Your thoughts on designer pieces...

M

m8875

O.G.
Sep 12, 2006
832
31
#1
Today I had the chance to actually try on some designer pieces (Ralph Lauren Black Label, Armani, Escada)...

I must say that I was expecting more, or maybe a miracle. I just thought that since all these clothes look good in the catalog, they would look good when I try them on. But I found the same problem as found w/ non-designer items. Not all of them fit perfectly.

I was especially stunned by the fact that I look like a grandmother wearing RLBlackLabel sweaters! (Do you guys ever experience this)?

Anyways..enough rambling, I guess I had the same experience as with non-designer clothes. I was expecting a little bit more haha...But I think I should not ramble like this since it's my body that needs adjustment probably haha...
 
#3
No, I know exactly what you mean. :yes:

With Ready-To-Wear (the stuff [be it Chloe, Fendi, Ralph Lauren, Armani, Stella McCartney, Chanel etc.] that is ready-made for you to buy in the stores) you are generally paying for the design, the quality of materials and sometimes, the fact that the item is hand-made in a Western country.

The fit can be just as hit and miss as the high street (i.e. non designer).

If you are lucky enough to be abe to afford it, or don't mind remortgaging your home, you could always try couture (where the designers who do it [not all do, by any means] make the item to fit you)! :biggrin:

Of course, a far cheaper option would be a tailor. :yes:
 
#4
maryjulia75 said:
Btw, I did not actually try on the couture designer pieces such as Chanel, Fendi, etc...Are some of these better fit than others?
Click to expand...


Couture simply means the items from the Couture shows, rather than the R-T-W (Ready-To-Wear) shows; it doesn't just mean more expensive designers' R-T-W items (although, the most expensive R-T-W design houses are generally the ones who tend to do Couture shows, too).

You could have a look on style.com, to see what I mean about R-T-W shows versus Couture shows:


http://www.style.com/fashionshows/
 
#5
Designer clothing looks better in the catalogs because the clothes are specifically altered to the model's figure, plus hours of hair/makeup, special lighting and photography, of course they could pull the look off.
 
#8
chloehandbags said:
Couture simply means the items from the Couture shows, rather than the R-T-W (Ready-To-Wear) shows; it doesn't just mean more expensive designers' R-T-W items (although, the most expensive R-T-W design houses are generally the ones who tend to do Couture shows, too).

You could have a look on style.com, to see what I mean about R-T-W shows versus Couture shows:


http://www.style.com/fashionshows/
Click to expand...


Thanks! Yeah those terms are always blurry to me haha...Not anymore!
 
#9
^ No problem! :biggrin: Frankly, I struggled to explain it! :blink:

I think most non-fashion nerds don't really know what the difference is...

Juicy Couture doesn't help people understand! They don't even have a R-T-W show, let alone a Couture one! :lol:

I think a lot of people think Couture just means expensive fashion.
 
#10
I do think it's true, though, that some of the designer cuts, in RTW lines, are more flattering (better conceived) than some of the knock off copies -- and this is evident when we try them both on. Not in all cases, of course!
 
#11
I spend a lot of money on clothes, and I spend about 50% extra to alter them - taking them in, enlarging a little, shortening...

Also, a lot of my day to day wear is designer (not couture though). I trust designer wear because their stuff fit better than cheaper alteratives, are of better material and of a general better quality.
 
#12
^^I agree that for proper fitting clothes, whether designer or not, tailoring is essential. It is the little details of fit that make a garment stand out.

The benefits to designer clothing generally come in the quality of materials, workmanship and details, not necessarily fit. Just like non-desinger clothing there are some lines that will fit certain people better than others.
 
#13
I like wearing designer clothes because I know they're made responsibly. For me, it's an environmental thing. Cheap clothes are cheap because they're made in sweatshops in the third world by people who work 15 hour days. The material is poor and they fall apart. I bought a lot of crappy/trendy clothes at 'mall stores' like Wet Seal in high school and those pieces don't last. It's bad for the Earth because you're wasting the resources on something disposable. A Chanel suit will theoretically last forever in your wardrobe. Even though I'm a student, I feel much better developing my wardrobe in terms of quality, not quantity.

Designer items are not made in sweatshops in third world countries. Thought goes into the material and design of the item. You know that the people who made your clothes are earning a decent wage and work normal hours. That's worth the extra money to me.

As far as the 'fit' goes, it's impossible to buy a piece of clothing that will fit you perfectly unless the designer used your exact body shape to design the item. It's expected that if you can afford to buy designer clothes, you can certainly afford to have them tailored to your exact fit. They make designer jean legs super long just for that reason. So you can choose how long you want leg depending on preference and shoes (heels vs. flats). I have almost all of my clothes tailored now. It's really important to find an expert tailor who you trust. I live in a fairly large but fashion-stunted city and I called the local Banana Republic and J.Crew and they recommended my tailor. She's amazing and now all my clothes look like they were made to fit me.
 
#15
melisande said:
I do think it's true, though, that some of the designer cuts, in RTW lines, are more flattering (better conceived) than some of the knock off copies -- and this is evident when we try them both on. Not in all cases, of course!
Click to expand...


Yes, ITA and of course, the use of higher quality fabrics generally means they drape better, too. :yes:
 
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