Anatomy of an Overpriced Luxury Look

A Deep Dive into the Phoebe Philo Phenom

Pigeons. “Peee-zohns”

That’s what the French call a dupe.

Which brings me back to British designer’s Phoebe Philo’s new collection, which arrived online on Monday, triggered charges of price gouging, and, yet, is nearly sold out. As my Substack confrere Amy Odell detailed in her most recent edition of Back Row, some average citizens have found the cost of Philo’s offerings simply ridiculous.

“The $1100 polyamide leggings make no sense though. Why so expensive?” commented Kate Stimac. “Something about seeing the price of those leggings really flipped the switch for me. Love that people will be dishing out thousands of dollars to look like a ceramicist married to a hedge fund manager.” monica barnett agreed, saying, “[T]here is a bit of undercover delight and outright outrage... I vacillate between those two emotions. I am sure I am too amateur to see the value and beauty in the items... at that price 🤷🏾‍♀️.”

No, Monica, you are not too amateur to see the value. You are clear-eyed enough to see the con, as I will explain here.