So, What’s The Difference?

Have you ever wondered why you can pay less than $500.00 for a very nice gown or upwards of $30,000 for a designer gown? Can they really be that different? And if so, what’s the difference?

Oh sure, if you get close enough you can see that one is nicer than the other. But, even then, is it that much nicer? 

Now, obviously, the $30,000 gown is going to be a very high-end ball-gown, probably Haute Couture, and I could write a small book to describe all that went into it’s construction. So, for the sake of brevity, let’s compare two elegant black velvet gowns designed in a sleek silhouette. These would run in the range of $500.00 - $5,000.00

Beginning with the fabric, the more expensive gown will probably be made from a velvet that’s either all silk or with a high percentage blend of silk/rayon. The less expensive gown will be made of a viscose/polyester blend or even all polyester. The silk velvet will have a beautiful drape, while the polyester will be somewhat stiffer.

In the case of the velvet gowns, most of the difference will be in the cut and on the inside. If you just glance at pictures or see them on a mannequin, you won’t be able to see how the more expensive gown moves - that’s cut and it can make a world of difference.

The more expensive gown will probably be cut on the bias so that it flows over the body. Bias-cut is much more difficult to work with, much more time consuming. The less expensive gown will have a regular, on-the-square cut. Because of the cut and the slight stiffness, it will not flow over the body the way the silk gown does. 

The hem on the less expensive gown is likely to dip slightly at the front. That’s because the sides have been lifted by the wearer’s hips where insufficient adjustment has been made in the cutting or sewing.

The insides of the two gowns will show the most differences. The more expensive gown will have silk lining, also bias-cut, and more fluid. But that’s only the beginning. 

The neckline will probably have been hand-sewn with the silk facings, inner-facings and lining exquisitely joined to create a minuscule cupping effect so that the neckline almost hugs up against the skin.

If the more expensive gown has sleeves, they will also be hand-set so that the seams lie flat instead of puckering where they are joined to the bodice. The shoulder pads will have as many as three contoured and graduated layers of silk attached so that no sign of the edge of the pad is visible.  The cuffs or sleeve hems will also be hand sewn with no visible stitches.

The less expensive gown will, again, have the marginally stiffer polyester lining.  It will probably have no inner-facing and the facings will be machine sewn so that the neckline will slightly, or even quite noticeably, stand away from the body. The sleeves will be machine set and there are likely to be small gathers or puckering where they are joined to the bodice. The shoulder pads (if any) will be tacked in or even snapped in with the edges of the pads clearly visible. Cuffs or sleeve hems will have visible stitching.

Now to the zipper. In recent seasons there has been a fashion trend using coarse, industrial-looking zippers that are often surface mounted for added visibility. I simply hate this look, but that’s just my personal aesthetic. Our black velvet examples do not have this type of zipper.

The more expensive gown will have a hand-set invisible zipper that it is virtually indistinguishable from the seam it runs along. At the top of the zipper will be a small hook & eye or even a tiny, satin covered button & loop to provide stability for the neckline and complete a finished look. If the gown has a fitted waist, there will also be a tiny hook & eye at the back of the zipper to keep its sides from pulling.

The less expensive gown is likely to have a standard zipper with a placket and stitching that is clearly visible. Usually, It will not have a hook & eye or button & loop to finish it off, so the back of the neckline may gap, throwing the entire neckline a little bit out of alignment.

In the more expensive gown, the hem will not be turned up. It will be “faced” by attaching a bias-cut strip of silk that will be turned up and hand sewn to the lining so there will be no additional bulk at the hemline and no visible stitches.

The less expensive gown will almost always have a standard turned up hem that creates added bulk and leaves a row of little dimples where the machine hemmer has left “bruises” in the fabric.

The weight of the hem is particularly important. In our two velvet gowns, we want a lightweight hem. But, in some expensive garments, the hem will actually be weighted with small chains. It depends on the type of garment and desired effect. But, in either case, a more expensive garment will have a “faced” hem rather than one that is simply turned-up. Whether a hem is lightweight or weighted, in no case should it ever appear bulky.

These two gowns are similar in silhouette and texture. Standing alone, the less expensive gown will look good, even very good. But standing beside the more expensive gown, the differences will be obvious, even though the reasons for the differences are largely unseen. If pressed, most people would just say that the more expensive gown “Looks, umm, I guess, classier.”  And I guess, that’s the whole point.

Now, if you’ve spent your life completely ignoring fashion, you might not have concluded that “designer” clothing is often a rip-off.

