The End of Fashion: The Mass Marketing of the Clothing Business

Rating:
Summary: An honest objective portrayal of the fashion industry
Review: I have always felt that the comparison of the fashion industry to the "Emporer's New Clothes" was exactly what the consumer wanted and what the industry presented. But what so intrigued me about Ms. Agin's book is that she exposed the "Emporer" without clothes and the clothes makers without sarcasm or snide attacks. This made it possible for we aspiring designers to observe a realistic view and grounded attitude as we wade into this evolving dance of dressing. It is no wonder that the author holds such an esteemed position at the Wall Street Journal. I am so hopeful that this is but a beginning of more books from Ms. Agin that deal with other mysteries and facets of a very exciting and dynamic industry.

Rating:
Summary: a real eye opener
Review: I love clothes and I consider myself a smart shopper...I don't buy labels and the most famous brand names. I shop for the best prices and clothes that are flattering on me. I follow Vogue and all the magazines, and I thought I knew what was going on. But this book really did open my eyes. The fashion business is really dog-eat-dog and all those big designers don't seem to really understand that real people don't spend $1000 on a dress, or as the author writes in the book, that the consumer is king. No wonder so many fashions don't sell. And those Paris designers, after reading this book I see that they really are not what they appear to be. They are so clueless and overrated. I also finally understood about the stock market and why Donna Karan's DKNY doesn't appeal to women like me anymore. The stories in this book were funny and factual and read really fast. I finished it over a few days. I highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Great reporting, mediocre analysis
Review: The End of Fashion was an enjoyable read, with an amusing view into the belly of the fashion beast, but ultimately it did not tie together the major points it uncovered.

Agins writes about various the various forces that have fundamentally changed fashion -- societal shifts, the changing retail landscape, impatient public markets, licenscing mania and so on. However, it is frustrating that she does not explain how these forces fit together, or extrapolate them into a view of the future of fashion.

We do get good dose of fashion one-liners, such as Zoran's "give diamonds and jewelry to housekeeper", but the aftertaste of mediocre analysis persists.

Rating:
Summary: Why the consumer is King and which Designers figured it out.
Review: The the fashion community is too often blindsided by its own perceived image. This book, which is reader friendly and packed with real information (as opposed to gossip), strips away some of the self serving myths created by the fashion houses and their own sycophantic press. The book shows how houses such as Donna Karan, Ungaro and above all the once mighty French fashion companies have ignored the consumer's needs to their detriment, and how these miscalculations have come back to haunt them. It also explains the wild yet differing success stories of those brands that have become household names such as Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hillfiger. The End of Fashion is entertaining and riveting, certainly to anyone involved in the business of Fashion, but also to the fashion neophyte. Teri Agins' style is that of a real reporter who does not pull her punches, but stays away from gossip and provides the facts. A lot of these facts are not common knowledge, and the "behind the scenes" information will delight and fascinate. The book is an easy read and and highly entertaining as well as insightful. Lifting the corporate veil from sucess stories and failures, the author provides a compelling A to Z (from Armani to Zoran) look at the business of fashion on the eve of the new millenium. It's worth every penny and probably also tax deductible.

Rating:
Summary: The download on the Fashion industry!
Review: This is an interesting and well written business book about the fashion industry and some of its most important designers. The author describes the growth and changes in the fashion industry and the changing role of the customer and the designers. The books material is mainly focused on the US marketplace and the different stand-offs between ex. Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren, the growth of Armani and the Italian designers, and the decline of the French. The main thing is that it nowadays more comes down to great marketing and expensive ad budgets to stay successful, that great design techniques. Overall great insight into an industry mostly concerned on hype and over inflated egos.