Most Overpriced Designer? #2

[Harumi]

^I'm not certain the Balenciaga pumps are terribly overpriced.

They are covered with extricate pieces of croc leather which is a very expensive and stiff kind of leather that would require lots of treatment to take the proper shape for the shoe (not to mention to be comfortable to wear).
The heel also looks like a nightmare to produce.

So yeah, it's extravagantly priced but compared to some of the items in this thread, the price isn't totally shameful.

 

[poptheglock]

pic

Balmain Slashed army t-shirt

i mean, come on! i pay to get pieces with unique design and really good quality. this is just tacky!

 

[mikeijames]

Louis Vuitton pump- $9,920


Balenciaga shoes- $7,450

style
*prices from US Bazaar June/July 2010 magazine*

i think the vuitton pump prices got misprinted. i think the skirt in that editorial has the $9k price tag and the pumps have a $2k price tag which remains on par for croc/gator designer pumps.

and balenciaga, well, is balenciaga. while those shoes didn't stand out as my favorites from that collection, those shoes remain pabsolute pieces of art.

 

[Nonobstant]

Definitely Balmain.

Finally someone said it. they make some nice outfits, but nothing exceptional.
And the materials aren't even some expensive or original stuff which would justify -in part- the price.

 

[dreamdoll]

Without a doubt, Balmain!

 

[gallianoboy]

Not only overpriced but I know that Balmain Homme has some of the most tackiest pieces I have ever seen!!

Also dsquared price points are always ridiculous.

 

[Dkammern]

Finally someone said it. they make some nice outfits, but nothing exceptional.
And the materials aren't even some expensive or original stuff which would justify -in part- the price.

is that "finally" meant to be ironic?
maybe this sounds a bit harsh, and what i am about to say is by no means exclusively related to your comment, but this thread (and most famously perhaps its first, now archive, part) has been centered almost entirely around the outrageous prices balmain has...
i doubt Decarnin could ever cease to surprise us, and i am sure more pictures will pop up with brocade blazers reaching a couple hundred thousands (i'm kidding... or, just kind of)

but the thing is, isn't the topic a bit tired already?
balmain will be expensive, just as valentino is supposed to be red and girly (someone please tell Chiuri and Piccioli...) and while new examples of how overpriced it is, do add value to this thread, the usual and recurrent "i can't believe it's so expensive! why, oh why is a cut out tshirt so expensive!?" don't really contribute to make the thread grow (if it's not merely in its length)

as always, it is understandable, and we've all had that "i'm speechless, she is so gorgeous" moment in the models threads, or a "pure perfection" comment on an alber elbaz collection, but really, there should be a way of flicking through a 50 pages long thread, without having to go through all the comments that essentially overstate something that has already been said.
just like off topic posts are deleted, or reposts, or replied photos... can't we do something about going "overtopic"?
there should be a way to structure the threads so that posts could be "publicly" liked or acknowledged (sort of how fb works?) so that they wouldn't have to be split in two/three/... parts because of their length in pages (not content)

 

[FashionPower]

Balmain FW10
€ 15363.00

style

 

[Monsieur M]

Balmain FW10
€ 15363.00

don't quote images

style

I don't think I really need those

 

[Chanelcouture09]

i think what alot of people forget is the quality of the material used and the craftsmanship that goes into it, like Harumi said, Crocodile skin takes alot to treat, dye and shape into the preferred shape, thats why it costs so much
yeah balmain is overpriced, and i've even admitted it but alot of the work is done by hand, like the bleaching of jeans and embroidery done on alot of their pieces

 

[mikeijames]

i think what alot of people forget is the quality of the material used and the craftsmanship that goes into it, like Harumi said, Crocodile skin takes alot to treat, dye and shape into the preferred shape, thats why it costs so much
yeah balmain is overpriced, and i've even admitted it but alot of the work is done by hand, like the bleaching of jeans and embroidery done on alot of their pieces

and the work of many luxury brands gets done by hand by artisans in italy and france (and labor in france ain't cheap).

many commenters try to compare luxury brands (and their prices) to other lower-cost brands (and their prices). those same lower-cost brands that buy their wares from manufacturers in india and china that use child and slave labor. let's also not forget all of the sweatshops in the second and third world that many of these big box retailers also use. some right in our backyard in mexico and central america. in the end, you get what you pay for.

 

[Style Savvy]

I think Rodarte is a bit overpriced. I saw a price tag of one of the pieces of F/W 08 and I cringed. :lol Even Bryanboy admits it's way pricey!

 

[mikeijames]

I think Rodarte is a bit overpriced. I saw a price tag of one of the pieces of F/W 08 and I cringed. :lol Even Bryanboy admits it's way pricey!

"a bit" ??

barring their rodarte x target collection, i've never seen anything from them under $2k minimum with $3k generally being the price for their trademark cobweb sweaters.

 

[Dkammern]

^^ and Rodarte (or so they say) is a clear example of what you just mentioned in your previous post regarding where things are made, and who actually makes them.
Haven't I read that they work with an extremely small group of people and do most of their stuff by hand? All the knits, the dyes... it's sure no mass production

 

[Chanelcouture09]

and the work of many luxury brands gets done by hand by artisans in italy and france (and labor in france ain't cheap).

many commenters try to compare luxury brands (and their prices) to other lower-cost brands (and their prices). those same lower-cost brands that buy their wares from manufacturers in india and china that use child and slave labor. let's also not forget all of the sweatshops in the second and third world that many of these big box retailers also use. some right in our backyard in mexico and central america. in the end, you get what you pay for.

exactly! i couldn't agree with you more

 

[Harumi]

and the work of many luxury brands gets done by hand by artisans in italy and france (and labor in france ain't cheap).

Actually high-end luxury is more and more often produced in China, with the finishing touches put in Europe for the prestige thing.

Granted, the skilled Chinese workers they use are not comparable to the slave or child labor and sweatshops of, say, Gap or Nike factories, but labor cost is no longer a justification of prices.
Hermes can make that claims and Vuitton for their leather goods can too, but the rest of them can't. A lot of Armani is made in China, so is Gucci and Burberry. Even Chanel is now producing some of its goods in China.

 

[Goya]

Balmain is IMHO the most ridiculous one. haha~~~

 

[Goya]

Actually high-end luxury is more and more often produced in China, with the finishing touches put in Europe for the prestige thing.

Granted, the skilled Chinese workers they use are not comparable to the slave or child labor and sweatshops of, say, Gap or Nike factories, but labor cost is no longer a justification of prices.
Hermes can make that claims and Vuitton for their leather goods can too, but the rest of them can't. A lot of Armani is made in China, so is Gucci and Burberry. Even Chanel is now producing some of its goods in China.

This is so true.

 

[mikeijames]

Actually high-end luxury is more and more often produced in China, with the finishing touches put in Europe for the prestige thing.

Granted, the skilled Chinese workers they use are not comparable to the slave or child labor and sweatshops of, say, Gap or Nike factories, but labor cost is no longer a justification of prices.
Hermes can make that claims and Vuitton for their leather goods can too, but the rest of them can't. A lot of Armani is made in China, so is Gucci and Burberry. Even Chanel is now producing some of its goods in China.

very true, but many "overpriced designer" brands like balmain most definitely don't get produced in china. love them or hate them.

 

[Jungla_Juana]

even some of the "luxury" goods that are 100% produced in Italy are made in sweatshops chock full of illegal Chinese immigrants, sadly... so it's just adding insult to injury how many price increases these labels have on top of the already high prices.