How can fashion be affordable?

[ginag]

Originally posted by oanadobre@Apr 15th, 2004 - 6:50 am
And viceversa: how can designer or manufacturers adapt their work to meet the needs and possibilities of low- income women?

Simple: because most designers don't "Design" for lower incomes. Period. There's no fame and/or status in that. They may sell a low(er) end line (like Issac Mizrahi did for Target), but by and large, they know that designing and fashion gets its glamour from exclusivity and being a "status symbol item".

It's hard to sell something as glamorous and interesting if one thinks it's actually easily attainable.

 

[Bixii]

Originally posted by Lena@Apr 16th, 2004 - 11:36 am


you also touched so well on the effect of depression,
looking 'groomed' is not a matter of money, its a matter of mood.
saddest thing i've ever seen is a depressed woman
in the middle of designer packet wardrobes, which is even more scary.

on the other hand, i've met poor people who have that ' joy of life'
and do put on fake jewlery & lipstick, regardless that they live under
unbelivable conditions (experience from roman-gypsies)

taking care of ourselves is more a matter of mood than money,
i so agree that the example of the women you mentioned seem
that they have given up to depression and this is only partially a result
of their poverty. It's more on the psychological level, its a give up.

That happens in Mexico! You see the factory workers fully made up with red lipstick, and high heels on the bus then arrive to the factory and change to sensible shoes to work...

 

[oanadobre]

I guess transition does that to every country...

 

[ooolaladelle]

I'm from Romania as well, but i've been living in the US for about 15 years now, and my family and I have been going back to romania a couple summers at a time. My dad is from Timisoara and my mom from Suceava -I didnt really like Suceava, but anyways.... it was weird to see that our family over there were better off than most because of the contributions all their family(us and aunts and uncles of mine) from the States back- like clothing, medicine and extra money.

My aunt Lydia was telling my mom how elegantly her children are dressed compared to the other children that go to school and church with them because we had sent them inexpensive dept. store sale items.

And I remember one time reading an Elle magazine from Romania and there was a spreadsheet about some clothing.... ok in a regular American Elle magazine clothing items on that page would have ranged from hundreds to thousands, but in the Romanian Elle maga. they cost under $100. And these were supposed to be "high quality designer" pieces.

I think that's all I have to say, but that just suprised me b/c of the comparison.

Nice to meet you Oanadobre, I didn't think there were other Romanian's on here.

 

[Sephora_Socialite]

Originally posted by oanadobre@Apr 15th, 2004 - 6:59 am
Please tell me, how can little money and fashion mix?

Well, any woman can be fashionable without having that much money...you can look cute in non designer...it's quite sad though that lady got praised for her LV bag...but its even more sad how it is here in Los Angeles.. I rather much be in a place where not everyone and their gardener has a LV bag...everyone tries to top everyone...sometimes I wish that I was in a place less competitive...

the socialites here are getting a lil too much. rder: I only am polite to them so I won't make my boyfriend look bad.

 

[oanadobre]

Originally posted by ooolaladelle@Apr 17th, 2004 - 2:12 pm

My aunt Lydia was telling my mom how elegantly her children are dressed compared to the other children that go to school and church with them because we had sent them inexpensive dept. store sale items.

Hi! It was a nice surprise for me, too. Actuallly, Suceava is now one of the poorest regions in Romania, so what you are saying is very natural- and unfortunate...

 

[duckboy]

oh i feel terrible for serbia. i`m surpised bosnia is not on there they're economy is currently the poorest one in all of europe

 

[rayncloudx]

Originally posted by Bixii@Apr 15th, 2004 - 4:34 pm
I live in Mexico, but in the richest city of the country, Monterrey. You wouldn´t imagine what people have here... Everyone and his mother wear Louis Vuitton or Fendi handbags, but they pair them with Zara´s outfits or anything, so no big deal, they are not into fashion they just want to show off. Is when you go to the clubs where you see the gorgeous heiresses dressed beautifully in obviously haute couture or designer outfits in their sized 2 body. They wear furs in winter (is not even cold in here), amazing jewelry...

The social contrasts are huge in this country, so sad.

that's really incredible. i went to yucatan, mexico last summer on a missions trip and you would not believe the poverty! maybe one or two people in the entire village had a bed. they all slept in hammocks. they didn't care whether flies were on their food or their bodies. i don't know where the children slept b/c when i went to their homes, i only saw one or two hammocks. the dogs were half starved too.

it's horrible how you can take a 30 minute drive and everything's different. you're in a city with great private schools and beautiful houses and beaches. it's just so bad how can the upper class watch this happen

anyway, back to the topic, if the people are working just to feed themselves i think clothes and fashion would be the least of their concerns. i know it would be something really trivial to me if i were in their position.

 

[Plumour]

Originally posted by softgrey@Apr 15th, 2004 - 2:51 pm
having designer clothes doesn't mean you have extra style...it means youo have extra money...

i refer to my signature quote...

exactly.

 

[genis78]

Originally posted by Bixii@Apr 15th, 2004 - 4:34 pm
I live in Mexico, but in the richest city of the country, Monterrey. You wouldn´t imagine what people have here... Everyone and his mother wear Louis Vuitton or Fendi handbags, but they pair them with Zara´s outfits or anything, so no big deal, they are not into fashion they just want to show off. Is when you go to the clubs where you see the gorgeous heiresses dressed beautifully in obviously haute couture or designer outfits in their sized 2 body. They wear furs in winter (is not even cold in here), amazing jewelry...

The social contrasts are huge in this country, so sad.

Hola Biixi,

Yo soy de la ciudad de México ! Pensé que era la única...

