Australian Members



Windowpane1967 said:

Lennier - Id be interested to know what the outcome of you Lewin Facebook commentary was?  Did you follow it up it just leave it, did you get a response?  

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Lewin did post a response in the thread after a load of people weighed in following my original comments. To their credit they pointed out that they'd listened to previous criticism (also me among others) about forcing people on to their Australian site and had allowed people back on the UK site. So their rationale was that you had the choice to pay their inflated Myer and Oz website prices and get supposed benefits in 'special deals for the Australian market' or continue to shop on the UK site. I gave them credit in a response for indeed listening previously and said being able to buy from the UK site was all that I really cared about, and their 'local' pricing simply made those avenues irrelevant to me.

So overall I think they handled the criticism much better than JCrew have so far. They certainly never deleted my comments and they did explicitly respond to the criticism on the thread and attempt a justification. And as I say it now appears that some things at least are as cheap as or cheaper than the UK from their Oz site.



Geoffrey Firmin said:

or is this the face that internet shopping is now going to present to consumers? Have one site for local buyers and one for global customers? Just a thought.

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It's exactly what happened with Asos when they opened their australian storefront, so I think it's safe to say it's something that companies are going to attempt.



Jimbosaurus said:

It's exactly what happened with Asos when they opened their australian storefront, so I think it's safe to say it's something that companies are going to attempt.

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Did ASOS do that initially too? I've only ever been on their Oz site relatively recently and the prices appear to be direct currency rate conversions within a percent or so, and thus very good since they will charge in Oz dollars and you can thus avoid conversion charges.

Went with a pair of dark Indigo, organic-denim Nudies in the end.

Interestingly, quite a high rise though the legs are quite tapered. Could not resist the sublime colour...



lennier said:

Did ASOS do that initially too? I've only ever been on their Oz site relatively recently and the prices appear to be direct currency rate conversions within a percent or so, and thus very good since they will charge in Oz dollars and you can thus avoid conversion charges.

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Hmmm either my memory is foggy or they've brought things in line, interesting either way!



thebrownman said:

As an aside, I must admit that I find the attitude towards denim and casual dress particularly surprising. Many here are content to happily pay large sums for their business attire, citing such reasons as fit, quality of construction, the calibre of raw materials used and the craftsmanship inherent in those garments. Yet, on the question of denim, they baulk at paying more than $100. To an extent, I understand this mentality because historically denim was a uniform for workers and was designed to be a cheap garment that could withstand the perils of labour-intensive work. I agree that jeans should not cost what they do but options such as Giordano and Cotton On seem out of place in an environment where members fret over such peculiarities as barchetta pockets and functional cuffs.
Why would one care about details from Monday to Friday for their suits and dress shoes, but remain reluctant to spend money on casual wear, particularly jeans? Does paying for quality only matter for certain clothing? In part, the denim industry is to blame by inflating prices on what is utter garbage.

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You've just answered your own question. Why bother paying over $200 for a pair a 'fashion' jeans that are thrown together by cheap labour in Bangladesh that have no tailoring whatsoever?

I'll save my money for clothes that are well constructed and tailored. Jeans for me are just things to throw on when I'm going to play in the park with the kids. I'm if 'dressing up' I'll wear a casual suit.

However, I do agree that your jeans should still have some aspect of style and flair to them. I walked into G-star the other day with a mate... and he was horrified at all the fuss about denim as he buys his jeans from Rodd & Gunn. I told him if he ever buys jeans from there again I'll kill him.

J Crew…



lennier said:

Did ASOS do that initially too? I've only ever been on their Oz site relatively recently and the prices appear to be direct currency rate conversions within a percent or so, and thus very good since they will charge in Oz dollars and you can thus avoid conversion charges.

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I have been visiting ASOS every now and then for the last couple of years now without really buying anything, but for as long as I can remember it's always been a direct conversion.


With regards to why some of us (me) would pay more for suits etc and not denim and casuals, there are two reason for me: occasion and construction.

Construction:
We all know construction of a decent sports or suit jacket can be a labour intensive task that require more precision to get right. With such items, the fit and silhouette has to be right and really easy to get wrong and balance can be thrown right off. With most casual clothing the construction are a lot simpler and have more margin for error because of the way we wear them. They can be worn in a more relaxed way, let some stacking here or there, and stretch a bit here or there etc. Regardless of price most of the items in the same category are largely constructed the same simple way.

Occasion:
I wear suits for work or more formal occasion where professionalism or being meticulous is required - where clothes need to be pressed and the most laborous task probably involves going across the room to fetch another glass of wine. Those occasions are a stark contrast to occasions when I wear casual clothes.

Occasions when I am in casual generally involves me being more active and the clothes taking much rougher treatments. Say going picnicking and playing some cricket there, kick a footy around, getting smoked by bbq, or sometimes go ice skating for fun. At night I might go clubbing and risk getting drinks spilt on. After all that I throw those dirty clothes in the washing machine. I will not spend hundreds on clothes that can easily be ruined by any of those listed activities. With casual clothes, as long as they fit well, last long enough and can take washings without going out of shape, they are fine. Perhaps when I get older and become less active that I will consider paying for more luxurious casuals.

PS. I'm with the SW&D guys on one point though, pressed denim is all sorts of wrong. A little bit of stacking is good.



fxh said:

How was the sound? I've been put off as the last few things I saw at Forum the sound was unacceptably muddy.

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Nick's tunes and arrangements are pretty spartan, precise and clear so it was fine where I was sitting (in the floor section) for most of the night. However, when they occasionally let rip (e.g. I knew the bride when she used to rock and roll) it was an awful mess, so you are spot on in that regard.

Oddly enough Nick said he was pleasantly surprised to be playing in such a nice room. 'I thought we were headed for a sticky floored dive in St Kilda.'

fxh said:

I might check out when I'm next in Taiwan - but my experience is that anything over 32 waist is in the fat old mens section - if anywhere at all.
Ms fxh had to buy a cheap rain jacket last trip - couldn't get one to fit - shes around 5'9" not fat at all - then shop lady comes running in - "yes we have big size out back for very fat lady" - she could only just squeeze into it.

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I don't think the shop lady even realised what she was saying. When I lived in Singapore, someone I know worked with a Danish company. The ladies there (who'd accompanied their husbands to Singapore) all complained that the clothes were always too small.

ColdEyedPugilist said:

Went with a pair of dark Indigo, organic-denim Nudies in the end.
Interestingly, quite a high rise though the legs are quite tapered. Could not resist the sublime colour...

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Which model is this? Anyone here tried 3sixteen jeans?

Sometimes, always, never.

So much never in Sydney.



Gerry Nelson said:

Which model is this? Anyone here tried 3sixteen jeans?

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Pretty sure it's the High Kai. http://shop.nudiejeans.com/en/product/1040/recycle-dry-navy

ColdEyedPugilist said:

Pretty sure it's the High Kai.
http://shop.nudiejeans.com/en/product/1040/recycle-dry-navy

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That's a GREAT colour! Congratulations!

Shocking those J.Crew prices. I got the chromexcel 405 Indy shipped for US$450.00 and these jokers want to charge AU$662.42.