Most Overpriced Designer? #2

[Spike413]

That Balmain jacket is insanely priced. It makes those fringed or sequined Tom Ford gowns look like a bargain by comparison.

 

[irresistable_loz]

I've cracked the Balmain code

Hilarious! Lol.. wonder how long it takes to show up in fashion design schools around the world..

'Okay class, today we will be learning the Dkammern Balmain theory, listen up and you too will be able to charge tens of thousands of dollars for your designs..'

 

[xPedro]

Hilarious! Lol.. wonder how long it takes to show up in fashion design schools around the world..

'Okay class, today we will be learning the Dkammern Balmain theory, listen up and you too will be able to charge tens of thousands of dollars for your designs..'

That would be a math class I would pay attention to!

 

[cologne_rocks]

Excuse me? Minimalism or not, I can swear by the high quality of Jil Sander clothes and since they're using the best materials, selling garments under their real value would be simply stupid. However, under no circumstances am I justifying the towering prices but the whole concept of high fashion is the quality of what you're buying or seeing. I'd be happier if they retailed the collections for around 70% less than they do now but since Raf's getting lots of hype from the editors, it's unlikely to happen in the near future.

I completely agree. Those Jil Sander garments never lose their appeal. A Jil Sander dress looks stunning today, and you will still be able to wear it in 5 years without leading to dubious glances. They got timelessness. Unlike Balmain or Dolce Gabbana stuff which looks extremely outdated and kind of "overtaken" once the next collections are launched. They tend to lose their visual attraction and glow pretty quicky. Then again, someone who can afford Balmain will most likely only wear the stuff a few times and simply move on by the time the next collections appear to be in store.

 

[MetricSam]

I agree with that kind of mentality, buying less but 'better', timeless pieces.
But being timeless isn't an excuse to charge a lot more, because balmain pieces, quality wise, will last as long as those jil sander dresses.
(So you can't say: you will wear this piece 10 years instead of 1 so you have to divide the price by ten)

But I'm getting the feeling that it's not just Jil Sander raising prices, but the whole industry! When I browse the new arrivals at net-a-porter, I'm always thinking: they have to be joking?! It's almost impossible to find dresses below 1000 pounds, en so many of them are above 5000!
Think about that number for a while, one thousand pounds for a simple dress

I'm still young and so I can't really compare with prices 5-10 years ago, but I do remember a video on style.com about 5 years back, where Hilary Alexander of the Daily telegraph was raving about how it was inconceivable that someone would pay 800$ for a pair of shoes 3 years ago, and now it was the standard!

Do any of the "older" () members remember specific examples of prices 5-10 years ago? Sure there has been inflation and what not, but inflation hasn't gone up 100%...

I'm also curious whether or not this isn't just a big bubble waiting to burst. I seriously wonder how young women can afford these clothes without going into debt. But then again, with the Eastern markets growing like crazy, designers might be able to maintain those high prices and European and American sales will lessen

 

[ErnstLudwig]

Excuse me? Minimalism or not, I can swear by the high quality of Jil Sander clothes and since they're using the best materials, selling garments under their real value would be simply stupid.

Well I define "real value" as the price that people are willing to pay for it. The companies have to take into account the money they have to spend on the actual clothing (do they have their own facilities or outsource) and the additional costs (marketing, ads, distribution...).

But when it comes to Minimalism I always wonder why people actually buy them from designers if the actual design is ~50 years old, it’s not that there are cheaper alternatives which are equally great (in terms of quality)… Ok you can’t brag about how much you spend on a simple RTW piece

 

[brooksie]

^^^ I'm an "older" one (tho not THAT old) and I can definitely say YES prices have really gone up. The handbag and accessories mania from a few years ago seemed to push the prices of everything up higher AND faster than what was common even a few years before (say early 00s). I recall a few years back in the height of the handbag mania when Chanel just suddenly decided to raise all their prices by 1/3...just suddenly WHOOSH. I was astonished that people would just keep on buying w/o blinking when you consider their rather basic bags used to sell for $2,500+ before they raised the prices.

As for shoes, let's say that $450-600 used to be the super expensive ones in the 1990s...the Manolos and Jimmy Choos being the main well-known brands in that price range. The emergence of Louboutin, Pierre Hardy, Caesar Piocotti, Roger Vivier, etc...really brought the prices sky high and over a very short period of time. Basic Loub pumps were going for $500-600+ and the more elaborate shoes...the sky's the limit. I'd say this really became noticeable for me around the time Hilary says she also noticed it....'06-07 or so. I was shocked to see such basic shoes going for so much and people being so eager/willing to spend that much.

How do people buy this stuff w/o going into debt? They don't. I suspect most go into serious debt because the prices of even the most basic designs are sky high.

If anyone really wants to gasp, check out the prices at Couturelab http://www.couturelab.com

 

[cologne_rocks]

I would love to see a price calculation for this 20k Balmain jacket. I don't know anything about fashion in terms of fabrics and workmanship, but it seems they include a profit margin of 50% in this retail price which is quite a common percentage in some sections of high price policy.

 

[helmut.newton]

Prada, in Australia, is quite overpriced in comparison to other international stores. I have seen, on their official website, much more affordable prices than in the actual Prada stores.

I was wondering if this is the same in your respective countries? For example, the mens SS 2011 shoes retail here for AU$1,030, whereas in Britain, the shoes coast £550, which in Australian dollars is AU$890. Thats quite the difference, no?

 

[Dkammern]

Hilarious! Lol.. wonder how long it takes to show up in fashion design schools around the world..

