Balmain Mens F/W 09.10 Paris

[BerlinRocks]

RATIONALIZING FASHION VICES
by Hebden

Your ability to rationalize your own bad deeds makes you believe that the whole world is as amoral as you are...

When it comes to potential purchases that fall at the higher end of the pricing spectrum, even the least nerdiest of us dabbles in creative mathematics. At such times, the old “cost per wear” ratio is dragged out and dusted off, as we feverishly attempt to convince ourselves that “cost, divided by 52 weeks, multiplied by number of times we can possibly drag the prospective purchase out of our closets without getting sick of it” is the best way to decide whether or not to spend a couple of paychecks on leather pants or a pair of high heeled hiking boots.

And, because we know that all over the world others are using the same formula, we feel better. In the words of Douglas Coupland, “Your ability to rationalize your own bad deeds makes you believe that the whole world is as amoral as you are”.

Not that we’re being dishonest, just resourceful. And, when the math works out, we feel strangely virtuous. “Just as I prophesized”, we gloat, as the c-p-w hits the dollar mark, “I am a good shopper”. Of course, in these moments, it’s generally best to ignore the accumulation of acquisitions that failed to live up to our mathematical goals. After all, even Einstein must have had a few theories that failed once in a while...

the fashion spot - featured stories

just thought this thread has inspired that story written by hebden ...

 

[mikeijames]

I work in the industry, I know how garments get costed. I know what kinds of details, workmanship, finishings, fabrics, techniques, printing, cutting, and shipping add to the pricing of clothes. There is nothing in Balmain that should require it to be that much more than Acne, but it's almost 3 times the price. Work it out....

and as someone who works in the industry, you know the basic principles of supply, demand, and how they dictate price. while i understand your argument about the relative prestige of the brand, we can agree balmain has the ability to charge more than, say, an upstart brand with no buzz, like, say, halston. clothes by balmain are selling out at astronomical prices. now, if they decide take on menswear (and a denim endeavor in a crowded premium market at that), it's smart business to have it pay for itself charging what the free market will bear. balmain doesn't produce thousands of units to ship all over the world like an acne.

we had this argument in this forum some time back over the cost of balenciaga ready-to-wear and the new offerings from proenza schouler. now, to speak to your point about acne...why does the lanvin x acne brand cost more than acne alone when they both have access to the same looms, facilities, and expertise at the same prices? they tend to charge twice as much and it's not because it has 100% more of the "details, workmanship, finishings, fabrics, techniques, printing, cutting, and shipping" than the non-branded varietals.

but i agree with everyone else, sticker shock is sticker shock and this conversation basically breaks down to those who can get over the price of these jeans and those who can't: never the twain shall meet.

 

[Alejandro]

balmain doesn't produce thousands of units to ship all over the world like an acne.

i seriously beg to differ with that. balmain is sold in nearly EVERY shop these days. they produce a ****load of this stuff. and not everything balmain is made in france. i've seen a lot of tank tops and things that are made in india and cost upwards of $2,000

 

[haoshcn]

i seriously beg to differ with that. balmain is sold in nearly EVERY shop these days. they produce a ****load of this stuff. and not everything balmain is made in france. i've seen a lot of tank tops and things that are made in india and cost upwards of $2,000

Do they really charge more than $1,000 for stuff like mens tanktops?! I am very curious what those tanktops actually look like. Does anyone know anything about that? Any pictures?

 

[mikeijames]

i seriously beg to differ with that. balmain is sold in nearly EVERY shop these days. they produce a ****load of this stuff. and not everything balmain is made in france. i've seen a lot of tank tops and things that are made in india and cost upwards of $2,000

they do not produce the same amount of denim as a company like acne. that's not even arguable.

seriously, there's a reason the stuff sells out on both sides of the aisle: it's not just that the stuff remains quite covetable in certain crowds, but they don't produce a lot of it in the grand scheme of things.

also, anyone who has cared to step in a swarovski store knows that those silly crystals don't come cheap. we can argue about the "tackiness" of those stones, but let's not pretend that they come on the cheap. when dolce and gabbana did all those crystal dresses they sold them at $100k a pop. so it's not unreasonable for a crystal-studded tank or boot or pant or jacket to get costly pretty quickly.

 

[Spike413]

Do they really charge more than $1,000 for stuff like mens tanktops?! I am very curious what those tanktops actually look like. Does anyone know anything about that? Any pictures?

I think Alejandro was referring to some of the embellished tees Balmain makes for the womens collection, which cost well over $1k like this current one at Colette.fr.

 

[Ives927]

^ You're kidding. Over $1000 for that crappy shirt? Who in the right minds would waste that amount of money on such a shirt? It still seems unreasonable for wealthy people buy that. That'd be crazy if they do.

 

[Street_a_Licious]

i could think of someone....

happens to be on this page too!

 

[Crying Diamonds]

Okay guys, I think that's quite enough on the price/quality discussion for this thread, any other posts on the subject and not the collection shall either be deleted or worse; moved to the lesser-named Most Overpriced Designer? thread.

It's getting very close to fashion week, let's reserve further Decarnin judgement until then.

i always respond to concerns like this that clothes on this level don't get designed for people who have to choose between making a $1,000 donation to charity and buying a luxury item: it's for the customer who has the financial wherewithal to do both.

I love this post, I may have to make it my signature.

 

[Mutterlein]

Okay guys, I think that's quite enough on the price/quality discussion for this thread, any other posts on the subject and not the collection shall either be deleted or worse; moved to the lesser-named Most Overpriced Designer? thread.

It's getting very close to fashion week, let's reserve further Decarnin judgement until then.




I love this post, I may have to make it my signature.

The thread is called Balmain F/W 09 and we're talking about Balmain F/W 09

 

[rip_ian curtis]

^I agree. enough with the over-moderation!

To me this collection looks like the straight, old and fat guys' version of Dior Homme etc. Those models look like they have fashionable girlfriends who have dragged their seemingly fashion-oblivious boyfriends to ZARA and just dressed them in something they think looks cool. There's the same problem as with Gucci; when theres no real thinking or story behind the clothes, then it simply looks cheap, dull and lifeless. Those insane prices are not acceptable for this kind of stuff, and it is not relevant to compare this crap to Jil Sander or Helmut Lang in any way! (even HL didn't charge that much for his jeans!)

 

[Spike413]

Guys, a moderator instructed everyone to stop with the circular discussion that is going nowhere and is taking this thread off topic. If anyone has a problem with that they are more than welcome to take in up with the team leaders. Thank you.

If any of you wish to continue debating this topic you can take it to the Balmain thread in Shop Til You Drop, where an in depth discussion of a label's prices would be more appropriate.

 

[fullfrontal]

Wow. What a waste of time. Disappointing at best.

 

[Scotty]

vogue.it

 

[Scotty]

^Wrong post.


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