# Brands that used to be prestigious, and now are cheap **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 16, 2012, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-used-to-be-prestigious-and-now-are-cheap/634900 "2012-09-16T17:35:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2012, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-used-to-be-prestigious-and-now-are-cheap/634900/81 "2012-09-20T15:33:33Z")
> [@Becky2844](#): > > I’ve never had money but this is what I’ve seen…rich women wearing scarfs (scarves to those who say vahz instead of vase) with big gold chains on it, with some kind of nautical theme. (Hermes?) > It _should_ be sold at Target. It’s ugly. Quit it. Hermes scarves are absolutely beautiful - I have one (no chains or anchors to be found) and it really is one of the most amazing things that I own. I’m not sure what the chain/boat scarf your seeing is, actually. This, maybe: [http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3q\_whWQu9Tw/TYaEFLkTFCI/AAAAAAAAHM0/DVEyyW5674M/s1600/Hermes%2BEcole%2Bde%2BGabiers%2Bscarf%2Bwww.ShopCurious.com.jpg](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3q_whWQu9Tw/TYaEFLkTFCI/AAAAAAAAHM0/DVEyyW5674M/s1600/Hermes%2BEcole%2Bde%2BGabiers%2Bscarf%2Bwww.ShopCurious.com.jpg)? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2012, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-used-to-be-prestigious-and-now-are-cheap/634900/82 "2012-09-20T15:34:11Z")
Well, KC and the Sunshine Band were all the rage in the late 70s. Now they’re reduced to making insurance commercials. Yeah, I know. ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2012, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-used-to-be-prestigious-and-now-are-cheap/634900/83 "2012-09-20T15:43:25Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Bringing the thread into the realm of food… > > Au Bon Pain. I remember when it was a real French bakery. Their croissants were things of beauty. I remember when the owner excitedly told me about how they just opened a third store. > > Now they’re about as exciting (and ubiquitous) as Panera or Subway. Oh man. Remember when they used to serve Coffee Connection coffee? ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Pabitel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbce88/32.png) [@Pabitel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pabitel)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2012, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-used-to-be-prestigious-and-now-are-cheap/634900/84 "2012-09-20T18:40:04Z")
Pretty much any of the big technology companies that lead to the consumer electronics revolution in the US are a pale reflection of their former glory. RCA used to be one of the leading electronic manufacturers in the world but now is nothing more than a brand people rent to stamp on cheap imports. Zenith, Magnavox, Sunbeam, Philips, Sylvania, are all still in business but are nothing compared to their former standing. In hard IT Xerox and IBM are both greatly reduced. Not long ago Hewlett Packard, Dell, Packard Bell and Gateway, just to name a few were leading PC makers. Now the best of them are pretty weak tea. ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2012, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-used-to-be-prestigious-and-now-are-cheap/634900/85 "2012-09-20T18:59:50Z")
> [@alice\_in\_wonderland](#): > > Hermes scarves are absolutely beautiful - I have one (no chains or anchors to be found) and it really is one of the most amazing things that I own. > > I’m not sure what the chain/boat scarf your seeing is, actually. This, maybe: [http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3q\_whWQu9Tw/TYaEFLkTFCI/AAAAAAAAHM0/DVEyyW5674M/s1600/Hermes%2BEcole%2Bde%2BGabiers%2Bscarf%2Bwww.ShopCurious.com.jpg](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3q_whWQu9Tw/TYaEFLkTFCI/AAAAAAAAHM0/DVEyyW5674M/s1600/Hermes%2BEcole%2Bde%2BGabiers%2Bscarf%2Bwww.ShopCurious.com.jpg)? I think they are talking about [vintage Chanel](http://www.212cafe.com/images/group/1/2/4f0b1540846567b822000019/4f0b1c6d846567b822051079.jpg). ETA - I’ve seen a lot of knock offs that have the same “theme” just not done so nicely. ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2012, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-used-to-be-prestigious-and-now-are-cheap/634900/86 "2012-09-20T19:21:40Z")
> [@Rhiannon8404](#): > > I hope this isn’t a hijack, but outlet stores in general are not what they used to be. A long time ago, you went to an outlet store and it sold like last years line of clothing or items that hadn’t sold the previous season. You had to look hard for your size because it wasn’t guaranteed they’d have it. It was what they had left and they were selling it at a discount. Sometimes they also sold seconds. The purse with stitching that wasn’t straight, or there was some other flaw that made it not nice enough for the proper department stores or boutiques, but still perfectly serviceable. > > Now outlet malls are just row after row of shops selling basically cheap knock-offs. Only it’s the actually brand or designer making their own knock-offs. This. The ‘outlet store’ brand has definitely gone cheap. And just because: I hate any company that has to advertise itself ON it’s own product. If you can’t tell what it is without a name, then it isn’t good enough. /snark p.s. letters on bags are UGLY, barf. ---
