Saks 5th Avenue is leaving the Galleria, to be replaced with Belk! (Dallas: how much, live)

[katefrisco]

Originally Posted by BigDGeek

This from someone looking at homes that cost more than half a million dollars?

[Staysean23]

Originally Posted by EDS_

That's not a come back it's simply a statement of inarguable accuracy.

my statement was full of accuracy also I'm sorry u felt some kinda way about it. Have a nice weekend

[BCB]

Originally Posted by Staysean23

This is why Miami remains top luxury retail market in the south ..

I hardly consider Miami to fit into the "South", both culturally and geographically. It needs to have a different category. Also, it's definitely not the top luxury retail market in the south. I'm not sure how you got that idea.

[raj kapoor]

Originally Posted by BCB

I hardly consider Miami to fit into the "South", both culturally and geographically. It needs to have a different category. Also, it's definitely not the top luxury retail market in the south. I'm not sure how you got that idea.

Not to be unpleasant, but you should embrace the idea that what you 'consider' and 'feel' don't qualify as accurate determinations of fact . You may be wrong; in fact since there is no other classification for Florida as it relates to the rest of the USA, it is most reasonably in the south. (New Orleans is culturally quite different but no one challenges it is part of the south. One was French, the other Spanish; these are some of the facts that make the south so different throughout its history) Miami's retail market is one of only six in the entire country that is truly internationally driven and for this reason alone it is most luxe. This of course doesn't even take into consideration the resident wealth which is most impressive. In fact Miami's second largest industry is South American banking. (one of the largest centers and it isn't even on the S.A. continent.) Miami has truly become to South America what New York is to Europe. I don't know why any of this would bother you. It just is. Being a forum though it is nice to interact.
Take care,
Just, raj

[BCB]

Originally Posted by raj kapoor

Not to be unpleasant, but you should embrace the idea that what you 'consider' and 'feel' don't qualify as accurate determinations of fact . You may be wrong; in fact since there is no other classification for Florida as it relates to the rest of the USA, it is most reasonably in the south. (New Orleans is culturally quite different but no one challenges it is part of the south. One was French, the other Spanish; these are some of the facts that make the south so different throughout its history) Miami's retail market is one of only six in the entire country that is truly internationally driven and for this reason alone it is most luxe. This of course doesn't even take into consideration the resident wealth which is most impressive. In fact Miami's second largest industry is South American banking. (one of the largest centers and it isn't even on the S.A. continent.) Miami has truly become to South America what New York is to Europe. I don't know why any of this would bother you. It just is. Being a forum though it is nice to interact.
Take care,
Just, raj

What?

Apparently you didn't understand my post. Miami doesn't have that long, southern-drawl and accent that you get in NOLA. Hence, the cultural disconnect. Of course it's generally "south," but that doesn't mean that it fits in culturally with the rest of the region. Baltimore is in the same region, but is more closely related with the northeast. Should they be in the same region? There's no need to educate me on what I already know.

[pinipig523]

Originally Posted by Snowyy

Bags with clearly visible brand logos are feel good props for women with self esteem issues.

What? That's a major generalization if I've ever seen one.

[pinipig523]

Originally Posted by Snowyy

Buying "sky scrapper high ticket" items because you want them is just being rich, shallow and spoiled, buying high ticket items with brand name or logo slapped all over it is shallow, spoiled, tacky and sad. I was all that until my mid 20's but fortunately grew up and out of that self absorbed phase. I remember the high feeling of having an it item or a classic piece but hard to justify the fix once you've seen fragility of life.

Oh really? Just because you feel like you've outgrown that particular shopping mindset, does not make you better nor does it give you the leverage to make such negative remarks.

[happycrow]

Originally Posted by pinipig523

What? That's a major generalization if I've ever seen one.

Agreed. They're status-communicators, Snowyy, and there's nothing wrong with that. A given handbag carried by a woman in her 30s says "affluent," and is the same handbag that will also be carried by the executive assistant in her 40s and 50s, that says "stable and established" (and, to give you some credit, which says "shallow clueless marketing victim" when carried by a teenager).

All brands are status symbols of one sort or another, from the junk at Old Navy to items found at Saks, etc. Some of them are actual luxury items (and bear the quality of construction to match), and others are Coach brand -- popular but shoddy goods that fall apart in a year or two. Much as I hate the marketing vibe, a Ralph Lauren shirt really *is* better-made than anything you're going to find at The Gap or Target. But status markers are important -- lawyers and high-end sales people drive nice cars for a reason. I used to know a very good lawyer (actually, he's now one of the most frightening sharks in Houston, but I've not talked to him in 20 years so can't really claim him as a friend any more). He drove a Ford Ranger pickup until the firm told him "lose the truck or we have to lose you."

Would you hire a lawyer who drove around in a beat-up Ford Ranger?

I have a quite low status SES-wise, and such brands are beyond what I can swing -- the houses you're looking at will easily cost four times what mine does. So I run with my own sense of style and have a clothier pull it off, picking goods that will (hopefully) last for decades rather than years. That doesn't mean you or I or anybody else has to resent "the brand game." For every designer out there who explicitly makes his designs to visually differentiate his customers from "the Men's Wearhouse losers" (actual quote, btw), there are other designers who are actually thinking about real quality. Those folks deserve better than a broad brush.

[jdcf]

Galleria no longer provides an upscale shopping experience compared to NorthPark. The whole aura of the Galleria has changed.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by jdcf

Galleria no longer provides an upscale shopping experience compared to NorthPark. The whole aura of the Galleria has changed.

It has a bit, but it's not exactly a schlock mall. It still has a good number of upscale shops, but I like that it also has 'normal' stores. I find it easier to navigate than Northpark, and since Northpark has become so busy it's just as big of a PITA to park there as it is at Galleria.