The Row : from Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen #1

[C0UTUR3_WH0R3]

Is there anywhere I can see the whole collection? Can someone help me?

 

[kimair]

no one has seen the entire collection, i don't think...
they don't have a website as of yet, and only a few stores carry the line right now...

i went to maxfield in l.a. a few weeks ago and saw the tank, v-neck t-shirt, the cashmere tank dress and the cashmere long dress, and all pieces are really nice...
i really wanted to get the t-shirt (it was so soft!), but they only had one left, and it had a mark on it...
i can't wait for barneys to open here so i can see the f/w collection...

 

[Meg]

Kirsten's shirt doesn't look like it cost any more than a shirt from the Gap. I'm not seeing any extraordinary fit. There is no way around it. People are paying $300 bucks for a t-shirt. Great fitting t-shirts with good quality can be found at lesser prices. Were these not made by the Olsens I don't think people would pay that kind of money for something that looks like it costs $50 tops to the layperson.

Were this not Balenciaga, Chanel, Dior, Rick Owens, etc. people wouldn't be paying as much either. We all know in fashion part of the price goes to the name, unless it's a very very indie label. Thats just how it works. I'm finding this point a bit redundant as people have paid more, for less and not complained.

 

[larien]

i like the basic tees of the collection but it looked too expensive to me

 

[Highclassheather]

the row is looking for an intern in the new york area, they made a post on craigslist. heres the link if anyone is interested.
http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/med/368300916.html

 

[rainy_spring]

oh wow. that will be one lucky intern. wish i lived in new york

 

[LANE]

no one has seen the entire collection, i don't think...
they don't have a website as of yet, and only a few stores carry the line right now...

i went to maxfield in l.a. a few weeks ago and saw the tank, v-neck t-shirt, the cashmere tank dress and the cashmere long dress, and all pieces are really nice...
i really wanted to get the t-shirt (it was so soft!), but they only had one left, and it had a mark on it...
i can't wait for barneys to open here so i can see the f/w collection...

anyone know when the menswear is being released?

 

[Thefrenchy]

^ waiting for it too

 

[Madhuri]

Were this not Balenciaga, Chanel, Dior, Rick Owens, etc. people wouldn't be paying as much either. We all know in fashion part of the price goes to the name, unless it's a very very indie label. Thats just how it works. I'm finding this point a bit redundant as people have paid more, for less and not complained.

I think the "name" part is the difference. When people pay more for the Chanel name they are paying for a name that has a tradition and history of the best couturiers in fashion. With the Olsen "name" buyers are getting two former child stars with no fashion training who just happen to like clothes.

 

[newrave]

this girls are crazy??????

what a prices

 

[masquerade]

I think the "name" part is the difference. When people pay more for the Chanel name they are paying for a name that has a tradition and history of the best couturiers in fashion. With the Olsen "name" buyers are getting two former child stars with no fashion training who just happen to like clothes.

exactly. While Chanel is extremely expensive, there is an assurance of quality and timeless design. With The Row, there is no history, no assurance that it will even exist next year, let alone be timeless. It is ludicrous that they would charge that but if people are willing to pay, well they are allowed to throw away their money. Not to mention there are far more established brands that sell the same thing (james perse have been mentioned) that aren't as expensive

 

[just_me]

^ I got cardigans from Chanel that tear just as easily as other cashmere brands, without the mark-up with Chanel you pay mostly for the name, much of it is timeless yes... but you pay for the name if you claim something else you are deluded.

 

[masquerade]

^I'm not saying you aren't paying for the name. The name just comes with certain connotations. The name "The Row" doesn't hold anything while "Chanel" does and yet the prices are as high as if they are an established brand with a solid history

 

[MJCouture]

It is beyond moot to compare this line to ANY real "designer" line. This is not a designer line. It is a collection of quality, well fitting basics, targeted to a youth market. Considering what you would pay for a tee shirt at Chanel, $200 is actually quite a deal. Not to mention that Chanel has no business making tee shirts because it is not what they know. It isn't as if designers are cheap and then once they are "established" start selling for higher prices. You can bet that any of the major houses today charged substantially high prices even at their inception. If not more so, because struggling designers have huge overhead. AGAIN though, it is moot to compare the Row to any of this as it does not have any ambition of being a true designer line, it is what it is take it or leave it.

