Super dry .... Aibu or is it vulgar?

[thegreekmyths]

There has been a proliferation of people in super dry outerwear. Everywhere you look the the logo emblazoned on the back right shoulder. I saw a whole family the other day branded with "super dry" on their puffa jackets. Why????? Am I an old fogey or is it a bit vulgar?

[Dixiechick17]

I just went to look at mine, and it does have the logo on the shoulder... I had never noticed that!
I got it because it's snug, waterproof and fairly practical :) pleased with the quality too. Randomly the creator of Superdry started off selling them on a market stall in cheltenham... just thought I'd share. I like the hoody's too, but only the ones with a small logo on the breast.

[limitedperiodonly]

I've had a black ankle length sheepskin coat for nearly 20 years that just keeps going and going.

It's fabulously warm and very glamorous.

I went to the Ice Hotel in the Swedish Arctic Circle in a December and my lovely coat was defeated. It was 20 degrees below and I was shivering. They gave guests parkas made of and stuffed with synthetic material and trimmed with wolf fur around the hood. The animal fur was practical - your breath doesn't freeze on it.

They also gave us boots that were had thick rubber soles but flexible nylon-type uppers.

Sadly, they demanded them back. The rotters

[emilybrontescorset]

Super dry was incredibly hip with teenagers around here many years ago.

I thought it had come and gone .

I look at jack wills trackies and hoodies and consider that overpriced.

[snowymountaintops]

North Face better imo. Just because it started out as genuine outdoor wear and is for adults rather than teenagers.

Saying that so did Hunter wellies and look what happened to them....

[limitedperiodonly]

Does it keep you warm and dry maggiethemagpie? Is it appropriate for where you want to wear it? That's your answer.

[Sparklingbrook]

North Face was discussed upthread IIRC.

[maggiethemagpie]

I have a jacket with North Face on, is that any better or worse? And if so, why?

[MadamCroquette]

Yup that's the kind of thing I'd do, except I'd prob hand sew it with the kit I always have with me!

[limitedperiodonly]

He once bought the almost perfect pair of swimming trunks in the sale in a shop in Ibiza. They were by Dolce & Gabbana, black, brief but not budgie smugglers.

Their flaw was a large gold crab design on the hip. It was transferred on so he couldn't pick it off. We went to a little fabric shop run by a couple of elderly sisters and he chose a patch of black fabric, showed them what he wanted to do and they let him use their sewing machine to cover the offending crab. They refused to charge him so we bought them a cake.

He also likes these but they have to be taken in before he will be seen dead in them.

[MadamCroquette]

Oh I'd love to have someone to have those conversations with! (And to live within reach of those Soho shops Instead I just have a terrible online fabric and haberdashery shopping habit)

I often think things like "ta-daa! This Gap dress I have pimped now looks quite like Bottega Veneta!!!" but know one I know would ever notice or care :(

(Am training the kids up though)

[Slarti]

People just buy it cos other people buy it and they think it makes them look cool. Which obvs is what most teens do, but when adults do it it makes me cringe a bit.

I don't know if any of my jackets are super dry but if they are it will be because I'm oblivious to what's cool and what's not. Clearly you avoid certain brands because of your own idea of what's "cool" which in itself is a bit cringy.

[limitedperiodonly]

Same as DH MadamCroquette. He's a whizz with the sewing machine and the QuikUnpik and always changing buttons and buckles and zips - he loves the fabric and accessories shops in Soho. He and my mum would often had conversations that would go over my head/send me to sleep

He got a men's black puffa from Primark and altered it so it looked like something from Moncler. It only lasted a season but the difference was over £1,000 and Moncler's not that good quality either. As he tells me. Repeatedly

[MadamCroquette]

For me quality means how well it lasts and how easy it is to take apart. I often alter clothes, or pick off logos as a PP said, tighten waistline elastic or change a wide leg to a skinnier leg. Superdry stuff is amazingly well stitched together and difficult to dismantle. I was surprised as I don't think of it as a high-end brand really.

Jigsaw and Boden on the other hand, are flimsy and very lightly stitched. That's why boden buttons always fall off.

[limitedperiodonly]

Talk of quality and value for money is subjective. Talk of vulgarity is nonsense. What does it mean? I mentioned Liz Taylor's diamond ring. If Kanye West wants to wear a full length chinchilla coat, what's it to you? Beyond animal welfare reasons, of course.

DH, who sells high-end menswear, has recommended business shirts from M&S over those from other retailers, both high street and online, to people because they are the same quality, but not the same price or image.

We once went to a wedding and there were lots of my friends and work acquaintances there. Someone asked what he did and he told them and the bloke opened his jacket showing the label of a well-known retailer and boasted: 'I bet you don't sell suits like this' .

My husband deadpanned: 'I would never have something of that quality in my shop.'

