This is some sort of sick joke, right?

[BarTopDancer]

I saw this thread starting out as an outrage of shoddy merchandise calling for a $100+ pricetag.

[mousepod]

I guess I found the OP a little flame-baity too (sorry, GD).

Back when I was a single guy, the idea of spending any kind of money (insert your own dollar amount here, based on whatever scale applies today) on clothing was silly to me. The concept of spending $100 on a piece of cloth that you tie in a knot around your neck was retarded (actually, I still don't own that many ties). Once I met and fell in love with someone who owned as many dresses as I did LPs (we're talking in the thousands, here), I started to understand the concepts of fashion a little bit better.

If a beloved Mickey hat that was once $6 was now $50, I'd understand the disgust - but you are talking apples and oranges. These are not souvenir t-shirts. These are not even "nice clothing". They are a Disney version of a fashion item that is even more pricey when sold in other places in the world.

I am sure that everyone to a person I have ever met at a DL meet owns at least one item of clothing that someone else considers extravagant. How much do you think the Disney Hawaiian shirts are marked up?

The clothing in question takes up one small section in THE LARGEST DISNEY GIFT SHOP IN THE WORLD (oops. guess my caps lock got stuck).

If the thread was about the bizarre spherical character pillows (ugly, yes. but I bought one anyway), the $5 map, the overpriced jewelry, the Shag stuff (it ain't all $15), then it might make sense. But it would be boring, because we all know that gift items and souvenirs are all famously overpriced.

If a visitor Disney fan who normally spends $200 on t-shirts at Fred Segal visits the WoD and sees a similary constructed shirt with a favorite character on it and plunks down her cash and leaves happy, I don't see how a frugal APer is part of the equation. It wasn't made for you.

And that's why I found the OP to be a little snide. If it said "Why does Disney feel the need to pursue a high-fashion audience?" or "High fashion is stupid," I think it would be more honest.

[innerSpaceman]

Nope, not buying that. It wasn't the price tag. It was the price tag on shoddy merchandise. (Ok, most of it ugly to boot, but that was not really the point).

If the overpriced Shag shirts I've purchased were poorly-made, I wouldn't have bought them.


And it's precisely because of the general nature of overpriced goods, foods, and services at the Resort that these items caught our eye and raised our ire. They seemed, to us, to have crossed a line. A line very hard to cross. That WE, jaded APers who've seen it all, were amazed and flabergasted and astounded made this topic worthy of a thread.

That is has morphed into several discussions, some on the disagreeable side, has little to do with the intent of the O.P.

(And I find it highly amusing that the most contentious threads on the LoT are found in the politics forum .... and the Disneyland forum )

[mousepod]

But iSm, I went to Disneyland and got a free map.
Then I went to a shop on Main Street and paid $5 for a different map.
Then I saw a Shag map for $400.

Let's say the free map cost a penny so we can do some math.
What makes the map at the Emporium 500 times better than the one at the gate?
What makes the Shag map 80 times better than the one in the Emporium?

It's surely not just the paper quality.

[Isaac]

I disagree with ya mousepod.

I don't think a white tshirt with a picture iron-on or globs of gold glitter glued onto it is worth $100, nor do I see how that qualifies has 'high fashion'. I sorta get what you mean about fans that drop that kind of money on clothes reguarly but I just don't see those type of spending habits at DL (at least not for clothing). So far I haven't seen anyone wearing one of those shirts but who knows. If the clothes continue to be sold for that price & new ones are being released, then I guess there really is a market for these at the resort.

What do I think personally ?:

If this is 'high fasion' then Ghoulish Delight & Cadaverous Pallor are the Beckhams of our fashion world come every MouseAdventure.

Picture iron-ons made on your computer & clued on rhinestones from Club Libby Lu on plain $2 cotton tshirts bought at Target are not high fashion.

I don't care if it's made by Fred Segal or Fred Flintstone.

It's a rip off.

[Not Afraid]

Originally Posted by zapppop

I don't think a white tshirt with a picture iron-on or globs of gold glitter glued onto it is worth $100, nor do I see how that qualifies has 'high fashion'. I sorta get what you mean about fans that drop that kind of money on clothes reguarly but I just don't see those type of spending habits at DL (at least not for clothing). So far I haven't seen anyone wearing one of those shirts but who knows. If the clothes continue to be sold for that price & new ones are being released, then I guess there really is a market for these at the resort.

Well, currently the Bambi shirt is sold out, so I guess there is a market for it - at least the attractive ones. There are several other shirts that were not available in the store as well. Sadly, they are all of the ones I found attractive. I'm so damned main stream!

As far as quality is concerned, ther fabric is thin and made to look used. It is a VINTAGE line. That's the pint. If these shirts were made in a thick thermal fabric, it would be "in style" and probably wouldn't sell as well to the market they are going for. It's fashion - and everyone cares about it one way or another admit it or not. Why else would someone wear clothes in styles that look so awful on them? Because they want to fit in and be fashionable.

I've got a couple of things to respond to so I may be double posting. My apologies in advance.

[Isaac]

Originally Posted by Not Afraid

Well, currently the Bambi shirt is sold out, so I guess there is a market for it - at least the attractive ones. There are several other shirts that were not available in the store as well. Sadly, they are all of the ones I found attractive. I'm so damned main stream!

Oh dear. I may have to visit the resort again real soon.

Originally Posted by €uroMeinke

My question is - why the instense focus on the price of these shirts?

For me, one of the reasons is the lack of identity to the shirt. If you wear it as you go out to the gym or whatever, most people would never know it's supposed to be high fashion/'vintage disney' shirt. It just looks like another casual disney shirt that could have been purchased at Sears or made at home by your daughter. Unless you plan to wear the label inside out who'd know it's 'vintage disney' ? $100 seems like a rather large investment for something so ugly, dull, and anonymous.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not opposed to buying $100 shirts. I HAVE spent $100 on a shirt before. It was the one I wore last year for Valentine's Day weekend (the first 'swankers' meet). I felt THAT shirt was worth the price cause I thought it looked great! I remember Not Afraid kept trying to take it off me to see the label






( yeah it needs ironing )

I like buying & wearing clothes like this rather than anything in the 'vintage disney' line.

[Not Afraid]

Originally Posted by zapppop

For me, one of the reasons is the lack of identity to the shirt. If you wear it as you go out to the gym or whatever, most people would never know it's supposed to be high fashion/'vintage disney' shirt.

Do you have to "dress up" to wear great clothes? If that were the case, I'd never get to wear great clothes!

For me, I don't care if "people" know I'm wearing designer clothes or not - although to the discerning eye, you can usually tell the difference.

Originally Posted by zapppop

Don't get me wrong. I'm not opposed to buying $100 shirts. I HAVE spent $100 on a shirt before. It was the one I wore last year for Valentine's Day weekend (the first 'swankers' meet). I felt THAT shirt was worth the price cause it looked great! I remember Not Afraid kept trying to take it off me to see the label

It did look great and I was looking at the label- to confirm what I already knew - what the label said. Spending money on that wonderful shirt was a GREAT investment on your part. It looks great on you, is stylish, and - even better - has a character that fits you.

[innerSpaceman]

Originally Posted by zapppop

I remember Not Afraid kept trying to take it off me to see the label

And I kept trying to take it off you to see something else.


Hmmm, why is it that when my bf wears stuff that makes him look great, I just feel like I want him to remove it??

[€uroMeinke]

Originally Posted by innerSpaceman

Hmmm, why is it that when my bf wears stuff that makes him look great, I just feel like I want him to remove it??

THAT is the power of fashion