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ZERO_HISTORY
April 23, 2012
The title concept of William Gibson's
"Zero History" is interesting:
A "zero history" style is something
that seems neither fashionable nor
retro or classic, but rather something It's difficult to do
that seems beyond history: it belongs much with this idea in
to no one period, it calls up no fiction form, and
obvious associations. indeed, Gibson does
little with it-- he
In the context of the novel, tacks a kidnapping plot
this is applied to clothing on the end of the novel
fashion: Gibson invents a to force a conclusion.
subculture of designers intent
on remaining underground, they
make deliveries like drops of One of Gibson's real world
illegal contraband and keep examples is that fetish
themselves in the shadows, for Japanese denim: stiff,
living free and un-coopted by uncomfortable, expensive,
the corporate grind of getting but there are people who
rich and trying to get richer. are into it, for whatever
reason.
In effect they drive demand
by not trying to: the quality Myself, I fear that the
of their work is evident, reason is they're afraid
their mysterious nature rouses of really looking like
curiosity, those in the know anything: blue jeans are
learn to recognize the work the cop-out, default look
at a glance, though any brand of the terminally uncommitted.
(or anti-brand) is concealed,
if present at all. Japanese denim is
then for people
I tried to describe this really committed
"zero history" concept to to being uncommitted...
Dangerbaby, and her
immediate thought was
that I was describing myself--
And it's true, that I haven't changed
my personal style in several decades:
pieces of it come in and out of style,
but I don't think that I personally DOOM_CLONE
ever look like I'm trying to follow a
fashion, or like someone who is out of
fashion...
And one of the components I rely on is
combat pants, aka cargo pants, which
is one of the things that Gibson was CARGO
talking about: the overlap between
civilian fashion and military wear:
men, consciously or not, like the idea
of looking like cop or soldier; and
cops and soliders, consciously or not And that look has
have a certain sense of how they're changed over time,
supposed to look. in worrying ways:
police are increasingly
likely to want to look
scarey, inhuman and
unapproachable.
I've gone from the cheap
polycotton combat pants
I used to get at "surplus"
stores, to mail-orders. One of my mainstays
is made by a company
SURPLUS originally named
"Royal Robbins"--
a brand known to me
for rock climbing
equipment-- which
has renamed themselves
as "5.11 Tacticals".
The phrase "cargon pants"
is long gone, now they're
"tactical" pants.
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