» HADOUKEN « the vienna game, or when you fake it but don't make it
1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 -- if this makes any sense to you, we should play sometime. It's the algebraic annotation for the Vienna Game, a popular chess opening among advanced players, known for its open yet cautious style of play for white, but a game that is often ignored by amateurs in favor of more standard King's Pawn openings, such as the Ruy Lopez, or more interesting, uptempo and even wild Queen's Pawn games, such as the Queen's Gambit. In the year 2000(and one), as an (un)Cool Teen balancing the responsibilities that come with varsity football practice, chasing girls and crushing beers, I spent an entire summer trying to master the Vienna Game and all of its variations. It was the summer my brothers and I finally convinced our parents to invest in a DSL modem so as to prevent any untimely phone calls that might sever the tenuous 56.6K connection. I definitely set a personal record of least hours slept in a summer with countless nights lost to Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 (best soundtrack in video game history), Madden 2001 and Yahoo Games (RIP).
That autumn, the culmination of my summer work out plan was on display as I trounced my way through the first few games of the Staten Island Chess Championship (yes, that's a real thing). Seemingly no one was prepared to cope with my repertoire of fianchettos and latent attacks. Seemingly. Because there was Frank--whose last name I will never remember--and he certainly knew was certainly prepared. He cleaned my clock twice that afternoon, and I've rarely opened with the Vienna since that day.
Once in a beautiful while, the old adage "fake it 'til you make it" is turned on its head. I foresee a great day of reckoning approaching with its eyes set on the streetwear opportunists. I write "opportunists" because I don't want to get it twisted: the OGs who live and die by their craft will always have a place in the industry--even when the tide turns against the trend as a whole, they will stay afloat (assuming they haven't put all their profits in their noses). They will always be able to play thoughtful Vienna Games.
I'm talking about the sudden explosion of those who claim to have a "sophisticated" view on hoodie construction whose graphic t-shirts are made of "premium fabrics." My thoughts are set on the cookie cutter look book proliferation of Sk8 Lows, frayed hems and dissident sad boy models. And I won't even comment on the graphic-designer-turned-fashion-designer who thinks that "ill-fitting" and/or "too big" are synonymous with "oversized." These are the guys who spent one measly summer staying up late to fraudulently become "masters." Without an appreciation for, or education in, the basics, they're bound to someday meet Frank, and Frank will eat their lunch.
(Not to be a trailor to my generation or anything like that, but there's a great scene from the movie Clueless that wraps up how I feel about the current state of menswear quite nicely.)
While I cannot put my finger on a particular reason why, I feel that the streetwear craze will begin its descent back to normalcy shortly. Maybe it's like everything else, where the commoditization of a certain style ends up cannibalizing itself? Or maybe it's more cynical than that. Maybe it's a form of backlash? Maybe the high fashion dilettantes--the luxury designers and their most fashionable and discerning clientele--will eventually grow tired of this whole "what's poppin' in the streets" movement and restore order to the way fashion influence flows (top down)?
I'm not sure whether there will be a single catalyst that proves my hypothesis, but I do believe we will soon embark on a journey toward a more elegant and chic way of dressing. Coming up on almost two years now, the notion of "genderless" dressing has been bubbling beneath the surface of the industry. For one reason or another, it has yet to truly break through to the masses. However, with women's designers, from contemporary to luxury, now more than ever introducing men's offerings to their collections (e.g., The Row, Stella McCartney, Coach etc.) I believe we will soon see an infiltration across the larger culture and influence of fashion. And that's a good thing, because I for one am getting really tired of watching this Vienna Game over and over again.