So just before you guys think that I've vaporized from the surface of the Earth, or maybe even kidnapped by some random unforseen/undiscovered alien life-form, I shall drop you guys a 'Hi, I'm actually still alive' notification.
Before I go about ranting my mandatory yet repetitive and repulsive excuse of I-don't-have-time-because-of-the-army, let me throw you guys a question. Guess where I got my shirt from.
Come on, guess it!
No prizes for winning though.
It's from A.P.C. costing three hundred and thirty dollars to be exact. And to be frank, I have no idea what does the acronym A.P.C. represents (I just googled/wikipediaed it, it means Atelier de Production et de Création, which oh, it's a French label), nor who the designer(s) are in particular.
But I mean, it's A.P.C. right??
How many times have you guys been, or if you know of anyone in particular, blinded by the label? Once? Twice? Thrice? Or maybe countless times where your fingers and toes are rendered useless in your mathematical calculation? Why, why would I spend three hundred and thirty exact dollars for a basic sky blue shirt which I could have probably scored it in H&M for thirty dollars? For A.P.C.? For the brand well know for it's minimalistically articulate garments? I could've saved three hundred dollars!
My friend and I were just discussing about a girl (who happens to be a mutual acquaintances of mine, knowing each other's existence but not to a personal level) who's deeply enthused by The Label, in which she would starve go on a diet just to purchase, let's say, a Marc Jacobs purse, because of the block letters 'Marc by Marc Jacos' embossed at the top front of the purse.
'Doesn't she know the joy of munching on ramen and savory sashimi?' I asked in bewilderment (don't ask me why my conversation was all about Japanese food).
'She's blinded by the label. She can't be saved because she believes that the label would bring her social status up', my friend replied.
Social status? Seriously? What's social status? I couldn't care less as I further slurp down my cha soba. If I were to teeter a purse around because it's marked with 'Alexander Wang', which would then heighten my social status, gain popularity and exude pseudo-wealth, I would be a total sl*t to the designer.
But is that the only reason why individuals are so obsessed with The Label, till the fact that they were willing to forsake mandatory activities like eating? But I mean, diet, weight control, hey wadduppp. I can't fault her for that.
What about local designers now? Would she choose to purchase an internationally known label embossed cowhide duffle bag plastered for a thousand dollars, or would she go for an exotic skin bag similarly shaped in duffle, that is priced half of that, but from a local - aka not (yet) branded worldwide - designer (I'm talking about that Ling Wu bag OMG I died)? Hey, you can buy two bags sweetie.
Before I go about criticizing people that would eventually make a big turn and hit me back in the face, shirt's from aforementioned A.P.C., shorts from Topman as mentioned in my below post and bag's from Phillip Lim.
Fun fact: the shirt was actually bought from a sale for fifty. I wouldn't spend three hundred and thirty for a shirt. And I lied. I did know A.P.C. is French.
Images done by Gladys on iPhone 5C because I couldn't be bothered trotting around with a DSLR
Images done by Gladys on iPhone 5C because I couldn't be bothered trotting around with a DSLR