Fashion Becoming Too Mainstream?

[Lena]

Originally posted by PrinceOfCats@Dec 21st, 2003 - 11:38 pm
Interestingly two of the greatest fashion designers of the last century (Balenciaga and St.Laurent) retired because they felt fashion had moved away from an art form...

absolutely, here come the shareholders

 

[tiffany]

Originally posted by smashinfashion@Dec 20th, 2003 - 11:14 pm
one has to realize that our society is increasingly obsessed with money, fame and glamour. of course the big name labels are becoming more mainstream because they represent what the common man aspires to be. luxury items have shifted from being soley for the rich and are now de rigeur for the middle class. everyone wants to keep up with the joneses, but the joneses arent just your perfect neighbors anymore, they are the hiltons and the j-los of the world. it doesnt really have anything to do with fashion, these people dont understand fashion, they just understand status symbols and trends and how to follow them.

*agrees completely*

 

[Scott]

Originally posted by Lena@Dec 21st, 2003 - 12:44 pm
i just dont buy lux labels fashionrage, i find them beyond their own point

Those labels I find,from the perspective of the conglomerate sense,are far too arrogant and beyond aggressive. I don't like for things to be pushed into my face like they do with that type of stuff;its such a real turn-off. Those people buy their customers rather than allowing them to fall in love with the works for themselves. That's why I would never buy from them.

 

[fashionrage]

still playing devil's advocate:

if the birkin was sold at the local KMart with the same workmanship and quality, (of course a much lesser price tag) would it still be sought by those who buy because its what they like?

<fill birkin in with any other high priced because of the label name at your leisure>

 

[ebowleg]

if the birkin was sold at the local KMart with the same workmanship and quality, (of course a much lesser price tag) would it still be sought by those who buy because its what they like?

I understand the point you are trying to make, but no matter what brand is being sold at KMart, it will never be that high of a quality. Birkin bags are extrememly high quality, and the price shows that. Compare the materials and the time made to make a $14.99 bag at KMart and a $5,000.00 Birkin bag, and tell me if you still feel the same way. Therefore, no it would not be sought after unless some huge superstar declared it the it item and everyone went to the store to buy it.

 

[PrinceOfCats]

A birkin could be easily made for under $500...(I know where the leather can be sourced and also a friend who could have one made)...would you still buy it if it was under $500?

 

[ebowleg]

to put it simply: Hell Yes!

 

[Scott]

Rage* why do you insist on proving us all wrong? Do you go shopping with us? Do you know what we all gleam over when we're shopping? I could give a flying fig if it were sold at Classless Trash,the bottom line is,I do very well buy things that I like and appreciate,not because of a silly tag on the collar but because I like the design and I like how its made. I have my personal favorites as I'm sure everyone does, that I buy from not because of who they are but because I know their style;its part of my style,I understand it and because they know how to 'make' clothes that will be cherished for a lifetime. If this is what you meant from your earlier post,you've completely misread alot of us. Some do buy labels for that very purpose only to throw it on ebay the next season because its out of fashion(and I say 'fashion')but alot of us do like things to be worn for a greater amount of time than that.

 

[fashionrage]

Originally posted by ebowleg@Dec 21st, 2003 - 7:00 pm
Therefore, no it would not be sought after unless some huge superstar declared it the it item and everyone went to the store to buy it.

your statement just clarified the point i was making

 

[shajopri]

Originally posted by ignitioned32@Dec 20th, 2003 - 11:20 pm
I'm not surprised at all with Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Versace being mainstream because these were mainstream ever since. These are the mainstream lables.

Actually, LV was originally created by the teenage Louis Vuitton as the private label of Empress Josephine. Versace, the label of choice of the late fashion great Princess Diana I think could hardly be called mainstream, unless most ppl you know buy that expensive china etc...

I've carried LV since I was a teen, and I don't think that it belongs to a certain age group as long as you dress elegantly. My grandma's had her LV speedy for decades and it's still in perfect condition. I love the bags b/c they're quality and history. The way I see it, many ppl have diamonds, and many ppl have fake diamonds, but the stone doesn't lose it's allure. If you like the bag, wear the bag, and don't give a flying fig what society thinks. If you like the way you look, you'll never feel mainstream.

 

[Plumour]

Originally posted by ebowleg@Dec 21st, 2003 - 7:00 pm

if the birkin was sold at the local KMart with the same workmanship and quality, (of course a much lesser price tag) would it still be sought by those who buy because its what they like?

I understand the point you are trying to make, but no matter what brand is being sold at KMart, it will never be that high of a quality. Birkin bags are extrememly high quality, and the price shows that. Compare the materials and the time made to make a $14.99 bag at KMart and a $5,000.00 Birkin bag, and tell me if you still feel the same way. Therefore, no it would not be sought after unless some huge superstar declared it the it item and everyone went to the store to buy it.

well....actually the "name" could cost more than the quality.
of course the quality of a Birkin or LV or Gucci is much better than some no name trashy bags at KMart, but not only do craftsmanship, quality, history...etc add $ to the price tags, the NAME and fame also make those bags much more expensive.
I do think that a Birkin or LV could be made at a much lower cost than how much they are sold, same thing just without the Name. but the thing is, if people were wearing bags exactly same as LVs but actually they are not LVs, would they feel the same as carrying a real expensive LV (or a Birkin or Gucci...etc)?!
I personally wouldn't buy bags like that, even if they had the same quality and craftsmanship and everything as real ones, I just don't feel comfortable. Even though I'm sure the NAME costs more than the actual thing, I just still fall for them. That's just me

 

[sashatheelf]

Un-stylish people will always be so no matter how many designer labels they try and hide it with...

hahaha this is the best quote ever.

anyway, yeah, i know how you feel....out here in nebraska everyone all trying to become label savvy and its just becoming trendy at the moment.

its almost as bad as how being a geek became 'cool' this year. now THAT made me mad. oh well, i hope its 'out' next year.

