Dior Golf

[Lena]

even though it looks more like an arleken
than something one could wear to golf with,
the Dior people can absolutely smell a trend from miles
so here it comes

TO THE FORE: Don’t ask John Galliano for tips on getting out of a sand trap or advice on a tough putt. “I haven’t got a clue,” he confesses. Still, Galliano has applied all of his fashion drive behind a new golf line for Christian Dior, which was quietly unveiled at the tail end of Paris Fashion Week earlier this month. Galliano stresses that many of the styles, including “proper golf shoes,” are meant for the links. But the argyle knickers, logo polos and hardware-decorated windbreakers are loaded with fashion attitude. “I’m sure people are going to wear it on the streets,” he says. With Galliano, that’s par for the course.

from wwd

 

[Orochian]

What's with all this branching-out at Dior? Even worse, each new line miraculously manages to be even tackier than the previous ones.

Has Dior really gotten so commercial to the point that brand image and coherence isn't worth a damn dime in LVMH's mind? What's next, Dior gardening series with neon-coloured rubber clogs and monogrammed shovels?

As with the Dior Surf Chick line, I utterly fail to see how any self-respecting, half-decent, borderline-sane golfer would actually have the nerve to wear this stuff to an actual golf course. But why do I care, I'm sure all of them come with stratospheric price tags that are way beyond what I can afford anyway.

And I certainly hope Galliano wasn't referring to those shoes pictures as "proper golf shoes". That would be a truly, em, "novel" application of that term...

 

[chanel_girl]

 

[Acid]

no more dior women for me please im gonna be

since when did a woman decide to become a clown?

 

[Plumour]

Dior is really making me sick now

 

[Amélie]

okay, so while i'm all for golf boy styles, this is like syco and coming from dior! madness...

first we had rthe ski range line...not pushing it but questionable, then some one stumbled across the surf dior chick line which added to the tackiness and now this!

so now you can play every sport in dior..huh, thanks john

 

[pradaromance]

Dior Water Polo coming to a Saks Fifth Avenue near you

 

[ignitioned32]

What's next, Dior Scuba? Dior is officialy over!

 

[datura001]

Oh it's fabu and you know it! I know I'm going to order it and have it personally flown in so I can play on my own private golf course where no one will throw rocks at me because of my pants and proper shoes!

 

[purplelucrezia]

Dior is just making me laugh now...

 

[Atelier]

I like it!

 

[softgrey]

i think it looks like some crazy barbie outfit...

maybe the golf bag will sell...i could see some women liking that....i know prada makes golf stuff and gucci probably does too...i think the average cd customer is more interested in the label than in the design anyway, so i imagine there's a reasonably large market for these kinds of status sports accessories...i don't think those customers are really thinking about consistency accross the brand...as long as it's got the logo...

 

[stylegurrl]

Originally posted by Orochian@Mar 22nd, 2004 - 3:59 am
Orochian: What's with all this branching-out at Dior? Even worse, each new line miraculously manages to be even tackier than the previous ones.

I agree completely. Jeez, what is he thinking

 

[chocsta]

I think it's cute The Dior ski line was also cute, and crossing fashion with different sports themes is quite creative. I mean, why not?

 

[brian]

I think I like it.

I like how the colors and patterns tie in with the Fall/Winter 04 collection!
...So I'm assuming that's when it's coming out?

 

[Mutterlein]

I actually like it too. I don't know if I like the whole idea but at least this time the execution wasn't as misreable as Dior Surf.

 

[twilight fairy]

this isn't even funny anymore.

dior golf, dior surf, what next..dior bowling? dior fencing?

 

[Spike413]

Ok, this isn't exactly a new trend. Chanel has been doing athletic apparel and equpment for years now. Ski one season, scuba and boating the next. But the surfboard thing is actually getting big. Many big designers have designed surfboards. Gucci, Marc Jacobs, Chanel, now Dior......but while the idea may be cute, it's a bit much.

I have to wonder though, was this John's idea or was it just a direction that the company branched in. I mean, John is eccentirc, but I can't see any self respecting designer doing stuff like this, not just at Dior, but anywhere.

 

[Orochian]

Yes, branching out into niche products certainly isn't a new trend. Almost all the major luxury houses have been doing it for quite a while. But the difference is that most of them are tastefully designed, and launched in a subtle manner so as not to take the attention away from the respective house's core business, be it fashion or leather goods. The way Dior has been rolling out the recent surf and golf lines, however, isn't remotely subtle, nor in keeping with the spirit of the house. That, and they both happen to be earth-shatteringly ungainly in appearance. That's my subjective opionion, of course, but can you really argue that these high-profile launches are doing any good to the brand?

Gucci has been churning out similar (but tastefully done) "novelty" items for years, some of them less practical than the others (the monogrammed yoga mat comes to mind... ). But they're carried in the stores almost as quirky little backdrops for the handbags and clothes, more as a tool to create the impression of a coherent, complete atmosphere, than downright sales cash cows.

The way Dior has been rapidly expanding, it looks as if they're counting on multiplying their profits by the end of the year solely on the new products alone. We know all too well the dreaded perils of licensing, and IMO Dior is heading dangerously close to that treacherous territory, which doesn't bode well particularly at a time with a universally slammed season of ready-to-wear ahead of them. (Calling those clothes "ready-to-wear" is in itself a form of mocking... )

I was just eyeing a pair of sleek minimalist sneakers by Dior Homme, and the first thought that struck me was how profoundly different they are to these so-called "proper golf shoes" that Galliano designed, and yet they do carry the same name. Even as a person deeply interested and well versed in fashion I find myself confused and disturbed by this schizophrenic nature of the house of Dior - now just how is the average consumer going to react to it?

 

[purplelucrezia]

Maybe this more commercial line is meant to make up for his unwearable collections?