What's a Store For?

[Fuuma]

Alan B is exactly the type of an old school store that relies for the large part on the clientele they had decades to nurture. I would argue that if a store like this was founded today it could not survive.

Though Riccardi has been in business for decades too :)

I usually visit both stores in succession when I visit Boston and the contrast is striking. Amusingly enough the last two times I passed by I purchased at Riccardi, amongst Chinese nouveau-riche kids looking for Givenchy/Kenzo. I do believe Riccardi also has an older, mainly gay clientele looking for D2, Dolce and other traditional mainstays of the more flamboyantly inclined.

[Fuuma]

^i like this


you're not that old if you don't remember spinning vinyl in record stores to preview an album

the following is just my opinion. not looking to engage and participate in a venomous back and forth.... agree or disagree, it's all good

I always chuckle when I read comments about the "new" stratospheric pricing.

A reality check would prove that prices of sz approved stuff (I KNOW) have always resided in outer space.

I kinda agree with the adage
"if you have to ask how much,you can't afford it"; herein lies the problem.
MANY people buying this stuff have no real business buying it. They are luxury goods meant to be purchased by a specific demographic,a very small demographic for whom $$$$ really doesn't matter. These people don't treat clothes as a commodity. They don't resell them to fuel new purchases. They don't need to. They can actually afford them. The new purchases too.

Kanye may be an asshole but I know he's not worried about 20% price increases. Same with Orlando Bloom & Jude Law etc.

So,when ragging on these celebs maybe one should ask who are the real poseurs are.

Not sayin that it's always wrong to buy stuff you can't afford;just sayin you always need to realize what playground you are playing in.

Sometimes it's prudent just to take your ball and go home.

*edit* I should add that most days I choose to vacate the playground.

You keep trying to drive the patently false point home that only the mega-rich (who apparently don't look at pricing, something that is yet to be proven) support and are justified to purchase high-fashion. We're not talking G35 planes here, these companies would go out of business if this was the case or charge 100K for a tee shirt (Hermès made a 100K or so croc tee and I bet it didn't really sell as it was a publicity stunt/skills demonstration).

[endorphinz]

^

Not sayin that it's always wrong to buy stuff you can't afford;just sayin you always need to realize what playground you are playing

everyone finances are their own business:I never judge. my point was that one needs to realize what they are purchasing and just go with the flow.... or not.

no. not only the mega rich are justified in purchasing high fashion. HOWEVER,non mega rich persons need to realize that they are awimming in mega rich waters and not whine about pricing.

I'm sure many women save for years to buy 1 birkin bag but I'm also pretty sure the women who have a collection of them are the main supporters of Hermes.

tho Hermes is glad to have both as customers

as for for looking @ pricing,many of (to use your term) mega rich never even see a price tag,or their related credit card bills

and,a 5k leather jacket might as well be a G35 to most people

[Fuuma]

^




no. not only the mega rich are justified in purchasing high fashion. HOWEVER,non mega rich persons need to realize that they are awimming in mega rich waters and not whine about pricing.

I'm sure many women save for years to buy 1 birkin bag but I'm also pretty sure the women who have a collection of them are the main supporters of Hermes.

tho Hermes is glad to have both as customers

as for for looking @ pricing,many of (to use your term) mega rich never even see a price tag,or their related credit card bills

and,a 5k leather jacket might as well be a G35 to most people

Employing the extreme example of a Birkin to illustrate your point is disingenuous. Only the rich buy cars cause Ferraris are so high priced.

[Faust]

Fuuma, you don't know who you arguing with. Run while you can.

[endorphinz]

Substitute a ccp leather for the birkin... I believe that more closely fits into the discussion

and Faust, you do realize that YOU instigate the majority of the shit you claim to loathe.... right?

[Fuuma]

Substitute a ccp leather for the birkin... I believe that more closely fits into the discussion

and Faust, you do realize that YOU instigate the majority of the shit you claim to loathe.... right?

A CCP leather is like 5K and is still the most extreme example of that niche.

Here is how it goes:

1) Megarich G35 crew don't account for luxury sales, middle to upper middle class people do.
2) Some specific goods are still so pricey and produced in small numbers (so traditional luxury) that they are specifically aimed that said megarich crew.
3) Kanye does not account for most Givenchy tee sales, his much poorer fans do.
4) People who buy luxury goods look at pricing, very few exceptions aside. Same for business class tickets, which are usually sold to businesses, administrations or through membership upgrades and not to upper-middle to upper class market. CAUSE THEY LOOK AT THE FUCKING PRICE TO QUALITY AND STAY IN COACH.

[endorphinz]

^

I must've got lost somewhere in this thread...mentions were made of ccp, ma+ & ph and yet,when I bring up ccp it's not relevant.

You brought the g35 into the discussion... wasn't even on my radar (pun intended)

"normal" people might buy the majority of Givenchy ts but the ts aren't the majority of Givenchy's business
again,I'm sure Givenchy welcomes the sales of ts

I'm sure some people look @ prices when buying luxury goods and I'm sure many don't.
I'm sure that many of those that do look @ them do so to know how good to feel about themselves,not because they need to

not sure but I believe that most business class tickets are bought by specific departments of corps whose job it is to look @ prices.... not the actual passenger.

Fuuma, it's cool that we disagree. it really isn't a problem.

however the "here is how it goes" attitude is not so cool.

[Dorje]

Of course none of this actually applies to very rich as they will always have the cash to spend on relatively "cheap" luxuries like clothes... But in general, people are MUCH more concerned with value for the money these days.

