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Help me understand super high prices clothes... like Tom Ford

voxsartoria

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Tom Ford had his pubic hair shaved into the shape of a dollar sign.

It's rather callow that he did not commit to the permanence of laser, for those of you who do not have to look up the exact meaning of the word "callow."

One of the things that made the old WAYRN much more interesting was that Tom Ford used to post his daily fits in it, but then he got harried by the plebs.


- B
 

apropos

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Originally Posted by bleachboy
Now see, you're just being snotty. Do you consider fashion to be a branch of the fine arts? How about design? Architecture? What would constitute "art" to you? My Matisse example was this: You're not paying for the paints and canvas. A $5,000 Tom Ford suit certainly does not contain $5,000 worth of materials. You're paying for the design. I never said "OMG TOM FORD IS THE NEW MATISSE".
It may just be a Swedish thing - Google lagom*. (*Swedish tall poppy syndrome, although in fairness their standards are probably much higher than Australia's/America's)
 

Reevolving

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Originally Posted by voxsartoria
One of the things that made the old WAYRN much more interesting was that Tom Ford used to post his daily fits in it, but then he got harried by the plebs.- B

Got the user name? Might be fun to see what a "pro" posted. We plebs can harry him all over again!
 

SpooPoker

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Originally Posted by Reevolving
Got the user name? Might be fun to see what a "pro" posted. We plebs can harry him all over again!

He was banned for showing pubes in WAYWRN.
 

Captain Winky

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Originally Posted by jefferyd
So let me get this straight.

He is a brilliant marketer, brought Gucci and YSL back from the dead, makes killer suits, but he sucks because the OP didn't like an expensive polo?

Tough crowd.


Agreed. He's known for his dress clothes, which is what he does best, but if his past experience has taught him one thing, it's making commercially viable clothes and this is a concept he understands better than most. Tom Ford makes and sells a $1,500 polo shirt for the same reason a dog licks his own balls: He can! And, as long as his doing so doesn't in any way impact the quality or innovative design of his suits, why on earth should any of us care?
 

aj_del

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The construction is jeffreyd approved and from the couple of fit pics guys have posted on SF his suits look great on normal men. With TF name thrown in, I think its worth 4K retail. Just like a Zegna is worth 2k retail.
 

Captain Winky

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Originally Posted by aj_del
The construction is jeffreyd approved and from the couple of fit pics guys have posted on SF his suits look great on normal men. With TF name thrown in, I think its worth 4K retail. Just like a Zegna is worth 2k retail.

They retail a bit higher than that, I think. However, they are made by Zegna, supposedly to Zegna Couture standards and the ZC suits retail for considerably more than the mainline. If you think ZC is worth its retail price (regardless of whether you can afford it), and the TF construction/materials stack up, you are probably paying less for just the TF name than you might think.
 

Reevolving

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Originally Posted by cptjeff
High priced polos get in my craw. Pure profit for the maker. It's a glorified t-shirt, for crying out loud!
Very few posters on SF have any real sales & marketing experience and savvy. It sounds like he's done some great things in the fashion world. But, that probably does not translate to his generic polo shirt. It could just as well be made in China on the same assembly line as the $15 Sears polo. The generic $1500 polo is simply TF cashing in on his name/brand. Think of how fashion lines start selling random stuff that has nothing to do with their core product. Like a $500 Coach watch, for example. Actually, that is not obvious enough for many people here. What confuses SF people is that the polo is still clothing, so it's not as obvious. Think of it like a celebrity endorsement on a random product. $300 Tom Ford breakfast cereal or $50 Tom Ford wiper fluid would make the point. (Of course, unless the sycophants start justifying it b/c of some magical corn) $1500 polo is basically the same idea.
 

Made in California

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Originally Posted by Reevolving
Very few posters on SF have any real sales & marketing experience and savvy. It sounds like he's done some great things in the fashion world. But, that probably does not translate to his generic polo shirt. It could just as well be made in China on the same assembly line as the $15 Sears polo. The generic $1500 polo is simply TF cashing in on his name/brand. Think of how fashion lines start selling random stuff that has nothing to do with their core product. Like a $500 Coach watch, for example. Actually, that is not obvious enough for many people here. What confuses SF people is that the polo is still clothing, so it's not as obvious. Think of it like a celebrity endorsement on a random product. $300 Tom Ford breakfast cereal or $50 Tom Ford wiper fluid would make the point. (Of course, unless the sycophants start justifying it b/c of some magical corn) $1500 polo is basically the same idea.
I am sure this cereal would use only organic corn flakes harvested locally in each state they were sold on in. Each corn flake would be hand-sprinkled with the finest in raw sugar granules ensuring each bite has an equal distribution of flavor. All hand-flavoring jobs would be sourced to France. This would be the greatest cereal ever. I'd buy the Tom Ford cereal in a heartbeat and eat it for breakfast every day, poor example.
 