 

[Urban Stylin]

i like the fact that its going mainstream hereby theres more room for more designers since more people want more fashion...........thats me>

 

[mikeijames]

there is a very pronounced strain of elitism in fashion...in fact, if you think about the function of clothing and accessories, outside of protection from the elements, everything else about them is ostentation. with that said, i find our society a very frustrating one to exist in as a lover of fashion simply because unlike the other functional artforms (painting, let's say)...a look, trend, or item can be featured in a show this monday, by this friday it has already gone into mass production at a number of firms that have had no hand in the creation of such items...i love the fact that my teenager can wear knock off balenciaga cargos at the same time i wear my authentic ones, i just think this robs the fashion industry of the creativity that it has survived on for the past few years.

we're moving back into a time where the rich will go back to wearing uniform-like well-made clothes (the bespoke and the couture) and leave the excitement of fashion to the masses. while i don't completely hate this direction, it is sad for those of us who loved accessible fashion.

 

[kit]

Originally posted by mikeijames@Dec 26th, 2003 - 9:32 am
there is a very pronounced strain of elitism in fashion...in fact, if you think about the function of clothing and accessories, outside of protection from the elements, everything else about them is ostentation. with that said, i find our society a very frustrating one to exist in as a lover of fashion simply because unlike the other functional artforms (painting, let's say)...a look, trend, or item can be featured in a show this monday, by this friday it has already gone into mass production at a number of firms that have had no hand in the creation of such items...i love the fact that my teenager can wear knock off balenciaga cargos at the same time i wear my authentic ones, i just think this robs the fashion industry of the creativity that it has survived on for the past few years.

we're moving back into a time where the rich will go back to wearing uniform-like well-made clothes (the bespoke and the couture) and leave the excitement of fashion to the masses. while i don't completely hate this direction, it is sad for those of us who loved accessible fashion.

AGREED ABSOLUTELY !!!!


KIT B)

 

[strawberry daiquiri]

To look back at the original post made by ebowleg, I think it is more than hypocritical to lash out at younger generations for attempting to become part of what has been decided as the widespread movement towards the designer industry. Children are underestimated, perhaps it is wrong that they choose to spend their, or their parents money on something as 'mature' as a labelled bag, but if they can read and hopefully they can, they will be brain-washed by the exact same ad campaigns and fashion editorials as you and i. (That by the way, was not an invitation to debate how independently influenced you are in fashion purchases). On one hand you suggest they are destroying the pleasure for those who 'truly deserve' these bags, while on the other you mock with laughes and quivered,lips, when they buy a cheap copy in the hope to be part of the latest movement but without selling another limb. It disgusts me how large a percentage of individuals think high fashion comes only at a high price. These grown adults preach their beliefs to the young and the next generation of tasteless fashion snobs are born, with or without a silver spoon in their mouth, but reading glossy pages and ordering the taste of so-and-so to come to their door in 48 hours so they may wander about a satisfied clone of another.

Canopy couture is what blinded sheep do, and may admit to feeling perfect, and perfectly legal in every fashion region, but only because they are chained to designers who do believe in personal choice, this being his or hers, and the other robbing him or her and paying the earth, to do so and rightly so, if you have bills to dispose in trails of glitzy shoop sloop behind. How nice a trail must the smooth oriental silk leave but hardly functional for any who resort to spending time, part time, in the real world, where distressing as it is, practicality supersedes the whim of beauty. Everyone but the most admittedly seasonally inclined, are their own designers and stylists (hard as it can be to see to believe and so inspired to speak on how they don’t care that they do)

 

[Serena]

Originally posted by Lena@Dec 21st, 2003 - 12:44 pm
i just dont buy lux labels fashionrage, i find them beyond their own point

i totally agree. Of course, Hermes makes beautiful bags, but honestly, i would rather spend 5,000
on travelling or in a nice spa retreat than on a bag. Different people have different priorities, no matter how much money you have. I still like beautiful things, but beautiful does not have to mean "luxury brand", IMO. I would rather support indie, small labels.

 

[ultramarine]

Errmm... something I'd like to point out ... it's that it seems that no one brings up the chance that those teenagers, etc ... are people who may be fashionistas ... I mean, most of them may seem logo-bedazzled or just flashionistas, but there may be someone just like you and me in between those people ... we have to keep in mind that apart the fact that nowadays everyone's luxury-crazed, people are adopting lifestyles and actually becoming more and more -how can I put it?- cosmopolitan (I.E. .... metrosexuals). I'll have to admit that media spreads all over and may brainwash people, but in between them, there's people who -like us- are devoted to fashion, enjoys it and knows it.
Those are my two cents ...

 

[HBoogie]

Originally posted by blumarine@Dec 27th, 2003 - 10:34 pm
flashionistas

great word, Blu!

 

[Lena]

Originally posted by HBoogie+Dec 28th, 2003 - 7:30 am--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(HBoogie @ Dec 28th, 2003 - 7:30 am)</div><div class='quotemain'> <!--QuoteBegin-blumarine@Dec 27th, 2003 - 10:34 pm
flashionistas

great word, Blu! [/b][/quote]
loved flashionistas, amazing term blu, i'll take the liberty of using this myself