Browsing through the new arrivals on Antho site, I ask myself, am I the only one who's not a bit tempted by this assortment of oddities? It seems to me that the styles have gone from bad to worse. With very few exceptions, the current stock is simply hideous! I'm sooo tired of all the grandma blouses, hobo sweaters and ugly prints that are seriously lacking in refinement!
To illustrate how bad I think the clothes have become, I'll share with you what my 15% birthday coupon was used for. A tablecloth! Isn't that pathetic?
I think it's very clear to all long term Anthropologie customers what's missing. What perplexes me, is why it's taking Anthropologie so long to catch on? I'm getting impatient.
Chubu Caftan
Lovely, if you're living off the grid and having 70's flashbacks.
Sofya Cropped Jacket
80's? No, please!
Well Spotted Blazer
What the ****?!
Quilted Eclipse Blouse
This looks like the uglier version of something my Grandma used to wear.
Placed Pixels Blouse
Bozo wants his shirt back.
Metamorphose Poncho
Another one of those hobo styles Anthropologie is currently so fond of.
Critter Carnival Tunic
Maybe if you're the mustache lady at a carnival?
Checker Table Cape
No, it's not cute. Yes it's ugly.
Dear Anthropologie, please refer to your catalogs from 2002-2008 for a reminder of what it is your customers have come to expect from you, and ask yourself, are the current styles consistent with our original vision? Heck, I really don't mind if you just recycle your old styles, it would be a big big step up from what is being currently offered.
19 comments:
Everything, and I mean everything in Anthro's clothing line up looks like something I could pick up from my local thrift shop for $5. Just because a skirt costs $328 (!) doesn't mean you don't look like a fool while wearing it.
I hardly even bother to look in their catalogs these days - ugly, and way overpriced. Can't remember the last time I actually purchased an item. Sad, because there was a time when every. single. piece. they made was a "must have".
I totally agree. I am disappointed every season. I used to check their website all the time and swoon but now i don't bother. Its so unpolished, sooo unflattering and never worth the money it seems. And have you noticed that their catalogue photos have gotten darker and dingier? like they are trying to hide their clothes....
Hilarious! I hadn't seen these before.
ciao
I have a b-day discount this month and all that I have on my list so far is a candle and a pair of sunglasses. It's not as if I hate everything--I do like the Lila Frock, Dots Within Blouse, the Stash Away Cardi in the yellow and Loosened Shelby Blouse in the bird print--but I don't feel that "have to have" feeling that demands I buy them now. Plus, I've noticed that lately most stuff making it to sale is available in most, if not all, sizes so I feel like a chump just getting 15% off now when I can get 50% in a month or so.
I'm also frustrated by how many baggy and shapeless blouses and tops Anthro is still rolling out one after the other. The blouse section in particular makes me want to scream. Everything is so unstructured and unflattering!
I do think they're doing well with shoes, though. There are unique, feminine and vintage-inspired (i.e. classic Anthro) styles out now like the Bookbinder Heels, the Lake and Land Heels, and the Earth and Gold Heels. But again, I'm willing to wait for sale.
Anthro needs to go back to classic cuts, whimsical prints, and elegant lines. Once they do, I'll be back spending way too much money there :)
I used my 15% on a $20 bath rug this year. And the only must-have I've bought since 2008 was last year's Wright dress. Womp.
Yep, wrote several complaining blog posts myself lately. (See one here: http://idreamofanthropologie.blogspot.com/search/label/Epic%20Fail)
I would LOVE it if they repeated some of the early products that I could not afford to buy back when I first became a lover of Anthro in 2004....
You know my birthday is in February, and I rarely find any great fashions at Anthro that time of year as the winter duds are slowly clearing out and the spring collections haven't arrived yet... don't know why I never thought to use my coupon for the home section though! I always just seem to let them go to waste! But I do agree with you regarding this fall's upcoming looks, they're doing something funny over there :/
I thought I was one of the few that felt this way. 2 years ago I spent a ridiculous amount of money there. This year it is next to nothing. I don't understand why people would pay close to 200 for grandma clothes. Yuk! Where is my Anthro???
i totally agree, my wish list is full of home items and their shoes. not a big fan of their clothing these days!
Amen! I was equally horified to see the Quilted Eclipse blouse online. It is a style from the 70s that makes me shutter.
But, I have to admit, there are still some gems amongst all that faux-retro pretense. Such as the Building Blocks top, the Flourishing Stripes tank, and the Oblique Pointelle pullover. Yum!
LOL, especially to "Bozo wants his shirt back"! I don't understand it. A lot of this stuff would have been the height of fashion for someone like Liz Taylor in 1977. But this is 2011. I was late at discovering Anthropologie and already I'm missing what they've lost.
I totally agree!! I think if you found this stuff in a less upscale store...you'd laugh and wonder who'd be caught dead in it...I think so many people are just buying it because of the name...
The recent additions are disgusting...I haven't seen anything truly "pretty" there in a long time...
I have to admit that I tried HARD to find something to splurge on with my 15% off this month. That is a challenge. I don't hate everything, but the only thing I could blog on in this month's catalog was the hair: http://richgirldiaries.wordpress.com/2011/08/04/i-love-big-hair/
I completely agree!! It's been such a disappointment there lately!
