 weeks and then strimming it a bit. I typed that by accident but I like the image so it stays. It's what they used to call 'designer stubble' in the 80s when it was fun to say designer everything. Oh, happy times.

Anyway, everyone says I should keep it so I hope they're not just having a larf.

I vote Japan, btw. But I'm mainly going by the young Japanese over here in London. They're prob. rich and stuff.

― N., Monday, 22 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I will be able to confirm this when I go over to Japan in a couple of weeks. Though I know nothing of fashion and am a manboob too.

― Pete, Monday, 22 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

hm when i was in Italy a couple of yrs ago, leopard prints, gold sandals and eyeshadow and heeyouge gold jewellery were all the rage. does this mean either that a) Italians invented Bling and were therefore streets ahead of anyone else, or b) have always just looked bloody awful, at least in the bits where i went anyhow?

and before Mark C has a go at me may i just say that he is by far the most dapper and elegant young man i have ever clapped eyes on :)

― katie, Monday, 22 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Katie went to Working Class Italy instead of Posh-O Gucci Italy ha ha they SOLD YOU A PUP.

― Sarah, Monday, 22 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

oh yes i only go where the peasants are Sarah, it's so much more edgy than going to the major cities...

― katie, Monday, 22 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Grrr, this is reminding me of a HORRBLE article in yesterday's Observer in which the journo chick was moaning about the peasant / gypsy chic thing because us flighty young girls buying broderie anglaise blouses in Top Shop have no idea of the suffering of real peasants and would die if we had to do a day's manual labour and anyway nowadays peasants live in tower blocks because of sweeping agribusiness. And gypsies = most persecuted people EVAH and wearing hoop earrings & shawls in an effort to be fashionable is a dire insult to all of them. Sheesh.

― Emma, Monday, 22 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Certainly not Italy. i can confirm that leopard prints, gold sandals, etc. are still very much in evidence. For the 'well dressed' italian Man there is the Squire style, tweed jackets, barbours and knock off burberry.

― Ed, Monday, 22 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I will be able to confirm this when I go over to Japan in a couple of weeks.

Momus is back...and Baran is coming to get him! DRINK/OFF, directed by John Woo.

― Ned Raggett, Monday, 22 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Italy? You have got to be joking. Far too tacky. Japan? No no no. I pick France.

― nathalie, Monday, 22 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

But French teenagers are the worst dressed in the world! I'd put Italy and France about equal. There were some immaculately gorgeous women wandering around Florence. Maybe all this applies more to women than men. Apparently Italians spend a greater percentage of their earnings on clothes than err... anyone else and replace 40% of their wardrobe each year, factoid fans.

― N., Monday, 22 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

OI! Careful now.P>(You misseed all this)

― Graham, Monday, 22 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Apparently my new beard gives me 'an edge'.

Green Gartside, David Sylvian, now Nick Dastoor. I don't understand this world anymore.

― Michael Jones, Monday, 22 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

It certainly isn't the British. First trip back to blighty for over a year and I discover about of a quarter of the population wearing fleece-jackets?

― stevo, Monday, 22 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

No mention of Iceland?

― Aimless, Monday, 22 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Just saw some Japanese old lady with a pair of BROWN PLASTIC WRINKLY TROUSERS. I told my dad she was probably into kinky activities. Or completely blind. Or maybe she figured it was easier to clean?

― nathalie, Monday, 22 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

d) other

― Mark C, Monday, 22 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I think it's Sierra Leone.

― Dan Perry, Monday, 22 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

They could have been Sprouse...

― Sean, Monday, 22 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

There's a great book by Olivieri Toscani called 'AntiFashion' which documents just how brilliant people look in places like Nigeria, Myangmar, Borneo, Timbuktu... I think robes, turbans and so on are by far the most elegant clothes.

Amongst industrialised nations, I'd have to say Japan. Only in Japan do you see queues outside clothes stores -- in the rain! -- when a sale is announced. But I don't think Japan is in a good phase just now. Ten years of recession have muted the colour spectrum and dampened the verve of youth culture. The best thing I've seen recently was a shoot in Studio Voice (April 2002) by Takashi Homma, called Psychedelic Africa.

