PopShop: Fashion Faceoffs and Olympic Fever

By Karen Bard
February 19, 2010

Alexander McQueen's tragic passing, Olympic fever and Fashion Week faceoffs
are all affecting America's shopping habits this week.

Alexander McQueen: A Legend Passes

Alexander McQueen Store In New York City After His Death (Photo by Michael N. Todaro/FilmMagic)

The fashion industry suffered a major loss last week when a legendary bad boy of British fashion passed away. Alexander McQueen, who was known for pushing fashion's boundaries, leaves behind an extensive body of work and a loyal following that includes celebrities like Sarah Jessica Parker, Kate Moss, and Naomi Campbell. McQueen's clothing, always coveted, is now collectible. It's no surprise that fans have been flocking to eBay to buy and sell McQueen's designs—and that prices for his wares have skyrocketed.

The eBay Stats: On February 10th, there were 546 items with the listing term "McQueen", a $26.22 average selling price and $8,024 in sales. On Febuary 11th, the day McQueen died, there were 949 total listings, a $121.07 average selling price and $81,725 in total sales. On Februaray 12th, there were 669 total listings, a $96.99 average selling price and $38,311 in total sales. The most expensive items reportedly sold were a McQueen for Samsonite luggage set for $2,100 and a silk dress for the same price.

On Our Shopping List: A pair of fold-down leather boots (current bid, $182.50) or these cheeky heart-toe shoes (buy it now price, $525).

Olympics: The Medal Stand

US Speed Skater Rebekah Bradford (Photo credit DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP/Getty Images)

The whole world is catching Olympic fever. When we're not glued to our couches staring open-mouthed at the skiing and skating magic, we're shopping on eBay for Olympic souvenirs.
As we've already noted, Canada, host nation of the Olympics, has chosen a traditional Cowichan-style design for its official team uniform, coinciding with global trend for these chunky sweaters and tripling the sales on eBay in the past month. Olympic flair is hotter than ever too; those pinheads just can't get enough of official Olympic souvenirs.

The eBay Stats: Over the past thirty days, there were 25,890 total items with the listing term "Olympics" and $941,609 in total sales. That's a huge jump from the 30 days prior, when there were 18,959 items with the term and $422,426 sales.

On Our Shopping List: Official Olympic mittens (buy it now price, approximately $20 each)—adorable.

Max & Diane: The Faceoff

BCBG Max Azria Fall 2010 Show (Photo credit STAN HONDA/AFP/Getty Images); Diane Von Furstenberg Fall 2010 Show (Photo by Chris Moore/Catwalking/Getty Images)

Fashion Week is in full effect in New York City. (We hope you've been reading our daily coverage of the shows!) Despite the snow and black ice covered sidewalks, the fashion flock is out and about wearing its highest heels and running from show-to-show. While there are many small designers that show during Fashion Week, the stalwarts of the shows are forces to be reckoned with: Michael Kors, Tory Burch, Donna Karan, Narciso Rodriguez, Marc Jacobs, Diane von Furstenberg and Max Azria (or BCBG and Herve Leger) are just a few. Just for fun, we decided to pit Diane von Furstenberg and Max Azria against one another on eBay. Both had strong shows this season: von Furstenberg showed lots of suiting, but softened it with chiffon accents, while Azria showed color-blocked silks and wearable, easy-to-layer pieces for his BCBG line. Celebrity fans and high powered editors aside, how do these two stack up on eBay? Looks like Mr. Max has got a leg up on DVF.

The eBay Stats: Over the past thirty days, there were 8,748 total listings for Diane von Furstenberg and $276,684 in total sales, and 62,270 total listings for BCBG and $687,148
in total sales.

On Our Shopping List: We had our eye on this vintage wrap dress from DvF—that is until it sold for $202.50 after a whopping 44 bids. We may still scoop up this one (buy it now price, $69.99). From BCBG, we're loving this oversized clutch (buy it now price, $99.99).

Karen Bard is eBay's Pop Culture Expert.

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