House of Fraser has killed Biba.
Biba was everything a shop should be. It was the life and soul of 60s clothing & it epitomized a generation, but unfortunately as those of us with experience of great creativity & little business sense know, it's hard to keep that kind of thing going without selling out a little bit. & so it closed it's doors to the sounds of crying in the street (well...my mum at least).
There was the design company Barbara Hulanicki set up to keep herself going & there was the diffusion line for Topshop which I still own one of my favorite dresses from & then the news came in the form of posters on the outside of House of Fraser. A short conversation with the staff revealed that they new absolutely nothing & I don't go into town much so I was worried I might have missed something... The 'coming this September' signs are still up though.
But flicking through the online lookbook and the things they've put on the website I don't think I'll hold my breath anymore. Everything is shiny & it's either too basic for the price or simply too extravagant to warrant it, who do they think their target market is? My mum? Or me? Because I think they got a little confused & then using Daisy Lowe as the model well, that I'm afraid is a step too far.
Again something that I have treasured in my heart for many years (like finding perfect vintage things or aviator jackets...) has been ruined by being turned into something that is supposed to make a lot of money, but at the expense of everything I ever loved about those things in the first place. I'm not saying you have to be poor to make beautiful things (eg, couture) but there has to be a line. Why didn't they employ someone that knows something about the brand other than, "Oh you know, 70s..maxi dresses they're big, who did those? Well Ossie Clark's got money, why don't we buy Biba instead?"
Any thoughts?
Biba was everything a shop should be. It was the life and soul of 60s clothing & it epitomized a generation, but unfortunately as those of us with experience of great creativity & little business sense know, it's hard to keep that kind of thing going without selling out a little bit. & so it closed it's doors to the sounds of crying in the street (well...my mum at least).
There was the design company Barbara Hulanicki set up to keep herself going & there was the diffusion line for Topshop which I still own one of my favorite dresses from & then the news came in the form of posters on the outside of House of Fraser. A short conversation with the staff revealed that they new absolutely nothing & I don't go into town much so I was worried I might have missed something... The 'coming this September' signs are still up though.
But flicking through the online lookbook and the things they've put on the website I don't think I'll hold my breath anymore. Everything is shiny & it's either too basic for the price or simply too extravagant to warrant it, who do they think their target market is? My mum? Or me? Because I think they got a little confused & then using Daisy Lowe as the model well, that I'm afraid is a step too far.
Again something that I have treasured in my heart for many years (like finding perfect vintage things or aviator jackets...) has been ruined by being turned into something that is supposed to make a lot of money, but at the expense of everything I ever loved about those things in the first place. I'm not saying you have to be poor to make beautiful things (eg, couture) but there has to be a line. Why didn't they employ someone that knows something about the brand other than, "Oh you know, 70s..maxi dresses they're big, who did those? Well Ossie Clark's got money, why don't we buy Biba instead?"
Any thoughts?
I completely agree with you. I would never have guessed they were the same label.
ReplyDeleteOh & PS. Thankyou for the happy birthday!
ReplyDeleteI'd heard mumurings on other blogs about this, and wondered if it was worth getting excited about. The gold cuff is quite cool, but the rest is just so-so. And you're right, it's as though they're not sure who it's aimed at, but I suspect that'll be because they want it to have really broad appeal - hence the wildly differentiated price tags.
ReplyDeleteAnd the existence of Daisy Lowe is one of those things of which I do not give a fuck. That Biba/HOF are trying to make me give a fuck in order to sell stuff is irritating, to say the least.
I'm with you on this, i kind of don't think they should have bothered if they werent going to make it as good as the original!
ReplyDeleteBleh. I love Biba but I hat generic 'fashion' It's just so boring!! This looks like upper-end Forever 21/H&M to me and not something with the sexy, crazy, chic, interesting looks of the classic Biba line! Honestly I'm a little disappointed.
ReplyDeleteHey on a way happier note though, thanks a ton for your advice on my aesthetic! I really appreciate it! Very smart words :)
Thankyou, I try :D
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about finding people from Bristol! The only UK blogs I seem to come across are London, Edinburgh or anonymous countryside ones belonging to knitterly types.
Photographique can be a bit daunting, I just try and talk them into submission! I normally get my colour print 35 done at Clifton Colour even though the scans are a bit crap :)
love these photos
ReplyDeletexx