GH lovers.... where do you go from here?

[keodi]

well, Hong Kong is exactly the same ---really luxury brand conscious, global crisis or not. Every Hongky girl has to have at least one high-end bag and will go through extreme lengths (and I do mean extreme as what I have read) to get one. I see mostly Asian girls carrying the GH bags and mostly Caucasian women carry RH bags and definitely not everywhere and that's what I love about Bal bags.

RE: GH bags
Who cares if its been released a million years ago, as the saying goes, "if it ain't broke then don't fix it" so that's why it has continued to exist even to this day. It has been selling very well that is the only reason why it has lasted this long. The only reason why it will go it's because of Bal's decision to cut costs, plain and simple--also explains why studs downgraded from 18k plating to 14k plating, why rose gold is really not rose gold plating..why zippers don't match the hardware on RG , why there's no more extra tassels given, etc..etc....

RE: why GGh will still come out but only for special orders...
it's again a marketing tactic, to limit the availability so that it becomes more sought-after and in demand. I also notice that from 2010, GGH mostly comes out in colors that don't sell very well (exception is black and athra--although GGh expands the saleability of these two colors even more so) ---like least-selling colors like Praline, Sahara, Vieux de Rose...etc.etc. and now why in Coq when it's a best-seller? because it's a re-issued color. Why would people who already bought the Coq from FW pre-season buy again for FW2011 main season? So the release of Coq + GGH will give Coq a re-birth and therefore, boost sales again, for the exact same color.
People with RH or GSH will buy again or sell theirs to buy the GGH combo...now what could be better than this scenario? Anywhich way, it definitely serves the brand very well. IMO.

RE: reason for increase in prices:
1) insane demand for these bags which obviously drives up the prices of the Bals;

2) maintain or increase profit margins for the company despite the global crisis;
cut back on raw materials cost, especially,smaller GH, lower grade plating, rose gold plating is not really gold, mismatched zippers, inconsistent leather quality from excellent to Ok to very dry, no extra tassels, etc..etc... SINCE labor costs cannot be compromised-therefore MUST maintain strict and excellent workmanship so must absorb labor cost increases.

very well said! I think this is the reason why they are discontinuing GH..

 

[stelstar]

Well the Giant Hardware will be discontinued..things change.. balenciaga thinks "hey lets put smaller hardware on the bags lets see what happens" It will either take off or it wont. If there sales margins plunge due to this decision they might bring it back!
Either way life goes on, the bags I have to date Im glad that I was lucky enough to own and the only place they are going is the crook of my arm!

 

[serene]

Have you seen the new hardware? I thought it would nook awful, but it actually looks really nice! chic and suits so much better than the larger hardware. I'm actually thinking about selling my city and getting the new hardware

 

[pbdb]

The MGH may look good but I prefer it in a town.
If in a city, given the price points, I will stick to RH. They look almost the same just without the tassels.

 

[cbarrus]

I have only recently purchased GH bag (a black RGGH Day), so I can't say that GH is that big of a deal to me. However, I think we Bal ladies are a fickle breed, lol, and lots of ladies have complained about the weight of GH (me included) over the RH bags, so this may also be a reason that Bal decided to change the hardware. I agree, however, that it would be nice to still have the choice. I do love the bag I just purchased and may have been a "late to the party" convert As to where I go from here, I still love RH, but the price increases are getting more intolerable to me. I will always love Bal, so I don't see another designer in my future at the moment.

 

[imlvholic]

I know I'm not buying at the new prices on any HW, maybe only preowned or from ******, but till then, I'm just enjoying what I have & already branching out to Celine.