October 31st, 2023
On My Mind
Phoebe Philo Launched, Continued.
There are lots of comments on yesterday’s post. I, too, wrote a comment saying that despite the very high price tags, it’s good to have Phoebe Philo’s POV back in the fashion conversation. The long interval between her eponymous collection announcement and the actual launch gave fans a lot of (too much?) time to raise their expectations. Fashion journalists loved the collection, but they are not store buyers and prices always seem secondary to the designs in their reviews. I worry that a limited run of product will be purchased by a limited group of consumers. That said, I bought the above gloves — hand stitched with a snap closure. I need a black pair and the old-school details spoke to me.
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I signed up to be notified when the PP collection dropped….for curiosity purposes only. My lifestyle doesn’t allow or lend itself to purchases such as these…other than a very few accessories. That doesn’t mean I’m not interested. I wasn’t that impressed…of course, these are early days, but the prices were astonishing.
I’m sure the gloves are fabulous…gloves are a weakness for me…but that price blew me away.
Yes, the gloves are the same price as ones from The Row and Saint Laurent.
It has been interesting hearing everyone’s (including fashion journalists, etc.) comments on the collection. I found the photography, while beautiful, also made it hard to really see the details, lines, silhouettes of the garments. I can only assume that is to try to keep copying to a minimum. While hype is always hard to live up to, I did find many of the garments, when studied closely, had interesting seaming and construction, which, in person, probably makes them intriguing and notable in a sublime way. I personally was very tempted with the cargo pants, even though that is not my usual style. But, I could not justify $2500 for what for me, would be a casual garment.
I have always enjoyed Phoebe’s point of view and garments from early days and look forward to seeing her next iterations. I wish her luck and I hope there is a way to make the collection, moving forward, a bit more financially accessible for a wider audience.
Preston, enjoy these details on your gloves! Good design truly is in details. And Lisa, yes, I look forward with you to next iterations. This collection was one big step forward for a talented designer; it was not every possible future step.
The gloves are beautiful, Preston.! They remind me a pair I just purchased from Causse to refill a gap in my collection, which I was introduced to during my tenure at CHANEL. I think Karl Lagerfeld bought all of his gloves from there as well.
Their quality is what you’d expect and the leather is impeccable. Highly recommend for others looking for classic, elegant gloves. Here’s the link–
Phoebe’s collection was very much what I expected and I loved the colour palette. Her large cabat at $8200 was a lot- but then again, BV’s large cabat is just smidgen lower. I guess it boils down to consumption- if this bag is going to be the THE ONLY bag you’ll carry until you’ve moved onto another world, then cost per wear might be worth it. Kinda like Jane Birkin. She really lived in that bag and there’s an elegance in that. The best quality but well lived.
Clothing-wise, I prefer to buy better from independent brands that offer bespoke tailoring and don’t scream how much you paid for it, which the world will know as well. They just look like beautifully made clothes.
I’m trying to remember that article you shared years ago about an edited closet, Preston and wearing everything you have. I think this is the direction luxury clients are heading. especially with prices like these.
x S
I agree with most commenters that nothing really grabbed me as something I HAD TO HAVE! I was surprised by the pricing but honestly, nothing I could see splurging on. I love The Row and find their styling more appealing. I’m sure she will find people to buy her products but it won’t be me. .
Gosh, I was concerned my takeaway would be discounted because I failed to see the true significance of this premier collection. It is reassuring that those with a far better eye than me feel the same way about the collection. Seems like the POV here is somewhere between sexy attention grabbing pieces and a more androgynous (and REALLY expensive) look for day. I find fringe pretty aging and too forward on the “seeking attention scale.” Like some of your readers, I am unable to acquire pieces at this price level, nor do I have the lifestyle to support this type of apparel (4 dogs, I recently deceased, and now another with a cancer diagnosis as of yesterday) (similar to those with children, but not matching (I know)). There are real and important things in the world, but this preoccupation is a very satisfying intellectual diversion and I do believe always seeking to raise one’s game and question modernity as we move along life’s path is important, if not virtuous.
I love it that you bought the gloves, which you will get a lot of wear from, and hopefully will be a forever pair. They’re almost like a souvenir from her first collection and will possibly even go up in value. They’re what I would have purchased if I didn’t live in Ojai, which is too warm for gloves.
Love the gloves. I wish I could hold onto a pair for more than a few weeks without losing one. I think you said there were only 100 of each items available for sale. So how can Phoebe sustain a successful e-commerce site with nothing left to sell? Everything is almost sold out.
I’m excited to see the collection and will be interested to see the coming styles. Prices are a little breathtaking, but I wonder if this first drop is a bit of an experiment to see what prices hold (I can’t help myself — I’m a marketer with a background in economics!). For instance, this morning I was looking to see what had sold — and what had not sold yet. The Crew-Neck ribbed Jumper, available in stucco and in black, was priced at $2400. A few minutes later they were each marked $1700. What? Did I get that right? Tonight they are once again priced at $2400. Possibly a programming glitch on the site that has been corrected — but I wonder if they were doing a quick test of a different price point.
Sorry to amend my last comment but the same item is shown at two prices. On the “View All” page, they are shown at $2400, and the price holds when you click through. On the Knitwear page they are priced at $1700! Hmmm — I now have screenshots showing these sweaters at the two different price points! Must be a programming error, but I still wonder if that is reflective of the fact that they might have been setting or changing prices up until the last minute.
The gloves are stunning, and you will wear them for years to come. I can almost smell that buttery soft leather! A perfect purchase! Because I’ve never really followed Phoebe Philo closely, I’m not familiar enough with her style or history to have a feel for this collection. But the lukewarm comments, along with what sounds like genuine turn-off at the prices, hints at a larger shift in attitude towards luxury brands altogether. For all the excellent reasons/explanations mentioned in previous comments, it appears the fashion industry may have badly misread its audience and failed in anticipating how easily winds can shift. The silly notion that we should all be happy with one purchase a season (in an effort to’ save the planet’), yet still spend just as much (if not more) than previous seasons, while luxury brands simply up their prices so they don’t have to sacrifice anything themselves, makes me feel differently about them. And not in a good way. 🙂
Recently bought gloves…they’re the best quality, the best design. Buttery leather, narrow flared cuff, silver horseshoe buckle. They get attention. Ralph Lauren. Keep your overpriced clothes Phoebe Philo.