**Author:** ![AdmiralQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@AdmiralQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AdmiralQ)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2012, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-used-to-be-prestigious-and-now-are-cheap/634900/87 "2012-09-20T19:57:27Z")
> [@Taomist](#): > > This. > > p.s. letters on bags are UGLY, barf. Most of the time. Louis Vuitton is probably the first to do it, introducing their monogram pattern in 1896. Granted, the new neon color giant letter monograms are horrible, IMO. But the classic monogram pattern looks very good. If you’re the one that invented it, and everyone else is just copying you putting letters on their bags, you get a pass. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2012, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-used-to-be-prestigious-and-now-are-cheap/634900/88 "2012-09-20T21:01:34Z")
> [@Shamozzle](#): > > I remember when The North Face was the best technical outdoor apparel money could buy. > > When “Wilderness Chic” exploded in, when, the late 90’s(?) they sold out and started mass producing a lot of crap along side the dwindling good stuff. Eddie Bauer started selling clothing to the military, expanded into camping & outdoors clothing and gear and used to have some decent stuff as I recall. I used to have a pair of boots from them that were well made and had a lifetime warranty. Then Spiegel owned them and started dumping all sorts of junk through the stores, they started selling home goods and eventually Speigel went bankrupt. Now I think they just license the name and logo for assorted stuff made by other companies. Speaking of licensing, Sharper Image used to be known for having a lot of “rich people toys”. Fancy stereos, massage chairs, chrome electric pencil sharpeners, etc. Sure, most of it was impractical or silly but it felt like stuff you’d have in your executive office if you had enough cash to afford impractical and silly. Now it’s a licensed name used to sell cheap nose hair trimmers at Kohl’s. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2012, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-used-to-be-prestigious-and-now-are-cheap/634900/89 "2012-09-20T21:09:51Z")
Sharper Image turned into a licensed name when the retail store chain went bankrupt and the name was sold off. But even when they had stores, I thought the merchandise was never very good. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2012, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-used-to-be-prestigious-and-now-are-cheap/634900/90 "2012-09-20T22:17:23Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > Eddie Bauer started selling clothing to the military, expanded into camping & outdoors clothing and gear and used to have some decent stuff as I recall. I used to have a pair of boots from them that were well made and had a lifetime warranty. Then Spiegel owned them and started dumping all sorts of junk through the stores, they started selling home goods and eventually Speigel went bankrupt. Now I think they just license the name and logo for assorted stuff made by other companies. > > s. Their men’s shirts are still very nice. Well, as of a few years ago, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2012, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-used-to-be-prestigious-and-now-are-cheap/634900/91 "2012-09-20T23:54:27Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Sharper Image turned into a licensed name when the retail store chain went bankrupt and the name was sold off. But even when they had stores, I thought the merchandise was never very good. Whether or not the individual items were good (which I’m sure varied since SI sold from a variety of companies), they were certainly aimed at a more prestigious/affluent market during their peak than being just a licensed name for cheap department store junk today. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-used-to-be-prestigious-and-now-are-cheap/634900/92 "2012-09-21T04:23:37Z")
Fisher, Harmon-Kardon, and Denon for audio equipment. Tommy Hilfiger, Benetton, and Izod; now staples of outlet malls and clearance stores like Marshalls and Stein Mart. Chaps too; it used to be “Ralph Lauren Chaps”. Ramada Inn used to be on par with Holiday Inn as a reliable mid-end hotel chain. RCA, as an American television brand, was prestigious into the early 1970s. A lot of other old-line American brands also had excellent reputations that were hurt by outsourcing; Samsonite, Faberware, and Schwinn come to mind. Chrysler used to be on a par with Cadillac and Lincoln. Korean brands like Samsung, LG (once Lucky Goldstar), Hyundai and Kia have accomplished the impossible, and are shedding their cheapo reputation. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-used-to-be-prestigious-and-now-are-cheap/634900/93 "2012-09-21T05:22:17Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > Bud Ice was initially marketed as a premium beer, including sponsoring the NHL. Now, it is a discount beer found next to the college beers. When was this, 1968? Because for as long as I can remember, ice beer of all kinds has always been malt liquor for white people. ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-used-to-be-prestigious-and-now-are-cheap/634900/94 "2012-09-21T06:23:18Z")
> [@Missy2U](#): > > I think they are talking about [vintage Chanel](http://www.212cafe.com/images/group/1/2/4f0b1540846567b822000019/4f0b1c6d846567b822051079.jpg). > > ETA - I’ve seen a lot of knock offs that have the same “theme” just not done so nicely. Yep, that’s it. I don’t know why I dislike it so much (why should I care?), but I do. (It’s uuuugly.) ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-used-to-be-prestigious-and-now-are-cheap/634900/95 "2012-09-21T11:16:30Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > When was this, 1968? Because for as long as I can remember, ice beer of all kinds has always been malt liquor for white people. I agree with your larger point, but there are a [few delicious](http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/72/1934) [exceptions](http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/412/11582). ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-used-to-be-prestigious-and-now-are-cheap/634900/96 "2012-09-21T12:14:36Z")
