Balmain Mens F/W 09.10 Paris

[Deleted member 7575]

Selvage authentic fit jeans (rustic authentic wash)

Ummmmm, HELLO! Don't you see those GAP jeans aren't tapered and are clearly lacking the fine excellence only an extra 900+ dollars and a Balmain label can give you?!!!

some people just don't GET it.

 

[ETROsexualJ]

I was having the same thoughts. I have been around tfs for a while even though I don't say that much. I always got the impression Mr. "ETROsexualJ" is this fabulous young guy working for SAKS in NYC (am I right?) who has the incredible spending power with also a good taste and good knowledge about fashion. I still remember the way he defended what Raf Simons did for Jil Sander when that rich, spoiled, fat young kid called "Diorling" (where did he go by the way?) ranted with all those stupid nonsense. I also remember all those mouth-drooling Chanel Homme stuff he claimed he bought for his bf a couple of years ago.

It just really confused me that someone like that would spend hundreds or even thousands of bucks on those truly hideous Balmain stuff. I am sorry, ETROsexualJ, no offense, but everything you posted here, maybe with the exception of that scarf, they look horrible, as plain as any mens clothing could ever be. I really wish you had spent those money on something else.

Well even my name came from back in like 2004/5 when I lived in California and was really into (the sales associate I had a crush on at) Etro.

When I first moved to NY in 2006 I worked for Saks for about a year and then was at David Yurman for a year and I've been with Gilt Groupe over a year.

Yes Diorling was amusing...claimed to buy? No I did buy.

 

[ETROsexualJ]

Balmain's menswear is extremely unimpressive. If it had been by a contemporary brand with the appropriate price points I'd believe. However, knowing that the bombers will be like $3k and the jeans probably $500+ just totally makes it seem like a brand for victims. There's nothing designed about it except for the fancy logo and nice hangtag with the uber ridiculous price stuck on it.

Also, I couldn't see myself buying designer jeans when there are companies like Acne who really specialize in denim and do it far better and cheaper than some luxury brand throwing it in the line for those who chase a label. It's about as ridiculous as that Brioni tee shirt in the NYT's article.

What I don't understand is how pricing affects many of your conceptions about a brand here. The most common element seems to be "if it were not that expensive then I would like it". You either do or you don't. Is it more a matter of not being able to afford something you may actually want?

I am genuinely interested as I price hundreds of products/week for sales.

 

[Street_a_Licious]

if i recall correctly (and it's really just going 6 pages backwards), most people were seriously underwhelmed by what Balmain offered for men for F/W09. not mentioning the price. just the fact that they showed simple destroyed jeans and hoodies. for a high fashion brand. even those xy-designerXhigh street chain collabos churn out more interesting things than this collection.

the fact that it's priced like Saville Row pieces, well, that's just the candied cherry on top.

 

[Morningstar]

What I don't understand is how pricing affects many of your conceptions about a brand here. The most common element seems to be "if it were not that expensive then I would like it". You either do or you don't. Is it more a matter of not being able to afford something you may actually want?

I am genuinely interested as I price hundreds of products/week for sales.

If money were no object I still wouldn't choose those jeans. My primary concern is quality. I also work in the fashion industry (design) and feel that if I'm going to buy jeans I'm going to buy them from a denim company. A company who spends all their resources perfecting their jeans as that's their bread and butter. Also, I do not like pre-distressed denim; I only buy unwashed selvage. It's been years since I bought a pair of pre-distressed denim. Then when you do factor in the price, the cost-make/price ratio is extremely unbalanced. The pricing of those jeans are entirely in the name.

If you showed me those jeans without telling me the brand/price I'd say, "meh". Knowing the price only makes me weep for the dollars thrown away for a label/status. But it's your money and you're free to spend it anyway you like.

 

[Deleted member 7575]

What I don't understand is how pricing affects many of your conceptions about a brand here. The most common element seems to be "if it were not that expensive then I would like it". You either do or you don't. Is it more a matter of not being able to afford something you may actually want?

I am genuinely interested as I price hundreds of products/week for sales.

It's a matter of worth and conscious consumption. While I might salivate over a Marc Jacobs collection fall 2008 coat, dream about, lust over it, masturbate over it, I know very well I could go to my friend's vintage showroom, by a coat of better construction and fabric but similar shape, have a tailor fit it, and come out with something even more covetable at a fraction of the price. And it would be far more fabulous and far more exclusive. Nor would I endure the embarrassment of everyone knowing exactly how much I paid for my clothes...or the real embarrassment that I paid too much.

