Monday, May 12, 2008

one of each, please



mayle camila top at impulse

42 comments:

Moya said...

They are even prettier in person! I want the blue one too, but I doubt these will get reduced to an affordable price (they are $520, I think, which to me is dress/coat/boots pricing).

Stephanie said...

that cream one is so pretty. i feel like clothing (at least the stuff i and we like) is becoming so expensive! it it just me or is well-made clothing becoming more and more out of reach? maybe i'm becoming more stingy... i don't know... i read a report that women's clothing has dropped in price- i scoffed at that article! maybe they're talking about h&m or something, but not the brands i like!

erica said...

good lord, $500+ for the top! i didn't even notice the price...

inflation is one thing, true, but who on earth can afford to spend this much money on a regular basis? it's interesting how my tolerance for higher priced clothing escalated in the past 3 years and is finally reaching its breaking point...

Jeanette said...

Its at such a price because someone out there is willing to pay for it. I reckon we should start a group boycot :). Moya, it also looks like the Josefina dress has hit the stores (La Garconne), and the Violeta has made it into production(Jake).

Jeanette said...

Impulse made the top looked alot better than the lookbook. I like the cream better, jake as completely sold out in the smaller sizes already, it would still have costed $390 with a 25% off code. There is no way my bf would understand how women justify a purchase like this.

Moya said...

It's even prettier in person, but for $520, it has to be. I can't understand the price increases either--especially as so many of the designers we like have moved production to China. Lyell hasn't, which I respect (her clothes are made in NYC), but her prices doubled over the past two years.

I'm not sure who can buy these--Evan would (rightly) think I had lost my mind if I spent $520 plus tax on one summer top. I'd rather see more reasonable prices (for me, that would mean a still hefty $300 for this top, not $520) than waiting for the crazed sample sales to get this for $100. I'd get it then on 40% markdown.

I think prices went up to distinguish some of these brands from the bigger contemporary labels--like Theory, Rebecca Taylor, DVF, Vince--and also because the market may have supported it a year or so ago. I'm not sure if this can continue in our economy. Mayle didn't sell out of many pieces in their Fall 07 collection, and resort and holiday went into the sample sale, which is rare.

I feel something has to give. I'm basically cutting back on things I don't covet so I can afford the pieces I love on big markdowns and even then I have friends who think it's insane what I spend on clothing. I used to be able to buy some pieces at full price and now it's impossible. And these are changes over the past two or three years, not the last decade.

I saw the Josefina Jeanette! Thanks for that. I guess the girl in the store wasn't so informed. I like the orange/black colorway better than the blue/cream. I do hope I can get a size 10 on sale as it runs really small. But I can't spend $700 on it--that's half the cost of a new MacBook Pro, which I'll need soon.

Moya said...

Violeta is now up on eluxury, Jeanette. They allow you to zoom in and look at it more closely than the lookbook. It's linen, more ornate detailing than you can see in the Mayle shots, but it doesn't come with a slip.

erica said...

ooh, i like the detailing of the Violeta, but i'm pretty sure my cats would ruin it in about 10 seconds.

i agree that some of the price increases are due to a need to distinguish these brands. silly me, thinking that my marni skirt from 2004 was rather expensive at $500 full price!

so far i've bought two things this season full price (mociun dress and im top), and both were under $300. i guess that's my limit right now. i think i will go to nyc at the end of this month, try everything on, take copious notes (like a true academic!), and then wait for the markdowns to begin. thankfully my schedule will be much more flexible this summer, so i'll be able to hop on a bus at a minute's notice.

my friends would be shocked if they knew how much i've spent on clothing in the past three years. my husband knows, but he calls my wardrobe my 'cultural capital'. hah!

Moya said...

If you come to town, Erica, I'd love to meet up. I'll also post here when I see the real sales coming up (and when I get my Mayle postcards about reductions). I'm like you--the academic who does (way too much) research on clothing, waits and tries to assess when to buy. Occasionally I err on the wrong side--I could have paid less for my Mayle Margarita dress (I got it for $320, but it went down to around $220 and I missed out on Ignacia at around $250 and paid $370). But generally you can get 60-80% off most things. And there are other sales, other seasons.

I know my cats would destroy Violeta--my dear Blue boy wouldn't be able to resist. It's another thing I have to bear in mind when buying something, along with will the cats shed all over an item? Some fabrics are fur magnets like my cotton Alice Ritter dress.

How is the grading going? I'm nearly done and procrastinating because I'm exhausted.

Jeanette said...

Prices have definitely gone up even compare to last year, I remember buying a navy velvet Mayle dress at around August last year from Satine, and that was around the 400 mark.

Thanks Moya, the Violeta is really gorgeous,that's on the top of my list for most wanted now along with Talisa jacket. My plan now is to sell as much on ebay as possible and then wait for the June sales. NAP has started to sent around 20% off codes which they don't normally do for other years.

