Il Sistema Degli Oggetti: Beauty and Baudrillard.

Postmodernism, simulacra, meaning, consumption vs. production – these are the Baudrillardian sociological theories which inform Italian label, Il Sistema Degli Oggetti‘s, aesthetic. Eh…what? Aren’t you always that little bit wary when a brand attaches itself to some lofty academic concept that’s vague enough to elude strict definition and, therefore, capable of being bastardised? It screams pretension to me, since designers are so v. rarely aware of what the whole crux of their chosen concept is. That said, I’m no Baudrillard expert (see Ana K of Ripped Knees for more learned observations), I mean I know who he is, but I skipped the entire section on postmodernism and avoided semiotics like the plague when it came to revising Film Theory last year. 

A brand which takes its name from Jean Baudrillard’s 1968 seminal publication, The System of Objects, Il Sistema is the product of three talented Politecnico di Milano grads (Caterina Coccioli, Anna Lottersberger, and Alessandro Manzi) who banded together in 2008 in the hopes of translating the French theorist’s notions into covetable clothing. But aside from Baudrillard’s idea of “consumption” being at the core of our society’s being, and that, what we wear acts as a signifier in the semiotic sense, I can’t really make any solid links between Il Sistema’s designs and Baudrillard’s musings.

Still, it’s a bloody good AW10 collection and I want it all, which is the main point of it all, right? Well cut woolen suits in charcoal are testament to the designers’ love of quality Italian craftsmanship,  and are offset by delicate shirting, that mountain peak print shirt, with a welcome sportswear interjection from the zippered mesh shirt and parka. Gimme.