More like a designer dud. Balenciaga is being mocked for selling an exorbitantly-priced multicolored tank top — reminiscent of the casual, early-2000s style that continues to haunt millennial fashionistas. The design combines several materials sewed together to give the illusion of multiple tank tops with lace trim stacked on top of one another — pink, blue printed and white.
The stretchy tank is being sold by the brand for a whopping $1,150 — and is already going for $1,490 on third-party sites. The look was popular in the early aughts, often seen on Disney Channel red carpets — it was typically put together using cheap tops from popular retailers like like Abercombie & Fitch and the now-defunct Limited Too. Styles from the era have lately been resurfacing — skinny jeans are back , and so apparently is the layered tank, whether millennials are ready or not.
“What in the Laguna Beach is this?” content creator Erin Miller joked in a TikTok video of the spendy shirt, referencing the iconic 2004 reality TV show. “My culture is not your costume, Balenciaga,” someone joked. Several passionate stylistas were also sure to note that Balenciaga’s layering technique was all wrong.
“We would NEVER layer the white tank on TOP!? That’s the bottom accent piece and everyone knows that!'” a person commented. “Choosing white as the top layer is diabolical!” another agreed, “Screaming in millennial misery.” And while the shirt may dredge up nostalgia in some, the price tag appears to be a nonstarter for most.
“I have all three of those undershirts in my drawer from 2002. Total cost — $6,” someone commented. “I like it but I’d rather DIY it for $10, how is it legal to charge that much for that,” another said in the same vein.
The shirts are currently only available for pre-order set to ship at the end of October — so we’ll see who actually splurged later this fall. The top was released as part of the Winter 2024 collection along with other similarly layered styles. The luxury looks are the latest in a series of costly takes on cheap and nostalgic items from the fashion house.
The Raver Used Bracelet — a fake, “worn and aged” wristband from an imaginary festival sold for $3,800 — also earned them plenty of scorn. “Gone are the days, apparently, of earning your festival stripes through actual experiences,” one critic sniffed. Other eyebrow-raisers have included a Balenciaga lunch box , as well as an $1,800 handbag resembling a plastic bag of potato chips .
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