Ugly jeans! The damage? €1,015 /£939/$1,320 (approx). And by the looks of it they managed to sew the interior label onto the outside by accident...
Oh wait, that's no accident.. it's presumably a way of justifying the stratospheric prices for bog standard jeans. Balmain men's is quite simply trading off the name created by the success of the women's, with minimal design input. This is probably why they felt the need to plaster their logo onto the back of the jeans to try and validate them in some way ('But they're BALMAIN...'). They could have at least stretched themselves to modifying the logo so it looks good on jeans, because this just looks like an interior tag sewn on to the outside (or one of those tags you get on the sleeves of suit jackets that you're meant to remove - no fear anyone who buys these will do that though, because we can't imagine why anyone would buy them other than to be able to proclaim that they're wearing Balmain). The black pair is €525/£486/$682 (approx) and the white drop-crotch ones are €745/£690/$967 (approx).
This black hoodie is a (comparatively) very reasonable €280/£260/$354 (approx).. but wait, haven't we seen it somewhere before? Where could that be? Ah yes, at American Apparel, for about £31:
Frankly, the only way to describe Balmain men's so far is disgraceful. It's a shame, because there's so much potential for them to create a brand that's on par with the women's. For now, they'll probably be able to sell quite a bit of this stuff to the rich and brand addicted because of the novelty of men's clothes by Balmain, but did nobody chez Balmain get the memo about the recession? From the moderately wealthy to the obscenely rich, luxury goods consumers across the spectrum are re-examining their spending habits, and only seeking things that really justify their prices. Only the 'fittest' brands, which genuinely offer something good, are likely to come out of this well. Balmain men's, unless it undergoes a dramatic transformation, will not be one of them.Buy online at Colette.
Oh god this is terrible.
ReplyDeleteI've seen $50 jeans with better looking fades than those black atrocities.
ReplyDeleteAnd to think that Decarnin actually has a penchant for Hedi-era DH denim, how on earth could he stand by this kind of garbage?
This is such a sloppy line. It makes me mad when I see things like this. Even more so because it will get bought up by the bucketload.
ReplyDeleteI only hope that the money they make off this (let's face it, that's the only reason these pieces have been made) will be pumped back into developing some innovative and great looking men's clothes.
yuk yuk yuk, yes 3 yuks.michael is right "sloppy" is a great word to describe this collection, it just looks like it's been designed for the sake of having a menswear line. but why bother if its going to be so dull.
ReplyDeleteand don't get me started on the label........it may as well say tesco's value. il bet the AA hoodies are comfier too.
Yet I found a Balmain for men leather belt for $20... Something's not right.
ReplyDeleteNew or vintage?
ReplyDeleteI would guess that like most luxury brands that have been around for a while, in the 70s/80s they probably entered into various product licensing agreements (for watches, accessories, eyewear, jeans etc.), which they've mostly managed to end now they've gone 'high end' again. Sometimes reminders of a less exclusive past do resurface though.
It's the same with both Balenciaga and Lanvin - now both very exclusive, but you can still buy funny cheap Lanvin and Balenciaga watches presumabely from some old licensing deal.
You're corny and cheap. These jeans are amazing! The top ones anyway. And The collection is DOPE. Just because it's not your style doesn't mean you get the right to have anything negative to say about it.
ReplyDelete@RJ:
ReplyDeleteLOL.
Of course he has the right to say something negative about it. Everyone has the right to opine and criticize; that's the beauty of blogs and other social media phenomena.
Regardless, you failed to heed your own advice— why resort to calling him corny and cheap? "Just because it's not your style doesn't mean you get the right to say anything negative about it," indeed.
Anyhow, I'm sure we'd agree over some other things, but those jeans are really bad, especially at their price point.