Semi follow up from Prada thread

[A Canuker]

I wanted to repost a few questions I had from the below Prada thread in order for, hopefully, more views.

Can anyone tell me what a red labeled Prada suit fits in thier line. And why do they seem to be charging a arm and a leg for the suits when the cloth has a feel to it worse then Sears.

Sorry for the partial spam but its got my mind in a twist. These suits are at a very small store that seems to bring in odds and ends but assures me that they are legit and all, though I can't seem to find any thing about them on the net...any help would be super.

 

[rach2jlc]

I feel like I'm Prada's unofficial rationalizer around here (even though I talk badly about them as much as I talk nicely), but I've had a lot of experience with their wares. Nevertheless, I would ask you to use the search function for more indepth discussions, because I feel like I've written the same half-dozen things about forty times.

As far as "red labeled" suits... I must say I've never seen one and am not entirely sure what you mean. Typically the red label is on either the Prada Sport line, which since last year is called "Linea Rossa." But, I've never seen suits from this line, because it is for sportswear. All of the suits I've seen are from their mainline, which is either colored white or black and simply says "Prada" or "Prada Milano."

In any case, Prada's big schtick in the late 1990's was that they used manmade materials from odd sources (sportswear, parachutes/ballistic nylon, etc.) and odd colors (battleship grey, this odd off-white purply color) to make really simple looking, nontraditional garments. In the beginning, they were very high quality. So, even though an item might be nylon, it was very strong nylon (I have bags that are 10+ years old and still are as good as new, despite daily use). Lately, though, they've started to fudge on quality to save money, both because they are heavily in debt and because the euro/dollar imbalance is cutting into their exports.

Nevertheless, everything that says Prada is not ****. Some are, some aren't. Also, some of the things that may LOOK crappy to a purist who is used to high-count wools and leather may not be crappy. They may be, instead, exactly what Prada wants. For example, many said the nylon bags were total crap in 1995 or so, because Hermes and others used only full leathers and exotic materials. But, this use of odd, manmade materials was the point. The problem with Prada recently, though, is that some of the things that LOOK crappy are, in fact, very crappy.

I don't think you're looking to buy this suit, but just given what you've mentioned thus far, I'd say stay away. Also, keep in mind that because of Prada's popularity as a status symbol, there are fakes for everything from bags to shoes to suits to those little robot keychains they made a few years back. Caveat emptor.

 

[A Canuker]

Thats fair.

 

[rach2jlc]

Also, btw, if you don't get the responses you were hoping on the thread from lots of members, keep in mind most of us are probably Prada-argued out. We've had MANY long threads over the past few years about Prada, good and bad, and I'm sure that most of us are just worn out.

So, to that end, I'd say checking out the archives will help you immensely. Or, if you have any other specific questions, please feel free to PM me.

 

[Christofuh]

 

[Sator]

Originally Posted by A Canuker

And why do they seem to be charging a arm and a leg for the suits when the cloth has a feel to it worse then Sears.
You get to pay extra for all the advertising and the catwalk costume parades. Someone has to pay for the drug habits of those models.

 

[kronik]

Originally Posted by Christofuh

I have nothing to add to this thread except these two things: The Prada wares I have seen at Saks/Neiman have not justified their prices; I would f the girl in Christofuh's avatar in the a.

 

[Christofuh]

Dude, enough already with threatening to fick the girls in my avatars

 

[rach2jlc]

Originally Posted by Sator

You get to pay extra for all the advertising and the catwalk costume parades. Someone has to pay for the drug habits of those models.

That's actually very true. One of the reasons why brands like Gucci, Prada, Versace, LV, etc charge a lot more for an inferior product than, say, C&J, is because of runway shows and those giant flagship boutiques (another reason is just because they can... but that's another thing). The Prada store on Broadway, for example, cost tens of millions of $$$ and never even comes close to making a profit. It's like that for basically every brand and every flagship store (except for the Tokyo stores, I'd bet). But, they do it because it's all part of the "image" of the brand... and they think celebrities look good going into and out of one.

So, if it costs C&J $200 to make a shoe for which they charge $595, any of the aforementioned brands would probably charge $895 for it. Therefore, the scary thing is that most of those brands charge about $595 for their products, which means the shoes are really worth about $100 or less.