Oh Love That! You Paid What? - NY-Times Article

[Amélie]

wow, people buy this stuff?

 

[leyla m.]

Originally posted by chickonspeed@Mar 25th, 2004 - 4:35 am
I agree completely, Orochian. Some designers take the Dirk way (smarter, IMO) and start with more moderate pricing. Others, take the Proenza/Hussein Chalayan/Balenciaga route and price their items so unfathomably sky high that only the most devoted fans of each label will buy. But at the end of the season, Proenza and Balenciaga are the ones hanging on the racks at Barneys at 70% off without a buyer in sight. So which method is better?

I'm honestly somewhat shocked at how badly the Proenza boys sell. After soooooo much blinding hype you'd think there'd be enough lemmings out there to snatch up those $800 khaki shorts. What a deal! I wonder how long Barneys will keep buying them if they never sell. They are truly an example of the limitations of hype in the fashion business. At the end of the day, if it doesn't fit and doesn't feel right, no amount of Demi Moore Vogue spreads and Anna Wintour dinners can save you.

CHICK, this is so true^^ !!

anything too overly marked up will always stay for a 70% sale afterwards. at least here it does.!!
and even the richest of the richest just dont spend that easily anymore. i see it everywhere.
being on a bargain hunt has become a trend and even if its just to get that MISSONI for a couple hundred dollars/euros cheaper one will make a day out in italy. (at least i do)
NOONE buys a con over here.
(just as an example: juicy "yes, juicy" is double than what it is in the US)

 

[TheSoCalledPrep]

If being on a bargain hunt is becoming a trend, I'm way ahead of my time. :whistle:

High fashion should be high priced. That's what makes it high fashion. Some couture dresses are in the tens of thousands. And, in my opinion, worth it. But to $1800 for jeans? Dolce and Gabbana is definately one of the worst with this. Anything that they logo skyrockets in price.

 

[leyla m.]

being on a bargain hunt is what i call "getting a designer item or somehting of that like for an incredibly low price"!!!!!!!!!!!

and its so much more fun too

as for labels, i guess its become a global issue that they have become more expensive.
i have just looked at my shoeboxes and the shoes that i bought before the EURO were relatively at least 100-150 euros cheaper than what i buy them for today !!

shopping is also about being smart. as fashion fades and style remains, one doesnt need to buy every single item of a collection.

just my opinion

 

[kit]

Take a glossy magazine ( Vogue , Vogue Hommes , Harpers and Queen etc etc ) .

Look at the number of pages per label and you can then calculate how high on the astronomical scale the boutique prices will be .

Vogues Hommes has SIX pages from DIOR HOMME - three of them absolutely blank white .

Can you see why a pair of Dior Homme jeans can cost 600 dollars ?

KIT

 

[metal-on-metal]

Originally posted by leyla m.@Mar 25th, 2004 - 8:21 am
shopping is also about being smart. as fashion fades and style remains, one doesnt need to buy every single item of a collection.

Exactly. In a way, these price increases force us buyers to be a little more discriminating with where we spend our Dollars (or Pounds or Euros ). People really think twice about buying an item these days. When a charcoal grey cotton sweater is $1000+, people don't go plonking down their credit cards all over town. At least I know I don't.

Like As You Like It said, there are some items (like an exquisite bag or a stunning gown) that will almost always fetch the asking price. But how long can designers keep churning out unexceptional clothing at increasingly higher prices? The fall collections were DULL at best and RETAIL DISASTERS at worst. And with a 20% increase?

I'm really glad we have this topic here today because I think this is an issue that isn't being discussed anywhere at the moment. You certainly won't find it in WWD or Vogue, whose priorities are only to hype the next mediocre young designer who can charge $1800 for a sequined t-shirt.

 

[pradaromance]

Originally posted by TheSoCalledPrep@Mar 25th, 2004 - 7:12 am
If being on a bargain hunt is becoming a trend, I'm way ahead of my time. :whistle:

High fashion should be high priced. That's what makes it high fashion. Some couture dresses are in the tens of thousands. And, in my opinion, worth it. But to $1800 for jeans? Dolce and Gabbana is definately one of the worst with this. Anything that they logo skyrockets in price.

I agree on Dolce Gabbana's prices being way too high...they charge $950 for a tiny bag...more like evening bag size

But then...i have also been somewhat surprised with some of the prices...i mean Snakeskin pumps for $545 from Prada, thats a pretty good deal for snakeskin...

 

[Mutterlein]

When I was so enraged by the high rpcies I cosidered writing a letter to Dior asking them to come out with a cheaper and more accesible line, but then I realized that would defeat the the idea of being a luxury brand.

Yet still, Magazines like Vogue, Elle, GQ, Vogue Homme, these are mostly read and bought by average consumers, not the insanely rich and wealthy. AHHH I just wish I was rich so I could wear their clothes!

 

[faust]

Originally posted by Mutterlein@Mar 25th, 2004 - 1:37 pm
When I was so enraged by the high rpcies I cosidered writing a letter to Dior asking them to come out with a cheaper and more accesible line, but then I realized that would defeat the the idea of being a luxury brand.

Yet still, Magazines like Vogue, Elle, GQ, Vogue Homme, these are mostly read and bought by average consumers, not the insanely rich and wealthy. AHHH I just wish I was rich so I could wear their clothes!

Vogue Homme - $10, Dior jeans - $450

 

[Episternum]

Maybe I'm just irretrievably cheap, but I think some of these prices aren't just rediculous, but singularly offensive. How dumb and gullible do they think people are?