'Okay class, today we will be learning the Dkammern Balmain theory, listen up and you too will be able to charge tens of thousands of dollars for your designs..'

seen the great response and the sweet karma I got ( ), maybe I should study other brands and use them all as my PhD thesis for business school!

get out of my way you Nobel laureates, I'm coming to pick up my golden medal with a brocade balmain tux to match!! I'll be rubbing elbows/shoulderpads with them all B)

 

[mikeijames]

I agree with that kind of mentality, buying less but 'better', timeless pieces.
But being timeless isn't an excuse to charge a lot more, because balmain pieces, quality wise, will last as long as those jil sander dresses.
(So you can't say: you will wear this piece 10 years instead of 1 so you have to divide the price by ten)

But I'm getting the feeling that it's not just Jil Sander raising prices, but the whole industry! When I browse the new arrivals at net-a-porter, I'm always thinking: they have to be joking?! It's almost impossible to find dresses below 1000 pounds, en so many of them are above 5000!
Think about that number for a while, one thousand pounds for a simple dress

I'm still young and so I can't really compare with prices 5-10 years ago, but I do remember a video on style.com about 5 years back, where Hilary Alexander of the Daily telegraph was raving about how it was inconceivable that someone would pay 800$ for a pair of shoes 3 years ago, and now it was the standard!

Do any of the "older" () members remember specific examples of prices 5-10 years ago? Sure there has been inflation and what not, but inflation hasn't gone up 100%...

I'm also curious whether or not this isn't just a big bubble waiting to burst. I seriously wonder how young women can afford these clothes without going into debt. But then again, with the Eastern markets growing like crazy, designers might be able to maintain those high prices and European and American sales will lessen

one also has to factor in the rise of the price of the euro against the dollar. as one of the "older ones," i remember when the four figure designer purchase corresponded the major designer purchase. one could go to a store like maxfield's in los angeles, jeffrey in new york, or any place in between and obtain quite a bit for a few thousand dollars. these days, the same might get you one or two pieces.

i remember, distinctly, that one of the reasons brands like vuitton and others justified higher prices came in the rise of the euro against the dollar.

however, by the mid-aughties, this rationale had melted into the exclusivity of pricing the five figure purchase and the demi-couture items. people just had so much money that design houses raised their prices just to keep up. and it's in that environment, that houses like balmain got restarted.

but it's not just fashion: look at exclusive real estate, art auctions, estate jewelry, and any other item marketed to those with high net worth and you'll see the price has become mind boggling.

 

[Frida]

The fake leather woven jacket in the Balenciaga show was a fast favorite of editors and critics. Apparently it weighs seven pounds and will be produced for sale for the price of $17,500.

nytimes.com

Though overpriced but incredibly detailed.

elle.com

 

[Dkammern]

I would say the exclusivity justifies the price, but at their level of "R&D" they should have had the skill to produce something that doesnt weigh that much, for it to go to production.
This is not intended to be a piece of art, fashion must be to a certain extend funtional, just like architects are supposed to build safe buildings people can walk in.
No matter how beautifully decorated, a room is worth nothing with no doors.

 

[thejarc]

Well I imagine that fake leather had to be specifically developed or researched, treated, sewn into some sort of ropes with some special kind of filling, knitted, partially embossed and all that stuff.

Furthermore the Dollar is kinda weak right now and as to my knowledge Balenciaga is only producing in Italy and France ( I think these kind of garments are being manufactured in France).

But all of that doesn't justify THAT price but I hate people moaning and complaining when the pricing of a garment seems to be a bit extraordinary but usually there's a lot of labor involved in these garments.

 

[fika]

http://www.net-a-porter.com/product/108516

ridiculous price considering you can't actually use it for what its intended for. 1000 pounds for a swim suit you can't get wet, urghhh!

 

[Crying Diamonds]

^ There's nothing to say you can't get the swimsuit wet?

TBH, that seems quite reasonable for Balenciaga. £11,000? It is a unique design with undoubtedly multiple complicated processes, I would have guessed at least £20k ($32k), especially from such an infamously expensive and exclusive label as Balenciaga.

 

[Ziegfeld Girl]

^ There's nothing to say you can't get the swimsuit wet?

They must have removed that line from the Editor's Note because when I clicked on the link it said that it is best not to get the suit wet. Clearly there are women that don't care about that lack of functionality since it is now sold out!

 

[MetricSam]

^ There's nothing to say you can't get the swimsuit wet?

TBH, that seems quite reasonable for Balenciaga. £11,000? It is a unique design with undoubtedly multiple complicated processes, I would have guessed at least £20k ($32k), especially from such an infamously expensive and exclusive label as Balenciaga.

I can just imagine an old lady in the atelier knitting big synthetic leather threads with two broomsticks

 

[Dkammern]

^ There's nothing to say you can't get the swimsuit wet?

TBH, that seems quite reasonable for Balenciaga. £11,000? It is a unique design with undoubtedly multiple complicated processes, I would have guessed at least £20k ($32k), especially from such an infamously expensive and exclusive label as Balenciaga.

but the balenciaga jacket is just like the Leger swimsuit.
the 'complicated processes' and 'research' involved in it can be part of it, but never the final goal. Specially when it's fashion meant to be commercialized.
you can't get the swimsuit wet just as you can't wear a jacket that heavy.


Chanel 'tweed' jackets are an example of exactly the opposite. Because the tweed was too heavy, they invested and researched ways of making them lighter. The solution eventually was to embroider threads onto tulle, to make it look like tweed. Of course the process is a lot more expensive, but it makes the jacket worth it's price, and above all, it makes all the research behind it meaningful.

 

[Laritournelle]

I know this is the 'it' product of the season and is loved by all the editors, but is it wise to spend approximately $ 4,800 on a fox-fur stole ?

source: style