Most Overpriced Designer?

[thejarc]

Rodarte.

How the girls make any money is beyond me. €2125 for a printed skirt is ridiculous. They have no reason to be marking their prices so high, considering how young their label is.

While I agree with on the Rodarte prices I do not agree with your reasoning. If you consider that this is a young label their prices have to be even higher than those of more established labels because production costs more per piece when less garments are commission to a factory. Also their garments involve loads of handworking, really good fabrics and are very exclusive. But 2000€ for a wool cardigan doesn't seem to be reasonable, although it might be handknit and handdyed.

 

[GIVENCHYlover]

Givenchy SS 2012 cotton t-shirt - $785

twitter/izandrews


THE ROW Alligator backpack - €27,550

net-a-porter.com

NARCISO RODRIGUEZ Silk-mousseline dress - €4,212.76

net-a-porter.com

 

[mikeijames]

that is ridiculous for that givenchy t-shirt even by givenchy standards! the dog t-shirts were a reasonable $300 lol and didn't that "the row" bag SELL OUT at that price point? if so that just makes it "expensive" and not "overpriced"

as for the prada vs the balenciaga. the balenciaga dress -- bless ghesquiere's heart -- is not an iconic piece. that prada dress will look just as "prada" five years from now. in one year, most people won't even recognize that balenciaga dress.

 

[EnVogueLove]

well since they fired Christophe will Balmain drop some of their price points? I know they wanted to make a cheaper line but Christophe refused, so maybe we'll see a change in the future H&M x Balmain never

I hope this will NEVER happen. But I am not so sure anymore when Christophe is out of the game.

 

[mikeijames]

^they're creating a bridge line ("pierre balmain") that's cheaper, but balmain remains balmain-priced.

 

[EnVogueLove]

I am fine with Pierre Balmain line but H&M x Balmain would be so funny
Maybe somebody could post how the prices are now when it comes to Pierre Balmain collection and when it comes to regular Balmain?

 

[blackcherrified]

I guess the problem with Balmain is they are trying to be rockerish... but yet they have not realized that normal people who is into that aesthetic can't pay that amount of money... and the rich are not into it... oh wells...

 

[EnVogueLove]

I guess the problem with Balmain is they are trying to be rockerish... but yet they have not realized that normal people who is into that aesthetic can't pay that amount of money... and the rich are not into it... oh wells...

I guess it worked out at the beggining when Decarnin's Balmain was new on the scene, fresh, cool and rockerish. Balmain's clothes was sold out very quickly...like at net a porter. I think that rich people are buying this sh*t about wearing ripped clothes that costs a lot of money. It would totally not be the same if you have no label ripped jeans and Balmain ripped jeans And the people who buys at NAP are also willing to pay a lot just because it's Balmain. I guess people get bored of the snobish Decarnin's attitude. Also, I think that "normal people that are into rock" don't even know about Balmain. I don't think that Decarnin's Balmain was ever meant to be label for "normal audience" .

 

[mikeijames]

...Also, I think that "normal people that are into rock" don't even know about Balmain. I don't think that Decarnin's Balmain was ever meant to be label for "normal audience" .

balmain appeals to the same segment of the population that enjoys extremely expensive restaurants, astronomically priced art, spectacularly pricey residences, and that will dole out thousands of dollars to sit at a table at a night club where no one can see them. it's about exclusivity. you can buy a bottle of perrier jouet at the grocery store for a couple hundred bucks and you can buy the SELF-SAME bottle at a trendy nightclub for a thousand. same grapes. same vineyard. same bottle. same everything. it's the exclusivity that drives the price. and something is only over-priced when it's something people aren't willing to pay for. while balmain remains very expensive, it's not overpriced because people happily buy it at those prices.

 

[Littleathquakes]

I think you're describing consumers' willingness to pay. Overpriced simply means the cost of material and labor does not equate to the cost you're passing on to the customer. Exclusivity is intangible - you cannot tack that on to the price. If it costs you $5 to make a coat and you sell it for a million dollars - that's overpriced. Just because a millionaire buys it does not make it worth a million dollars - it's still a $5 coat.

If it costs you $5000 to make the coat, and you sell it for $6000 - that's an expensive coat. the price it already started at is high and you marked it up to a level that isn't beyond the actual cost of the item itself.

