A Look At Men’s Suits Made in China
When it comes to menswear, there is little to help a man out in picking the best quality suit at the best price. So the Wall Street Journal took it upon themselves to seek out advice from known experts in menswear. This article brings to light how one company has shifted productions to China, believing that the country is now well-equipped and trained to create higher end suits. However China’s quality control reputation hasn’t been quite stellar since last year after a number of recalls from food to toys. So the WSJ put 4 suits to the test and asked a small panel of experts to determine which suit is made in China, and what details a man should look for in a good high quality suit.
The article highlights a good point about the importance of the finishing of a garment, it would appear since my post about the finishing at Teenflo does make a difference to determine high quality. Of course a $1,300 suit jacket versus a $400 suit jacket will surely yield a huge discrepancy in quality which lies in the details. And according to the WSJ, it looks like not even a $998 jacket made in Italy nor does the priciest, at $1495, equate the best of the best of suits! At that price range, it would be wise to try on a few brands before making such a hefty purchase.
Image credits: The Wall Street Journal
A Shred Of Hope For The Industry
With an economic downturn for Americans, I wanted to get some perspective on what buyers were looking for this season. Many American buyers were refraining themselves from buying any European brands because of the weak dollar. London suffered the loss of Saks Fifth and Neiman Marcus’ buyers due to its strong British pound this year.
The two American buyers I’ve met while waiting in line for a show opened up to me about their situation. They’ve also nixed the European brands this season, except for one German label in which they keep good relations with, and wondered how the French designers were going to fare at the showroom since the euro is so high. Hence they’ve made a business trip to our home turf to look for some unique pieces for their older target market from 30-65, the baby boomer bracket. I asked what trends they were looking for and they squarely replied that trends weren’t what they were looking for. The baby boomer generation are over trends, they’re looking for practical clothing that’s both unique and durable. Interesting.
What was their opinion of the state of the fashion industry?
According to them, it’s downgraded quite a lot, especially for Americans. They’ve both been to numerous tradeshows across the country, of which New York was said to be pretty chaotic. “Everyone is trying to sell you something and it’s lost itself to business,” they said. Exactly the kind of scenario Teri Agins (author of “The End of Fashion”) had described a decade earlier and it looks like things haven’t changed. Tradeshows have become popular hotspots to host, “these locations are milking designers for their money” they said. There are so many tradeshows now that buyers keep seeing the same collections over and over.
Addressing fast fashion, what with the bombardment of new designs every month, fashion is spiraling out of control, what’s going to happen? “Well everyone would be running naked if it suddenly stopped!” they joked. But in all seriousness, they believed the industry will realize how ridiculous the pace its going and will rectify itself eventually. At least, that’s our hope. I’m thinking back on just how wacky the 80s were with their zany art deco and over-the-top accessories and styles. The early 90s answer to that was minimalism, I’m starting to think that the following decade in the year 2010, we’ll start seeing perhaps a hopeful return to quality goods, what with even Chinese manufacturing becoming more sophisticated than ever.
It’s hard to say what is true fashion these days, we always refer back to the masters of modern couture, but those were different economic situations, different mentalities, and different business models. Back then, a couturier was considered a type of merchant slash artist in its medium, not to make money but to make clothes. Now it’s a totally different ball game where the reputation of a company not only lies in its quality but its business (and marketing) model. In the end, it really comes down to a matter of choice of whether or not you choose to pay for higher or cheaper quality and your sense of style. After all, fashion is subjective with the times.
A museum’s fashion blog
I came across this from Cathy Horyn’s blog recently telling her readers that she will be a panelist to this year’s blog.mode event at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York city. I have never heard of this blog but I was instantly curious to the notion that a museum, of all places, has its very own fashion blog.
Yet museums go hand in hand with the history of fashion, archiving the greatest works of past designers and exhibiting its evolution throughout the years. It’s surprising since museums don’t exactly convey to be such a hip and happening place, yet some of the most interesting fashion collaborations have happened there in the last couple of years. Most notably Louis Vuitton for boldly opening a store within the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Los Angeles last year.
