Or any fast fashion brand. And there are those, it seems, who would pay through the nose to own a piece of the ho-hum

Camisoles, negligees, or tank tops (as some prefer): Balenciaga is offering them. They come with skinny straps and are trimmed at the neckline. Yes, you have probably seen them in H&M. Or, other such stores, sometimes sold in a pack of three. Balenciaga’s also comes as a trio, but not identical pieces. Rather than a top, they are peddled as a ”Layered Dress in Multicolored (sic)”, according to the brand. As they are stitched together as a single garment, you cannot wear them separately, unless you take them apart. Surprisingly, the top does not come with any branding, which means, when seen on the streets, they could look like anything worn after gym, seen at City Plaza on Sundays, or sold at 6IXTY8IGHT, any day. But one thing does set the Balenciaga apart: the asking price of S$2,090.

Balenciaga, under Demna Gvasalia, is not opposed to going low to sell high. We already knew that. We have seen the approach throughout his tenure at the house, having fun with the price divide. But, as if it is not preposterous enough to put out a roll of packing tape as a bracelet , Balenciaga is now offering what shoppers would normally go to Cotton:On for, at a price that does not require pondering: S$34.99. If that is still high, at Uniqlo, their AIRism Bra Camisole is S$29.90. If you want them even cheaper, Shein is where you can get them from as low as s$6.99, and remarkably similar to the far dearer. Admittedly, these are not long enough to be worn as a dress, but even if Balenciaga’s is one-third longer than the rest, and are actually three-as-one, are they really appealing enough to make one part with serious money to buy the four-figure version?

The camisole-dress is styled to look edgy. The top layer is already peeling on the left

It is perhaps inequitable to compare Balenciaga and Shein (or the like), but we are not talking about tailored or technical garments. The said tops are nonedescript camisoles, made of a rib fabric that is composed of micro-modal and elastane, both not a hundred percent natural fibre, which isn’t dramatically different from what Shein consistently offers. Balenciaga fans would argue that they are paying for “brand value”, rather than design or fabric value. Balenciaga is definitely streetwear-bent as they continue to “redefine” luxury, but how luxurious is micro-modal and elastane? In one image that Balenciaga shared online, the top white layer of the model’s dress is already peeling. One Hong Kong-based fabric specialist told us that micromodal “typically sells for US$3 (or S$9) per yard (or 0.9 metre), based on 150 gsm (grams per square meter) fabric.”

It is not clear if there is truly a demand for a trio of slip-tops that is ticketed close to the Balenciaga’s Monaco mini bag in calfskin, not that the bag is reasonably priced. In fact, it is even more expensive than the already outrageous Prada singlet. With the mark-up shock of Dior bags still fresh in our minds, does it make sense for Balenciaga to sell merchandise of little design value at an extortionate price? For those with a lot of money, perhaps the thrill is in the purchase, and little else. But many luxury brands do not court the ultra wealthy, which often means that the stupendous mark-up brands formulate tantamounts to appalling value for the rest of us. It is hard to come to terms with Balenciaga selling apparel no different from those offered by fast fashion brands, even if Balenciaga proposes a far edgier way to wearing it. Perhaps, again, this is Demna Gvasalia’s sense of humour. And he is enjoying the last laugh. One more time.

Photos: Balenciaga