Added: 4 years ago
From: tlg847
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  • I love the analysis, thanks a lot for great insights!

  • The Anthroplogie World resonates with me. It's almost like someone made it up just for me. (Needless to say, Anthropologie is my favorite store for apparel, housewares, kitchenware, perfume, books, etc.!) I have an emotional connection to the brand that I don't have anywhere else! You're right: enduring, sensibility, probably reads Jane Austin, deep meaning, contemplative, the essence of antiques, feminine, pretty, appreciative of details, complexity, mystery, soulful depth...

  • Thanks for this comment. It's always especially gratifying to hear from someone who's watched an old video. I do think Anthropologie's "secret sauce" is the clarity of their understanding of their customer and carefully edited aesthetic execution based on that understanding.

  • I very much agree with your video.

    I really enjoy this store. It is more expensive than I'm used to, but if you check out the sale section, it's usually worth it. Good quality too. I love the 'feel' of the store...comfortable, unique & natural

  • Great video! I love this store and agree with your comments about their sensibility.

  • love their store

  • Thanks for the comments. I always appreciate it when someone comments on an old video. This one was particularly fun to make.

  • I think you made some very good points. I tend to over analize everything in life, and fashion mags and things of the sort happen to be some of them.

  • When I first saw how long your video was, I almost doubted I could pay attention for that long...But your interesting observations kept me glued the entire time.

    I too, like to look at fashion magazines, just to sort of figure out their tactics. Out of all retail brands, I'd say Anthropologie has the most "textured" outlook on who they are.

    I love nearly everything I see from their store! Too bad I don't live anywhere near one :(

    Anyway, great video! I love your brain.

    -Kate

  • i'vebeen getting Anthropologie for a long time... thepage layout has always interest me.

    they some of thee BEST photos.

  • It's interesting. I love this brand and it's the first place I think of when I want something causal and feminine. But unfortunately, their catalog has always left me feeling cold. I think they overdo it. Meaning to me the store has always seemed like a place to buy a piece to fit into my wardrobe, not a place to buy a wardrobe. The stores are warm and welcoming and all of the ones I have been to, downplay the paring of things in their store displays. (con't)

  • I love your comment about the estrogen is in the air - so true.

  • I also think the stores are much more interesting than the catalog. They look to be one of the few successful women's apparel retailers this holiday season...we'll see.

  • This is great. I love your analyses on fashion branding.

  • Well, thanks very much. I appreciate that.

  • Sounds like they (and most brands, presumably) are more selling symbols than selling the physical products.

  • Thanks very much.

  • Gah! Now I feel compelled to buy new clothes. I want ALL the things you talked about in this video...so I guess my sensibilities *do* match theirs. =) I bet Anthropologie owes you for the flock of new customers you'll be sending their way.

  • Oh wait. After visiting their website, I remember why I never got into Anthropologie: there aren't any near me, and their tees cost eighty dollars. =P

  • Yes, they're not cheap, that's for sure!

    I'll just be patiently waiting here for my commission check to arrive...I'm sure it'll be here soon...

    8^)

  • Thanks Tom, very interesting commentary, one of my favorite videos of yours:)

  • Thanks very much, I appreciate that.

  • I found all 17:18 of this video to be interesting and informative. It's probably the longest time in my whole life that I've listened to anyone talk about anything related to fashion. aloha :)

  • That's quite a compliment, Ray, thanks very much. As you can tell, I do find fashion fascinating. Mahalo.

  • Really enjoyed this video! Like PSM, I was a bit leery of 17 mins. but you had me at 30 sec. This kind of woman would like to buy vintage clothes but doesn't have the time/body; went to Smith; probably studied Antropology; in the UK would be Helena Bonham Carter (quirky, posh)... Laura Ashley crash-landed in New England. Fab! I'm sending this on to stylistbrighton.

  • Thanks very much. That 17 min. thing felt weird, but, it just turned out to take that long. Smith/Anthro major is right on, as is Helena. Quirky/Posh are excellent descriptors, as is Laura in Maine! Stylistbrighton?

  • Jane is a fashion stylist/photographer/model, lives in Brighton. I'm waiting befriending so's I can send it to her.

    Interesting to compare/contrast this with our Boden: quirky also but mailorder only + men's & kids clothes.

  • Yes, I found her after your mention. She makes very interesting vids. Thanks.

  • "Not a needy smile" I like that Tom. Some of the clothes have a amish gone wild kinda feel to them...cool.

  • I like that: "Amish gone wild"...it fits perfectly! Thanks 2/6.

  • Thanks very much, Andrew. I think I'll do more videos like this one.

