Thursday, September 30, 2010


continuing on the US theme.

these are all from anthropologie.
some of the patterns and things caught my eye.

i am curious about what
people think about anthropologie?
especially people from the us,
or elsewhere it is quite popular.
(it is still relatively unknown perhaps in oz?
although correct me if i'm wrong!)

what place does it hold in the 
battle of the interiors?
(i know they do clothes as well,
but am actually not a massive fan of their clothes,
although some of the little purses are nice.)
is it a big player with heart and innovation?
or just a big player?

i am worried that some of the ceramics are so cheap though.
what are the people making them being paid??
or is it the inevitable cost efficiencies of mass production?

anyway, just curious!
it is very nice to see an
australia ceramicist there -
that's so great,



samantha robinson porcelain from australia














16 comments:

  1. Hi!
    I'm from Spain, so there's no Anthropologie here, but I've heard they're great - there are your pics to prove it. I'll have to check on their website!
    Cheers, i love your blog

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  2. Anthropologie is amazing although very expensive. Its a place most people spend a lot of time looking at and then going out and finding a cheaper version in other shops... at least that is my experience. :/

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  3. I love Anthropologie, it is very popular here in the States.

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  4. hi! that is very true paz lopoez - i have answered my own question with the things here! and thanks erica and yoli it is interesting to here the points of view. i guess i was just wondering where anthropologie sits, as we are not familiar with it here so much. but they seem to take some nice risks with more unconventional designs, especially if it is aimed at a very wide audience?

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  5. i agree that anthropologie has nice things and i do enjoy their window displays, but am overwhelmed with how many there are here. every shopping center has one now! it's a bit of a turn off, and i wonder about their quality

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  6. agree with erica. very inspiring. but, it seems most of the people who buy at anthro are wealthy and skinny.

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  7. Anthropologie's aesthetic is wonderful. They have a great eye for original artists and there's a timelessness to their products and style which is comforting. Their catalogs which are becoming increasingly more difficult to get, fetch money on ebay and are a stylist's dream. Rebecca Purcell was the creative director at some point (not sure, if she still is) and is responsible for Anthropologie's visuals, which are maintained to this day. Her work as an artist and stylist is excellent and she has written an inspiring book: "Alchemy of Interiors". Her window displays are legendary.

    However, it appears that the entire store is like a set, designed to attract people to the discount section where it seems the majority of their sales are made.

    The one puzzling thing to me is their product labeling. Whenever a product comes from an "attractive" location such as Italy, Spain, Portugal etc. Anthropologie proudly states the origin. Whenever it is "Made in China", Anthropologie's labels say it's "Imported". And there are many of their admittedly beautiful garments and products made in China. Which is fine, but at least, I wish they would be upfront about it. Beautiful it is, green it's not.

    I've been reading your blog for quite a while now and would like to thank you for all your work and inspiration.

    Hi from Ithaca NY,
    Kathrin

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  8. Hi
    I alwasy see such great things when I visit your blog. Thank you!

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  9. Really like the ruffled curtain. the color degradation on the color fabric is very nice.

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  10. The merchandising inside Anthro stores really can't be beat but as a professional shopper (I am a prop stylist) I have found that their quality control department must be sleeping. Their clothing seems almost disposable, once you wash it looks horrible, a couple hours in their sweaters and you have piling everywhere. I am not happy when I spend close to $100 for a piece that looks like crap the second time I put it on.
    That being said, the plates, tabletop stuff, etc...are a good deal when they are on sale.

    I like to go to the store for inspiration but am very careful about what I purchase there.

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  11. hi everyone - thanks so much for your thoughts and comments - it has been very insightful! it is interesting the idea of shop as a "set" and that the merchandising and catalogues become the most powerful aspects of the experience. but quality is a must, yeah? if the clothes don't hold up to a wash, that's not too good at all...and maybe all-out ubiquity is rarely a good thing (shops on every corner), as it is always at the cost of special-ness, and sense of discovery? but i am sure there are also plenty of cases where ubiquity and special-ness happily co-exisit. just can't think of anything right now. except the beatles:) anyway, interesting.

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  13. pretty pretty things.

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  14. Anonymous00:59

    some interesting comments..!

    i too have been amazed at some of the amazing (and amazingly cheap) ceramics they stock, BUT have you seen how much shipping is to australia?

    the few small pieces that i 'hypothetically' added to my basket were going to cost more than $60USD to post...

    i'm still not sure why so many shops / sites have obscene shipping rates to australia, when somewhere like topshop do it for only 10 pounds...

    oh well!

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  15. Anonymous16:19

    Great photographs, Yes I too have been taken with the patterns at Anthropologie. We now have 2 here in London, a really snazzy store on Regent street and another store on the Kings Road, it is still quite a novelty here, they have really invested in their stores which have large water features, walls of living plants and great displays BUT ...yes the quality of the fashion is poor. Its all stylish seducing merchandising. The homewares,handmade and one off pieces are fabulous. x

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  16. the curtain is so pretty. I love anthro, and used to work there. both their clothes and home things are so beautiful, and I've never had a problem with their quality. I love to mix their clothes with vintage and pieces from other stores, because I think an outfit all from there might have too much going on at once!

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