Armani exchange

[tlexmark]

...what is it good for?

 

[pstoller]

...what is it good for?

*huh.* Absolutely nothin'.

(Sorry, I couldn't resist.)

 

[tlexmark]

No really, I agree with you. I guess what I'm asking is what purpose does this store serve? Why in the hell would people wear, with such beaming pride, the crap that this place pushes?

Or am I missing something?

 

[pstoller]

My guess is, some people (more than just some, if the brand makes as much money as I think it does) are so impressed by the Armani name, they buy anything with that label because they figure it must be good. They don't know any better. People pay even more for ugly stuff by other big name designers, too, and it's not always cheap bridge line stuff. There's probably some small percentage of A|X stuff that's decent, but not enough to make me want to hunt through to store to find it. But, hey, if the cash rolling in from A|X helps to bankroll Armani's high-end operations, it's OK with me.

 

[LA Guy]

The concise answer: most people have no taste. That said, although most of the stuff in the A|X shops is poorly cut and made from truly inferior materials, there is occasionally a good find: a leather jacket here and there, a reasonably priced and well-fitting t-shirt, etc...

The problem with mass-marketers like A|X, Banana Republic, and French Connection, in my opinion, is that their clothes need to appeal to a broad audience that is at once conservative and anxious to be rebellious. One would think that a trend-following company like Banana Republic, for example, would have no problem bringing Gucci and Prada copies to life. In fact, they might theoretically even do one better, and work out the kinks in any given collection. However, the designers working for these companies have many constraints. Most importantly, they lack the luxury of an imaginative and daring audience that designers enjoy. The result is stores like A|X and Banana Republic, which are sort of like the Readers Digest of designer lines. You sort of get the idea, but the real power, the real "oomph", of the original is missing.

 

[LA Guy]

I just read pstoller's second reply. I was at Maxfield Bleu, the sales outlet, today, where the spring stuff has just been transfered. While some of the stuff was truly stellar, let's just say that I was glad that so many more were blowing their hard-earned cash at A|X in the nearby Beverly Center rather than on some seriously more expensive piece of junk there.

 

[High_Roller]

Armani Exchange, in my opinion, is to offer an Armani line to the younger generation, catering to what they would wear. Kind of resembling AE and A&F. This is what alot of teens in high school like to wear.

 

[Abe2]

I think many people are unnecessarily elitist.

Shopping is a chore for many people. These people shop at places for reliability and speed. A/X serves a broad audience - people with style cultivate a consistency in their dress. D&G, for example, clashes horribly with my style, but is well suited to other people I know. I think almost everyone can walk into an A/X and find at least one article that would work well with their style.