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  • Faust
    kitsch killer
    • Sep 2006
    • 37852

    A small NYT article on Moncler



    Not terribly entertaining and rather poorly written, but has some interesting background info on the company itself. What do you think about luxury parkas? Is that a stupid idea, or is there merit in it? Is North Face not enough?





    http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/21/fa...ml?ref=fashion


    A Gucci Loafer, Filled With Feathers











    ONE might look around in
    this great season of giving (a k a great season of wanting) and imagine
    that the American teenager invented brand-crazed delirium, so riveted
    is this particular creature by simple words like Nike, Nintendo,
    Abercrombie, Apple. But the Moncler ski parka, this season?s men?s wear
    must-have, is a pert reminder that American youth have something to
    learn from Italians and makes clear that adult men are no strangers to
    brand fever.




    Born in France in the 1950?s, the Moncler parka became part of
    fashion history in the 80?s as a key look of the paninari, a clutch of
    clothes-crazy Milan teenagers whose style revolved around brands like
    Levi?s, Timberland and Moncler. Two decades later, the label, virtually
    unknown in this country only three years ago, has snowballed into the
    sleeper hit of the season. Sales are up 30 percent since last year, a
    turn of events made more remarkable given that outerwear sales are down
    in this mild El NiƱo-addled winter.




    But style knows no season. Moncler parkas and vests ? a basic jacket
    sells for about $800 ? have already sold out at Bergdorf Goodman Men,
    and only a handful of styles remain at stores like Jeffrey, Barneys,
    Saks, Bloomingdale?s and Paragon Sports. They have even been strong
    sellers in warmer climes ? at Fred Segal in Los Angeles, for instance.




    ?It?s not selling because you need a coat,? said Tom Kalenderian,
    vice president for men?s wear at Barneys, who compared the Moncler
    parka not to Prada Sport or North Face coats but to the Gucci loafer.
    ?Moncler has become synonymous with the puffy down coat. The competitor
    is not even second-best.?




    Certainly the trim-yet-puffy coats look good, especially those
    patterned after the company?s earliest parkas, first made in Grenoble
    in 1952. They quickly became a favorite of the new ski-happy jet set
    then thronging to the Alps. This legacy has helped the resurgence of
    the line, which includes looks that easily adapt to a range of men:
    70?s-retro-rock downtownster; slick art-world operative; haute-humble
    country guy; or all-around V.S.I.P. (very self-important person).




    ?It?s more of a European fit,? said Mark Goulet, who oversees visual
    merchandising for the Elie Tahari stores. ?It?s not so boxy; it?s cut
    to a more athletic frame.? Mr. Goulet, 37, bought a Kelly-green Moncler
    vest last winter and a navy one this year, and he is now looking for
    just the right parka. Moncler?s appeal, he said, is how it merges the
    youthful athleticism of a ski jacket with a fashionable-yet-classic
    sensibility. ?The styling is good, the colors are great, and it feels
    really authentic,? he said. ?I can?t wear Diesel; I?m too old. You
    don?t feel like a silly Gap-wearing kid in this.?




    Such appeal was what led Remo Ruffini, the chairman of the Milanese
    fashion company Industries SpA, to buy 51 percent of Moncler three
    years ago, with an eye to pruning the general sportswear that had
    diluted the brand and getting back to its core business. ?When you say
    Moncler, you imagine a down jacket, not sportswear,? he said.




    While the company was founded on high performance and quality, Mr.
    Ruffini has put his money on style to kick off its revival, including
    special-edition down-filled collaborations with Balenciaga, Fendi and
    Junya Watanabe. And as he knows, Moncler?s status as the only coat the
    paninari would wear came out of its retro-ski-set appeal, not its
    technical specifications.




    ?Moncler had two lives, one in the 50?s and one in the 80?s,? said
    Mr. Ruffini, who has been influenced by the paninari?s pointedly
    apolitical cultivated consumerism for almost 25 years. ?I am always
    thinking about these two strong periods. I want to create some special
    concept that has them both.?




    American consumers may find it hard to imagine how the paninari,
    Italy?s answer to Generation X, were able to shock with a parka when it
    took major cocaine busts to do the same here. But at least we can
    appreciate the irony of a vogue for a ski parka designed to perform at
    very high and very low altitudes ? that is, the cold temperatures of
    the slopes and the chillier reception that fashion holds for the wrong
    brand.



    Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months - Oscar Wilde

    StyleZeitgeist Magazine
  • deuxmille
    Senior Member
    • Nov 2006
    • 688

    #2
    Re: A small NYT article on Moncler

    I think it's rather stupid. The coats do have interesting designs, the quality isn't great, and most of all they are obnoxious! I don't know how's the situation in other parts of the world, but in Tokyo, they are on everyone and obviously they're not ery well worn ... There's nothing like a young overly tanned couple with D&G distressed jeans, loud Purple Moncler jackets and Gucci waist bags.

    Comment

    • Faust
      kitsch killer
      • Sep 2006
      • 37852

      #3
      Re: A small NYT article on Moncler



      [quote user="deuxmille"]I think it's rather stupid. The coats do have interesting designs, the quality isn't great, and most of all they are obnoxious! I don't know how's the situation in other parts of the world, but in Tokyo, they are on everyone and obviously they're not ery well worn ... There's nothing like a young overly tanned couple with D&G distressed jeans, loud Purple Moncler jackets and Gucci waist bags.[/quote]



      yuck, what an image. well, you know, New York City is so fresh and cutting edge, we are behind the rest of the world by a couple of years, so I haven't really seen these jackets on anyone. I just thought it was one of those old school companies that know how to make a good quality item.

      Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months - Oscar Wilde

      StyleZeitgeist Magazine

      Comment

      • djrajio
        Senior Member
        • Sep 2006
        • 143

        #4
        Re: A small NYT article on Moncler

        Haha. I find deuxmille's description rather funny cuz its somewhat true. Moncler is everywhere in Tokyo now isn't it?! I think the trend started last year and has rather imploded on itself...jackets are fine, quality is good. Just gotta keep those gyaru/centa-gai from ruining the label's image...although it still hasn't seemed to have hurt LV or D&G.

        Comment

        • nairb49
          Senior Member
          • Dec 2006
          • 410

          #5
          Re: A small NYT article on Moncler



          I'm not a fan, it seems like this would be the somewhat equivalent of Refrigiwear's resurrection in Italy a few years back. A la eurotrash with a bit of hiphop flavourmixed in for good measure.

          Comment

          • interman
            Member
            • Dec 2006
            • 88

            #6
            Re: A small NYT article on Moncler



            [quote user="djrajio"]Haha. I find deuxmille's description rather funny cuz its somewhat true. Moncler is everywhere in Tokyo now isn't it?! I think the trend started last year and has rather imploded on itself...jackets are fine, quality is good. Just gotta keep those gyaru/centa-gai from ruining the label's image...although it still hasn't seemed to have hurt LV or D&G.
            [/quote]



            I wonder where the line goes between what happened to Burberry, and LV and D&G today. I don't see them crossing it for a while, but I wonder how the popularity of "luxury" t-shirts, boxers and fake bags will continue in the following years.



            By the way, what does centa-gai mean? Wikipedia had an explanation for gyaru, and I assume it's similar, but I'm still interested in knowing.



            Japanese is on my language to-do list, but it's hard to find enough time.

            Comment

            • djrajio
              Senior Member
              • Sep 2006
              • 143

              #7
              Re: A small NYT article on Moncler

              Centa-gai is actually the name of the street in Shibuya just outside Shibuya station; just left of the Starbucks and large LCD screens. During 2003-2004, the gyaru fashion also became popular with the young boys; they'd get their skin tanned really dark, dye their hair blonde/white, and wear ridiculous accessories and anything LV/Gucci/Burberry/D&G. The majority would congregate on centa-gai street, hence the slang term Centa-GUY. It was actually kinda cool and interesting, but local cops cracked down on the loiters and the style isn't as popular anymore.



              Comment

              • interman
                Member
                • Dec 2006
                • 88

                #8
                Re: A small NYT article on Moncler



                Ah, cheers. By the way, I stumbled across a community for these girls. http://ricoche.net/



                Warning, while browsing the forum you may feel that your IQ is being drained by sheer pink overload.

                Comment

                • Servo2000
                  Senior Member
                  • Oct 2006
                  • 2183

                  #9
                  Re: A small NYT article on Moncler

                  That website is truly fascinating. It's literally like seeing a whole different side of life.
                  WTB: Rick Owens Padded MA-1 Bomber XS (LIMO / MOUNTAIN)

                  Comment

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