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Stylish Dinosaur
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- Apr 1, 2008
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I'm one of those who used to frequent these pages but hasn't been here much of late. I'm not sure this is the right place to post this, but what the heck. If the admins prefer to move it, I understand.
My post is about Barney's ... recent but pre Chapter 11 vs. the Barney's of my younger days (decades ago) ... about the time the Madison Avenue location opened.
I'll preface this with the fact that I'm OLD(er). Moreover, I haven't done that much shopping in recent years ... as I have enough ... and too much of that stays in the closet. I went overboard in my earlier years and classic menswear just hasn't changed that much. But back when I lived not far from the Barney's New York Chelsea location ... and it was on my way to/from the gym ... I was in Barney's at least a few times a year. I doubt I was in the Madison Avenue location more than two times. But I remember both being almost sumptuous and lush with color. I remember a sock department that ... well ... knocked my socks off. I could find lively Huntsman and Brioni coats. The shirt department was vibrant with color and the tie department was at times overwhelmingly bright.
Last year I went to a Barney's for the first time in 20+ years and what I noticed almost immediately was a near lack of color and exceptionally drab offerings. The displays had also changed. The elegance was gone and in its place was a minimalism that to me looked on the cheap (close inspection revealed otherwise). We turned and walked out after a quick walk around.
Post visit I gave some thought and wondered if the satellite locations were just ... different. I wondered if the flagship would be its old self. A subsequent visit to Madison Avenue proved me wrong. But on that visit I also noticed that the price point had risen dramatically. In my younger days Barney's had offerings across a broader spectrum ... both in terms of dollars and style. That's no longer the case.
I suppose the editing went in a different direction after my earlier visits. Times change and it has been decades. But on my recent visit I was reminded of the East Village in the early 80's when color was a no-no ... although it wasn't as macabre as I found that scene ... and grey and brown had been added. I guess I was stunned to see it so ... boring (to me).
Were I to go into Paul Stuart (a totally different store, yes) today ... it's not that different from what it was when Barney's Madison Avenue opened. On the other hand, Barney's is -- or is it "was" now -- unrecognizable from what it was back then.
When did this change occur? Did I just hit it on bad style days? Is this what led to its most recent Chapter 11? Did the drab come into play after the first Chapter 11 back in the 90's? What the heck happened ... besides my growing old?
Has all this been discussed before? Do these kinds of discussions still occur here? Has Style Forum similarly changed? I apologize if this is no longer SF appropriate.
My post is about Barney's ... recent but pre Chapter 11 vs. the Barney's of my younger days (decades ago) ... about the time the Madison Avenue location opened.
I'll preface this with the fact that I'm OLD(er). Moreover, I haven't done that much shopping in recent years ... as I have enough ... and too much of that stays in the closet. I went overboard in my earlier years and classic menswear just hasn't changed that much. But back when I lived not far from the Barney's New York Chelsea location ... and it was on my way to/from the gym ... I was in Barney's at least a few times a year. I doubt I was in the Madison Avenue location more than two times. But I remember both being almost sumptuous and lush with color. I remember a sock department that ... well ... knocked my socks off. I could find lively Huntsman and Brioni coats. The shirt department was vibrant with color and the tie department was at times overwhelmingly bright.
Last year I went to a Barney's for the first time in 20+ years and what I noticed almost immediately was a near lack of color and exceptionally drab offerings. The displays had also changed. The elegance was gone and in its place was a minimalism that to me looked on the cheap (close inspection revealed otherwise). We turned and walked out after a quick walk around.
Post visit I gave some thought and wondered if the satellite locations were just ... different. I wondered if the flagship would be its old self. A subsequent visit to Madison Avenue proved me wrong. But on that visit I also noticed that the price point had risen dramatically. In my younger days Barney's had offerings across a broader spectrum ... both in terms of dollars and style. That's no longer the case.
I suppose the editing went in a different direction after my earlier visits. Times change and it has been decades. But on my recent visit I was reminded of the East Village in the early 80's when color was a no-no ... although it wasn't as macabre as I found that scene ... and grey and brown had been added. I guess I was stunned to see it so ... boring (to me).
Were I to go into Paul Stuart (a totally different store, yes) today ... it's not that different from what it was when Barney's Madison Avenue opened. On the other hand, Barney's is -- or is it "was" now -- unrecognizable from what it was back then.
When did this change occur? Did I just hit it on bad style days? Is this what led to its most recent Chapter 11? Did the drab come into play after the first Chapter 11 back in the 90's? What the heck happened ... besides my growing old?
Has all this been discussed before? Do these kinds of discussions still occur here? Has Style Forum similarly changed? I apologize if this is no longer SF appropriate.
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