Food For Thought
As I read Erin Wasson’s interview with Emily Weiss from Into The Gloss, I thought to myself,
“Erin probably won’t be visiting my blog anytime soon…” (and I hope you know that I know
I wouldn’t expect such a thing either). But objectively, she has a pretty valid point with these comments. The marant philes has been described as a “cult-like following“ before, and I guess spending the last nine months blogging about her brand should garner that kind of labeling,
but cult implies that the “leader” can do no wrong and should be worshipped without question,
and I just don’t feel that way. Anyways, I posted her comments more to see what you thought.
Does it make you think twice about buying Isabel’s clothing,
especially her Fall collection?
Interview via IntoTheGloss
I agree with her for most of the part, excepting for the shoes! At least most of the designs of IM shoes are really unique and beautiful and you couldn’t possibly get them anywhere else or even if stores like Zara try to emulate them, they couldn’t even come close. Her shoe designs are outstanding.
I would also add to the exception certain garments that have a unique design and gorgeous prints that make them very special.
Regarding the garments like the Western shirts, I totally agree and I would include pieces from the new collection too such as the boho shirts, I wore many blouses like that back in the 90′s and couldn’t be arsed to pay 500 euros for something that was so common and so easy to find, and might still be.
Yes that’s a good point.
I particulary like IM prints (and if you love ONE print you can’t get the same one for less!) but I’m getting a little upset because the more she becomes “cult” the more she raises her prices each and every season. But the quality of the garnments is not getting better… Really I was shocked by the new 1000$ SS sandals! And also why do designer knits (that’s not only IM!) have so much acrylic in them? I don’t want to pay the price if for the same I can get 100% wool or cachemire?! I’m allergic to a lot of synthetic fabrics – and that’s becoming really a PROBLEM for me now – designer clothing is more and more synthetic and if not, then it’s a X000$ price…
Totally agree with the whole point of view
P.S. Just got an email by Espejto that is taking pre-order of the SS sandals from today and they’re way cheaper in Europe than in the US! (ok not cheap but…)
How cheap? I’m still going to pass on them, cheap is probably $8-900. – Aliya :)
Yes I made the conversion they’re 840$ and 900$ depending on the style.
I read the full article earlier this morning. Sure, I can see her point of view. Being brought up in Texas where the whole western thing is probably part of every day life, I can imagine the whole IM cult-following looks as weird to her as it would seem to us to pay €100 for a bowl of oatmeal because it ‘organic, chicken scratched, gold leafed’ oatmeal. However, though I do think that some IM pieces are indeed overpriced, there is undenialbly a level of luxury there (fabric, cut, detailing etc) that I am sure you’re not very likely to find for $5 dollars in your local texan thrift shop.
Yes – Due to the media surrounding IM I am very wary of buying key/signature pieces as they are too ‘known’ – I don’t like people to instantly know who I am wearing and how much I spent. The AW12 collection for me was too rodeo and a little too much like fancy dress. Amazing for press/blogs but not too cool for everyday life. For that price tag I would want something more timeless. Personally Etoile works better for me, more realistic, more timeless and easier to wear. I totally agree with Erin about buying something more individual for $5 once we have the inspiration from IM. Bissos xx
hi Aliya! I think you have a great blog and your ability to find information on Isabel Marant is impressive!
Isabel Marant is a very important person in the fashion history in the last decade, and nothing wrong to pay attention to her. She, in a way, is a front person of the new French design wave and she is a great designer.
The “Isabel Marant cult” is completely different discussion, and nothing wrong about it either. But the question what I am interested in is : why no-one of the “Marant’s bloggers” is talking about quality of her stuff? I wonder: do these people really wear Isabel Marant? or maybe they have so many things that they wear some particular thing just a couple of times?
anyway, I do wear Isabel Marant , and I know what that means :
http://kontere.wordpress.com/2012/10/15/design-filequality-of-isabel-marant-sneakers/
I would really appreciate if you would do some research on this part as well,
thanks and love from Oslo
Hey Vesma, My intention for posting Erin’s quote is not to confirm or deny the quality of Isabel’s clothing and then present that information to my readers. Quality and what someone thinks is a justified price for it is very personal and variable. My intention is more to start a discussion about when a designer increases their price point within the past two seasons, as a consumer/fan/lover of IM, “Should I spend X amount for something quality or not and is there any influence of the popularity around that designer that influences my decision?” – Aliya :)
Hi Aliya, thank you for answer! For me both the price and the quality is a part of a brand communication strategy. You can’t sell just an image in longer time perspective.