 

[seditionary]

if these ladies r so poor...
i am sure their clothes are the least of their worries...
if they match or dont match wouldnt make a difference to them
if they dont have enough money to feed their family ...
or get medicine for their sick children

this topic disturbs me.....ur thinkin of givin (lack of a better word) paupers fashion advice, when that is not even important for them....

 

[saad]

thats where people get confused.

ok. you care about fashion because you have money.
this is a wrong statement. i think?!
everybody wants to look and feel good. whether they have money or they dont.
so you cant expect poor people not to care about fashion.
its a much sader issue for them becasue they just cant get around to spending ANYTHING on fashion becasue they have like a gazillion other more important things to spend on first.

 

[Orochian]

Originally posted by oanadobre@Apr 15th, 2004 - 6:50 am
And viceversa: how can designer or manufacturers adapt their work to meet the needs and possibilities of low- income women?

Simple answer.

They don't.

Sad, but true.

 

[dr.shoegal]

Originally posted by seditionary@May 4th, 2004 - 1:53 pm
this topic disturbs me.....ur thinkin of givin (lack of a better word) paupers fashion advice, when that is not even important for them....

your comment disturbs me. What makes you think just because they are "poor" that they don't dream. That they don't want a nice new dress/shoes/lotion/etc... That they don't want what they see in stores, on other people, etc. Income status does not at all relate what people feel are important to them. How many people do you know that have thousands of dollars of debt? Probably lot's. Why are they in debt? Because it was more important for them to have a 54" tv and new designer clothes and a LV bad and hundreds of dollars on skin care.... AND to top it off there are plenty of really really well off people that don't give a **** about fashion and clothes.

"paupers"? nice.. that's very classy.

To reiterate, social class and economic status do NOT dictate what is and what is not important to people.


Personally I think fashion is unfair. Why should non-wealthy people be stuck buying Wal-Mart clothes (most of which are bad-- when was the last time you needed a gown you happened to check out walmart's ballgown section?). The thing I feel is the biggest difference between designer and non-designer clothes is the unique style of the designer stuff. If I could afford designer clothes I would buy it not because it's "prada", but because I can't find that same outfit I love at the gap or at old navy.... I personally am also not a big "vintage" person. I don't want to have to buy someone's second hand crap and wear it. I deserve new stuff just as much as Paris Hilton. Do I think designers should drop their prices? ABSO-FRICKIN-LUTELY. by a lot!

 

[seditionary]

ok wat i hav said has been taken wrong...

i was pissed off coz people on here was dissin abt why dont poorer people match their clothes etc etc... thats wat disturbed me...
im jus like leave them alone... if everyone cares so much abt poorer people not having designer clothes, why not donate some of their wardrobe to clothing aid

 

[Bixii]

Originally posted by genis78@May 4th, 2004 - 12:26 pm

Hola Biixi,

Yo soy de la ciudad de México ! Pensé que era la única...

¡Hola! Qué gusto encontrar mexicanos por aquí. Me encanta este foro y entro seguido, aunque la verdad no posteo mucho... También voy a Luxury Fashion y a prosemarket clic, pero este es por mucho más frecuentado por profesionales de la moda, ¿Tú trabajas en la industria? Yo no .

 

[Bixii]

Originally posted by rayncloudx@Apr 23rd, 2004 - 12:32 am

that's really incredible. i went to yucatan, mexico last summer on a missions trip and you would not believe the poverty! maybe one or two people in the entire village had a bed. they all slept in hammocks. they didn't care whether flies were on their food or their bodies. i don't know where the children slept b/c when i went to their homes, i only saw one or two hammocks. the dogs were half starved too.

it's horrible how you can take a 30 minute drive and everything's different. you're in a city with great private schools and beautiful houses and beaches. it's just so bad how can the upper class watch this happen

anyway, back to the topic, if the people are working just to feed themselves i think clothes and fashion would be the least of their concerns. i know it would be something really trivial to me if i were in their position.

It´s so disturbing... Having seen it every day of my life and I just can´t get used to it... Like tonight, I was going to buy a hamburger for dinner, and I saw this man on the street begging for money carrying a baby in his arms, he was so thin and dark... I felt so guilty.

 

[fashionista-ta]

that's really incredible. i went to yucatan, mexico last summer on a missions trip and you would not believe the poverty! maybe one or two people in the entire village had a bed. they all slept in hammocks. they didn't care whether flies were on their food or their bodies. i don't know where the children slept b/c when i went to their homes, i only saw one or two hammocks. the dogs were half starved too.

it's horrible how you can take a 30 minute drive and everything's different. you're in a city with great private schools and beautiful houses and beaches. it's just so bad how can the upper class watch this happen

anyway, back to the topic, if the people are working just to feed themselves i think clothes and fashion would be the least of their concerns. i know it would be something really trivial to me if i were in their position.

I think it helps to believe you're somehow better than the people who are suffering ...

 

[Lite_Brite]

It's happening in America too as we as a society watch. It's no different.

It's a little rich to see some of our wealthier members talk about how one doesn't need money to be fashionable. Yet we all spend spend spend...

The answer to the question is that the truly poor have neither the time nor the energy to concern themselves with fashion. The solution isn't to market them something or offer advice. Maybe improve the economy, or overthrow the ruling class, right? HA.

Fashion and beauty are not the same thing. I enjoy both, but fashion is a very corrupt thing. It feeds on insecurity and greed. It has a lot to do with status, and expense. Often the poor have no time for bringing beauty into their lives, let alone study trends and how they can work them into their fall wardrobe at such-and-such a price point.

The way the poor can work around their problems is unique to each situation, I think. In the meantime those with power must try to attack the root of the problem.

 

[g0rgiuz]

not everything has to be expensive in order to look fashionable, personally my own style is a mix of high and low. often times designers do diffusion lines for stores such as target and h&m that is one of the solutions, another is try picking up sewing or shopping at vintage / second-hand stores.