People are still buying luxury goods, just not at the same pace and with a lot more research and thought than they did pre-2008. In many markets, there has been no real recovery from the economic downturn...

[Faust]

Substitute a ccp leather for the birkin... I believe that more closely fits into the discussion

and Faust, you do realize that YOU instigate the majority of the shit you claim to loathe.... right?

Wrong. I just have trouble with idiocy.

[endorphinz]

Wrong. I just have trouble with idiocy.

seems like you have trouble with a few things

The stupidly lies in reason/pricing struggle and a very distinct possibility of reason losing out. I know what Oscar Wilde would do, yes, but look how he ended up!

no. not only the mega rich are justified in purchasing high fashion. HOWEVER,non mega rich persons need to realize that they are swimming in mega rich waters and not whine about pricing.

I can see why you post with ruffled feathers.

bottom line

luxury shit is expensive. EVERYONE knows it. Therefore when buying,or even considering buying, stfu and buy.... or move on.

got nuthin else to offer on this subject /

[axtang]

bottom line

luxury shit is expensive. EVERYONE knows it. Therefore when buying,or even considering buying, stfu and buy.... or move on.

got nuthin else to offer on this subject /

stating that pricing above a certain point is beyond question or discussion is a truly strange position to take.

To think that people with more purchasing power are either ignorant or insensitive to the relation between price and value seems a bit, shall I say, wrong? Value, as has been asserted time and time again on this forum, is decided by the buyer. While the minimum ratio that must be met to qualify a purchase might shift as one moves up or down the socioeconomic scale, to think that people with greater wealth simply stop caring about price is ridiculous. It's not like there's one mysterious upper class that exists for whom money is no object and then everybody else. Certainly people like that exist, but there is an entire spectrum of people outside of that small class. And those people are just as entitled to enjoy luxury goods, provided they can afford it.

And I would HOPE that most people, at least here, are not buying CCP or m.a+ to "play ball" as you say. I think some more thought goes into it than mindlessly chasing designers. I will continue to toil under the illusion that there is more to this niche, and maybe even fashion at large, than playing dress-up to feel rich.

And who is to decide whether or not they can afford it? Nobody but themselves, really. And it is to the designers and retailers and everybody inbetween to price according to their perceived audience. And I can guarantee you they put more thought into it than "anybody who's buying this doesn't give a shit how I price this."

All that said, I don't pretend to have a solid grasp of economics or the state of the current fashion market at large.

[Faust]

stating that pricing above a certain point is beyond question or discussion is a truly strange position to take.

To think that people with more purchasing power are either ignorant or insensitive to the relation between price and value seems a bit, shall I say, wrong? Value, as has been asserted time and time again on this forum, is decided by the buyer. While the minimum ratio that must be met to qualify a purchase might shift as one moves up or down the socioeconomic scale, to think that people with greater wealth simply stop caring about price is ridiculous. It's not like there's one mysterious upper class that exists for whom money is no object and then everybody else. Certainly people like that exist, but there is an entire spectrum of people outside of that small class. And those people are just as entitled to enjoy luxury goods, provided they can afford it.

And I would HOPE that most people, at least here, are not buying CCP or m.a+ to "play ball" as you say. I think some more thought goes into it than mindlessly chasing designers. I will continue to toil under the illusion that there is more to this niche, and maybe even fashion at large, than playing dress-up to feel rich.

And who is to decide whether or not they can afford it? Nobody but themselves, really. And it is to the designers and retailers and everybody inbetween to price according to their perceived audience. And I can guarantee you they put more thought into it than "anybody who's buying this doesn't give a shit how I price this."

All that said, I don't pretend to have a solid grasp of economics or the state of the current fashion market at large.

Thank you

[Shucks]

Thank you

+1. pretty good post.

On the supply restriction argument, how do you explain CCP, who has in effect unlimited supply, as he will remake almost anything to order, yet he still maintains the highest prices in the niche?

not sure i correctly understand your point here, but ccp's prices in themselves exclude some people from becoming customers, while at the same time making those same people desire to become so, even more. and then of course there is the whole 'anti-marketing' / 'wait for eight months for your item'-thing which has a similar, perverse, effect.

[the-orb]

I agree, pricing is key even for high end SZ type brands, and personal circumstances play a huge role. I started buying these clothes while still in college and the only thing I could realistically afford were used or heavily discounted pieces, not to mention that retail prices were lower back then for some of my now favorite designers. Of course, this would not have happened without a strong curiosity and strong connection to the esthetic. Those few initial purchases were enough to get started and in a few years, as I got a more complete wardrobe and a real salary (that is far from upper class), buying a full priced leather jacket did not seem completely unreasonable or unattainable anymore, particularly for a piece I had done a lot of research on. On the other hand, I remember walking in to Atelier circa 2013 when nothing was on sale and simply left feeling priced out, no matter how strong my interest was in some of those pieces.

stating that pricing above a certain point is beyond question or discussion is a truly strange position to take.

To think that people with more purchasing power are either ignorant or insensitive to the relation between price and value seems a bit, shall I say, wrong? Value, as has been asserted time and time again on this forum, is decided by the buyer. While the minimum ratio that must be met to qualify a purchase might shift as one moves up or down the socioeconomic scale, to think that people with greater wealth simply stop caring about price is ridiculous. It's not like there's one mysterious upper class that exists for whom money is no object and then everybody else. Certainly people like that exist, but there is an entire spectrum of people outside of that small class. And those people are just as entitled to enjoy luxury goods, provided they can afford it.