Like that example of Perrier jouet you gave. Someone who doesn't make a lot of money will find that expensive. Someone who makes ton of money will not. it doesn't negate the fact that that bottle of water, for what it is, shouldn't cost as much as it does. that makes it overpriced.

 

[mikeijames]

but intangibles make up so much of an actual price. creativity. convenience. exclusivity. covetability. all of these intangibles go into the price of a garment. we're not strictly talking about costs here, we're talking about price. you have some designers....i recall balenciaga under ghesquiere in those early days....that had ridiculously high price tags on their clothes and they wouldn't sell. they just sat there. 20% off. 50% off. 80% off. while the handbags floated the ship. that's over priced. then you have items just as marked up at chanel that will not stay on the shelves.

the market -- that is, the consumer, in the end -- remains the ultimate judge of whether something is overpriced. i can sit back and say lobster is overpriced all day long but it constantly sells at the price it is despite it's relatively low cost to harvest and prepare. louboutin routinely charges two-to-three times the price as some similar creations at competitors like jimmy choo or manolo blahnik or others. do you think he puts two or three times as much leather or workmanship into those shoes? no. creativity? perhaps. exclusivity? maybe. but it's not just raw materials and time spent putting them together.

 

[Crying Diamonds]

Givenchy SS 2012 cotton t-shirt - $785


twitter/izandrews


THE ROW Alligator backpack - €27,550


net-a-porter.com

NARCISO RODRIGUEZ Silk-mousseline dress - €4,212.76
net-a-porter.com

I don't think the last two are particularly overpriced.
The bag is alligator, and only overpriced if you compare it to a crocodile Bottega handbag which is handcrafted and costs £20,000 (€24,000).

The Narciso Rodriguez dress has layers upon layers of fabric and countless panels, plus have you ever tried to sew silk chiffon? It would take a while to construct and it's all silk.

The polyester Balmain blazer I retched over in Harrods was overpriced at £2,000.

 

[Andro]

Dolce&Gabbana Dress $63'000

Look at this Dolce & Gabbana dress for $63'000. This isn't even haute couture and the price well exceeds the price points for couture.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/BREATHTAKINGLY-DOLCE-GABBANA-ROYAL-GOWN-DRESS-SWAORVSKI-CRYSTAL-PEARL-63-K-/140631022585?pt=US_CSA_WC_Dresses&hash=item20be431bf9#ht_12739wt_941

 

[Andro]

Well, the Jil Sander price tags have always had way to many figures on them. Even under Jiline the brand was known for expensive womenswear since she liked to import fine materials all the way from Japan.
The reality is that the prices are likely to be that high as long as they have customers. I think Jil Sander has become more overprices under Raf than it was when Jiline ruled the world of minimalism.

I actually beg to differ. Raf has made many of her basics for under $1'000. Don't get me wrong, the collection is still extremely expensive. I just remember Jil Sander in the 90's paying up $2'500 for a cashmere sweater. $5'000 for her suits... What really made the collection cheap was when Prada took over. Without Jils consent, Prada marked down her collection extensively and used considerably less lux materials and processes... To me, Prada confused the Jil Sander customer by hiring Milan Vukmirovic, and thus hurting the brand.

 

[Andro]

To me the most expensive houses are Balmain, Chanel, Balenciaga, Chrome Hearts, Prada, Jil Sander, Versace and Carpe Diem.

 

[GivenchyHomme]

Marc Jacobs F/W 11.12 Iridescent Paillette Skirt
$8,900
89% polyester, 5% wool, 4% polyester film, 2% polyamide.

style.com,net-a-porter.com

 

[mikeijames]

To me the most expensive houses are Balmain, Chanel, Balenciaga, Chrome Hearts, Prada, Jil Sander, Versace and Carpe Diem.

i tend to agree with this list except i'd leave off prada and jil sander (one can find many under-$500 pieces there) and add bottega veneta and yohji yamamoto. also, as far as pure expense, tom ford.

 

[glossypages]

Balmain. Enough said.

 

[glossypages]

Oh, and I guess the most obvious case in point is

Balmain T Shirt at $1,625
100% cotton

photo courtesy of huffington post

and also while finding the first image i stubbled upon this Louis Vuitton "Raindrop Besace" purse from the same source.
At $1,960 you can get yourself a ("stylish?") trash bag


Again, from Huffingtonpost.com

 

[thunderstorm]

Balmain T Shirt at $1,625
100% cotton

Dear Lord... This is horrendous.
It's real price must not be more than 20-30 bucks.