For the price of Balmain jeans you could find dead stock vintage denim, have it tailored and distressed by a professional denim designer here in NYC, and come out with something actually rare, personalized, and custom. Part our culture's problem is that people think everything must be bought and no one is truly creative with their personal style.

 

[Deleted member 7575]

"style is not about money, it's about understanding"

-Dior

Balmain is the antitheses to this statement. If one really were wealthy and could bat an eyelash at Balmain's prices then I'd expect something far far better on their back. If one had the resources and the ability, imagine what amazing things they could wear...All it takes is money to buy expensive clothes, and nothing else.

BUT, it's easy to dismiss this approach as the rambles of poor jealous people, but maybe there's something to be learned when you have to actually make definitive choices about your personal style.

 

[Spike413]

I guess for me there's simply nothing special about them, and not in that dull-but-impeccably-made kind of way. There is literally nothing to separate those jeans from any other pair except for the tag. The fit isn't any more perfect, the quality isn't any higher, the design isn't more interesting, and they don't look any better than most other pairs of jeans. Once all of that is taken out of the equation it's like, what's the point? Those are the factors that really make designer fashion worth the costs, to me at least.

TBH I can't even really wrap my head around why someone would want to spend that kind of money on a pair of jeans. Needless to say I wouldn't be spending my $2k on jeans. They just aren't worth it.

 

[haoshcn]

Well even my name came from back in like 2004/5 when I lived in California and was really into (the sales associate I had a crush on at) Etro.

When I first moved to NY in 2006 I worked for Saks for about a year and then was at David Yurman for a year and I've been with Gilt Groupe over a year.

Yes Diorling was amusing...claimed to buy? No I did buy.

Don't get me wrong. I definitely believe you bought those Chanel. I just suspected you bought them for yourself, instead of for your bf, and you were just reluctant to profess it.

 

[FashionPower]

Guys let's face the truth,if we had the chance(and the money) we would wear everything from Balmain!(well not also Balmain for me )
The problem is that even those T-shirts and jeans look like H&M or Zara they are SO incredibly attractive,I don't know what's going on with Decarnin but he always manages to make something interesting

 

[Thefrenchy]

Guys let's face the truth,if we had the chance(and the money) we would wear everything from Balmain!(well not also Balmain for me )
The problem is that even those T-shirts and jeans look like H&M or Zara they are SO incredibly attractive,I don't know what's going on with Decarnin but he always manages to make something interesting

Speak for yourself

If you find it "interesting and "attractive", then you must have reaaaaaaaaally low standards

 

[FashionPower]

Well if I had the money to buy Balmain I would definitely do that,instead of wasting time on Zara,etc

 

[ETROsexualJ]

wearing one of the t's, the scarf and the cords today

easy breezy beautiful Monday

 

[reese06]

per se, no. but charging 2k for a pair of jeans which most likely comes from the same factory (those denim factories in Turkey pretty much produce jeans from H&M to DKNY to Armani), don't showcase ANY sort of expertise, that's criminal.

and reese, no other brand charges that much for basics. i can't think of another luxury label where denim costs several thousand dollars. even simple Vuitton jeans don't cost that much and those LVMH ppl are some greedy mofos.

It may be true that other brands don't charge as much for basics, but it's still the same principle.

 

[mikeijames]

i don't see what the hubbub is about with these balmain purchases! i'm sorry, but i feel that everyone has forgotten the era of couture-priced ready-to-wear from which we just emerged. cavalli and dolce both sold jeans that cost into the thousands not even three years ago. also, gucci has charged two and three hundred bucks for tee shirts since at least 2001. and don't get me started on scarves....

for those who have absolutely no grasp on real life, these price points might blow your mind. how much do you pay for rent? car payment? furniture? dinner? i mean, at least amonst the crowd i know, when you're doling out a few grand on rent/mortgage a month, almost a thousand on a car payment, and heaping thousands furnishing your house and hundreds going out to dinner and bars, why can you not spend money on a few special things from a storied brand?

kudos, etrosexual! i know plenty of people who have spent far more on far less with absolutely none of the flack. a friend of mine just got back from a silly cruise that cost more money than you spent on these clothes.

also, it has to be said, for everyone saying "i would've bought this or bought that," it's a little hypocritical since all of those brands do the selfsame thing when pricing their goods. just because you get it at an h+m or express doesn't mean it's not marked up 400%; just ask the buyers.

ok, my rant is done.

 

[Street_a_Licious]

great. but those Cavalli and Dolce jeans at least had (albeit tacky) embroidery, special finishes, rhinestones and glitter puked all over them to at least somehow justify the price.

