Your recent purchases

[fncyths]

Only here are $650 church's not hefty price wise.

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kunk - since we're on the topic of longevity. what's about roughly the life of your RO dunks. You seem to have a few pair as I recall from past WAYWT posts. They last you a few years? Longer?

I remember splurging right when the Lanvin sneaker craze hit, it drove me nuts how expensive those hi tops where (still are) ...

[#ruin]

[*]Did the designer use the best possible materials in the execution of the garment.

what exactly do you mean by "best possible materials"?

[kunk75]

they last forever if you resole them 2 x a year :P

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kunk - since we're on the topic of longevity. what's about roughly the life of your RO dunks. You seem to have a few pair as I recall from past WAYWT posts. They last you a few years? Longer?

I remember splurging right when the Lanvin sneaker craze hit, it drove me nuts how expensive those hi tops where (still are) ...

[Venus in Furs]

in a way, yes, but if you really think about Carol's jeans for example, there is a lot to them. They are "just" jeans but there is nothing ordinary about the pattern or the contstruction, for example. This, I imagine, is what appeals to many people with his work, his clothes are based on something ordinary (like you said; suits, jeans, shirts, shoes) but there is a lot more to them, and that is at least what I find fascinating in the work.

I was going to say that Carol is the exception rather than the rule, but even with Carol I'm starting to wonder a bit. After 4 years of constant wear, my fencing leather is completely falling apart. Don't get me wrong, I love the way it looks now and wouldn't trade it for anything, but in terms of construction, design, etc there's nothing mind blowing about it. it does make me wonder whether it's really deserving of being 5-6 times the price of a schott, lewis, or vanson leather.

That being said, I accept the points you raise regarding carol. My disdain has really come from the fact that I wear black skinny jeans and docs everyday and I want to pay good money for iterations of these things that last the same way red wings and japanese denim do, but no one does it. despite the fact that the same 'aesthetic' is done by a number of designers on here, it's really just $600 or whatever for Rick jeans or SL jeans etc which are no better than Levi's red tabs, or well over $1k for Rick or Ann boots which are no better than cheap docs.

I just wish that if 'high end' designers and/or fashion houses were going to make things such as plain skinny jeans or combat boots and charge huge amounts for them, they would make them right instead of just throwing out a very cheap product with a hugely inflated price so that people can buy into the brand as a whole head-to-toe lifestyle.

[michael_kard]

Just wanted to say that the quality of construction of Ann footwear has been consistently high. Definitely better than your average Doc Martens. Unlike many of her garments (especially from the most recent collections) her shoes age well.

[0JSIMPS0N]

My drkshdw jeans are my favourite jeans for everyday wear. Fit me perfectly and I haven't had any problems with the quality. The knee darts are starting to weaken but it just makes me love them even more. Definitely worth the price, would buy them at retail if I had to.

[Venus in Furs]

as long as you guys are happy

[fncyths]

My disdain has really come from the fact that I wear black skinny jeans and docs everyday and I want to pay good money for iterations of these things that last the same way red wings and japanese denim do, but no one does it. despite the fact that the same 'aesthetic' is done by a number of designers on here, it's really just $600 or whatever for Rick jeans or SL jeans etc which are no better than Levi's red tabs, or well over $1k for Rick or Ann boots which are no better than cheap docs.

I just wish that if 'high end' designers and/or fashion houses were going to make things such as plain skinny jeans or combat boots and charge huge amounts for them, they would make them right instead of just throwing out a very cheap product with a hugely inflated price so that people can buy into the brand as a whole head-to-toe lifestyle.

I share the sentiments to the T. I'll still buy my Frye boots and jap denim over most of what is offered here on SZ. I do agree with OJ, the few different versions of drkshdw jeans that I've owned have been tough as nails, yeah the crotch gets blown out, but they last true blue.

michael_kard - I do disagree with you. Not all of Ann's footwear is on point. Her boots stand strong, still a little iffy about her super high top sneakers (though I love them). Docs and Clarks are staples in my wardrobe for a reason. Yeah the soles on docs split but nothing the neighborhood cobbler can't work out.

[zamb]

I was going to say that Carol is the exception rather than the rule, but even with Carol I'm starting to wonder a bit. After 4 years of constant wear, my fencing leather is completely falling apart. Don't get me wrong, I love the way it looks now and wouldn't trade it for anything, but in terms of construction, design, etc there's nothing mind blowing about it. it does make me wonder whether it's really deserving of being 5-6 times the price of a schott, lewis, or vanson leather.

That being said, I accept the points you raise regarding carol. My disdain has really come from the fact that I wear black skinny jeans and docs everyday and I want to pay good money for iterations of these things that last the same way red wings and japanese denim do, but no one does it. despite the fact that the same 'aesthetic' is done by a number of designers on here, it's really just $600 or whatever for Rick jeans or SL jeans etc which are no better than Levi's red tabs, or well over $1k for Rick or Ann boots which are no better than cheap docs.

