One way of creating fashion headlines in a credit crunch is to issue sensationally expensive items that gets everybody really really annoyed.
Take Tom Ford, for example. He’s bringing out jeans with a price tag just short of $1,000 (€783) this season. They’re made from non-shrink, non-fade Japanese selvage and they come with an 18ct gold button – can you imagine that going through the 60-degree wash cycle? Others have been quick to follow suit: Dior Homme has Japanese selvage jeans for about $800 (€626); Balmain’s cost nearly $3,000 (€2,348). Who cares whether they sell? They attract attention and that’s the whole point.