Conflicts

1. Pierre Debusschere Raf Simons archive shoot for Vogue Hommes Japan
2. Morag Keil Pole, 2010

The most unpleasant feeling is that of regret. When you could've had something that you did not want. When you did not like something that you would desire in times to come. Forgetting and remembering a safety pin.
/HORST

Beltium

1. Ann Demeulemeester Fall/Winter 2011
2. Raf Simons Fall/Winter 2006

The next thing I want is a cummerbund. And I wanna wear it everyday. Sometimes I wish life was a fashion editorial. And everyone would just dare to wear their heart on the outside.
/HORST

Laced Up

1. Gucci Spring/Summer 1996
2. Carlos Diez Spring/Summer 2012

Once you wear tribal, taking the next step does only seem logical. Now I want a laced front top. Just as proclaimed by the male shopping mall discount mainstream. Any suggestions?
/HORST

Intrigue, das Ränkespiel

Jean-Paul Gaultier Spring/Summer 1994 & Paolo Roversi

The beautiful thing about fashion is that you will never be satisfied. Each obsession will find its continuation in another obsession. Fashion is the eternal search for perfection in that exact moment. And therefore it is fundamentally needed.
/HORST

Forbidden Love VI

T-shirt Helmut Lang



Decisions have to be made. And words are taken seriously. A six-lettered term to define cultures, subvert cultures, undergo cultures. Tribal.

/HORST

Body Snatchers

Raf Simons Fall/Winter 2004

If you feel slightly obsessed with a designer, just give in to it. In the end, we only live once. It might be hedonism, it might be egoism and it also might be shopping victim-ism. But things that feel good, feel best.
/HORST

Forbidden Love IV

Photos David Armstrong for 032c

An obsession becomes manifest when returning to one's mind with consistency and ruthlessness. An obsession might also become hurtful to an extent of unsatisfied desire. So one question remains: Yes or no?
/HORST

Hardcore Studio

Leather T-shirt Josef Lazo
Shirt Maison Martin Margiela
Shoes Raf Simons x Doc Martens

Giving myself over to the principles of obsession. I am not innocent. I am not living the lie. I do what I preach. I am what I write. I can't be tamed. My homage to Margiela and Mapplethorpe.
/HORST

Forbidden Love III

Isn't it nice to have obsessions? Some unfulfilled fantasies. Things that shouldn't be but manifest themselves irreparably. Just like a tribal tattoo on tanned skin.
/HORST

Gravure

1. Marios Schwab Spring/Summer 2011
2. Antonio Miro Fall/Winter 2005
3. Jean Paul Gaultier Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2002

I've always fancied a sheer, tattoo-printed shirt. Most notably due to my restless obsession for tribal. In that sense, I appreciate Marios Schwab's latest homage to biker chic. Don't stop believin'.
/HORST

Clearing

Prada Spring/Summer 2009

Everyone who feels harassed by my penetration of transparent coats of any kind is allowed to scream out loud. Now. But I had to do this. For Jasper. And for myself. And for Miuccia.
/HORST

A Short History Of The Plastic Raincoat In Popular Culture II

1. Abbey Lee Kershaw, i-D Spring 2010
2. Patrik Ervell Fall/Winter 2010
3. Richard Nicoll Fall/Winter 2009 & Comme Comme Spring/Summer 2011
5. American Psycho, 2000
6. Lady Gaga, Vanity Fair 2010
7. Scarlet Street (1945), Follow Me Quietly (1949), Miss Sadie Thompson (1953)
8. Helmut Lang Spring/Summer 2003 & Spring/Summer 2005

Don't ask me why but I am still researching, archiving and assembling reference images picturing the use of clear plastic in fashion. One might call it obsession, I'd like to see it more as a tribute to an underexposed brilliancy.
/HORST

P.S.: The original plastic raincoat from Blade Runner sold for $1,600.00 on ebay.

Image credits Catwalking, Jak & Jil, Style.com

Offence As Defence

Photos Steven Meisel

The final post to conclude my military trilogy: Make Love Not War. And what else do we need: camouflage, half-nakedness, tribal tattoos. I'll try to abandon my obsession pretty soon, promised.
/HORST