The rest of us know that many of the garments that have designer labels have never been seen or contemplated by the person whose name is on that label. In fact, some of them are retired and many of them are actually dead and often have been for decades. 

But, even here, there are distinctions. The recently retired (think Carolina Herrera) and the recently dead (think Oscar de la Renta) personally trained their successors, who are now carrying on house design and quality traditions.

The greatest scam comes from major corporations who purchase the rights to the names of long retired or dead designers  - Worth died in 1910, Dior in 1957, Balenciaga, 1972 - and carry on exploiting these legends with overpriced, often 2nd or 3rd rate products that would make the old artists shudder.

Those of us who do understand that there’s a scam, fall into two categories:  

    1. People who want to world to know that they can afford designer clothing. You’ll find them with designer names and logos all over their clothing, on their shoes and especially on their bags. No one should miss the fact that they’ve got enough money to buy this stuff and quality, or lack of it, is beside the point.

    2. People who understand the scam and know that they can beat it.

Don’t hate the women in category 1. They’re often perfectly nice, well intentioned people. They’re just a little insecure and don’t trust themselves or their friends to understand “expensive” when they see it. So they shout it from everything they wear to make sure nobody misses the point. Or, they may come from a different culture, where that kind blatant showboating is expected from affluent people.

I have always fallen into the second category. I’ve been in the world of fashion too long to be taken in by the blandishments of big corporate promotions and I’ve also felt that I’d be dammed before I’d pay to wear somebody else’s advertising. You want me to advertise for you? Fine. You pay me!

Please don’t mistake me, I’m not above a little showing off - I love big diamonds and other gorgeous gemstones. And I sometimes wear cheap, outrageous fakes just for fun - but I am utterly averse to wearing expensive junk.

So, here’s how you beat the scam and look chic and stylish, regardless of your budget:

• Learn as much as you can about fabrics and clothing construction. Start with what I’ve written here and then learn more.

• Let people know that you are ideologically opposed to wearing advertising so they never expect to see you wearing a logo. Don’t run around saying it to everybody who’ll listen. That would be terribly offensive to the nice ladies in Category 1. Confidentially tell a couple of friends how you feel. Word will get around.

• Establish a classic style so you’re not chained to easily identifiable trends. You’ll be able to wear your major pieces for years, not just for a season or two. You can adjust them to current trends with accessories and minor alterations.

• Don’t be a snob about designers who are no longer “Hot.” They still have the training and talent that allowed them to succeed in the first place, even though their clothes now sell for much less than they did only a few years before. But, again, don’t buy their trendier stuff. Stick with silhouettes and colors that are always in the mix. You’ll get the quality of a fine designer garment, you’ll pay less and look great.

• Once you know what you’re doing, haunt outlet and discount stores. Shop real outlet and discount stores, like “Off 5th,” and “Nordstrom Rack” not just places that sell cheap stuff. One of the most beautiful, most beautifully made dresses I’ve ever owned was purchased from an outlet store. I bought it for a fraction of the original price. Because it was a classic design, I wore it for years and it has been borrowed by two Mothers-of-the-Bride and several other women who wore it for important occasions. Friends still ask to borrow it now, almost 15 years later. They call it “The Dress” and everybody knows what “dress” they’re talking about. It has become almost like a good-luck charm among the women I know.

• Thanks to the internet, you no longer have to live in or near a major city to find designer outlet stores. They’re all over the internet. But, as with any internet purchase, you should examine it for quality (this is your best clue that it’s not a forgery) and try it on, move around in it and make sure it fits before you make the decision to keep it. Check the company’s return policy. In some outlet stores, all sales are final, even if you buy them online. Don’t do business with this type of outlet unless you’re very familiar with the label you’re buying and know that their fit is consistent. Be very sure you can return the item if you don’t like it for any reason. If you’re going to do this kind of shopping, don’t be lazy and don’t kid yourself. You must be prepared to take the time to return rejects or you’ll wind up investing in a closet-full of clothes you either can’t or don’t wear.

• It will also be worthwhile to identify a local dressmaker who can make proper adjustments and alterations if you find a piece you really love that doesn’t quite fit. Proper fit is the essence of chic.

And that’s it for now. If you have any questions, you can submit them on the “Fashion Advice and Personal Styling” webpage. You’ll find a link for that at the bottom of this webpage and on my home page.

Next week I’ll discuss the fascinating world of fabrics.

Happy, Healthy 2021!

- Gabrielle