I just wish that if 'high end' designers and/or fashion houses were going to make things such as plain skinny jeans or combat boots and charge huge amounts for them, they would make them right instead of just throwing out a very cheap product with a hugely inflated price so that people can buy into the brand as a whole head-to-toe lifestyle.

I highlighted the last portion of your post because I think this is a very important issue that i am in very firm agreement with.

And it goes back to the point made about the designer using the best possible materials without compromising hi vision.
i dont see any disagreement between making a really strong product aesthetically that is also top notch quality wise.

this is a large part of the reason I simply dont buy certain designer sneakers because i honestly am of the view that the designer could achieve exactly the same look while making a greater effort to execule the product better................On another note to this issue is the simple reality that we need to ask ourselves......

Do we really want first rate quality items because I have often seen designers offering better quality products for more reasonable costs but they are not heavily supported because they are not as "hyped" as others. However this is another discussion for another time.

what exactly do you mean by "best possible materials"?

Simple. the materials that allows best for the proper execution of the product. As a designer i have often made garments, where upon review I realize that the material used does not look as great as something else, hence the need often for multiple iterations of a product in different fabrics to see which best yields the results you want.

Sometimes it also takes a while to get this, which is why at times I make stuff and wear them a while before releasing on the market because i want to see how the item holds up/ perform in a particular fabric before I make it available for sale.

[fncyths]

Sometimes it also takes a while to get this, which is why at times I make stuff and wear them a while before releasing on the market because i want to see how the item holds up/ perform in a particular fabric before I make it available for sale.

That being said. I've been rotating between two pairs of overdyed dna jeans for the past few months and they are breaking in quite nicely. Crotch still in tact

[Faust]

Also agreed with what Venus said.

Having said that, I have not once had a problem with Ann's footwear. My combat boots are the originals from 03 and look brand new today. The three buckle boots are reissues and look and feel as new after two years of wear.

I also never had a problem with DRKSHDW jeans, though I have heard numerous complaints. Both of my pairs I wear ALL THE TIME. Maybe I am just lucky. I also must say that I don't think I own any RO after 2010, so I cannot speak for anything after that from personal experience.

[zamb]

That being said. I've been rotating between two pairs of overdyed dna jeans for the past few months and they are breaking in quite nicely. Crotch still in tact

Don't wanna get too much into a discussion about my own work unless its in the dialogue thread, but DNA Jeans are some of the strongest on the market. the only thing I have ever gotten complaints about was some people losing buttons but nothing else. you might wanna read this and see what they look like after two years of hard wearing.

on another note.......you know what a disaster Wallet A was until we finally figured out how to make that right......Sometimes things takes time and research before they can be done well

[kunk75]

all my drkshdw jeans have blown out but then again all denim i have ever owned except the japanese brands have blown out. I fully expect see through tees to fade but cashmere sweaters ripping after 2 wearings is not acceptable. Furthermore, my ann bluchers sole has come apart and the leather is on par with chinese-made docs. conversely, sneakers aside, my ro footwear is all in tact.

I think quality plays second fiddle among most of the designers we discuss. I mean, nearly none of the brands here have the quality of hermes, bruno cuccinelli, etc. we need to parse out aesthetic and quality if by quality we mean fabric, durability, etc. My ro blazers are my favorite aesthetically but they are neither canvassed nor made from what i would consider luxe materials.

[Venus in Furs]

regarding the ann boots, i expected those responses. my girlfriend has a pair of the old stitch down leather sole combats, which seem quite well made and have held up really well. i, on the other hand, had a pair of those back lace creeper combats from 09/10, iirc, and had endless problems with them [to the point where they actually got replaced and then the replacement fell apart so i gave up].

anyway, i know the price/quality ratio is something that's been discussed countless times, my rant is more just a reflection of my inability to find certain things i'm looking for at the moment. really, i just want a pair of docs made out of guidi horse.

I think quality plays second fiddle among most of the designers we discuss. I mean, nearly none of the brands here have the quality of hermes, bruno cuccinelli, etc..

this is another thing. recently i bought a hermes notebook for a friend as a gift and for $300 [including the refillable paper] it still has this kind of old world luxury about it, something that just isn't there with designer iphone and macbook cases, wallets, clutches, paperweights...

[morsto]

re: drkshdw jean quality, there is a huge difference in terms of durability depending on the wash. The horror example being the hog wash from a few seasons ago, mine disintegrated by the 3rd time they were worn, due to this (and the inconsistent sizing issues) I stopped buying drkshdw jeans.
My Ann footwear is very good quality, but not as good as 10 years ago. This (along with most things being said here) were discussed in the thread "quality vs aesthetics, is there a disconnect?" or similar, but it seems to be a clear that quality, i.e., both durability and and detail in craftmanship has been declining a lot in the past 10 years while prices has gone up.