New York City - Barneys ss06 trunk shows

[shalu]

Ok, so I went down to the Balenciaga trunk show at Barneys and ordered these pieces:

the blazer and tank from the first look and the skirt from the second.

I them! The entire collection was gorgeous... nothing was ridiculously overpriced except for some of the last very intricate pieces which were definitely in the 5 figures! Just to give you an idea of the prices: the blazer was around $2000, the tank was $975-ish and the skirt was $1300.

I loved one of the dresses as well but it was $8700 so I passed.

 

[faust]

/\ If that's not overpriced, I wonder what is?

 

[shalu]

well, what I meant by not overpriced is that it was in line with the past Balenciaga collections... and I mean, $2000 for a good designer blazer is not bad... you can expect to pay that much at any designer-- gucci, etc. also, an intricate top for $975 is okay as well, b/c as someone mentioned before Dolce charges like $700 for tanks that have no work at all. Is it overpriced? yes but compared to other designers, Balenciaga's past collections and the overall market of luxury goods? No.

 

[faust]

well, what I meant by not overpriced is that it was in line with the past Balenciaga collections... and I mean, $2000 for a good designer blazer is not bad... you can expect to pay that much at any designer-- gucci, etc. also, an intricate top for $975 is okay as well, b/c as someone mentioned before Dolce charges like $700 for tanks that have no work at all. Is it overpriced? yes but compared to other designers, Balenciaga's past collections and the overall market of luxury goods? No.

Those prices are obscene , especially a tshirt, no matter how much work it has on it. $2000 for a blazer is a lot also. $1200 would be more inline with the designers I pay attention too. Prices are just out of control

 

[softgrey]

very interesting shalu...
thanks for sharing...

i expect we will see that tank on every spoiled hollywood teen...


...

 

[shalu]

faust, now you have me feeling all guilty.... I just called and cancelled the skirt order... that was the only one I wasn't completely thrilled about... it was an impulse last minute addition and now that you mention it, $1300 is A LOT for a skirt... I don't know what I was thinking!

the other pieces are quite pricey too but I just love the tailoring on the blazer... it fits me perfectly and I will get a lot of use of it and the tank as well. I can always reject the tank after it comes depending on how much I would have already spent by that time... it's not coming until March.

 

[Caffeine]

^same here shalu. I just ordered the tank through the boutique (no tax in that case...but I need to pay tax if I order through barney's). Now I'm debating b/w two jackets. which one is better?
Faust, I understand your concern. At the same time, if I say I want one statement piece for the spring I think the jacket it is. I tried Balenciaga jackets before and I absolutely love the structure, construciton, and the cut.

 

[fashionista-ta]

shalu, it's really sweet of you to share pricing info. It's definitely something we all have to think about & reach our own conclusions/decisions ... For me it has alot to do with fabric, cut, detail work (as you mention), fit (as you also mention), and the distance between the designer piece and the average jacket/skirt/whatever to be found in the bridge dept. Basic pieces you can find there, no problem ... but if you want something unique and totally non-basic, that's where designers really come into their own (or should!). Another factor that comes into play for me is how I feel about the designer in general, because you are supporting a working artist, one whose neck may very well be on the profitability chopping block. So if I feel kindly disposed toward the designer, that makes me feel better about the price. Just a few random thoughts about designer price tags

 

[faust]

faust, now you have me feeling all guilty.... I just called and cancelled the skirt order... that was the only one I wasn't completely thrilled about... it was an impulse last minute addition and now that you mention it, $1300 is A LOT for a skirt... I don't know what I was thinking!

the other pieces are quite pricey too but I just love the tailoring on the blazer... it fits me perfectly and I will get a lot of use of it and the tank as well. I can always reject the tank after it comes depending on how much I would have already spent by that time... it's not coming until March.

I'm sorry. I am definitely not the one to look into other people's wallets. I was musing on the Balenciaga prices in general

Caffeine, it looks like the same jacket in both photos.

 

[Caffeine]

^the details are different. Looking at the side pockets and the hem of the sleeves...didn't pass the quiz faust

 

[faust]

^the details are different. Looking at the side pockets and the hem of the sleeves...didn't pass the quiz faust

Ahh, I see. Well, the sleeves might be rolled up, but maybe not. I like the one with black pockets/cuffs, it tones down the upholstery effect

 

[Caffeine]

^you know faust, it is the first time I like a piece of clothes with paisley on it.

 

[EdK]

3700 for a blazer is a lot of damn money, but then again after working in womens department ive realized that the most expensive mens clothes dont even compare to the prices of womens. thats just how it is, women are just more willing to shell out the cash. dior homme prolly has the most expensive blazers, their blazers cost more then suits from gucci and ysl etc..a nice expensive dior homme blazer is like what 2,000? which is what i paid for mine and the tailoring is just out of this world. but that white tank, barneys had the black one, and i really believe it is worth the 900 something they ask. i mean look at all the other designers asking for 500, 600, 700 for plain tanks. i mean shalu you saw that tank right, you know what i mean by the metal like add ons? also the shoes were just weird, they had these space age futuristic looking shoes, then they had this pair of green ones that look like theyre from proenza, it was just off. but overall i liked the collection. at least the balenciaga ones didnt have smeared makeup and didnt smell like week old cigarette smoke like the rochas.

 

[Caffeine]

^totally agree. The more I look at the pictures, the more I appreciate the work put on the clothes. The tank is lovely.
i chatted with my SA at Balenciaga and I was told that the turtleneck tshirt was not produced, and that's why it was not in the trunk show. In addition, the tank only comes in black instead of white, which is exactly what I want. I wish I could look at the real clothes, but now I have to wait until the spring.
They will come around my b-day, so I count them as my bday present

 

[Caffeine]

ok, I decided to order the blue one. It's more playful. Also EdK, my SA at the boutique told me that the price for the paisley jacket is $2,855, which sounds a lot better to me. A chanel jacket will cost even more nowadays, so I'll definitely get that one.

 

[EdK]

yea theres blazers that are around the price point u mentioned, but the one with the chain closure int he front is 3700 something, is this the one u asked about? cuz i asked the balenciaga rep and the buyer looked at the buy sheet and said it was 3,700

 

[Caffeine]

yea theres blazers that are around the price point u mentioned, but the one with the chain closure int he front is 3700 something, is this the one u asked about? cuz i asked the balenciaga rep and the buyer looked at the buy sheet and said it was 3,700

I thought that all the jackets have the chain closure, no? There is one jacket with lots of ruffles, and that one looks really expensive to me. I paid half of the jacket already, so I hope that the price they quoted was correct
EdK, looking at the Balenciaga website, are you able to remember which one the $3,700 jacket is? Just curious.

 

[EdK]

this was the suit i was talking about, they had this exact look dressed on a manequin jacket is 3700 pants is 1200 as you can see, around the edges the lighter paisley is additional fabric stitched on.

 

[Caffeine]

^Thank you so much! This one does look more expensive as the lighter fabric was stitched on. I don't like the shape of the lapel so I didn't even consider this jacket (luckily!)

 

[Caffeine]

According to my SA, the fabric was ordered from a French mill and they ordered the fabric exclusively for the coming three years. So people can't find the same fabric elsewhere. Also, the fabric was a kind of old fashioned french fabric and it's a mix of fine silk and cashmere......My SA was even more excited than i was
Now I think that I did the right thing to use my spring jacket budget on this jacket instead of a Chanel one. I can buy similar Chanel jackets every year, but this one is special. I can't wait now.