Another year older, I vouch not to spend all my bonus this year on clothes and start saving for retirement. Well, I hope anyway.

erica said...

good luck with your ebay sales, jeanette! i've never made much money back doing that, but i lack the energy to keep at it and improve my listings...

i am nearly finished grading. a part of me is falling into the grade inflation trap. darn this school! i'm so tired of looking at these papers, after a while they don't seem 'that' bad after all.

Jeanette said...

Thanks Erica, you should, I usually am able to recoup a large part if not all of what I paid. Maybe because most of my items were bought on sale or from ebay anyway.

Goodluck with the grading, I have two exams in the next two weeks, I would be more than happy to grade someone than to be graded.

Moya said...

Good luck with your exams Jeanette! Grading isn't the same as taking them but it is the worst part of the job. You get 50-100 people writing on the same thing. Ennui sets in--I can't explain why it's so difficult to do, but you get to a point where you just can't read any of them any more. That said, the good students are a delight. But you always get some who evidently put far less time and effort into it than you are putting into grading their paper.

I've never sold or bought clothing on ebay but as soon as the semester's over, I'll be selling Pilar. It looks like a bad time to sell right now as nothing is moving. I check the Mayle daily--everything I like is in smaller sizes, the pieces I hope to come up never do.

I wish NAP would reduce their Mayle resort/holiday stock--as well as Tracey Ross and all the others who still have it full price. We've had a miserable spring in NYC--cold and wet (I'm wearing a coat today to go into give my final). Hopefully, the sales here will be great. One of my students works at Barneys and has told me womenswear has done pretty well but menswear has tanked.

Jeanette said...

Goodluck with selling the Pilar, let me know if you need any help with listing.

Which other resort/holiday item are you looking for ? So many places still have them at full priced. Don't worry summer is comming up in NYC, I hate cold weather. Barney women will always do well, they have such strong branding, its more about the experience than anything else, and they always have the best sales. Last year, I got miu miu skirts down to the hundred dollar mark and knits around two hundred. I saw Lanvin bags reduced from around 2000 to 700 as well, who needs to shop at full priced.

Moya said...

I might need some help, Jeanette, as I've never listed anything before so any tips are welcome. Thank you so much.

I hate winter too, although I loe NYC. I agree--I never shop full price unless absolutely necessary. I would like Bebel, Makino and the gold Tana-one of them on sale would be great!

Moya said...

I just checked shopbluegenes.com, and for those of you who are small sizes, they have Lupita on sale (and the ivory tank with the colored stitching). I think this is the first markdown of Mayle S/S 08.

erica said...

ooh, markdowns finally!

unfortunately i found that the lupita top fit me oddly (tight sleeves, voluminous everywhere else).

i think if you list the pilar, it would help to have a model/styled shot, too. there's one listed right now with only hanger shots. i think it's a beautiful dress, but it's probably difficult for most people to imagine how it would look worn.

Moya said...

I agree with both points, Erica--thank you for the tip. I think Pilar looks great on the model but on a hanger, it's tough to tell. If that dress was an 8 or 10, I'd buy it. I might snag the shot from somewhere on the web--Mayle doesn't let you pull images from their site. Or I could scan it from the lookbook.

I found Lupita fit me badly too--it was very tight in the arms and the back. That's one of the problems I sometimes have with Mayle, although it used to be worse. The girls in the shop agree she can cut tight in the arms. Still, the size 10 in black was sold out in the boutique as soon as it came in.

Still I think the early markdowns bode well for some good sale shopping for all of us! How's the grading going?

Moya said...

Also resort (finally) is marked down at NAP, but the reductions are 25%-30% which isn't a reduction to me.Does anybody here know if they have good reductions--like 60-70% or am I right in thinking that they don't go that low?

erica said...

The grading is done for now (hooray!), but we have our final exam tomorrow, so I'll have more grading soon enough...I'm recovering from my second cold of the season, so I hope I don't cough too much while helping to proctor.

NAP is awful about markdowns! Sometimes it takes them a year to make it even to 50%. If there's something you really really want (Fillipa pants?!?), you might have to go ahead and buy it now.

Incidentally, I saw that Ron Herman has the animal print Vanya dress in light pink for 50%. I'm super tempted, but I think I like it better in pale blue. Better yet, the fall black/navy version on La Garconne's site.

Jeanette said...

I was just about to come on and post about NAP sale :P , guess I am not quick enough. Agree with the mark downs on NAP. Strange enough there are alot of old stock on their UK site which just re appeared out of no where.

Ron Herman had the Bebel 50% off previously, but only 2 and 4, I was so tempted. I'll keep an eye out for you on those items you want.

Picture of the Pilar
http://s287.photobucket.com/albums/ll159/Cake_Mocha/?action=view¤t=Pilardress.jpg

Moya said...

Thanks, Jeanette. That really helps. I hope the bad wet weather we've had in NYC this spring will lead to decent sales. I wish I'd got Bebel earlier--along with Tana--when they were 60% off earlier in the Spring.

