The Gucci Repercussions

[Erzébeth]

Originally posted by kit@Mar 10th, 2004 - 4:34 am
[ I COULD NOT BELIEVE the prices , when the quality was by no means exceptional .

is it possible that he makes the prices expensive to compensate for the lack of customers? like a cult thing

 

[faust]

Originally posted by Orochian@Mar 9th, 2004 - 10:53 pm

Is Mcqueen planning to distribute his new line of menswear in North America? From what little I've seen of his old line (the one whose N.A sales was discontinued), I must say I'm not impressed. I remember seeing an entire line of denim pieces with garish sewn-on patches that looked distinctly amateurish.

Don't know about Lee's men's line coming back to America. I was not impressed with it either.

We'll have to agree to disagree on the perceived similarity of clientele among the 3 brands owned by Prada. There are indeed superficial similarities among them that those in the know can easily see beyond, however one should bear in mind that the average consumer, even one that buys designer clothing, most likely wouldn't invest the time and energy into reaching such insights. To the casual observer, all 3 brands represent a minimalist, functionalist aesthetic that emerged during the 90's, with an architectural emphasis on cutting. I for one shop all three of them, and I know many others who do, though I do appreciate the subtle differences and nuances in their individual philosophies.

Agreed

I'm really curious about Balenciaga's alleged fit problems. It really did strike me as a surprise, since editorially their collections are so well received.

The problems are not alleged. If 50 pieces are laying in Barneys at 70% off (especially after such hype), what does that tell you? Editorially well received means hyped up, like in many other cases. It's well received because it's a part of Gucci Group, which is the magazines' bread and butter when it comes to advertising money.

 

[kit]

Alexander McQueen's original men's line was discontinued , full stop , in all markets .

He said he was not happy with it as he had had an assistant design it , not having the time or the inclination , himself .

I would assume that his new men's collection , obviously designed by himself , FOR himself , should be available in ALL markets , at least according to FWD .

KIT

 

[Orochian]

Originally posted by faust@Mar 10th, 2004 - 9:17 am
The problems are not alleged. If 50 pieces are laying in Barneys at 70% off (especially after such hype), what does that tell you? Editorially well received means hyped up, like in many other cases. It's well received because it's a part of Gucci Group, which is the magazines' bread and butter when it comes to advertising money.

I see what you mean and I don't doubt it the least bit, but it's just that the press has been raving about Ghesquiere's work even before Balenciaga was purchased by Gucci. But I guess how the clothes looked like on the runway doesn't necessarily translate into how they appear in the real world, on "normal" people.

As for his men's line, I think it's strategically flawed to launch a brand new collection to an, at best, lukewarm market at such drastic prices. Frow the few pieces that I've personally seen and tried on, they don't seem particuarly well made, nor are the materials of above-average quality. What's worse is that when you mention Balenciaga menswear most people still have a mental image of the tacky licensed stuff made for the Asian market, and that only makes their surreal prices even harder to swallow.

 

[ultramarine]

Originally posted by kit@Mar 10th, 2004 - 1:17 pm
Alexander McQueen's original men's line was discontinued , full stop , in all markets .

He said he was not happy with it as he had had an assistant design it , not having the time or the inclination , himself .

I would assume that his new men's collection , obviously designed by himself , FOR himself , should be available in ALL markets , at least according to FWD .

KIT

Hum ... agree ... his old menswear line was ... boring .. there are like 3 McQueen suits which have been on the cyber-hangers of Bluefly.com for AGES!
His new stuff seems MUCH better though ... hope at least the US has access to it ... maybe someone can smuggle some of Lee's goods to Costa Rica (for me!)

 

[LibertyRose]

I thoroughly enjoyed the thoughtful debate going on here. Really interesting analysis on Prada v.s. Gucci.

I for one have always been puzzled by Stella McCartney's under-performance since she left Chloe. IMO, she and Chloe were perfect together and I thought that was her signature look: an original sassy girl who wears flirty dresses as well as a mean, tailored suit. I am thoroughly in love with that horse/pineapple collection. It is audacious, humorous, funky, individualistic, and above all things, wearable. It is also a showcase of her craftsmanship as she added a charming retro flair to her sharply modern cuts. And the presentation is incredibly systematic. The main ideas recur on various pieces in various colors and instead of becoming repetitive they make you want to own all the garments. It is very cleverly staged.

But Stella's collections now have lost focus. Her FW03 show was moderately successful, but other than that, none of her presentations have a theme. Well, they do, but the flow is troublesome and the magic is gone. Didn't she make a name for herself for her tailored pants? She hardly shows pants anymore. And I don't doubt her designing talent because Chloe was very much her success--Pheobe Philo's collections now simply can't measure up.

I really wondered what happened after I saw that horrendous debut for her namesake collection. I don't think she is someone who needs to make artistic compromises as her own look is widely loved and very commercial. But I can tell that she is not well-received in the industry as reviewers never cut her any slack. I mean, other designers can recycle ideas and critics would not mention their misses. But if Stella does something wrong, it will be all over the papers. Oh well, at least she still wears her own stuff exceedingly well.

Nicholas G. has done some incredible, quietly powerful pieces when he took over Balenciaga. I love his buttoned-down military shirts and his acutely cut leather jackets. And his jackets and pants pre-2000 could give Helmut Lang a run for his money. But I think success must have gone to his head or something as his current collections reek of pretention. And it has been reported that Balenciaga is struggling financially.

I don't know how McQueen sells and would be curious to find out. Sergio Rossi on the other hand will probably be as big as Manolo Blahniks, Jimmy Choo, and Christian Loubotin.

 

[faust]

very insightful analysis! I'm glad to see so many tFS members using their own intelligence and common sense, cutting through the so much hype and pretension that surrounds the fashion world

 

[stylegurrl]

Great post LibertyRose

I would like to add my 2 cents on the topic.

I think the combination of Stella and Pheobe was great. They complemented each other perfectly and that showed in the clothes. Stella now has about 9-10 assistants, yet her collections have never compared to the work she did at Chloe. Phoebe started off strong and has done some great work imo (her first solo collection rocked) but she now tends to lean toward repetitive themes.

I have to disagree that Stella isn't cut any slack, though. She has been given more slack than most and has been feted by the industry since day one. Her rise to fame was quite easy and fashion editors and magazines (particularly in the UK) have supported her greatly. Now that the novelty of her being the daughter of rock royalty has worn off, some are seeing the real picture and are being more critical of her work. I highly doubt that another designer with the same inconsistent track record, would have a 1.2 million a year salry, 3 shops and almost 10 million in backing from a major conglomerate (on top of the 13 mil they paid for 50% of her company). Stella has a very priveleged place in the industry.

 

[Lena]

Originally posted by faust@Mar 12th, 2004 - 12:16 am
very insightful analysis! I'm glad to see so many tFS members using their own intelligence and common sense, cutting through the so much hype and pretension that surrounds the fashion world

ditto faust

 

[softgrey]

i have to add that many people believe that phoebe is doing a great job at chloe...i don't think sales have suffered tremendously since stella's departure...the bags are especially doing well for the past couple of seasons...there are some great pieces in the spring collection which is in stores now...
i thought stylegurrl made an excellent point regardiing stella's very priveleged position...once all the hype wears off...it's the clothes that speak for themselves...and the sales figures reflect that...