• Hi, I am the owner and main administrator of Styleforum. If you find the forum useful and fun, please help support it by buying through the posted links on the forum. Our main, very popular sales thread, where the latest and best sales are listed, are posted HERE

    Purchases made through some of our links earns a commission for the forum and allows us to do the work of maintaining and improving it. Finally, thanks for being a part of this community. We realize that there are many choices today on the internet, and we have all of you to thank for making Styleforum the foremost destination for discussions of menswear.
  • This site contains affiliate links for which Styleforum may be compensated.
  • We would like to welcome House of Huntington as an official Affiliate Vendor. Shop past season Drake's, Nigel Cabourn, Private White V.C. and other menswear luxury brands at exceptional prices below retail. Please visit the Houise of Huntington thread and welcome them to the forum.

  • STYLE. COMMUNITY. GREAT CLOTHING.

    Bored of counting likes on social networks? At Styleforum, you’ll find rousing discussions that go beyond strings of emojis.

    Click Here to join Styleforum's thousands of style enthusiasts today!

    Styleforum is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

Helmut Lang Winter Coat = Worth $900?

Sherman90

Distinguished Member
Joined
Mar 7, 2008
Messages
1,092
Reaction score
5
I've been searching for the ideal winter coat for a while now. Recently walked into Holt Renfrew here in Toronto and may very well have found it. Called the "Melton" hooded coat by Helmut Lang. Beautiful materials, excellent cut, very warm virgin wool; but $790 prior to taxes, not on sale (unlike other HL's), and MADE IN CHINA.

Don't know much about the history of Helmut Lang design, but I understand it isn't what it once was. In any case, just wondering what the community consensus is with respect to HL's present-day QUALITY and VALUE. To be perfectly honest, as compared to some of the other jackets at Holt Renfrew selling for $1000+, the Lang definitely seemed like a good value. Pure cotton lining, all virgin wool, and the style/cut is precisely the blend of sophisicated manliness that I've been looking for.

Worth $900? I realize the question is subjective, but tell me about its objective components.

http://www.harrods.com/HarrodsStore/...00000001655569
The guy in these pics is wearing one size too big.
 

akaidiot

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 3, 2007
Messages
352
Reaction score
0
I would think you could get something nicer for that money, especially given the deep discounts everywhere, but if you really like, you really like it, you know?

I don't know if you have anyone in NYC you would trust to shop for you, but Helmut Lang is having a sample sale with tons of outerwear from now until friday at 261 W 36th Street (between 7th & 8th Ave) 2nd Floor.

Looks like outerwear is only $250.

raghelmut+003.jpg
 

Sherman90

Distinguished Member
Joined
Mar 7, 2008
Messages
1,092
Reaction score
5
Yowzas. Well if there are any NYC folk here who either plan to or have attended the sale, I'd be grateful if they would PM me.
 

Al-Wahid

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2008
Messages
97
Reaction score
0
Trying to be as objective as possible, I would say that by and large Helmut Lang is not worth paying full price. First of all, given the price point, one could easily buy far better clothing in terms of both design and construction. Second, most of their apparel is made in China. It seems somewhat galling to charge such exorbitant prices for clothing that was probably made by some thirteen year old girl in a sweatshop in Shenzhen making $ 0.13 an hour. Third, IMHO you're paying more for the name than you are for any exceptional design or high quality material. If I were you I would either wait until it goes on sale or try a different brand that actually makes high quality clothes for a decent price.
 

Robert

Timed Out
Timed Out
Joined
May 18, 2008
Messages
5,306
Reaction score
42
I hope this doesn't seem too irrelevant but I have been hearing this term more than ever recently: price point. What's the difference between price and price point?
 

Al-Wahid

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2008
Messages
97
Reaction score
0
Actually that's a very good question to ask. Obviously I don't need to explain what a price is. A price point is generally understood as an expression of prices whereby demand remains high. Say for example your typical Style Forum member is accustomed to paying $500 for a military jacket. What happens if prices are raised to $600. Of course demand would naturally fall. However a price point of $500 would mean that if you exceed that price then demand would fall in such a way that it would offset any revenue increase from the price increase. Basically pricing above a given price point has a disproportionate effect on demand. In this case my main meaning was what one expects to pay for a given item as the main thrust of the gentleman's question seems to be whether or not Helmut Lang's price point is valid. My basic argument is that it is not.

P.S. I'm not an economist so please feel free to tell me if I explained that correctly.
 

PG2G

Distinguished Member
Joined
May 28, 2005
Messages
3,293
Reaction score
4
While price point may have a real definition, I'm fairly sure most people just use the terms interchangeably.
 

Gravitas

Distinguished Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2008
Messages
1,249
Reaction score
209
So... has anyone visited the sample sale?
 

jskidder

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 5, 2008
Messages
232
Reaction score
0
if you wanna talk high prices for made in china goods, look at phillip lim. though i must confess that i just had to have the double-breasted shawl collar coat from this season and ended up buying it. 40% off but still $925 after tax, and though i love it i do feel a bit guilty about paying that price for china-made clothng...
 

Sherman90

Distinguished Member
Joined
Mar 7, 2008
Messages
1,092
Reaction score
5
I agree that there is an ethical problem involved in purchasing goods where the makers make so little, but I disagree that place of origin and quality of craftsmanship are necessarily related.

The HL jacket I like is one of the better articles of winter clothing I found at Holt Renfrew up until around the $2000 range.
 

AR_Six

"Sookie!"
Joined
Jun 22, 2007
Messages
10,709
Reaction score
230
By and large you'd do better to scour ebay for HL pieces from 5 or 6 years ago, much better value back then... of course, you're not likely to find what you're looking for in short order. For 900-1k I'd personally be looking at Jil outerwear on discount (as everything is nowadays), I prefer most of that line to recent HL in terms of aesthetic anyway and the quality is superior. But tastes vary.
 

Brian SD

Moderator
Joined
Feb 5, 2004
Messages
9,492
Reaction score
128
"Price point" usually refers to a range around that particular price. It's kind of a tier system.
 

ppllzz

Distinguished Member
Joined
May 27, 2008
Messages
4,312
Reaction score
70
Originally Posted by Brian SD
"Price point" usually refers to a range around that particular price. It's kind of a tier system.

+1. eg purple label is at a different price point from blue label, but the same price point as black label and black fleece
 

Robert

Timed Out
Timed Out
Joined
May 18, 2008
Messages
5,306
Reaction score
42
That all makes sense. I do think it's used incorrectly quite a bit. Even a few years ago, I never heard it used to mean the price of an item, but now I hear it used that way all the time.
 

Featured Sponsor

How important is full vs half canvas to you for heavier sport jackets?

  • Definitely full canvas only

    Votes: 55 36.2%
  • Half canvas is fine

    Votes: 59 38.8%
  • Really don't care

    Votes: 17 11.2%
  • Depends on fabric

    Votes: 26 17.1%
  • Depends on price

    Votes: 26 17.1%

Forum statistics

Threads
505,155
Messages
10,578,830
Members
223,882
Latest member
RoberParme
Top