 

[Dkammern]

^^i completely agree with mikeijames here.
what's the difference between buying a 20 dollars tshirt that cost few cents, and 2k jeans that cost only a few dollars?
and those embroidery, special finishes, blah blah blah... i'm sure they dont sacrifice a dime of their profit for them. they'll make those jeans wherever it is cheap enough for them to still make money.
i don't really care if i'd ever buy these balmain jeans and tees or not really, but it is a little scary to see how judgemental some people around here are being with another member.
when did this become the "you are wasting your money ETRO! thread"?
go take a look around and tell me if of all the other people who are posting pictures of their purchases, who are sharing their experience there is one who isn't overspending in at least one of them.
Of all of you, can any of you honestly tell me that you only buy things that are worth 100% of their price in terms of cost (not talking opportunity costs or whatever)?

 

[BerlinRocks]

i don't see what the hubbub is about with these balmain purchases! i'm sorry, but i feel that everyone has forgotten the era of couture-priced ready-to-wear from which we just emerged. cavalli and dolce both sold jeans that cost into the thousands not even three years ago. also, gucci has charged two and three hundred bucks for tee shirts since at least 2001. and don't get me started on scarves....

for those who have absolutely no grasp on real life, these price points might blow your mind. how much do you pay for rent? car payment? furniture? dinner? i mean, at least amonst the crowd i know, when you're doling out a few grand on rent/mortgage a month, almost a thousand on a car payment, and heaping thousands furnishing your house and hundreds going out to dinner and bars, why can you not spend money on a few special things from a storied brand?

kudos, etrosexual! i know plenty of people who have spent far more on far less with absolutely none of the flack. a friend of mine just got back from a silly cruise that cost more money than you spent on these clothes.

also, it has to be said, for everyone saying "i would've bought this or bought that," it's a little hypocritical since all of those brands do the selfsame thing when pricing their goods. just because you get it at an h+m or express doesn't mean it's not marked up 400%; just ask the buyers.

ok, my rant is done.

my vacation costed third the price of these Balmain jeans ....
so ......

my main problem (I'm not an Etro hater...) is what some other people are saying : ok this is the way it is, and get used to it ...

NO ! I'm sorry but this way of thinking is just so wrong .......

So well yes there'll always be expensive and exclusive things for wealthy people (I do hope !). but this is coming more and more common in Fashion those days (this is not just about Balmain) ...
Why should 'poor' only be able to buy and dress at H&M, Zara etc.

Many many stuff should be rebalanced ...

The price have gone really insane ... But this problem is more general (and not only in Fashion) .... !

bUT I'm not sure we hold the keys (and got the skills) to discuss this stuff around here ...

it's not marked up 400%

if this is marked up (that's the term ? thanks !) I suggest you should change the shop ...
no but seriously ... those past years, some shops are gone insane, too, with these marks-up .....
for instance some shoes i saw in paris for 275€ were in my town 395€ !!!!!

 

[Thefrenchy]

i don't really care if i'd ever buy these balmain jeans and tees or not really, but it is a little scary to see how judgemental some people around here are being with another member.
when did this become the "you are wasting your money ETRO! thread"?
go take a look around and tell me if of all the other people who are posting pictures of their purchases, who are sharing their experience there is one who isn't overspending in at least one of them.
Of all of you, can any of you honestly tell me that you only buy things that are worth 100% of their price in terms of cost (not talking opportunity costs or whatever)?

I don't think anyone is being that judgmental here. I personally couldn't care less about those buys. It just surprised me that anyone would buy that kind of pieces regarding how much they charge for them. Obviously, most of the things we buy aren't worth 100% of their price. Nothing worth 100% of their price. That's how people make profit. But let's face it, there's a gap between charging a lot for something that looks a bit refined and show a bit of creativity; and charging a lot for bland, H&M-looking pieces -- no offense Etro.

I'm personally thankful to Etro for posting his buys because he proved me some people actually buy this line ; I'd just like that the other members here to understand no one is being "hating" Etro. Stating a different opinion is not the worst thing ever, you know After all, we're not here to praise everyone everytime they make a purchase, right?

 

[Dkammern]

^^ well maybe 'judgemental' was too strong a word...
i guess i just wanted to say that i wouldnt like to be in his place. not so nice posting what you last bought and instead of the usual karma spread and the 'you look great' comments following, what you get is people asking why wouldnt you just buy that at zara...
(i particularly remember a pair of chanel wedges that once went straight from "the secret shopaholics thread", to "the ugliest shoes you have ever seen" ... quite serious )
of course we shouldnt praise everything that is posted, but sometimes being just 'silent' about it is a much more effective way of showing you don't like it, hm?