Elizabeth and James : by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen

[softgrey]

Originally Posted by MeganPatricia

In America, anything that is mix-and-match separates is referred to as 'sportswear'. It has nothing to do with sports. 'Activewear' is the industry term for athletic apparel.

completely true and accurate...

american designers INVENTED the idea and the term 'sportswear' many years ago to describe the separates they specialized in...ie- the polo shirt, khaki pants, etc...the whole preppy look...it's not used as much these days except by industry professionals...
*the article is from an industry publication, so you are expected to understand all of this if you are reading this article...

[Thefrenchy]

UrbanROYALTY karma

[lucy92]

i think they should have stuck with french connection-esque prices. you can buy a sequined dress that's sturdy there for $198-298 at FC now.
it would have been a good idea for niemans to have a slightler lower priced contemporary line at their store. im guessing that the sequined dress shown will be a lot more expensive than this.

and 80$ for a t shirt? thats ridiculous.

also, elizabeth and james is MORE expensive than sienna miller's line that nieman's will also be carrying in the same section.

[Thefrenchy]

it may be ridiculous for some people but its done for those who can afford it. if you prefer buying american apparel, buy it; thats not a line for Walmart!!!

[softgrey]

frenchy- french connection does not equal walmart dearest...

...

i think they should have done this and only this..
forget The Row...

and i don't think most of mk and ashley's fans can afford this stuff either...
girls in their earlky 20's don't have this kind of money....
they are lucky if they have a job at all at that point - and it will be entry level- so not $$$...

if that is truly their market- the price is too high...
it just is...
otherwise they should admit to going after a 25-35 yr customer with more cash to spend...

but no one over the age if 15 should be out in public in those shorts!.....
so they are going to have to rethink the designs if that's the case...

[rainy_spring]

softgrey - i agree with you completely!
i'm a big fan, and would be interested in buying some of their clothes for the right look - but i'm in university - there is no way i could spend so much on the basics!
i am looking forward to seeing what they have designed though!

[Thefrenchy]

Originally Posted by softgrey

frenchy- french connection does not equal walmart dearest...

...

I know and never pretended it

Again it may be not for all the 20 y-o girls but, dont know if they'll sell the line in the same stores they've chosen for THE ROW, but they've a precise target chosing stores like Barneys etc

[Meg]

Well those are only a couple of looks. I didn't go through all the pages so maybe there are more posted?

Women in their early 20's can definately afford this stuff though. Lots of women in their early 20's buy DvF, Theory, Juicy, Milly (which their one dress reminded me of), etc. etc. etc. I'm certainly not saying everyone can but people graduate from uni when they are 20,21,22 depending on their undergrad program. So they're starting an entry level job at those ages and entry level jobs can start from 30k+ at least. I was at an entry level job with no degree and certainly pulling in more than that.

I do think they have a really good business sense about the industry. You can just tell in their answers. It's not 'oh well we love fashion so we thought we'd give it a try' it's 'we saw a gap in the market. we have a clearly defined customer' though i would argue that the market is in fact SATURATED with this sort of thing.

As for the kate moss topshop comparisons.....I guess it'll all come down to quality. Topshop doesn't make high quality stuff. End of. So hopefully this'll be different besides the fact that a lot of the kate moss stuff was majorly FUG.

phew!

[softgrey]

meg-
i agree that the contemporary market is crowded...but as the fashion consultant in the article mentioned..that customer is always ALWAYS looking for the next new thing...
so weirdly- i think there is still some room there...

i just don't know how much disposable income that specific age bracket has...
i guess if you still live at home it's easier...but once you start paying rent..doesn't the disposable income go down quite a bit?...

i think some of those girls are buying the designers you mentioned meg..
but i think of phillip lim's huge success and it is because many women over 30 are buying it...same with marc by marc...
don't know if this will be the case with an mk and ashley label...
...

i'm a bit doubtful...but you never know...

[UrbanROYALTY]

MEG-I Agree with everything u just said! :0)

[joiedemode]

Originally Posted by softgrey

frenchy- french connection does not equal walmart dearest...

...

i think they should have done this and only this..
forget The Row...

and i don't think most of mk and ashley's fans can afford this stuff either...
girls in their earlky 20's don't have this kind of money....
they are lucky if they have a job at all at that point - and it will be entry level- so not $$$...

if that is truly their market- the price is too high...
it just is...
otherwise they should admit to going after a 25-35 yr customer with more cash to spend...

but no one over the age if 15 should be out in public in those shorts!.....
so they are going to have to rethink the designs if that's the case...

Yes I agree, and I agree with every thing you said after that, I do not know any 30/40/50/what ever year old woman who is saying "OH! MARY KATE AND ASHLEY ARE MAKING A NEW LINE! I CAN NOT WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Some girls in their late teens or early twenties can afford this stuff but I think there are more who can not than more who can...

Plus those twins are just...I do not even know where to begin

[Thefrenchy]

Originally Posted by joiedemode

I do not know any 30/40/50/what ever year old woman who is saying "OH! MARY KATE AND ASHLEY ARE MAKING A NEW LINE! I CAN NOT WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Tss the names not E&J by MKA Olsen, thats why lot of ppl who'll buy it wont even know they created the line
So, they (ppl who buy the clothes) will consider it is just another brand -- i guess

[Meg]

yeah I agree. There is definately some name distancing.

softie - in my opinion, there is still a big market of girls who are living at home off parents money and those fresh out of college who can afford this stuff. I paid rent and could and was living in a big city. I'm just saying this since I am their target age. I think also when girls are starting these jobs there is a bit of a desire to compete and if they can't afford the Chanel, Balenciaga, de la Renta, they will change floors at Barneys or whatever and buy something that will be a bit of a stretch for them but they can still walk out the door with the Barneys bag. I hope this makes sense! Anyway that is certainly not true for everyone but it is something I think happens.

I definately agree with your comments though regarding Phillip Lim's success. I guess time will tell whether or not this is successful.

[fashionispoison]

i def cannot imagine how i could have been able to afford prices like this while i was still in college without the help of my parents. if i only made 30K a year i would definitely stick to buying more affordable pieces...and not contemporary and obviously definitely not designer. i have a friend that only makes 24K a year and blows ALL her money on clothing. she doesn't have any living expenses really as she still lives at home and her parents pay for her car. IMO this line is targeted to those who get money from their parents or are netting at least 2K after taxes and expenses, so maybe 40K.

[just_me]

Originally Posted by UrbanROYALTY

i think they are very smart bussiness chicks! LOL.. at the end of the day, designers arent checking to see how much people hate or like there pieces.. they dont wanna hear it! they wanna hear CHING CHINGGGG when the people who DO LIKE IT, BUY IT!.. making more money... LIFE IS ABOUT MAKING MORE MONEY.

The thing is that they are promoting it like they actually care about it and know what they are doing, while I know many designers which are faaaar better than these girls which have a really hard time getting a break!

And people say they don't need money? If the rich though like they.. well, then they would not be rich for very long.

But like someone here said the sheep will eat it, this line looks no different than H&M, and I don't like H&M.
Yep.