Alexander McQueen’s oyster dress, Spring/Summer 2003
blog.mode is still relatively new, operating since December 2007, it has already garnered quite a following. True to its museum-like self, the blog exhibits a one photo piece with accompanying historical text as if you were reading the small square text on a wall next to the work itself. I think this is a great way to learn about the history of fashion and reading the responses from other readers and their thoughts on the pieces presented. The blog.mode event will be held March 30th at 3pm. I’m starting to believe that I will have to make trips to the Big Apple a little more often!
This is another great step for bringing people around the world to chat about fashion, in virtual museum space. I really like this idea, and find it quite fantastic of bringing everyone along in the conversation. I urge you to check it out!
Image credit: blog.mode of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
MFW Day 3 - Finale
Day 3 for Montreal Fashion Week had to be the most dressed up crowd I’ve seen. I even spruced myself up after I decided to skip out on the [dress to] Kill Magazine cocktail party (sorry folks, I didn’t feel like going to it right after a grueling day at work). I showed up just in time to get in line for the Soia & Kyo show, and everywhere you looked it was crowded with people. I saw a friend of mine who attended the previous show, Telio, and wondered how she was able to get in.
In fact I saw a lot of people that weren’t media nor buyers attending the show, most likely invited guests, but they came in huge numbers. Being sandwiched on a narrow walkway was so hectic the managing crew were directing the crowd to go to the cocktail lounge before the next show started.
Soia & Kyo is a brand known for their outerwear for the young and stylish, I mostly recognized their double breasted coats and affinity for big buttons. The room was filled to the brim with about 20 more standing in the back. Overall I liked it, but questioned the quality, I saw some buttons looking a little iffy there.
Figuring it was useless to get a ticket by going up and down the stairs, I was told that people will let me in with the pass that I had so that was neat. I don’t bother sitting down the front unless it was the front row, in fact my friend and I always managed to pick a spot up in the back near an alleyway. Our view was great, so it was the next best thing than being in the third or second row with people’s heads in the way. I noticed this guy who always sat by himself, impeccably dressed, figured out this seating trick too. Smart cookie.
Rudsak, an outerwear and leatherwear company, started off late since there were troubles in getting the crowd under control as they were anxious to get in, but in the end I think everyone enjoyed the show. I overheard a woman saying that she loved fashion but didn’t like it when designers were being too eccentric and was relieved this show had stuff that she could see herself wearing. My friend told me that everything looked good for this show because it was very commercial. I’m starting to understand that commercial stuff = good looking clothes (most of the time anyway). So where does that leave other designers I wonder. Acquired taste?
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MFW Covered in The Media
If you’re still searching the web to see photos and article reviews on some of the shows that have gone by so far, you can check out the following. Magazines have a tendency to come out with their issues when the season itself actually comes around, so you probably won’t get the immediate scoop like newspapers do.
Mode québécoise: les designers de l’heure - La Presse
A look at the rising stars in our local industry. I would have liked to have stayed for Denis Gagnon since I’ve heard so much about him but I guess this time around it was not meant to be.
Montreal Fashion Week in Arts & Life - The Gazette
Lots of photos and some runway reviews from fashion editor Eva Friede.
Semaine de la Mode - Canoe.ca (owner of Le Journal de Montreal, TVA, Clin D’Oeil, etc.)
I couldn’t find any articles or reviews other than the press releases, but Canoe has nice little video coverage of the shows.
The fashion police could use an internal affairs unit - The National Post
For people who love fashion police ripping up the red carpet, there’s an answer to the fashion faux-pas with a new E! TV show called “Naked Fashion.”
MFW Day 1 reviews - The National Post
Montreal Fashion Week website - Sensation Mode
Official photos of each runway look.
Oddly enough I didn’t find anything in The Globe and Mail and it would’ve been nice if Sweetspot could’ve done a little something for Montreal as well.