Holy cow, I wouldn't have believed it was that bad if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes! I couldn't resist blogging about it, too. (http://blog.lovemanythings.net/2011/08/whats-with-fug-anthro.html)
I've always loved Anthropologie's clothes, even though I can never afford them. What on earth has happened here?
I have been steadily losing faith in Anthropologie since the summer of 2010. It seems like all the tops fit frumpy, and the dresses are completely unflattering. Which Anthro buyer found the Beda dress? Or even the Kissing Friday dress? Bring those buyers back!!!
I keep trying, though. I tried on the Unconditional Osier Dress this weekend, but...does that look good on anyone? It looks like I turned my grandma's doily tablecloth into a dress.
Anthro, please please please go back to where you were a couple years ago. We miss you.
So I was reading on a blog somewhere about this Anthropogie... I thought holy shit, since moving to the middle of nowhere and my catalogs never forward I had all but forgotten this store. Years ago, I rememberd what interesting things they offered, being that I dont like to dress like "everyone else" So just a moment ago I ventured onto the Anthro website and clicked on "sweaters" thinking I have found the holy grail of unique things to put on my human like figure. W T F .... did this store some how find a good will store from 1940, 1950, 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990 stock piles of clothing, deconstruct them and sew them back together to form a sweater shaped object???? I thought, hmm, am I a loser here, am I so far off trend that I find these items so repulsive that if I were naked in a snow storm I wouldt be caught dead wearing ANYTHING they are selling? I coudnt even imagine anyone I know wearing it. So, then I took to the internet and typed " ANTHROPOLOGIE clothing is ugy" and found this wonderful little place to vent my horror!! Wish I coud look at an old 2002 catalog as a remember when Anthro clothing was interesting even unique.... Now what, I'm stuck wearing all the paper thin crap they sell at the mall! I feel like I'm wearing papertowel with less fiber content... ugh.
So I was reading on a blog somewhere about this Anthropogie... I thought holy shit, since moving to the middle of nowhere and my catalogs never forward I had all but forgotten this store. Years ago, I rememberd what interesting things they offered, being that I dont like to dress like "everyone else" So just a moment ago I ventured onto the Anthro website and clicked on "sweaters" thinking I have found the holy grail of unique things to put on my human like figure. W T F .... did this store some how find a good will store from 1940, 1950, 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990 stock piles of clothing, deconstruct them and sew them back together to form a sweater shaped object???? I thought, hmm, am I a loser here, am I so far off trend that I find these items so repulsive that if I were naked in a snow storm I wouldt be caught dead wearing ANYTHING they are selling? I coudnt even imagine anyone I know wearing it. So, then I took to the internet and typed " ANTHROPOLOGIE clothing is ugy" and found this wonderful little place to vent my horror!! Wish I coud look at an old 2002 catalog as a reminder when Anthro clothing was interesting even unique.... Now what, I'm stuck wearing all the paper thin crap they sell at the mall! I feel like I'm wearing papertowel...ugh Hop this isnt a doube comment, sorry
I blame Jillian Harris (from the Bachelor) for my Anthropologie addiction. Jillian was so stylish -- and I really wanted to emulate her style. Some of the most flattering jewelry, tops, dresses, and shoes I have are from Anthropologie.
Skip ahead a few years and I am no longer an avid Anthro shopper. Occassionally I look for a classic pair of heels or boots which I can't find anywhere else....but overall, the styles seem, as everyone else has pointed out, ugly, unflattering, and overpriced.
I should also say that the fabrics are exceedingly cheap. I could spend $10-$30 on a good top from Land's End which would last me for years....Anthro's tops would usually fray after one washing -- or would overstretch and become shapeless in no time flat.
With Anthro, you are paying top dollar for poor quality clothing. Even expensive jewelry falls apart after a few uses....
I do regret my Antho purchases.
While Anthro used to bill itself as a store for modern, well compensated profesional women earning $250,000 plus a year....I believe they appealed most to aspirational high schoolers, recent college grads, and young professionals.
As a more seasoned professional now, I can say I have more important things to spend my money on than Anthro clothes.
This weekend I spent $150 at Land's End for an amazingly cute, stylish jacket, tops, and pants. That bill easily would have reached $700 or more at Anthro....
I saved money, look great (though less quirky), and have better quality clothing that will last me forever....This is truly usable clothing....
How often do you really wear that "must have" Anthro outfit? If you are like me, you bought a few gorgeous dresses that would wow your audience only to drain your bank account and rarely, if ever, wear them. Many of mine are sitting in storage.
Today, with the country recovering from a recession, unstable gas prices, rents/mortgages shooting thorugh the roof, and the overall cost of living skyrocketing, people just aren't looking to splurge on wild fashions.... People want to save money, and ideally look well put together, if not understated. The days of showing off are over....
As stated, I spent a fraction of what I would have spent on Anthro -- instead on another store -- for better quality clothes that fit better, flatter my figure more, and will actually be functional.
I checked out ModCloth and Shabby Apple and saw a few tops I would love to add to my collection -- some with old Anthro flair but more reasonable prices....
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