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The British Are Coming

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  • Faust
    kitsch killer
    • Sep 2006
    • 37852

    The British Are Coming



    ... wait, they are already here.



    Underpriced and over there

    The
    US economic crisis means American retailers are increasingly relying on
    fashion-hungry British tourists to keep the tills ringing. Hadley
    Freeman reports

    Hadley Freeman
    Friday April 11, 2008


    Guardian

    Charlotte
    Martinson, 25, from London, and "really into Marc Jacobs", dithers for
    just a minute a two. "I'm not sure which one I'm going to go for," she
    muses, holding up a quilted blue jacket and a gold party dress as she
    stands in the Marc by Marc Jacobs store in downtown Manhattan. After
    the briefest of pauses she goes for what she describes as "the sensible
    option": she buys them both.



    Meanwhile,
    at Gap, Caroline - "you can say I'm from Surrey but don't put my last
    name; my husband would kill me" - has picked up so many T-shirts,
    cashmere jumpers and little summer dresses that she is now "well into
    triple figures. But in real money it's still like the early doubles,
    right?"



    Like
    erstwhile downtrodden peasants gleefully pillaging a falling former
    empire, Europeans are, famously, now taking advantage of the weak
    dollar. Increasing numbers are coming to America to do their noble
    international duty by pumping some of their stronger money into the US
    economy. Presumably the "something to declare" channel is a little more
    crowded than usual at Heathrow, with people exceeding the £145
    duty-free limit on goods brought back.



    Vogue
    has even done a feature this month advising readers which American
    fashion website to shop from if they are "tempted by the dollar
    exchange rate". The New York Times recently claimed that "[The British]
    are travelling because they want to shop. Period." Because of this, the
    newspaper dubbed the British "the new Americans, whose once-dominant
    dollar used to buy them everything, including a reputation", a
    description that was both wistful and snide.



    Retailers
    in Manhattan, however, disagree, at least with the analogy: "The
    British are the new Japanese, and New York is the new Italy - the place
    to come to stock up on designer clothes," says Raegan Morgan, sales
    specialist at Diane von Furstenberg. "We opened our downtown store in
    May and, particularly since September, we've been inundated with
    European visitors. The British especially really load up the dressing
    rooms."



    It
    is a bit like a United Nations effort to give funds to a developing
    country, but with more of an emphasis on Ralph Lauren and Levi's. And
    in truth, this analogy can be read with something akin to literalism:
    as Americans, beaten into consumer timidity by daily warnings about
    their dying economy, increasingly forgo $300 (£150) dresses and a 17th
    pair of jeans, US retailers are increasingly relying on British
    tourists' money.



    "If
    we had to depend on custom from New Yorkers, it would be difficult,"
    says Morgan. The store manager at a well-known American high street
    store that asked not to be named admitted, "We all thank God for the
    'two-bag Brits'," referring to the British practice of bringing two
    suitcases on their New York trips - one packed with clothes to wear,
    and a spare to bring back all the extras they will buy. Chris Heywood,
    spokesman for NYC & Company, the official marketing and tourism
    organisation for New York, is more blunt about how crucial the British
    pound has become: "British tourism is absolutely essential to the
    city's economy."



    According
    to the Office of Travel and Tourism Industries (OTTI), the number of UK
    visitors to the US rose by 8% last year, to 4.5 million. Britons
    accounted for 41% of all tourists from western Europe. New York is the
    most popular American city for British tourists and, according to NYC
    & Company, the UK is their number one inbound international market,
    beating its geographical neighbour Canada into second place. In 2007,
    the number of British tourists to New York City rose by 25%.



    "The
    combination of the weak dollar and the increased access via air travel
    has obviously helped. For the Brits, the city is
    essentially on sale," says Heywood. In 2007, 92% claimed that they came
    to New York for shopping, while only 69% said they could be bothered to
    do any sightseeing. Well, you can't bring back the Empire State
    building, right?



    In
    2006, British tourists spent $1.64bn in New York City and, on average,
    each visitor spent about $1,400 per five-day visit, including hotel
    costs. Figures for 2007 are not yet available, but Heywood predicts a
    "comfortable rise".



    Of
    course, electronics are popular purchases for visiting tourists:
    stepping into the Apple store in New York's meat-packing district is
    like strolling around Disneyworld's Epcot Centre, with every European
    accent and language audible. But some goods don't travel as well as
    jeans; an American computer might not work with a British socket.



    The
    most popular fashion purchases are American brands, such as Abercrombie
    & Fitch, Levi's and Gap, as well as American
    designers such as Ralph Lauren and Diane von Furstenburg. But some
    American stores selling British labels are also reporting British
    custom.



    "Yeah,
    we get a lot of British women shopping in here," says a sales assistant
    in the Stella McCartney store in New York. "It tends to be women in
    their 30s and they all say that it's cheaper to buy the clothes here
    than in London." This, actually, isn't true: a comparison between the
    goods at the NY and London branches of Stella McCartney proves that
    prices are the same and occasionally higher in the US. But perhaps once
    British tourists get into the shopping groove, they carry on
    regardless, facts be damned.



    Of
    course, it's with the American brands, such as Diane von Furstenberg,
    that the differences are most apparent: "Here our dresses start at
    $200, whereas in the UK they're something like £200," says Raegan
    Morgan.



    To
    cope with this British invasion, NYC & Company last year launched a
    campaign called "Just Ask the Locals", which, as if to confirm all
    stereotypes about New Yorkers' general sense of etiquette, gently
    encouraged the locals to be nice to the high-rolling tourists by
    reminding them that their money saves each New York household $1,000 a
    year.



    Nonetheless, some locals still have their grumbles, namely about the British ignorance of the concept of tipping. Then there is
    their new habit of exclaiming how cheap everything is, "which is kinda annoying",says one shop assistant. "Also, you guys
    take so long to order at Starbucks," laughs Morgan, with slightly gritted teeth. But the British are probably ordering the more
    expensive coffees.



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

    StyleZeitgeist Magazine
  • Yan
    Senior Member
    • Mar 2008
    • 386

    #2
    Re: The British Are Coming

    Hope to be with you in the Summer!

    Comment

    • Faust
      kitsch killer
      • Sep 2006
      • 37852

      #3
      Re: The British Are Coming

      Well, don't count on cheaper prices for European designers. But, yea, if you want that DvF dress or a pair of Gap khakis you've been dreaming about, come on over.
      Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months - Oscar Wilde

      StyleZeitgeist Magazine

      Comment

      • Yan
        Senior Member
        • Mar 2008
        • 386

        #4
        Re: The British Are Coming

        Hey I rang the library to ask about CCP yesterday and they did not treat me well. Following from threads re. Atelier, that is as good a reason as any to visit NYC.

        Comment

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