Fashion: Why Chic Is Now Cheaper

Big-name clothing designers are moving down-market to court price-conscious customers. But not everyone wins.

Giorgio Armani. The name defines chic. Luxurious fabrics, exquisite craftsmanship, elegant design -- that's the Armani that customers love and competitors fear. So what is this upscale Italian designer doing peddling cotton T shirts and blue jeans? Quite simply, he is trying to make money like everybody else -- by reaching the millions of American men who cannot afford his $1,875 suits and the women who can only admire his $1,800 dresses on department-store racks. In December the designer will market a line of casual clothes bearing an Armani Jeans label -- chambray shirts, denim jackets, linen blouses. Nothing fancy. More...

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