Comments on: Couch dress!

Couch dress!

mrgrimm — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 11:38:43 -0800

Pantalaine has been making plural clothing since 1950? Imagine sweatpants with arm attachments, or even better, a couch dress.

By: Gator

Gator — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 11:43:06 -0800

<meta name="robots" content="index, follow, noarchive" /> <meta name="googlebot" content="noarchive" /> Aaaaand, their factory floor is in the middle of the woods. Heh.

By: Hat Maui

Hat Maui — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 11:52:50 -0800

you do know this is a mcsweeney's parody, right? because i don't see it mentioned in your post.

By: If I Had An Anus

If I Had An Anus — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 11:53:09 -0800

I'd custom fit it.

By: Hat Maui

Hat Maui — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 11:54:21 -0800

here's the issue it's from.

By: billysumday

billysumday — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 11:56:15 -0800

SUPER SWEATS Ask about our American flag styles God shed His Grace on thee.

By: designbot

designbot — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 11:58:36 -0800

This issue of McSweeney's really bugged me. You can't put it on your shelf, and none of the concepts really went anywhere. It was like a long, boring SNL sketch with no punchline. OK, clothes with extra sleeves. Pictures of red cars & fish. And the point is? It was the most pretentious, unfunny, annoying thing I've ever paid for. A close second: the issue with the elaborate cover to hold a comb, not referenced or explained anywhere in the issue.

By: billysumday

billysumday — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 12:04:03 -0800

Wait - you are angered by McSweeney's pretensiousness yet you subscribe? Isn't that, like, their thing?

By: Hat Maui

Hat Maui — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 12:34:40 -0800

where did he say he subscribes?

By: fenriq

fenriq — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 12:38:09 -0800

Strange, not especially funny either. But they do get extra points for the freaky models.

By: lalochezia

lalochezia — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 12:57:47 -0800

See also the all-too-real slanket, nouvie and chillow. Chillow is pretty far from the post, but I love it's name. Chillow, dude!

By: jazon

jazon — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 13:00:19 -0800

I <3 the slanket!

By: lunalaguna

lunalaguna — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 13:21:49 -0800

I loved #18. It was like getting lots of little presents in the mail. And pretentious or not, McSweeney's is the only publishing company I can think of doing anything remotely interesting with printing and packaging.

By: sluggo

sluggo — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 13:23:30 -0800

designbot - I agree that the mailing issue was pretty lame, but the comb one? Who doesn't need a comb with "Timothy" on it, all fancy-like? And as far as I can tell, there isn't necessarily any reason behind any of the packaging other than "Wow, we could totally do an issue like ____".

By: designbot

designbot — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 14:10:53 -0800

It just bugs me that they go through all the trouble to set up this elaborate, beautiful packaging and high-concept stuff, and then can't be bothered to spend an extra 15 seconds coming up with a reason for it. Like this Pantalaine thing. OK, they obviously spent hours and hours coming up with concepts, sewing materials, getting models together, shooting photography, laying out a fake sales flyer, putting this website up... But why? The captions are boring; the parody unconvincing; the target ambiguous. It's such a jokoid. The only thing you come away with after reading it is, "Huh, I wonder why they spent so much time doing that."

By: gohlkus

gohlkus — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 14:16:25 -0800

What I enjoy is the fact that they faked the Google map disclaimer -- that address is actually quite mappable. Like them or hate them, you have to admire McSweeney's attention to detail. (Disclosure: I like them.)

By: gohlkus

gohlkus — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 14:17:55 -0800

gah, never mind. strike that last comment completely. There must have been a glitch at Google at the exact wrong moment for my unfortunate attempt at a comment.

By: mrgrimm

mrgrimm — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 14:31:53 -0800

The captions are boring; the parody unconvincing; the target ambiguous. It's such a jokoid. The only thing you come away with after reading it is, "Huh, I wonder why they spent so much time doing that." My thoughts exactly. I figured it was a joke, but not very funny, so I hoped it was true. I didn't see the McSweeney's connection. I've read a few things off the site, but don't pay them much attention.

By: Kloryne

Kloryne — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 14:46:02 -0800

I barely even glance at my McSweeney's(ses?) anymore when they arrive in the mail -- it seems like all they're doing lately is trying to get me to subscribe to their sister publications. (Wholphin, and that other freaking thing with the art print postcards...) Maybe I'm getting too old for the coy/snark. I still love The Believer, though.

By: Cranberry

Cranberry — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 15:09:17 -0800

Not funny on any level? Reminds me of "If I have to explain, you still won't understand"

By: dhartung

dhartung — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 15:57:42 -0800

Uh, with that couch dress .... where's the other person? Or is this why Mona Lisa was smiling?

By: blacklite

blacklite — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 17:22:31 -0800

I barely even glance at my McSweeney's(ses?) anymore when they arrive in the mail -- it seems like all they're doing lately is trying to get me to subscribe to their sister publications. (Wholphin, and that other freaking thing with the art print postcards...) Maybe I'm getting too old for the coy/snark. I still love The Believer, though.

And you're still subscribed? Wow, I thought Apple had it easy.

By: Gator

Gator — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 17:48:05 -0800

The couch is the other person. Sentient couch sold separately.

By: Ynoxas

Ynoxas — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 20:51:58 -0800

This falls wholly outside what I find to be even mildly amusing. *shrug* Maybe it's me.

By: cytherea

cytherea — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 21:25:59 -0800

I loved that issue.

By: The Monkey

The Monkey — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 21:36:41 -0800

Oh my God, double princess fantasy dress!.. Soooo sweeeeeet!

By: quite unimportant

quite unimportant — Thu, 16 Feb 2006 12:42:08 -0800

To paraphrase one of the characters in Achewood, McSweeney's appears to approach humor with a labcoat and tongs.