Let me start off by saying that I am not an Anthropologie hater. Really, I swear! Anthro catalogs are some of the most beautiful in the business, providing me, and countless others, with pages and pages of aspirational visual stimulation. Every time a new one arrives it’s like getting a free fashion magazine in the mail. Truthfully, I can’t afford anything in the store unless it is stuffed onto the sale rack (and then marked down a few more times) and most of the clothing doesn’t really fit my personal style anyway. But the housewares department is delightful and has definitely inspired some of my most successful DIY efforts.
But sometimes, Anthro can get a bit ridiculous, and I know you know what I’m talking about. And it’s this ridiculousness that has fueled my Love/Bitch, Please-relationship with the Philly-based retailer. Here are a few of the more recent offending items that make me want to bang my head against the nearest wall.
Name: Studio Days Easel
Price: $2,100
They say: “Drips of hand-spattered paint top this sturdy wood frame, creating a perfect resting place for your latest sketches or fine-art pieces.”
I say: Oh please, as if any self-respecting artist that actually does his or her own sketches is going to plunk down over two-grand for something as phoney baloney as this “hand-splattered” easel. Anyone who buys this is an artistic poseur, the grown-up version of those trust fund kids who shop at sister store Urban Outfitters to acquire just the right thrift store-looking outfit to wear to Coachella. If you really want to display some art on an easel (which I am actually a fan of), you can find a brand new one nearly identical to this model at Chicago Airbrush Supply for $141. And unless you are an artist, skip the messy acrylic look.
Name: Artist Attache Case
Price: $398
They say: “Anything and everything you could need to create a stunning visual masterpiece, tucked away into a handy, vintage-suitcase-inspired travel carrier. The set includes seven brushes, one eraser, one pencil sharpener, one glass marker, two conte pencils, 12 watercolor tubes, two drawing pencils, one graphite pencil, 15 cards and envelopes and 24 colored pencils.”
I say: First of all, let’s talk about this set of seven brushes: what kind are they exactly? They look like flat-bristles brushes but I can’t be 100% sure that is what they are, those smaller ones could be angled. Also, what sizes are they and what are they made from? The same questions can be directed at everything in that box; that kind of information is important to people who actually paint and draw. But hey, at least we know the case is vintage inspired and made of cotton and leather! Legit artists are usually bargain hunters and wouldn’t go to Anthro for their supplies; my personal favorite places to shop are the decidedly non-twee-sounding Jerry’s Artarama and A.C.Moore (always with that 40% off coupon in hand). At Jerry’s I found an eight-brush collection for $39.99 and a set of 24 full-sized Prismacolor pencils for $24.59. Sure, they don’t come in a cute little carryall, but something like that is bound to get messy anyway (just look at that easel!) so what’s the point in spending all that money on one? Empty aluminum coffee cans, tackle boxes, and Tupperware containers are the best for storing supplies.
Name: Vintage Fashion Books Boxed Set
Price: $2,000
What they say: “A one-of-a-kind set in a custom-made case, curated by Kinsey Marable, who left his job as an investment banker to deal with a more exotic commodity: rare and out-of-print books. His passion to create distinctive libraries led him to select these books; the mahogany-stained Baltic birch bookshelf is custom built for the custom collection.”
I say: Ever since I spotted this set in the Issue Eleven/2011 holiday catalog, I challenged myself to find every book via Amazon because I knew I’d be able to snag them all for a fraction of the Anthro cost. So when I did (in about five minutes flat), it didn’t suprise me. What did shock me is that most of these books aren’t even vintage; four of them were published within the last ten years. In fact, the Cecil Beaton read was released a mere three months ago, on October 11, 2011 (that’s not even considered old in the fashion industry).
But age of the books aside, this is what I did. To keep my findings comparable to the books within the Anthro set, I priced out “new” or “very good” copies of each publication. However, many of these could be found even cheaper at various Marketplace sellers. Personally, if I can save a few more bucks and buy my books in less-than-perfect condition, I will (a little shelf wear and even a library card in the back never hurt anyone).
Happy Times by Brendan Gill and Jerome Zerbe. $14.73 (1973)
Jacqueline Kennedy : The White House Years, by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Hamish Bowles, Arthur M. Schlesinger, and Rachael Lambert Mellon. $25 (2001)
Woman in the Mirror by Richard Avedon. $38.75 (2005)
Shocking Life: The Autobiography of Elsa Schiaparelli by Elsa Schiaparelli. $8.43 (2007)
Cecil Beaton: The New York Years by Donald Albrecht and the Museum Of The City Of NY. $40.13 (2011)
Add up the Amazon prices for all of these books and you’ve got a grand total of $127.04, not including shipping (the shipping costs are fairly close between Amazon and Anthro). Obviously, you don’t get that neato little bookshelf but these book ends, handmade and found on Etsy for $49, are pretty sweet too. Plus, you’d be supporting a real live woodworking artist.
So what did we learn today? Nothing that we didn’t already know but I do reckon that Anthropologie may just cut off my supply of new catalogs now. That’s okay, J. Crew still loves me.
(product images sourced from Anthropologie, clearly without permission)