 

[faust]

Originally posted by chickonspeed@Mar 24th, 2004 - 7:05 pm
I understand the problem of the Euro vs. Dollar. But why are prices being raised around the world then? And also, you'd think that designer houses who have such a HUUUGE market in America would be willing to swallow the losses for a couple seasons until the Dollar regains some of its strength rather than hiking prices up on the consumers that have for so long supported them. Maybe that's unrealistic but it would be nice to see.

I've been to Seven. I've been to Jeffrey and Barneys. I've been to IF and Balenciaga and to be honest, NOTHING is tempting me this season. My 'must-have' list of the season is EXTREMELY short and that, coupled with the rising prices has kept me lounging around in my same old clothes for the past few months.

don't go to A.!!! Well, you are a girl, so that saves you from that excellent store...

Prices rise moderately every year because of inflation.

Dollar will not regain its strength for a while. It is a priority for the US economy to make US goods more desirable. They don't give a damn for European goods being sold here, and they never will. We here represent a TINY amount of the US market. America shops at Wallmart. Do you know what Wallmart's GDP is? It was number 19 in the world in 2002, ahead of entire Sweden, for example.

 

[stylegurrl]

Originally posted by Episternum@Mar 25th, 2004 - 1:44 pm
Maybe I'm just irretrievably cheap, but I think some of these prices aren't just rediculous, but singularly offensive. How dumb and gullible do they think people are?

I don't think you are cheap at all. I think you are quite sensible. Most of the prices are offensive, especially considering that many of the items aren't the greatest quality and are definitely not worth the price tag placed on them. I was one of the gullible people in the past and ended up sorely disappointed. I have learned my lesson though. Unfortunately they are some who are so obsessed with labels and keeping up with the jonses, that they will put themselves into debt or go without more necessary things just to say that they have a "designer" item. In this society, 'clothes make the man' and people are judged by what is on their backs, not what is in their hearts. The designers know this and take great advantage of it.

 

[Nader]

Some prices these days are really horrific. I know that a fair deal of work and detail goes into the peices, but at the end of the day, they're just clothes.

 

[Mutterlein]

Originally posted by faust+Mar 25th, 2004 - 1:42 pm--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(faust @ Mar 25th, 2004 - 1:42 pm)</div><div class='quotemain'> <!--QuoteBegin-Mutterlein@Mar 25th, 2004 - 1:37 pm
When I was so enraged by the high rpcies I cosidered writing a letter to Dior asking them to come out with a cheaper and more accesible line, but then I realized that would defeat the the idea of being a luxury brand.

Yet still, Magazines like Vogue, Elle, GQ, Vogue Homme, these are mostly read and bought by average consumers, not the insanely rich and wealthy. AHHH I just wish I was rich so I could wear their clothes!

Vogue Homme - $10, Dior jeans - $450 [/b][/quote]
See, it's insane.

 

[Street_a_Licious]

I think its a bit harsh what you say stylegurrl. I mean, the designers are not really to blame, are they? Its just those company's which sell those items at such high prices...

I'm not that affected bout the rising prices... mainly cuz:

a, I'm a guy and most of those things from high-end labels don't really fit my lifestyle (altho I dig Zegna, Gucci and LV) Still, cheaper brands can be quite good as well, but you're running danger that someone else will have the same in thing when you're for example in a club, at work or school (especially bad when that someone is someone you don't like)

b, It'll be hard for me to run short on money, but, c'mon... $1000+ for some clothes? never for one piece... a bill from a shopping tour, yes, but one piece? I'd have to be insane...

c, I'm livin' in europe, so that whole dollar vs. euro thingie doesn't really affect me.

So, I'd go for 2-4 high end pieces and the rest less midd-stuff...

 

[leyla m.]

°unfortunately there is still people who buy into that "give me look number 23" thing .
not many, but enough obviously to keep their businesses running.

°but thats either people with absolutely no style and NO time to think (or get a decent stylist) or celebrities who mostly get looks thrown at in order to achieve maximum publicity

°however, i find pricing these days just insane and YES somehow an offense if the item cannot even be considered an 'art of work'!

 

[Episternum]

Thanks, good to know I'm not alone.

 

[Lena]

true that advertising and super show productions raise the price of todays designer wear a lot.. i can't believe the prices stated in the NYT article, they are ridiculous and quite 'alien' to me.
On the other hand, i know people that spend as if there is no tomorrow on designer items, what can i say.. if they have the money, why not?
for this kind of clients, a ysl blouse becomes as common as 'our' Zara blouse after a while, they dont even concider their clothes special, its really no big deal if you are in a spending mood and you can really afford it.
the other time i was with a friend, she bought four pairs on Mjacobs shoes in half an hour, it was a common thing for her. She has so many shoes, it makes absolutely no difference for her, she does not even feel 'happy' when shopping. so...

i never spend much on clothes myself, i so agree with leyla on 'bargain' shopping .
one does not need lots of money to dress in a great way, all one needs is a sense of personal style

 

[tott]

Well, I think the upward pricing spiral has been going on for quite some time, it's just gone through the roof...

We're talking pap here, right? The materials cost a bit, labour costs are also a fact, so is marketing and stores on all the right addresses. OK, I can pay for that. Also a bit of a profit for the company.

What we've seen recently is that conglomerats are taking over businesses, and they want to maximize profits or stay afloat in a slump... Because of loans they took in order to become huge they need income, cashflow. Sell more or jack-up the prices.

Am I simpleifying it?

 

[Lena]

Originally posted by tott@Mar 25th, 2004 - 11:36 pm
What we've seen recently is that conglomerats are taking over businesses, and they want to maximize profits or stay afloat in a slump... Because of loans they took in order to become huge they need income, cashflow.

hmm very good point on those loans tott
all big companies are in huge debt due to uber loans so yes,
they think they'll stay afloat by raising the prices

unfortunately for them, i cant see this working out too well