It was a pile of shite but the irony was lost.

If it keeps you warm and dry or just makes you happy, buy it. Who cares what anyone else thinks?

[MLGs]

Don't think you can call it vulgar, it's just a clothing brand.

I do have a hoodie from there (which is branded) and two pairs of shorts that are not. They are all good quality imo (I.e. the three things i have). Not going to be adding to the collection as it is something I would wear sparingly.

I can see how it is easy to dislike but it is person taste.

[Lottie2611]

Super dry is so ugly..

[UndramaticPause]

Probably vulgar but I like my superdry coat. It's lightweight but warm plus I got it cheaper than in store so, y'know, got to love a bargain

[snowymountaintops]

limitedperiodonly no it really is interesting! I've been watching that programme called Super Shoppers or some such (on last night) and it's fascinating. Ralph Lauren Polo top going for £175 when a rather nicer one was selling for £6 in ASDA. Pretty much everyone who they spoke to thought that the ASDA one was the expensive one! Also designer sunglasses ALL being made by the same manufacturer and then just branded accordingly.

Oh what mugs we are. Glad to see that Farrow and Ball paint did turn out to be the best though as I've used some of that in the past .

[Twowrongsdontmakearight]

Surely Burberry only became chavvy because they used superchav Kate Moss?

[limitedperiodonly]

The short version of that is that the OP is misguided.

When Liz Taylor wore an egg-sized diamond ring to a party, Princess Margaret spent ages bitching about it. Liz invited her to try it on and once it was on the Royal finger said: 'Not so vulgar now, is it Ma'am? Now may I have it back?'

[limitedperiodonly]

That's very kind of you even if you don't mean it snowymountaintops .

Drapers' Record is not a fashion magazine so has no useful advice on the tricky transition from Winter to Spring '16.

It's aimed at retailers, so has thrilling articles which boil down to one thing - how to sell stuff to people as cheaply as possible. This is what obsesses retailers whether they sell bras 3 for £10 or chinchilla coats for £20,000.

They have one feature where they interview interesting people in the retail world, which is where I got some of my Superdry facts. The rest is from other business news.

Interesting is a relative term btw

My thoughts are that like a supertanker, Superdry is taking time to turn. There is a lot of stock that the company owns and they have to get rid of for the best price that they can. I don't know how much money is tied up in it, but they can't just have a bonfire.

So they're dumping it and taking the pain of appearing a 'vulgar' brand while bringing on their new products - such as the dresses and coats people have pictured.

Brands can be turned round. Gucci was almost worthless by 1980 because the family franchised everything so diminished a great name. But now it's a luxury brand again and I don't think there's a single family member on the board. Same with Burberry. It costs a lot of money but there's no reason it can't be done with Superdry.

Retail and brand image and what makes people want them or not is a fascinating subject. But not for everyone

[snowymountaintops]

Very interesting limitedperiodonly! Does it say what we should all be wearing without looking out of date already?

[limitedperiodonly]

Superdry is called Superdry because the English founders went on holiday to Tokyo about 10 years ago and noticed that everyone was prefixing their words with super- in that very annoying way that people used to do.

So they called their new brand of clothing that and added some Japanese writing to make it look cool.

They did well but over-expanded and the crash of 2008 hit them very hard. In order to save their business they went mass-market. About two years ago they had a major investment from venture capitalists and hope to take their brand upmarket in order to steer it away from the Daniella Westbrook Effect.

The thing is, it will never be Burberry and that's not their intention. Their aim is to create an illusion of quality - starting with removing the obvious branding.

Does that make it vulgar? Well, it's not great but no worse quality than other high street brands that people mistake for upmarket - perhaps including you OP.

I have a subscription to Drapers' Record and am a mine of information of dull facts about clothing retail. The subject doesn't come up nearly as often in pub quizzes as Sport and Showbiz do, so I leap at any opportunity to dazzle people with my knowledge.

[Sparklingbrook]

I used to love Cheshire Oaks, some real bargains. But I don't think it's as good now.

I asked DS2 last night and he says Adidas is ok but Nike isn't. He's 14.

[Birdsgottafly]

""DD calls Superdry 'aspirational chav'""

Unless she's going through the know it all 12-14 year old stage, I'd feel quite ashamed of that and I'd still challenge her.

I'm 47, my best dog walking coat is a NorthFace bought in Cheshire Oaks, years ago, I couldn't have got one as cheap, that does the same.

Superdry turns up in Cheshire Oaks and you can get stuff really cheap in their outlet stores.

I don't know anyone over 35 who wears it, except for things like checked shirts, but one woman I know, who hates handbags, her SD jacket is perfect for her, she's had it two years, so it must be decent quality.

In Liverpool the summer 'uniform', is Hugo Boss T shirts, for men.