I applaud Richard Tyler for going on record and stating that he is “feeling somehow transformed” over the relevance of high-ticket fashion in a post-war Sept.11 world, as reported by WWD, February 28, ‘Tyler’s New Laid-Back Line’. As he put it “‘who wants to spend a $1,000 on a shirt? I think our priorities have shifted…I think even women with means want real clothes- a great pair of well-constructed trousers for $150 (retail), a jacket for $270.” To that end, he is getting ready to launch a secondary line- called Tyler- priced at one tenth (yikes) of his signature collection. I wish more designers would follow his lead—most designers’ secondary lines are merely priced at about 1/2, and let’s face it, half of $2,000 is, well, still expensive.
