Luxury clothes of the past

[shoefan57]

I agree that the cost of housing in UK means the middle and upper middle class have less money for fine clothing but the rot set in before the massive house price inflation. I think it had more to do with people wanting to spend more money on experiences and therefore less on quality goods.

 

[Beadhead]

I learned from my father, who wore expensive, understated RTW and MTM
"trad" clothes. He was a prosperous dentist and small-time real estate investor
in NYC, whose parents were poor immigrants from the Russian Empire. He
taught himself how to dress in the late 20s and 30s. Most of his friends and
colleagues dressed more mainstream for the time and did not affect the
"old money" style that my Dad did. He was also very well-read and cultured
for his peer group. As a young intellectual snob who would attend an Ivy
League university, I immersed myself in the Ivy style that was then dominant
among elite college-bound students. More clothes -oriented than most of my friends,
who wore some version of the Ivy uniform and still do,, I returned from my first trip to
London at age 20 with a bunch of detached-collar dress shirts. I then learned
that the laundry I used had no idea how to do them.

My father died when I was a baby, so I learned about clothes and shoes from my mother. In the 1950's, she worked in the clothing industry in Montreal, running a factory employing over 600 workers. That industry no longer exists, and the clothing and shoe labels no longer exist, either. When a country loses its industrial base, it also loses a cultural dimension based on that industry. So we no longer have workers, advertising and retail stores making and promoting and selling locally made clothing and shoes. Is it any wonder there's less interest in these things?

 

[johndrobison]

Lets discuss this - how luxury has been forgotten - how cheap manufacturing has turned people into cheap stakes - how retail now sells mediocre quality - how most of the great tailors have disappeared.

I'm not sure... I think it speaks to the quality of the cheaper brands and the ability for manufacturing to be done more affordably. So, for far less now, we can buy what used to be considered a luxury. Even if simply looking at it from a style point of view, lower quality manufacturing easily passes the threshold now.

I think your question pertains to the decline of the middle class, which is compelled to spend an ever increasing portion of their income on housing and other essentials that less money is left over to spend on quality clothing and footware. Consequently, cheaper, less well made clothing and footwear becomes the social norm. And as society as a whole becomes more casual in dress, finely tailored clothing becomes unfashionable in most social circles.

It appears to me to be more about the desire for more house and the willingness to spend more of our income on it. Houses like the one I grew up in still exist - very small, no AC, no garage or maybe a detached 1-car - but that's not what first-time buyers are happy with. Instead, they'll give up more income for wood floors, HVAC, 2 or 3 car garage, etc... Things that my parents never would have been willing to splurge on.

 

[JohnMRobie]

Seems this thread conflates luxury, quality, expensive and exclusivity.

There’s frankly never been greater access to luxury goods, quality items or expensive items at any other point in history.

I don’t think people realize just how accessible these things have become and at the speed these things have changed.

It wasn’t 100 years ago that my family was still taking steamers to England to do their fittings and visit the leather workers in Paris. Fast forward and it wasn’t 60 years ago that the Press man was still taking the train to visit clients across the country. Fast forward another 30 years and you’ve got an influx in high end department stores spreading across the United States. Now? You can order next to anything you want from any corner of the world.

There’s been a knowledge fall off and a decline in the salesmen who know what they’re doing but even those are still around too at specialty stores around the world. But quality goods are everywhere and cheaper than ever.

 

[DapperDan15]

I think your question pertains to the decline of the middle class, which is compelled to spend an ever increasing portion of their income on housing and other essentials that less money is left over to spend on quality clothing and footware. Consequently, cheaper, less well made clothing and footwear becomes the social norm. And as society as a whole becomes more casual in dress, finely tailored clothing becomes unfashionable in most social circles.

In a way, yes. But I see those same people spend a lot of their money on other hobbies, tickets to seasonal games, and such. I don't have the data, but I'd be surprised if there wasn't as much spending in other avenues that makes up for people's lack of spending on clothing. So then it'd just be a question of priorities.

 

[DapperDan15]

Seems this thread conflates luxury, quality, expensive and exclusivity.

There’s frankly never been greater access to luxury goods, quality items or expensive items at any other point in history.

I don’t think people realize just how accessible these things have become and at the speed these things have changed.

It wasn’t 100 years ago that my family was still taking steamers to England to do their fittings and visit the leather workers in Paris. Fast forward and it wasn’t 60 years ago that the Press man was still taking the train to visit clients across the country. Fast forward another 30 years and you’ve got an influx in high end department stores spreading across the United States. Now? You can order next to anything you want from any corner of the world.

There’s been a knowledge fall off and a decline in the salesmen who know what they’re doing but even those are still around too at specialty stores around the world. But quality goods are everywhere and cheaper than ever.

I'm not sure about this. Around 60-100 years ago, a man could walk into a shoemaker's place and have bespoke shoes made for him that wouldn't cost anywhere near what they do now. This is mostly because handmade shoes were the norm, and there were many workers to do the work, so the shoes cost comparatively less. Now that kind of work is always a luxury, but it used to be commonplace.

I can only speak for myself, but I don't think that luxury equals expense. But the access to quality goods doesn't do anyone any good if those things are no longer prioritized.

For a random example: I'd consider a set of silk or other comfortable fabric pyjamas to be a luxury item. Why? Because it's unnecessary, supremely comfortable, and (if well made) a quality garment. There are no longer many people who would purchase or wear such an item, even among those who could afford it. I don't think the reason for that is access. Access is created by demand, and the demand for silk pyjamas just doesn't justify a pyjama store in every city, no matter how sad that makes me.

 

[jeff dejoseph]

it's true. quality has disappeared. but I think its a symptom of fundamental cultural shifts. since the internet has become ubiquitous the very idea of brands has changed. we who grew up in the 80s and 90s know that brands used to give definition to who we were. well crafted brands added value to basically commodity products, think Nike, by communicating a belief system to both consumer and their friends. Nike stood for authenticity and folks loved showing off that badge. In fact brands were badges that communicated taste, status, personality, and on and on. then brands were relationships now they are transactions. thats a function of pervasive web content. at the same time the actual product became incidental to the price. should or could a tom ford suit cost 8000. no. the price as silly as it is becomes the brand. in a world where fluorescent purple Lamborghini trucks are desired one must wonder what value systems are left.