  • In all the times I've been in, and past, Derry I never knew that Frost's farm house was there. Thanks, Teresa, we'll be passing by there in October on our way to Pop!Tech in Camden, Maine. Hope all's well with you.

  • The references to Wyeth's Christina's World and Emily Dickenson are very apt, and they're looking for an audience that will understand those references. Mixedpixel mentioned Lauren Bacall in her comment, and that's fitting, as is Katherine Hepburn. The message that their marketing sends is Class over Flash, even a contrived, manufactured class. This struck me the first time I went to the store with my wife and she tried on clothes while I looked at old glass doorknobs and coat hooks.

  • Yes, those icons are all brand-right, for sure. There is an implication of class, of course manufactured (just like Ralph Lauren, but substantially different details). Interesting that their stores have plenty of sofas for men to sit on and reading material, if you're not into the doorknobs, drawer pulls and hooks. Their customer reads their environment like it's home territory. Thanks, ken.

  • this was really interesting! thanks for shating your thoughts. awwe, the fourties, i love them, especially the lauren bacall hairstyling! there where some outfits that i woul love to wear, honestly. oh, and did you see the shoes on theis website? - omg the shoes....

  • Your shoes comment cracked me up, Rina! Bacall (goes to the country!) is a perfect icon for them. Thanks.

  • Tom, I guess I've been away too long ...or I had my head in the sand prior to leaving the US. I had never heard of Anthropology before so I did watched you vid and then went and googled it. I am torn myself as to whether I like the clothing and housewares or not- or whether I would feel overwhelmed by the whole engulfed-in-nostalgia scheme. I'd have to go and see for myself.

  • thats said, I read some of the funniest reviews by other women that I thought I'd share:

    "You'd think I was schizophrenic with the way I'm either bum rushing or throwing tomatoes at this store; Anthro and I have a very wishy-washy 'love it or leave it' relationship...

    Mmm. No, it's not even seasonal, so I'm not sure how to account for my capriciousness. It's ironic then that the very essence of what I respect about the brand is the loyalty to its fragrant and pastoral self-identity."

  • "Where else is today's POST-post-modern 21st century lass going to find a $42 plastic headband, or 365 days of asthmatic, high hay fever fashion for that matter: gardenia print cotton smock, rose print tea and crumpets dress, fields of wheat and corn wrap skirt, puffy pollen-drop graphic wool cardigan, citronella and lime tree with monarch butterflies and stardust bubble blouse...I rest my case. "

  • "Perhaps that's why I can't commit. I'm so hot and cold because that gardenia print cotton smock dress isn't *really* me, yet I relish in the fact that I can - that I have the option - to dress up and milk udders until the cows come home, and pretend for one day to be noble and feminine, to feel like I've raided some radiant blonde mother's closet as a child back when she was still youthful, not visiting the likes of J.Jill, Chicos or Talbots"

  • See, that's exactly what I meant about its distinctiveness. The deep femininity of this brand appeals to this woman, making it very different from that generic crap at J. Jill, Chico's or Talbots.

  • That's pretty damned good writing!

  • Where'd you find these, Les? They're great.

    Doesn't sound so "wishy-washy" to me! "Fragrant and pastoral" identity says it very well. To me, this brand is, like, constantly menstruating!

  • "Overwhelmed" is a word that comes to mind when in one of their stores. It's so consistent, so focused on this sensibility, that if it doesn't resonate with your own, it feels...well...overwhelming!

  • The posture, look, and feel of the photographs are similar to my family photos from the 30's and 40's. The women were trim, and if it were possible to bring them back they could wear those clothes with ease. I suspect that most women today look at this catalog and dream rather than purchase unless they want the furniture. It reminded me of the magazine "Reminisce", and Frank Sinatra's "It was a very good year".

  • As always I watched your video more than once. You captured the essence of what the producers of this catalog were trying to present, but every time I watch it I want to hear Frank Sinatra music. Oh heck, just overlook me Tom; I am just an old man who loved those days. Enjoyed this video very much. Thanks for the memories.

  • Watching this video more than once earns you a special place in my mind, Frank! Thanks for the compliments. I do think the producers are tapping into a longing, which is what marketers do, imo; reflect and amplify. The Sinatra associations are completely understandable.

  • Selling dreams is what catalogs have done since Mr. Ward, Mr. Sears and Mr. Roebuck invented the medium. I didn't know the magazine you referenced until I Googled it. Looks very interesting. Ready for the Ken Burns WWII series?

  • Your prescription of what brands "should" offer is one theory of the case, Steve. Obviously, there are others. The mixture of old and new is what brands do constantly, especially in apparel. This brand is capturing and presenting an alternative sensibility (quite well, from my pov) that they believe is appealing to the woman who does not resonate with much of what she sees around her. That's unique and they're staking their business on it. Thanks!!