I don't know why NAP keep these old items at such high prices, especially when they are available online cheaper--at Zoe and LaGarconne, even, who already have them priced too high. It's clear nobody is buying at these prices and it has to cost them to store inventory.

erica said...

i received a postcard from jake about their half-yearly sale (40%). there's a good chance some mayle pieces will be marked down.

Moya said...

I checked Jake's presale category. Lots of Chris Benz, lots of shoes, one Mayle dress (Lilliana)--all sizes available, but not discounted yet. It's not one of my favorites--I don't like raglan sleeves and the tie at the back is too 1990s.

erica said...

It's so true! Anything with a tie at the back is very 90s.

Are you done with your semester yet? It kills me when the weather is nice and I'm still stuck grading exams.

Moya said...

I'm not--I have two finals tomorrow, but I''m trying to get my own work done (reading microfilm, which I have to do again in the next hour or two!). The weather here is miserable so at least I don't feel entirely cooped up. But I am drained--the grading is just dragging on and I don't have the energy or inclination to read any more papers!

How's your grading going?

There's evidently a Philip Lim sale today but I feel so over him that I'm not going to it before hitting the library.

erica said...

Ugh, the grading is dragging, but I have a self-imposed deadline of Thursday evening. So, um, I guess I better stop reading blogs and looking at clothing for the next two days....

Have fun with the microfilm. I always end up with bleary eyes after a few hours of that.

I'm super duper over Philip Lim, too. Good luck with those finals. Sounds like you're going to be busy for the next couple of weeks.

Jeanette said...

coupon: jakemay for an extra 25% off sale items.

bluegene has memorial day sale, memorial15 for an extra 15% off sale items.

Only the first couple of collections of Phillip lim was good (from around 06). The ones after, I just really don't get it. Overpriced, repeats of similar styles not to mention the horrible quality with some pieces.

erica said...

thanks for the coupon codes, jeanette!

and yes, Philip Lim's quality is really inconsistent. sad considering the prices...

Moya said...

Thanks for the codes, Jeanette!

I too have a problem with Philip Lim's quality--the fabrics are often cheap and the workmanship shoddy. Evidently the stuff at the sample sale wasn't cheap--around $200 and up for dresses and some of them were falling apart (I got the info from racked.com).

Besides the repeating, I also think some of the 3.1 stuff is frumpy.

Jeanette said...

http://www.shopjake.com/index.php?page=shop/product&parent=01_01&product_ID=3301 This is so pretty. I still really want the violeta, its my only other must have for spring 08, hopefully Mayle store will go on sale soon. Its completely sold out on Jake.

Satine has gone on sale, not much Mayle left though.

hejfina.com have a 25% off coupon with memday08

revolve have a couple lyell items went on sale as well.

erica said...

ooh, i forgot that revolve has lyell. i'll have to check it out.
sigh.
the violeta is beautiful, i hope you get it at some point, jeanette!

Jeanette said...

Moya,

There is a Tana on ebay now for $189 BIN.

erica said...

Where's Moya? I emailed her about the Tana dress, too....

I hope she gets it in time. eek!

Moya said...

I'm here! Busy grading. Thank you Erica and Jeanette. I have my eye on Tana and am watching her. Jeanette--how does she run? I think you said that the dress ran short (I'm 5' 10"), but is it tight? Thanks so much!

Evidently Barney's co-op sale is supposed to be good this year. I'm going to check it out later this week and I'll get back to you. Anything particular (incl. sizes) you are looking for, let me know and I'll report back.

erica said...

I just finished grading late last night. Woohoo! Now I have 3 months to write a chapter or two, and maybe even go on vacation.

I went to the Barneys Co-op sale in Boston, but it wasn't very good. Then again, they rarely carry anything good anyway...

Good luck finishing up with grading. It's amazing how time intensive it can be.

Jeanette said...

Hi Moya,

The Tana is quite short compare to other dresses from the season (maybe because I took a size 2 instead of the 4, its probably similar length to the Makino), but its not tight at all, I am
5 3" normally between a 2 or 4. I took the 2 for Tana.

Moya said...

Thank you! I was concerned in case I couldn't fit into the 8. I think the measurements on NAP are wrong, so I wanted to check with you.

The Makino is tight, but it is a different cut so I guess I shouldn't judge by that. I am kicking myself for not getting it at 60% off or at least not trying it on!

Jeanette said...

My Makino is a 4, and it fits perfect. I shop for almost 80% of my clothes online and from ebay (including jeans), I am so used to guessing sizes :P.

Moya said...

Thanks, Jeanette! I never buy online as I'm in NYC but for pieces I missed, Ebay seems a great option right now.

Also there's now 30% off at Zoe. I think there will be some great sales this year and I will keep everybody posted.

Jeanette said...

Has Mayle store gone on sale yet? Impulse has started their 30% sale, but shipping is pretty steep at $60.

Val said...

jeanette, moya and tana

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happy shopping

xoxox