Monday, March 29, 2010

In sickness... and in white belts?

I just read that next spring Urban Outfitters will be launching a line of bridal apparel. Will hipsters across the country rejoice? The wedding gowns and bridesmaids dresses will be designed by the Anthropologie design team (owned by UO). They're not just stopping there though - they will also be offering jewelry, shoes, accessories.. even invitations. Eventually their plan is to actually provide wedding planning services, travel booking & of course flower arrangements.

I'm excited to see the designs and I wonder what the price points will be... but I hope that I don't see a million UO cookie cutter wedding photos uploaded on flickr. It sounds like they'd like it to be one stop shopping for your big day. I don't think it should be that easy... but while they're in the designing stages I'd like to request that they made a dress something like this (keep scrolling) - so one day I can get married in it. I simply can not afford this one. I'm just not the kind of girl to buy an $7,000 dress. No matter what. I mean - I'm just going to take it off... and maybe even spill something on it. le sigh.
So ladies what do you think? Thumbs up? Thumbs down? Are you doing a little happy dance? or do you draw the line at buying area rugs & gladiator sandals from UO?

9 comments:

Bianca said...

I dig

Wolfie and the Sneak said...

I don't know. . .I'm torn. I think they're great at marketing lifestyle everything and the stylists/creative brains they have are amazing. . .but the quality seems to lack in both UO and Anthro. While Terrain seems like it would be amazing to visit, from what I can tell they're also way overpriced for what they offer.

Let It Be Raw said...

I would feel better about buying a dress from UO if they and Anthropologie were of good quality compared to the price, and didn't support the republican party. Not that I don't like republicans, but it bothers me when a company supports a political party. I don't think all shoppers are aware of who they're supporting or the quality of clothing that they buy.

Camille said...

I love the aesthetics and the concept of creating a unique retro wedding, but after going to a whole mess of weddings last spring, I've realized how important budgeting and quality/dependability are. This dress is beautiful, but I've personally always had my heart set on a Sue Wong gown. Those dresses are stunning and overall well made.

A World Of Noms said...

I agree with wholovesthesky in that I cannot support UO/Anthropologie. I haven't shopped there in 13 years, primarily because of their political ties, but also because their clothes are really pricey. In my experience, they also tend to fall apart much quicker than they should. I know a lot of people love those 2 stores and you can't turn around without seeing another blog post about how awesome they are. Yes, they have some great looking stuff, but I've become more careful about which businesses I give my money to and UO is definitely a no-no in my book.

Model Citizen aka Bonnie Rue said...

While I am not at all surprised I am happy to see that quality and a corporations views concern you. However- most things I've read suggest that almost all retailers donate to a political party... and whichever party is in the white house tends to get more donations. Which makes me think "brown nosers!" but we do have a choice who we give our money to.
Even if you skip the bigger name stores and shop with maybe an individual shop on Etsy - you still may be supporting someones political views that don't necessarily fall inline with your own.
I think both stores have great aesthetic.. the quality could be better (the cost would go up) and they could donate their money to better causes than politics - but this is exactly what companies want to hear. Send them some feedback.

Model Citizen aka Bonnie Rue said...

p.s. Ms. Jackson -
Sue Wong is not a bad way to go.
I can not for the life of me remember who made this dress, but it's what I want! I can sew - like I've got "powers" but they just aren't strong enough to pull of something like that.

A World Of Noms said...

Thanks for your reply back! I totally agree with you in that practically every corporation or company donates to causes, and many might be offensive to some of us. It's really hard to know who to support and who not to. There are even companies like American Apparel that do a lot of good things, but have been reported to have done some pretty negative things as well. I'm still deciding where to draw the line, but sending UO/Anthropologie feedback sounds like a good start.

Model Citizen aka Bonnie Rue said...

Oh man - American apparel.. I use them to print my work on, but I send out a round of emails to similar companies that I would happily do business with IF ONLY they can tell me that their product is 100% sweatshop free. And they can't - but they know I'm ready to work with them when they make some changes. As for AA - I know people have beef with them for their sexist/exploitative ads - but consenting adults appear in them. Adults who can fight their own battles and get paid fairly for their time. ugh.. it's exhausting trying to keep track of what all these big companies are doing but it's good that we are aware. I like sending negative & positive feedback. My most recent love letter was sent to LUSH. Their products are naturally devine.
Feedback for ALL!