Polar Opposites

[Superfluous]

WARNING: The following post should not be read by: (1) young impressionable children, (2) adults with high blood pressure, or (3) anyone susceptible to spontaneous human combustion.

My wife and I spent Valentines Day in Malibu. Strolled by the RRL store and saw this gorgeous vintage Bates:

Wow . . . a real stunner. Thankfully, it did not fit. RRL's KY-less price: $2,400. Similar and better vintage jackets were available at Inspiration for a fraction of the price. When I mentioned this to the salesman, he made a sage observation: The people buying the jackets at Inspiration sell them at stores like this. Hmmmm.

A short while later, my wife and I strolled past Maxfield. Maxfield is the quintessential FU store . . . over-the-top obscene, ridiculous, and obnoxious clothing that can only be worn by rap stars, coupled with even more obscene, ridiculous, and obnoxious prices. My wife and I enjoy walking through the store for comic relief. As usual, Maxfield did not disappoint.

Recall my initial warning. Now is your last chance to avert your eyes. Proceed at your own risk.

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Final warning . . .

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The following jacket was not found in a Halloween store, nor Forever 21, nor a thrift shop. No my friends, this jacket was featured in the men’s section of Maxfield for the rock bottom price of . . . . . $5,750:

I warned you.

 

[nick123]

 

[skydog757]

I appreciate your posting this. It puts my agonizing over whether to buy a jacket at Goodwill for the full $5.95 price or risk waiting to see if it makes it to the 50% off color of the week into the proper perspective.

 

[Superfluous]

Love your avatar Skydog!!!

 

[Monitor]

Is the fur collar removable?

 

[pawineguy]

That's a gorgeous Bates but as you observed, that price has nothing to do with the market for that particular jacket. $1000 is about the tops I see for really nice vintage Bates. But as the salesman noted, since there is really no "wholesale" market for vintage jackets (as DH used to be for the Japanese market), they are basically buying from the same sources that we can buy, then add their normal, very healthy retail markup. Mixed emotions frankly, as I appreciate that RRL is a big company that most of the time really gets it right about leather jackets, and seeing them sell something like this within their store is a good thing. The Elmo jacket... I wish you had given me just one more warning.

That's the Bates racing shirt, and I've seen a few that I was ready to pull the trigger on but they tend to have very short sleeves.

 

[Monitor]

Also - what the hell is RRL doing selling used jackets? Do they do that there? And what the hell is RRL doing selling existing makers jackets for eleven times the price it would cost you to get one from Bates themselves? I think for an additional $50, they'd even distress the jacket.

 

[handymike]

RRL has always had vintage leather jackets in their stores which are typically priced $1900-$2100. Nice jackets- yes, they have very good buyers. Worth the price- we think not, but there are many out there that don't have our sources

 

[AeroFan_07]

Words cannot describe the emotions I felt seeing the "Elmo" jacket (nice quantification there Nick)...

It was sort of between the combustion/shock/"What the heck??!!" and "Did a human being actually create that?"

 

[Monitor]

Huh! Had no idea. No vintage items in any of the RRL stores here. I wonder if they get these on the Bay? I see some chewed up boots there, too.

The red thing is pretty rotten but I'm not entirely surprised as these things have been making a comeback in women's fashion - you may remember this furry look being a fad some years ago and it seemed almost as if all the girls ever wore one. It was bad. Like, UGG bad. Almost. Anyway, having had no original idea since the 80's, now they're obviously touting these for men and with the line between men's and women's fashion becoming more and more blurred every year, I can actually see the Elmo becoming a... thing. This autumn, perhaps, even. Because, why not? If UGG's caught on, anything will.

 

[Superfluous]

As HM said, RRL has been selling vintage jackets for several years. They get some really stellar pieces. I nearly bought an incredible Buco a few years ago, but hesitated too long and it was gone (probably for the best given the inflated price, but it was soooooo sweet).

 

[ButteMT61]

I thought someone (Dinerman?) stated that they buy lots of vintage items to replicate? Anyhow, I'm just going to wait for the Good Wear version of the "Elmo" or the Himel "Helno". Great thread. Woke me right up.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

I didn't realize that the transgendered Harbor Boulevard Hooker look was really big.

 

[casechopper]

You haven't told us when you're going to post a fit pic with your new red jacket yet...

 

[Blackadder]

I thought someone (Dinerman?) stated that they buy lots of vintage items to replicate? Anyhow, I'm just going to wait for the Good Wear version of the "Elmo" or the Himel "Helno". Great thread. Woke me right up.

Not only that, I often think they put those few vintage jackets, boots and vintage accessories up as decorations, like the old furnitures and fixtures for their shops as well. Trading those vintage items would be like redecorating, only it would appear as profits and not as costs LOL.

And Monitor, those chewed up Chippewa and Red Wing you see in the photos are for sale too.

 

[IXL]

I didn't realize that the transgendered Harbor Boulevard Hooker look was really big.

Oh, you'd be surprised!
Actually, here in Oklahoma, most folks fervently believe that ALL Californians dress in this manner.

 

[Bunyip]

So it turns out Macklemore doesn't really buy his kit at a thrift shop...he goes there and pays zillions to look like a peanut. I don't know what to believe in anymore....

 

[ButteMT61]

Oh, you'd be surprised!
Actually, here in Oklahoma, most folks fervently believe that ALL Californians dress in this manner.

Do you want to know what we Californians think all Okies are like?

 

[Superfluous]

Do you want to know what we Californians think all Okies are like?

 

[IXL]

Do you want to know what we Californians think all Okies are like?

Well sir, you'd be wrong! It's the next state over to the right, where they don't wear shoes.....