  • Worse?

  • Imagining the kind of woman who would not only feel comfortable in these clothes, but who is eagerly scanning the market for something that resonates with her identity, is the point of this exercise. The word, "presence" captures something about that woman. Now, Ralph Lauren's clothes are much more retro/class-focused than this brand. Thanks.

  • I think it's also worth mentioning that just the very name of the brand - a corruption of a scientific term for the ethnographic study of humanity - is going to single out a certain type of consumer, who may be more mature, and thus interested in a more retro style.

  • Yes, for sure. Compare this name to that of another brand aimed at young women in the US: "Forever 21." Pretty clear distinction in positioning before you even seen one item that that brand sells. Thanks.

  • this is the kind of video that i appreciate,,,,thanks

  • Thanks very much, Rodney. It's certainly not everyone's cup of tea, but, neither am I!

  • It felt weird posting this 17 minute vid, PSM, but I thought I'd let you guys decide if you wanted to watch it or not. Thanks. Not sure about installments but I'll probably find something interesting in this zone to talk about.

  • Gee, I don't see it that way, Steve. There's something very modern about this brand's sensibility. When you look at the landscape within which they compete they've put themselves in a unique niche, which is more than big guns like Gap, Express, et al. can say.

    Thanks for the PS...look forward to seeing some uploads from you soon.

  • Arts and Crafts indeed, just consider their name, Anthropologie. I think you analyzed it well, verbalizing what many would subconsciously feel. The woman is definitely a model, very tall and thin. If not for the clothes she would look out of place. But that is the point, the clothes put her in that time and place.

  • Thanks, Joe. Yes, she's a model dressed and made up to emphasize a non-glamorous introvert. Those clothes, and the objects they surround the clothes with in the store, are tightly edited to fit that story.

  • Yes...hmmm...I wouldn't make a good fashion critic at all, as I often look at these kinds of things and think that they just look AWFUL! :-) I'm more into "classical elegance" I guess - you know - the "little black dress and pearls" look. I'm the same with a lot of "modern art" - I just don't "get" it.

  • For me the kick is looking at the brand's story...no matter what that story is...and reading it like a text. I find the quirkiness of this brand interesting, compared with some of its competitors, but it's not my personal favorite. Art's another story entirely!

  • Sorry Tom, couldn't watch more than 2 minutes - I can't think of a less interesting subject than women's fashion.

  • No need to apologize, Brad. Actually, this video is as much about the process by which brands create and tell stories as it is about women's fashion. But women's fashion is definitely an interesting area for studying current culture. Thanks.

  • I thought the same thing "Christina"--- and you will not convince me that it wasn't the image they were after. Must be in PA. Also, they wanted you to notice that she was bow-legged. The first model in the embroidered sweater looks a bit shy rather than comfortable in her own skin.

  • Feels very Chad's Ford in that image, doesn't it? I'm sure they were referencing the image. Agree that the bow-legged choice was purposeful...it was part of the entire gestalt. Shy/self-possessed/comfortable in own skin, I'd go with that zone, sure. That's the "Emily Dickinson" feeling it gave me. Thanks.

  • Absolutely. This model could be made to appear dramatically different elsewhere, dressed very differently, etc. They've brought out something unique in her in those photos and the setting played a large part in that. The clothes themselves are not everywoman by any means.

  • I think she is a fashion model, Tom. She just isn't wearing any makeup. It's an effect that the editor/designer wanted to have on us/you. Worked. Appeals to people who like simple, plain, retro looks. Offbeat, as you say. Apparently, from what I've found out, it's cheaply made clothing at high prices. Don't fall for it, it's a brand after all.

  • Of course she's a fashion model, by definition. I didn't mean that they'd dragged her in off the street. What they've done is to write a brand story and she's a lead character in an episode. I wanted to tell the story that they were telling, to explicate the underlying brand identity. So, I don't see it as a matter of "falling" for it but of reading the signals that they're sending.

  • I suppose. I guess you're not really into women's clothing, either. So you're letting people know that they're being manipulated. Making them aware? Can't blame someone for trying to make some money. No need to walk into it though. Hmm.

  • 1. I guess we have different ideas about business. Businesses present things to be sold; that's why they exist. Their job is to get people to buy what they sell. That used to be easy. Today it's hard. To distinguish itself in a crowded market (like women's clothing) businesses need to be unique. I was demonstrating a way to explore the decisions that this brand has made in its attempt at uniqueness in this video. (cont'd)

  • 2. I don't see those decisions as "manipulation" because it's not like the brand made believe it was sending the customer a photo album; it's a catalog, after all. Thanks.

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