Messy 'albino' facemask makeup, fetish pins, layers of acid coloured clothes pinned and skeined, a kind of secondhand / recycled look, and pouched bodyshape distortions, like Leigh Bowery litter hunches (the kind of aluminum collection sacks you see homeless people in New York's East Village carrying as they comb the streets for cans they can exchange for coins at the recycling machines on Ave. A). Something about this shoot made me think of Ari Up of The Slits.

― Momus, Monday, 22 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

ten months pass...

japan, followed by the better bits of new zealand - like wellington, for instance

― Clare (not entirely unhappy), Tuesday, 4 March 2003 04:03 (twenty-three years ago)

Italy owns

― James Blount (James Blount), Tuesday, 4 March 2003 04:06 (twenty-three years ago)

If Quebec ever breaks free (which I seriously doubt as the seperatists will never triumph over the sane) then they would win no contest. In Montreal people are just way to well dressed.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Tuesday, 4 March 2003 04:11 (twenty-three years ago)

I like Hamid Karzai's sense of style - it's quite appealing.

But I'm afraid that my favorite "world leader," so far as dress is concerned, would have to be Mumar Qadaffi. The photos of him from the recent Arab summit were incredible - at least his clothing was incredible, that is.

― I'm Passing Open Windows (Ms Laura), Tuesday, 4 March 2003 05:10 (twenty-three years ago)

The UK? Are you joking? Arsenal jerseys and ill-fitting jeans? Well, I think I vote for Japan.

― phil-two (phil-two), Tuesday, 4 March 2003 05:40 (twenty-three years ago)

japanese kids are my fashion idols!

― minna (minna), Tuesday, 4 March 2003 07:07 (twenty-three years ago)

Italy, altho' I have never been to Japan.

― Jan Geerinck (jahsonic), Tuesday, 4 March 2003 07:28 (twenty-three years ago)

belgium!

― erik, Tuesday, 4 March 2003 08:21 (twenty-three years ago)

There has been no mention of the Irish and the Scottish, which is surprising given our innovative uses of natural fabrics.

As an aside, after reading through this entire thread and spotting this gem:

Anyway, everyone says I should keep it so I hope they're not just having a larf.

Ten months on the beard is still in place. He is either a very lazy man or an egomaniac.

― Lara (Lara), Tuesday, 4 March 2003 08:35 (twenty-three years ago)

Yeah well, both (obv.)

― N. (nickdastoor), Tuesday, 4 March 2003 12:16 (twenty-three years ago)

Anyone who says Italy is obviously smoking some kind of crack. Looks range from tweedy squire, to overtight white see though pants, to leopard skin prints. Sure Milan may have big fashion houses but Italians themselves are in the main a tacky bunch devoid of style 90% of the time.

― Ed (dali), Tuesday, 4 March 2003 13:25 (twenty-three years ago)

they gave the world invicta backpacks, Need I say more.

― Ed (dali), Tuesday, 4 March 2003 13:26 (twenty-three years ago)

Japan. Simply the best, and you never see anyone with a disgusting beard ('cept maybe the dudes in Ghost).

― Nicole (Nicole), Tuesday, 4 March 2003 13:29 (twenty-three years ago)

Well, Acid Mothers Temple as well, but it suits them pretty well.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 4 March 2003 14:13 (twenty-three years ago)

Makes them seems more intune with the cosmic vibrations.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Tuesday, 4 March 2003 14:54 (twenty-three years ago)

Ed is pretty much OTM. Italy is the land of white shoes/black tights. And Invicta rucksacks, gah!

― Madchen (Madchen), Tuesday, 4 March 2003 15:02 (twenty-three years ago)

It sounds modtastic, Madchen.

Why have you dropped your 'no ILE' policy, btw.

― N. (nickdastoor), Tuesday, 4 March 2003 15:05 (twenty-three years ago)

Because there was hair-care advice she just had to share. And she needed help with her french homework.

― Lara (Lara), Tuesday, 4 March 2003 15:09 (twenty-three years ago)

I am hooked again, but will use a week long ski trip to disentangle myself from your evil web once more.

― Madchen (Madchen), Tuesday, 4 March 2003 15:20 (twenty-three years ago)

I'll be texting interesting posts to you in order to keep your interest whetted!

― Lara (Lara), Tuesday, 4 March 2003 15:21 (twenty-three years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.