I love fashion and I spend a considerable amount of money yearly on my wardrobe. I remember the days when $500 for a pair of shoes and $75 for a tee shirt was considered ridiculous. You would be hard pressed to find that kind of price now. With most shoes above $750 and tee shirts in the 3 figure range, $500 for a pair of lace-ups would be considered a bargain today.
It was this Julius Cut & Sew tee that got me thinking - not so much the tee itself but rather its alarming asking price: US$350. Have we gotten so accustomed to hefty price tags that we no longer question anymore? And if so, how much is too much then?
I have paid much more that $350 for shoes, blazers, jeans and shirts. That's because I see the intrinsic value and the timeless designs of said pieces and I know that I will wear them for years and years and years to come.
But I draw the line at paying $350 for a mere tee shirt. This tee looks simple and it is pretty simple and on a closer inspection, you can see intentionally created holes and abrasions on the neckline, sleeves and hem. I get the whole distressed, grunge rock thing and in fact, I love that movement and its pent-up frustrated, angst-y garment manifestations. I know that I will outgrow said phase one day in the future and can I still rock this strategically destroyed tee when I am 35? I don't think so. And what would Kurt Cobain say if he knew how much this was?
This is far too much to pay for a tee-shirt that is neither silk nor cashmere. It's resin-coated cotton with a waxy feel - now that just sounds like it would give me a rash so how can anyone expect you and me to part with $350 for a piece of clothing that might just trigger skin allergies?
It was this Julius Cut & Sew tee that got me thinking - not so much the tee itself but rather its alarming asking price: US$350. Have we gotten so accustomed to hefty price tags that we no longer question anymore? And if so, how much is too much then?
I have paid much more that $350 for shoes, blazers, jeans and shirts. That's because I see the intrinsic value and the timeless designs of said pieces and I know that I will wear them for years and years and years to come.
But I draw the line at paying $350 for a mere tee shirt. This tee looks simple and it is pretty simple and on a closer inspection, you can see intentionally created holes and abrasions on the neckline, sleeves and hem. I get the whole distressed, grunge rock thing and in fact, I love that movement and its pent-up frustrated, angst-y garment manifestations. I know that I will outgrow said phase one day in the future and can I still rock this strategically destroyed tee when I am 35? I don't think so. And what would Kurt Cobain say if he knew how much this was?
This is far too much to pay for a tee-shirt that is neither silk nor cashmere. It's resin-coated cotton with a waxy feel - now that just sounds like it would give me a rash so how can anyone expect you and me to part with $350 for a piece of clothing that might just trigger skin allergies?
Leave a comment