SpooPoker

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When the cereal goes out to France for its Hand-Flavoring Job (
lol8[1].gif
) will TF ensure it comes back strawberry flavored, so its red and you cant return it?
 

Wires

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Originally Posted by dunga
Read my post again. Tom Ford is for the discerning customer. If you think your cheaper polo looked and fit better, then maybe you aren't really a Tom Ford kind of guy, which is o.k. Tom Ford isn't for everyone, which is part of why it is so exclusive and high-fashion.

How many magazines do layouts showing your polo? How many stars where your polo and how many wear Tom Ford's? See what I am saying?


Except that magazines feature certain designers because of longstanding mutually beneficial relationships, not because their offerings are the best. They're going to get a lot more out of making Tom Ford look good, given his status in the industry, than some relative no name. Most big name magazines don't take many risks on lesser known labels, unless they can take the credit for "discovering" them.
 

Made in California

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Originally Posted by SpooPoker
When the cereal goes out to France for its Hand-Flavoring Job (
lol8[1].gif
) will TF ensure it comes back strawberry flavored, so its red and you cant return it?

I am sure I speak for Reevolving as well when I say this: Cereal nearing its expiration date would obviously have to have the [still sealed] plastic bag of flakes removed from the decorative cardboard box and the box itself would be recycled. This way when people look in your cupboard and see the Ford Flakes™, they're still just as delicious as before but you won't have the ability to inadvertently brag to everyone about what an exclusive brand of cereal you're eating. To some people this is not important. This is, when you think about it, the only sensible way to reward those customers whom have pre-ordered their flakes. I am really glad you asked.
 

jefferyd

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Originally Posted by Captain Winky
Tom Ford makes and sells a $1,500 polo shirt for the same reason a dog licks his own balls: He can!
Well, actually, if Tom Ford makes a $1,500 polo it's because somebody is willing to buy it.
Originally Posted by aj_del
The construction is jeffreyd approved and from the couple of fit pics guys have posted on SF his suits look great on normal men.
Depends on your definition of normal. What I saw in Milan would definitely not fit the normal (average) American. This is not to say that there are not different fits available in the U.S. (I will have to check out the Madison ave store). Or this is done on purpose. I remember when he was starting out he wanted to focus on the luxury customer in a different way- namely, by appointment, on off-hours, when the customer could get the whole "experience" and be focused on the made-to-measure rather than RTW. Perhaps, by limiting the fit, he is forcing people into MTM and his "experience".
Originally Posted by Captain Winky
They retail a bit higher than that, I think. However, they are made by Zegna, supposedly to Zegna Couture standards and the ZC suits retail for considerably more than the mainline. If you think ZC is worth its retail price (regardless of whether you can afford it), and the TF construction/materials stack up, you are probably paying less for just the TF name than you might think.
The suit I bought was marked at 4k retail, so quite a bit cheaper than Kiton which is around 7K these days. The only difference I could see between this and the ZC is that ZC buttonholes are all made by hand. Someone commented on my blog, though, that it took two years for them to perfect the look and feel of the garment to TF's standards. I can believe it.
Originally Posted by Reevolving
But, that probably does not translate to his generic polo shirt.
Who said it was generic? The OP, who may not be qualified to judge. Many people would be equally horrified at the price of the suit, which they might erroneously compare to Men's Wearhouse if they didn't know how to evaluate what they were looking at.
 

bleachboy

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Originally Posted by jefferyd
Depends on your definition of normal. What I saw in Milan would definitely not fit the normal (average) American. This is not to say that there are not different fits available in the U.S. (I will have to check out the Madison ave store). Or this is done on purpose. I remember when he was starting out he wanted to focus on the luxury customer in a different way- namely, by appointment, on off-hours, when the customer could get the whole "experience" and be focused on the made-to-measure rather than RTW. Perhaps, by limiting the fit, he is forcing people into MTM and his "experience".

An interesting video of Tom Ford and Karl Lagerfeld talking about TF's clothing. (Scroll to the bottom of the page for the video)
 

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