It's All About Power Shoulders...

What do you guys think of the power shoulder trend started by Balmain? I've been on the fence for a while because i'm not really a huge fan of trends; but then as we know in fashion everything gets recycled. If the shoulder trend is still in full effect in March next year, i might consider getting a cheapie from ASOS or Topshop just to give it a try as that would be Autumn in Australia. The jacket above is the ASOS power shoulder blazer and it retails for £65. The fact that it's got only one button isn't really working for me because it doesn't seem to suck everything in. That's a key requirement for me when i buy jackets.
This Patrizia Pepe structured shoulder blazer does the job for me with the buttonw but it comes with a hefty price tag: £250. From the pictures, i don't really think it's worth it but you might think differently.

This Oasis power shoulder blazer achieves the look i love with just one button. It's fitted enough to suck you in whilst skimming over the lumps and the bumps. A bonus is that the price is much more reasonable at £70 and is an ok-ish price to pay for a trend setting ensemble.

I have saved the best for last. I must admit that out of all four, this is my favourite because the shoulders are different from the usual ones that i've seen around. For me, this means that it'll have more longevity even after the power shoulder trend dies because it doesn't have that obvious 'ball' look that the power shoulder jackets tend to sport. This Gestuz shoulder piece detail jacket would set you back £139.99 and i'm going to be adding this to my 'watchlist' for sale items on ASOS because by the time i'll need a jacket for winter here in Australia, it'll be Summer in UK. The price reminds me of 'psychological pricing' from one of my Economics classes. The idea is that marketers tend to add .98 or .99 to the retail price of items because it comes across as a cheaper alternative to something with a flat price like £140. Even though from a logical point of view the difference is only 0.01 or 0.02, your subconscious mind still thinks the one with .99 is a bargain. When i asked customers in the aisles of Tesco, UK about how this influences them, i have to say lots of people said it did influence their purchase options...

Never underestimate the power of the subconscious mind and economists...

Images via ASOS.com