But if there are the people who agrees to buy a product with bad quality on very hight price, than I wonder : why? Maybe than there is some “cult” going on ? :))) but if I understand correctly from theses comments none-one actually buys the first line anyway, since it’s too expensive :))))
I read the Erin Wasson piece and immediately thought of you (us). ;)
I understand where Erin is coming from but I also think she over-simplifies what Isabel Marant is about. More importantly, I think she over-simplifies what FASHION is about. Designers are influenced by a variety of cultures and what sets the GOOD designers apart is that they can take a common reference and re-interpret it in a unique way.
Is Isabel Marant the only fashion designer who has been influenced by “Texas” culture and style? Hell no. Has Marant been able to take “Texas” and present it in a way that resonates with women, absolutely.
For the record, the Free People shirt that Erin wears in the shot is close to $100. It’s not as expensive as a Marant piece but many kids reading that interview look at her and think… I don’t see YOU shopping for $5 shirts either.
What a fantastic discussion!
Very well observed, Petya.
I 100% agree with you Petya. Erin is completely oversimplifying the element of true design that Isabel adds to the classic Americana pieces that makes them chic and once again culturally relevant! She can buy and wear $5 western shirts all she wants but without Isabel’s cultural clout and context they would just look outdated and out of place.
The brilliance in IM’s designs oftentimes lie in their nuances and subtle details, especially in the Etoile collection. It’s the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it flare at the bottom of a pair of her pants that make them sit just right on your ankle boots to give you that French air of insousiance, or the mind boggling (at least to a hand knitter) curve of the stitches in her knits that make you appreciate that she (or someone on her team) actually took the time to innovate a sometimes stale craft. These are the things that make me feel her pieces are worth their price.
But then again Erin has never truly understood what it means to actually DESIGN something (I’m referring to how she purchased and recast bliss lau’s pieces and sold them as her own a few years ago. http://alterthemood.blogspot.com/2008/09/erin-wasson-vs-bliss-lau_06.html)
I also agree that this is a fantastic and fascinating discussion. Many props to you Aliya for creating a forum for discussion and prompting us to chew before we swallow down our next dose of IM :)
That’s the opinion of Erin Wasson, which does not change the fact that Isabel Marant is a great designer and her work deserves to be sold at a price that is not for everyone.
I love your blog and always check it for updates. XOXO.
I LOVE your blog and check it daily, however, I do not personally buy into the cult like following. Yes, I have my share of boots, wedge sneakers and belts, and the Keni jacket, however, I find her clothing costume like for lack of better description. I LOVE great basics and a few cool accessories to liven them up and that’s when I turn to Isabel. For instance…I LOVE the embellished belt for Spring 2013, but that was it for me!
That’s a really valid point. I have thought about this many many times over. There are certain things that I pass up, such as the western shirt but I am also wearing the numbered top as we speak and paid a high price for it. why? because i completely fell in love with it and it resonated with me. isn’t that what fashion is all about in addition to the brand itself? marant was able to establish an image that the general texan shirt will never have and she was able to do this with tie dyed jeans as well. 5 years ago people would have shown a middle finger to $200 tie dyed jeans. so yes, in a way we’re all buying into the image and the way an IM item makes you feel when you wear it. oh man, what a topic!
one last little addition: she didn’t just create an image, she also reinvented certain things like the tie dyed jeans, the numbered tea, etc. and made it her own.
Actually it wasn’t Marant who reinvented dyed jeans, it was Christophe Decarnin for Balmain. He did it already in 2008. In 2008 Marant wasn’t even on ww.style.com yet. But of course, Balmain is too expensive for general public. Many things that Marant does, comes from Decarnin’s time in Balmain. And, if you know the whole story, Emanuel Alt was a stylist both for Balmain and Marant than ( she quit working as a stylist only in April 2011, when she became the editor-in chief for French Vogue) , and it was a lot of discussion about “similarities” in Decarnin and Marant collection. Don’t want to sound as a smartass, but if you do a little research on Balmain of the Decarnin time, many things becomes more clear, for example even a choose of the models on the catwalk
The only thing that’s made me think twice about buying Isabel is that someone told me Nordstrom is carrying her now.
This is the most obnoxious comment I have ever read in any blog. I bet this person doesn’t even own one piece design by Isabel Marant and being green with envy is typically the cause of making such a pseudo elitist comment.
i am always baffled by discriminating comments like this. first of all, what’s wrong with Nordstrom carrying etoile line? it’s a decision made by IM so you are saying IM is cheap or stupid?
ultimately it’s consumerism, it’s not back in the ancient time that rich folks wore silk and poor people wore poor quality stuff. do we need a class system, proof of bank statement, address confirmation or certain passports to be able to purchase IM?