> [@Algher](#): > > Izod did it to themselves back in the 80s. Cadillac has been fighting to get theirs back. There’s a bit of a story there–they split Izod-Lacoste into two separate labels when I-L started its decline, circa 1991. Lacoste was the upmarket brand, Izod the downmarket one. Both labels were sold off eventually, Izod to Philips-Van Heusen in 1995 and Lacoste to some French company. Lacoste is still pretty pricey (They go to keep the alligator logo), but Izod shirts can be found on the rack for under $20, sometimes well under. The example I’m thinking of is Chivas Regal, once the gold standard for expensive Scotch. Here in Korea, it’s the second-cheapest whisky on the shelf, behind some brands so obscure they don’t sell them in America. It was the default Father’s Day gift back in the 80s. ---
**Author:** ![nion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c5a1d2/32.png) [@nion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nion)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2012, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-used-to-be-prestigious-and-now-are-cheap/634900/97 "2012-09-22T07:13:17Z")
As far as brands getting better, I’d nominate Kia. My first car was a rust bucket Ford Festiva, made for Ford by Kia. I remember the first name brand Kias as being on par with Chevy Cavaliers, in other words crap. I’m actually fairly impressed with what they are offering nowadays. I agree about Cadillac as well. They hit bottom in the eighties I think. There was a Cadillac model that was literally a re-badged Chevy Cavalier. The company really seems to be finding their feet today. Chrysler seems to have suffered a similar fate in the nineties. I think recent improvements may be too little too late. Dodge on the other hand seems to be making great strides with well thought out modern renditions of classic nameplates. Lastly, I’m not entirety convinced that trying to make Ram its own thing was the right move, though I agree with the separation of the emblems. Honorable mention goes to Ford for finally putting Mercury out of its misery and making beautiful, well-built cars again. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2012, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-used-to-be-prestigious-and-now-are-cheap/634900/98 "2012-09-22T15:10:01Z")
Another vote for Sony. in the 1980s, it was almost possible to see them forever owning consumer electronics. Then they faffed about with ATRAC and miniDisc while Apple took over the PMP market, totally dropped the ball on TVs and let Panasonic (and now Samsung) to take over. Their professional products are great. Their consumer products are, well, _eh._ Sony’s big problem is that they still seem to carry themselves as if they are the Sony of the 1980s. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2012, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-used-to-be-prestigious-and-now-are-cheap/634900/99 "2012-09-22T15:50:06Z")
> [@LawMonkey](#): > > For the brands, Zenith comes to mind–once upon a time, they made radios like the Trans-Oceanic and did things like invent the first TV remote. Now they’re a low-rent LG subsidiary. (LG, incidentally, went the other way–they used to be Goldstar, the absolute bottom of the barrel at WalMart.) Seconded. Samsung and LG are my two favorite brands of TV. My sports bar client is all LG sets. This is as hard a usage as a TV can get, 18 hours a day operation, seven days a week. But don’t slam Zenith too hard. They are still a decent TV. I remember helping a friend’s dad shop for a TV. I was the tech at the store, and I had him come in on a slow night, when I could put test patterns on all the sets. He was an Emmy-winning TV engineer from WGN, so he knew TV. And, after carefully evaluating every set in the store, he left with a Zenith. They were the only ones who hadn’t destroyed the picture in the name of looking brighter than everything else on the shelf. ---
**Author:** ![LilyoftheField](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/13edae/32.png) [@LilyoftheField](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LilyoftheField)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2012, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-used-to-be-prestigious-and-now-are-cheap/634900/100 "2012-09-22T16:06:16Z")
> [@Palo\_Verde](#): > > What brands used to be top notch but have lost their sparkle? > > I was thinking about this because I was at Costco and saw some Gloria Vanderbuilt jeans for sale. When I was a teen in the 80s, Gloria Vanderbuilt jeans were the really expensive designer brand that everyone wanted. They cost an arm and a leg, and I spent a long time trying to convince my mom to buy me some, but they were over $100 (in 1984 money) and she never did. Now the same brand is at Costco for $25 (2012 money). What happened? > > Any other brands go from prestigious to a ‘bargain brand’? I have a pair of white GV jeans. I’ve had them for about 30 years and they haven’t fit me for most of those years. But I just can’t bring myself to Goodwill them (and I am usually pretty ruthless about donating clothes that no longer fit!) - they’re so cute, white with that cool swan GV logo stitched on the pocket in red. I got pregnant shortly after acquiring them (coincidence? lol) and they have not fit me since! My dream is that someday they will actually fit me again, haha! Like most designer pants, they were about six inches too long for my short legs, but I liked them so much that I actually sewed a hem! I’m pretty sure that those jeans will still be in my closet when I die! Those may actually be the only ‘designer’ item that I have ever owned… 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-used-to-be-prestigious-and-now-are-cheap/634900.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brands-that-used-to-be-prestigious-and-now-are-cheap/634900.md?page=6)