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Buh bye BoO

BlackYeti

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Apparently, I'm late to the party, but BoO is going out?! Anyone know what happened?

Actually, does anyone care to know? They're not often mentioned on SF anymore...

The NYT explains it like this: "The clothes were beautifully made. But how many men care that a polo shirt was sewn in Japan using ultrathin super high-gauge cotton pique? And of those, how many are willing or able to pay $175? And of that very limited demographic, how many have the body type to wear a shrunken fit?" I feel like SF is that demographic, and there's plenty of us. So it must be mismanagement, right?
 

Tsujigiri

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Kris Van Assche went belly up about the same time. But we know what that designer is doing next.

I found that BoO fit me really well, but I've been moving away from the really fitted stuff. Quality was good, too, but I didn't like that they started making their stuff in China at the end.
 

nicelynice

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Article hit the nail on the head: BoO was boring, but fit well for some people. Once j crew started selling slim fit shirts their days were numbered
 

Bam!ChairDance

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1000


HOVERHAND
 

DLester

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Article hit the nail on the head: BoO was boring, but fit well for some people. Once j crew started selling slim fit shirts their days were numbered


Band was massive here around 09 or so. I still have 2 of their shirts. I like them. The fit is distinctive and is a bit quirkier than just a slim fit, but yes once slim fit was widely available, Band had a hard time selling $275 oxfords.
 

fisouque

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Once j crew started selling slim fit shirts their days were numbered
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bry2000

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I have bought a few BoO pieces over the years. I always found their prices high for the quality and design. And yes, it makes sense that when lower priced options emerged, it would put pressure on Band.

I also found some of their lines confusing or just plain silly --- "this is not a polo", "no bunk, no junk". I never understood how these lines related to the regular BoO label; that is, were they diffusion lines, made to a different quality level, etc.?

In general, some of their playful takes on standard preppy clothes just came off as silly or juvenile. This was especially true when you saw the BoO line next to Dries Van Noten or McQueen or Anne D on the 3rd floor of Barneys New York Madison Ave. In those instances, the brand often looked ridiculous. BoO would have been better served in Barneys Coop, but for the price point and the brand's likely view that they offered a better product than that typically found in Coop. I guess this proves the contention in the NY Times article that the brand had a hard time fitting in or establishing its niche.

With that said, their basic overdyed button down oxford shirts were really nice (even if too trim for me). And I thought they made some of the best Chinos on the market (basic colors, and especially the rich, saturated seasonal colors). The $250 price point on the Chinos was high, but they could often be gotten on sale for $50 to $100. I thought these were better value and quality than even those offered by that popular Brooklyn/LES purveyor of MTO Chinos.
 
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