I have no problem if what Isabel is doing is trying to go mainstream and make more well-deserved money by being in Nordstrom — more power to her. It just means that I might not be wearing her much anymore.
I love Isabel’s clothes and have many, many pieces, including the FW12 Ellos dress. Isabel makes beautifully crafted pieces that become a part of me; that’s how much I love them and thus seeing them on someone else is always a bit of a letdown. I don’t think this is an obnoxious comment; I’m being honest. No one wants to look like anyone else. When designers evolve towards the mainstream it’s a given that some of their hardcore fans correspondingly evolve away from them.
It is not very wise for a model who has walked Isabel’s runway several times to say this BS publicly. Did Erin actually return her modeling check to Isabel because in all honesty, Isabel could have gotten a much more beautiful French girl to walk the runway instead of Erin from Texas? I don’t think so. No wonder why Ms. Wasson, who calls herself in her own website “the modern female ideal” (really? according to who?) has not been in any of IM’s shows in long, long time. If people think IM’s pieces are overpriced, they should simply stop buying them. Also, Isabel Marant is a business, not a charity and businesses usually tend to want to make money.
Isabel Marant doesn’t pay her models to walk the runway. It is seen as an ‘honor’ to be picked.
Where did you read that she doesn’t pay her models X? It certainly would be an honour to be cast in her shows (and I bet the models are showered with gifts or pieces from the collection), but surely one of the biggest shows of PFW pays its models… Aliya, what do you think?
I appreciate Erin’s opinion and honesty, but I feel with Isabel’s fall line and actually all or her collections, it’s all about personal preference. There’s always going to be a more expensive and cheaper option than what’s on the table, but it’s up to the individual to decide just what they’re willing to purchase. I personally buy items that resonate with me irregardless of who designs them. If someone is just buying an item because a certain designers name is on it, that definitely feels cult-like like you mentioned. I’ve had ‘cowboy’ boots for as long as I can remember, but what I loved so much about Isabel’s version was how she took them and made it her own in a way that I found incredibly cool. Using western aesthetics is definitely not new. Erin’s comment on the price of the shirt brings up a very important issue in regards to the direction Isabel is moving in. Her price points are surging in line with her popularity and that does not sit well with me. Hope she hears our cries and gets with the program. ;)
xTheresa
I read the same comments and wasn’t the least bit offended by it, though I loooove Isabel. Erin Wasson is just oozing style, and everything looks crazy good on her (even $5 shirts, apparently). Isabel Marant is a genius who makes clothes that look amazing on women (even non-supermodel women). Her design and wearability are nearly unparalleled, for what she does. But I also feel that one of the best parts of her clothes is how it feels to wear them. It’s a personal thing, and it’s perfectly fine for it not to be any one person’s preference. But for me, there is one answer when contemplating Isabel’s designs: YES!!!
xo,
Ali
Funny Story…A friend, who travels a great deal to Central and South America, advised me against buying Erin Wasson’s/Nicole Richie’s jewelry line because buying the “real deal” would a) be cheaper/better quality in the long run b) cultural mockery/ influence for the sake of monetary gain is shameful. I actually came to both designer’s defense insisting that fashion is often influenced by different cultures and time periods, not meant to mock or replace the “real deal” and if I had access to real jewelry made by descendants of Aztec peoples, I sure as hell wouldn’t be buying Nicole Richie’s or Erin Wasson’s, I often do because I don’t. I found it funny EW, of all people doesn’t see the hypocritical nature of her comment, fashion is born of inspirations found everywhere, it’s an art form, not meant to replace anything but pay homage to an idea or way of life often foreign to the creator…
P.S. Yes the clothing price points are a bit unwarranted..the quality’s not getting any better (that being said I will probably always buy her shoes *hangs head*)
I’m following your blog since several months and I really like it as you always keep your own point of view. Also I’m a “Marant phile” wearing buying most of my clothes in Etoile or IM since she has begun to produce clothes ( nearly 20 years). The prices have increased more and more but I went on buying every season several items. And now? Yes since two or three seasons some jackets or blouses are very expensive… And many of them are copied at very low prices. The high prices are also the value of the brand and if some people accept such prices they agree with the value of this brand. Concerning miss Wasson, I would say it in French : “c’est un peu l’hôpital qui se moque de la charité” or in other words I’m not sure she’s the good person for such arguments.
Erin is badass for letting that appear in writing. As are you for sharing with us here. And I agree, too much Marant is not a good thing anyway as proved jessica biel when she wore head-to-toe SS13 last week with a terrible result. But hey I just got the Lazios so who am I to talk
Love your blog btw.
