Conspicuos consumption

[mmcnealy]

So I've been browsing the I Luv Fabrix site, so kindly found by Serena, and I've been gasping over the beauty of the fabrics, and the periodness of the patterns, and the periodness of the pricing point.

Pricing point? Economist term that means the point on the demand curve that the goods are priced at to attract a certain clientel. Nordstroms or other high end department stores have high price points, or high average prices, because they want to attract a higher quality clientel, people for whom price is not an important consideration because they can afford to not worry about price. Walmart on the other hand has a lower price point to attract people who want a bargin deal.

I Luv Fabrix has goods that are period in content, weave, design and are definitly priced out of this middle class persons budget, makes me think about fabric and budgets in period.

For example, take this wool damask for example. Its $36 a yard. With my budget I could buy a yard for a gollar (shoulder cape) and it would be pricey (and I would get some weird looks from my husband) but I could afford it.
http://www.iluvfabrix.com/products/product.php?pid=1205&page=2

This fabric, which greatly reminds me of the strap-work dress in Patterns of Fashion,
http://www.iluvfabrix.com/products/product.php?pid=1328&page=1
at $53 a yard, it is sufficiently priced out of my price range, but if I was in the upper class, it wouldn't be.

That's all for now on fabrics and economics. Off to get some schoolwork done.

Comments

[jenlemus.livejournal.com]

What I found funny was that the site pushed how much money you were saving by shopping there, that these fabrics were "affordable" for the first time.

Retail establishments, based on their clientele, have a maximum price ceiling of any good in the store before people will be priced out. One reason Costco has done so well is that they attract the well heeled by stocking an ever rotating array of high end goods. No matter how rich people are they love a bargain, and the rotating stock brings them back (and creates a sense of urgency). The chain has yet to reach its price ceiling, a diamond ring sold about a year ago there topped $100K.

Personally, I shop at Nordstrom's because of the level of customer service. I'm sick of having to tackle a shoe salesman at Macy's to get any service, I don't know how many times I've been blatantly ignored there. Same with Home Depot, I'll shop somewhere else to get the service.

But I'm lucky at the moment, I don't have to explain any purchase to my husband, heheheh.

[ashariel.livejournal.com]

I love Nordstrom's too...and the prices at Macy's are nearly just as expensive, but you get no service. It's an easy choice for me.

[jenlemus.livejournal.com]

When buying a dress watch at Macy's I had the sales clerk serve two people once before they would serve me. I've had stood there waiting at the shoe department while they served others, even though I was smartly dressed with shopping bags in hand. It perplexes me.

The quality of Macy's clothing has gone down as well, plus I dislike their "always on sale" mentality, with marked up retail prices yet are permanently on sale. I detest that marketing practice, marking things up only to discount them so people feel it's a deal. A tactic that only works when a person does not shop at the store frequently. Very common at furniture stores I've discovered. I suspect that's the case at the fabric store in question.

Enough rambling.

[merastra.livejournal.com]

Interesting... Just today I skipped Walmart and went to JoAnn's instead. I'll be hitting the grocery store later. All because last week Walmart was so insanely busy it was impossible to buy what I wanted.

on living within your means....

[ornerie.livejournal.com]

in the SCA everyone wants to be a fancy lord or lady. Unfortunately, in period, to maintain this station took a huge outlay of money.

most of us are in real life middle class people. There's a range there, of course, but all in all, we're middle class people.

A while ago I decided that my SCA persona would be a middle class professional, just like real life me. Suddenly my self imposed restrictions of no imitation, do it real or dont do it at all were'nt so unachievable.

Middle class medieval Anne-Marie dresses in linen and wool. Not much silk. Jewelry, what there is (and it aint much) is silver with simple semi preciuos stones. Pewter pilgrams badges. One fancy piece of gilt tin.

Modern day Anne-Marie dresses the same way, so its not a horrible burden financially.

when I was a terratorial baroness and was trying to do the upper class thing it was VERY difficult. As I started looking at brocades ($$!) and furs ($$$!) for the appropriate garments, I realised how hard it must have been to "keep up appearances" in period. Between maintaining yourself and your retainers, gifts must be of appropriate station as well. eep!

So many SCA folks attempt to maintain an upperclass persona on a middle class income and it just doesnt work. They end up cutting corners and costs (combined with the modern midnset of needing a new dress for every event) and they quickly run themselves into the poorhouse.

its an interesting exercise, especially when you look at an SCA king, who in real life is some blue collar worker or even unemployed...talk about an anachronism!