Ever since I bought my super cute apron from you you have been stalking me. You won’t stop sending me seductive emails, and at least once a month I open my mailbox to find you’ve sent me yet more photos of yourself. I will admit, they are beautifully shot and very creative and I may have been willing to continue simply sighing over their loveliness before throwing them in the trash, knowing that you and I shall never have have more than a mild flirtation. You prefer women with money to burn.
But with this month’s decorating themes you so kindly sent to my inbox I can no longer keep silence. Anthropologie, I hope you don’t take this the wrong way but, it’s time to get over yourself. Really.
Your new home decor line titled recycled? Let’s talk about this.
My kids could make something that looks exactly like this, for free. All you need is a pair of tin snips and some rivets. Or failing that some glue and cereal boxes for the exact same look.
Do you really think I’m going to pay $60 for something like this, which most people will probably never put where birds can live in it?
But that’s not all, no.
There is this.
An elephant carved out of flip flops that washed up on the beach in Kenya. For $298. Are you freaking kidding me?
You want people to pay $300 for a carved up flip flop? Even if I thought all of the money was going to the artist, which it’s not, let’s just be honest here Anthropologie, they aren’t seeing half of it, this is completely ridiculous. It’s a rubber elephant. I can find 20 like it at a world market for less than $20.
Behold, the Magpie Chandelier. Want to guess the price? Go ahead.
$4800 plus $259 shipping for something that looks like it was made out of all the stuff I can find in my mother’s craft closet, including the old chandelier with wiring attached. I mean really, it is sort of charming. But it’s made out of galvanized wire and found items. Anyone who can string beads on wire and can find their way through a hardware/craft/thrift store could make this themselves for less than $200.
This I-phone dock, for only $98, reminds me of something my little brother made from woodpile remnants when he was 10. Only his was better. It’s a hunk of wood, with a branch glued to it, and an iPhone charger glued in through a hole drilled in the bottom. If the desire ever seizes me for an item like this, which it won’t, I will pay a Boy with a saw to make it for me.
Ditto for this, which looks remarkably similar to my first ever attempt to create anything out of clay.
I could go on, you provide so much fodder, but I have other things to do. Like figure out how to get people to pay me exorbitant prices for stuff I can make out of trash. Toodles.
12 thoughts on “Dear Anthropologie, This is getting kind of ridiculous,”
Too funny! Can't believe what they have in their line and how much they are charging. It's supposed to appeal to the "green" in you I guess. You're right you could probably do better yourself, and now you have the ideas.
Snort! For people with more money than sense as my mom would say!
I love it! So funny! I hope you sent your letter.
Oh, I loved this – it made me laugh right out loud! I am guessing their catalog is for women with **far** more green to spend than I 😉
Oh ha ha ha!!! The wood ipod "dock" does look like something we would have made in shop class. LOL!!! WOW, clearly there ARE people with money to burn. Unreal……
This is for green people who don't know what to do with all the money they saved from recycling right?
I think the rubber elephant one actually makes me a little angry and not because it is ridiculous but because it seems so unfair to the people who are suffering over there. What a serious abuse of people.
Wow!.. lovely.. it is too fully… You're right you could probably do better yourself ..
My dear friends, you are missing the point entirely. If all you see when you look at pieces such as those posted above are over-priced junk, you are not really seeing what you are looking at. Anthropologie is the execution of an art form through a lifestyle. There is never an item sold that is not purposeful in conveying the aesthetic culture that Anthro radiates. Yes, your son might make or have made something similar in his shop class. Congratulations, you have a priceless gem of art that Anthro is simply attempting to replicate. Did your son think of placing an ipod doc into his wood works to make it functional? No. Did you ever think to go through your grandmother's craft supplies and create something as intricate and detailed as that chandelier? No. If anything, these pieces should inspire you to make your own D.I.Y. projects and not whine and complain about the price of creativity and ingenuity. The act of creativity in itself is the purpose of the Anthropology vision: to bring the aesthetically pleasing quality of art to the realm of functionality; to inspire a dream and a passion for vision whenever someone walks through their home or puts an outfit together. Be inspired to create when you look through the Anthro catalogs. Change your perspective and you might find a joy in the meaning of art in unconventional form.
Candace,
Do you work for Anthropologie by any chance? Or pay their prices? Because you sound awfully defensive.
I'm guessing you don't know very many creative people either if you think we need the Anthropologie catalog in order to come up with/be inspired with creative ideas.
Have you been on Etsy lately? I suggest you read some of the blogs in my sidebar as well, there are some remarkably creative, talented, and frugal ladies out there. And they don't need a silly catalog to do it.
Candace, Anthropologie can be as artsy as they want. I'm not paying $5,000 for that chandelier.
The scoop:
I am a twenty-year-old, broke, unemployed college student who does not own one single thing from Anthropologie. I browse their catalogs occasionally and decided to check the company out by typing it in on a search engine and this blog popped up after the store reference. Once a catalog inspired me to create/design a new shade for my lamp out of three dollar tull. I simply wished you lovely ladies to become inspired to have the same wonderful result and see the positivity in their product. My two best friends are brilliant graphic design majors and I never once said Anthropologie catalogs were the only place to get inspired. I just simply asked you to consider the reason things cost however much they do and instead of hating on it, use it to your benefit. Thank you kindly for the Etsy reference, I love their product as well. Reviewing my last post, I realized it may have been slightly offensive on the comments of that woman's son and her own creativity, I deeply apologize.
P.S. none of these words or friendly terms of endearment are meant to be read as sarcastic. Love you all!
I LOVE Anthropologie with all of my heart. They are a little on the spendy side, but cute nonetheless. I go into the store on a weekly basis nowadays, since I'm in the middle of redecorating my apartment and get inspirational ideas. I just wish they weren't so blooming expensive, so that a single girl could actually afford to shop there. However, I find knock offs at a much cheaper price other places. But ode to their catalogs, I can't get enough of them. 🙂
P.S. I am a fellow San Diego girl.
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