Cx
What a great discussion topic, Aliya! Coincidentally, my last post was feeling the same sentiments of Erin. I see where she’s coming from since I’m a Texan as well, and boy, do we see a lot of cowboy shirts. However, I also agree with her that what Isabel does is amazing. She can work those inspirations like no other and create such covetable items that people are willing to purchase them for the exorbitant price. Those cowboy shirts? Well, they’re not for me, but I bet you will not find a silk cowboy shirt in the thrift store or one that looks as luxurious and trendsetting as hers. Isabel is quite the genius for being able to create a luxury good based on concepts people can relate to and create such a frenzy that people feel they need it. She also knows how to interpret the classics like the tweed coat and turn them into collector’s items. I’m not a fan of the price hike on her line, but there are always the more wearable Etoile line, sales, and Ebay!
I see Erin Wasson’s point of view. She’s rather vocal about it particularly on a public platform. For most part, I think most of us are discriminating when it comes to making purchases. I don’t necessarily subscribe to all the IM hype just because of her popularity. Her jackets suit me perfectly and require no alteration. I’m a lazy shopper so I stick to what works best on me. But I can’t wear her pants because they just don’t flatter my apple figure. I like what IM’s doing because she makes wearable clothes. I don’t get her mainline most of the time and prefer to buy from her Etoile collection.
I am a blogger like yourself. And to be very honest with you the only reason I follow you and have bought some Isabel Marant pieces in the past are due to the traffic I can bring to my blog. I personally love what she did for fall 11 and seasons before. I wear this denim shirt I got 2 years ago from her a lot! I love it, and no one has it. But now, is so commercialized I can buy a single piece of her overpriced stuff. Why would I want to wear what everyone else is wearing. Why would I wear something that looks like she borrowed from a hipster from Los Feliz closet? Something that looks like was inspired on the Los Feliz and Malibu hipsters. I want to burn my sneakers that I got back in 2010, I love them so much but really?! Every single girl has it. It is no longer special! I am over it. Erin I am down with you, but you already knew that. I even think I might the one who pursued you to think this way.
This is so f*ing hilarious… It is sort of true though, because I am originally from a small town and my family owns horses and land and they were this stuff every day. LOL. However, the work IM does is just so beautiful that it is hard not to love it :)
I love Marant, but for the most part I absolutely have to agree with Wasson. Although I never saw the price of them, the t-shirts with the sports jersey look, I can only imagine they were a few hundred dollars. But, really? You can pick up styles reminiscent of that at any thrift store. Just as you can a western shirt. And I think when it comes to her collections, you have to know what to invest in, & what to take as inspiration. I for instance threw down a portion of my savings for a pair of her fringed boots from from F2011, but as far as the Dicker boots go? There are tons of styles like that available for a fraction of the cost. I picked up two pairs for a similar look for $130 total & they fulfill the same qualities. Same goes for the sneakers. Over $600 for a pair of tennis shoes? That’s beyond silly.
I never liked Erin Wasson, just a it-girl thinking she’s a rock egery. We give too much consideration actually to people just for their image, and not for what they are really, and she was just a model.
So what if Isabel Marant is not american? You just don’t buy Isabel Marant’s clothes for what they are, but because Isabel Marant is inspired by the american wear code. Her clothes are not as you can find it in US, and everyone understands that.
So what, in this case, you don’t buy Wolf head t-shirts in Topshop, because they’re british?
Erin Wasson seems she doesn’t understand fashion system, after all these years working for this! ^^,
I think its great marant is increasing her prices – it stops the entire population from wearing it…
I personallly think it is everyone’s choice to determine their pricing point and what they deem to be acceptable. Although that said, I’m a huge Isabel Marant fan but do agree that the pricing is kind of insane for some items and some prices (I think) are unjustified. I totally get high cost for stunning, embroidery and items with loads of work but the more basic things are going up and up and up too. I’ve found that I am limiting myself to maybe 2-3 items from the collections these days. I get excited over far more items than that but weigh up the cost factor and also how soon it will go out of fashion. A lot of her designers are themed so I know I will tire of them so I can’t justify the increasing cost for these. I do ask myself as well if I love an item that much prior to buying it and would I buy it if it wasn’t Isabel Marant? I’m choosing to invest more in the classic items or a pair of shoes or belt these days but even some of those I’ve not purchased due to price.
Hey Aliya, thank you for your kind respond on my blog! I’m glad you liked my post about ‘what do you think of a designer hype?’. I also think, sometimes the thought of having something that’s so populair among the style icons, is so thrilling. Just the thought. But when we buy it, it doesn’t always equal that same feeling we had before. Have a lovely week!