questions about RLPL 3 piece ss10

[rogerlaisiuwa]

went to RLPL in tokyo, the flagship in Asia. talked to a real savvy sales who worked there for 10 years and really know the stuff he's selling.
the RLPL 3 piece ss2010 sells 735000 yen there which I believe should be the most hefty RLPL in the world.
despite the high price, he told me the suit was 140's which I think is too small a number at such a price. He told me the super number should not be thrown into consideration when buying a suit. is it true.
next, the most absurd thing is he told me the button is made of plastics, a special one he said. I questioned the dismatched use of material for buttons. he said the less pricey or the inferior RLPL suits use buffalo button, and the superior ones use this kind of special plastic button. so the 2nd question is what is the plastic button and why this plastic is more superior than buffalo button.

 

[Francisco]

Originally Posted by rogerlaisiuwa

went to RLPL in tokyo, the flagship in Asia. talked to a real savvy sales who worked there for 10 years and really know the stuff he's selling.
the RLPL 3 piece ss2010 sells 735000 yen there which I believe should be the most hefty RLPL in the world.
despite the high price, he told me the suit was 140's which I think is too small a number at such a price. He told me the super number should not be thrown into consideration when buying a suit. is it true.
next, the most absurd thing is he told me the button is made of plastics, a special one he said. I questioned the dismatched use of material for buttons. he said the less pricey or the inferior RLPL suits use buffalo button, and the superior ones use this kind of special plastic button. so the 2nd question is what is the plastic button and why this plastic is more superior than buffalo button.

maybe the problems lies with the sales who doesn't know his stuff...

 

[apropos]

Originally Posted by Francisco

maybe the problems lies with the sales who doesn't know his stuff...
I think both buyer and seller in this instance need to educate themselves a little more.

FYI, 735,000 JPY = ~7,900 USD.

 

[Journeyman]

The RL mansion in Harajuku, next to Aoyama in Tokyo, does stock some absolutely fantastic stuff - but it is not cheap. In fact, the prices are quite eye-watering. When I was there in December 2009/Jan 2010, I noticed that the new "made in Italy" RLPL shoes were priced at about US$1500 to $1600. I can't remember the prices of suits, but they were quite stratospheric.

I'm no expert on buttons, so I shan't respond to that particular point.

However, I shall note that just because a suit is costly, does not mean that it has to have a terribly high "super number". I have a couple of super 140s and super 150s suits by reputable makers such as Corneliani and Brioni and the cloth feels very nice - lovely and light, soft and supple. But it wrinkles very easily and wears easily, too.

A lot of the cost of the suit is not in the fabric. It is, instead, in the care taken with the manufacture of the suit - the handwork and handstitching, the floating canvas chestpiece, the construction of the trousers, the handstitched buttonholes and - of course - the brand name, amongst other things! So, just to clarify, simply because a suit costs many thousands of dollars does not mean that it has to be made from Super 180s cloth with pinstripes made of gold thread, as the suit could have a lot of other features that contribute to the high price.

 

[legorogel]

why would anyone spend 7400$ for a RTW Suit when you could get a top bespoke suit for less ?

 

[Kazou]

Originally Posted by legorogel

why would anyone spend 7400$ for a RTW Suit when you could get a top bespoke suit for less ?

kind of reminds me of this recent thread http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.php?t=178224

As quoted in the article "The cost of creating those things has nothing to do with the price," said David A. Aaker, the vice chairman of Prophet, a brand consulting firm. "It is all about who else is wearing them, who designed them and who is selling them."

You pay for a brand. For some, brand means everything. It's no surprise to me that this takes place in brand conscious Asia. It's about the bragging "rights". But like it or not, we tend to do this as well here in SF. When you buy from the big names on Savile Row for example, you are paying for that as well. The mark up may not be as large as others (eg. Zegna, Borelli, Tom Ford) but it's there.

 

[apropos]

Originally Posted by Kazou

You pay for a brand. For some, brand means everything. It's no surprise to me that this takes place in brand conscious Asia. It's about the bragging "rights". But like it or not, we tend to do this as well here in SF. When you buy from the big names on Savile Row for example, you are paying for that as well. The mark up may not be as large as others (eg. Zegna, Borelli, Tom Ford) but it's there.
Thought experiment: would the

get as much praise as he does for his fits/SCs/suits if his tailor was based in China, or some random 3rd world country?

Like it or not, with bespoke here on SF there is so often the 'wow' factor that comes with a hefty price tag, an 'exotic' (to Americans, at least) location of purchase/make, or better still - a good story (e.g. XYZ is a 3rd generation family-owned atelier, Anno 1930 always sounds a lot better than founded in 1993).

 

[aj_del]

^^ Is there some PS in the pic above. It doesn't look right.