 

[Madhuri]

^^ I recall an interview where the Olsen's seemed to emphasis the fact that their line was couture-quality particulary in the stitching. I do believe they have the ambition of being perceived as high design. There's nothing wrong with that ambition of course.

I actually have more respect for the Sarah Jessica Parkers who acknowledge that they are not designers and are not pretending to be. Her clothes are designed and priced accordingly. For fashion students and anyone who has legitimately studied, interned, and worked their way to extensive knowlege about the design and creation of clothes over many years the intentions (and pretensions) behind the Row might be an insult.

 

[misssakura]

I don't know why people are so against this line. I go into my local shop and I have to pay $80-100 for a non brand name tee, and the quality isn't always great, it's just for the print on the front more often than not. Everybody keeps attacking the Olsen's for not being designers, forgetting that they work with an aspiring designer who HAS done the training. Madhuri, you say that the SJP range is comparable to the Olsen range, except priced similarly. I have to completely disagree with you. Your complaint seems to be the mention of the french seam or other couture techniques. MK&A claim that they use the technique for aesthetic purposes, not to make the entire garment couture.

I have no respect for the SJPs, they barely have any interest in fashion except for being 'pretty' in their clothes they are given. Why is everybody so harsh towards MK&A who genuinely have a passion for clothes, not a recent fad, but something that has followed on for years or more, including interning with credible designers?

I just think it's sad that their celebrity alone makes people insult a good basics line that (imo) isn't pretentious nor overpriced. Just because they're wealthy, it doesn't mean they should charge less. These things cost a lot of money to produce, especially considering the runs they're doing (which is minor compared to a lot of the other 'celeb' lines).

Then add on the fact that a large portion of their buyers won't know this is MK&A....

 

[gemi_12]

I'm impressed

 

[Madhuri]

Madhuri, you say that the SJP range is comparable to the Olsen range, except priced similarly.

I did not say that. Please re-read my post. I said I respect SJP because she is not claiming to be a designer and her clothes and pricing reflect that.

 

[kimair]

I have no respect for the SJPs, they barely have any interest in fashion except for being 'pretty' in their clothes they are given. Why is everybody so harsh towards MK&A who genuinely have a passion for clothes, not a recent fad, but something that has followed on for years or more, including interning with credible designers?

don't lump sjp into the rest of the psuedo-designers out there like beyoncé, jessica simpson, etc...
sjp does have a definite interest in fashion and she does not just care about being "pretty" in the clothes that are given to her...
she doesn't claim to be a designer, but as a mother and woman, she does want clothing that is affordable and adaptable to her lifestyle...
i actually applaud her for doing something different with her line...

back to mk&a, i do believe they have a genuine interest in the clothes, but i think a more reasonable approach would have been to do the techniques they're talking about for less money...
i think it would have been totally doable...
think about this, what is the difference between a ralph lauren cabled cashmere sweater and one from j.crew, besides the name?
j. crew gets their cashmere from loro piano (i think that's how it's spelled), a top mill...
but their sweaters are in the $90-$200 range, while at ralph, the lower end of the scale is probably $200-$300...
or think about what proenza schouler was able to do with their target line...
they didn't have the top silks, etc., but they were still able to put together pieces that were affordable yet reflected their aesthetic and that they were happy with...

i think in the end, they are going to have more success with the elizabeth & james line because of its affordability to the target market...

 

[casaanova]

Cotton tank tops and t-shirts for 300 dollars? That is ridiculous. I feel bad for the people that spend so much money for that. What does it have that normal t-shirts from, say, American Apparel don't?