Value stock - Fendi

Value stocks are the under priced stocks, and investors normally purchase value stocks with the expectation that the price will eventually go up. Believe it or not, the first time when I browsed the Fendi collection in the boutique, my reaction was that Fendi's ready-to-wear is indeed a value "stock".

Starting as a fur salon, Fendi didn't generate much buzz from its ready-to-wear collections, in my opinion, until spring '06. For some reason, Chanel's shows were no longer breathtaking to me; in stead, Fendi's collections were getting stronger and stronger. I'm not sure if anything changed at Lagerfeld's studios, but it's was a complete shift between the two brands' design quality. Chanel got a little boring and sometimes overdone while Fendi looked sharp, classic, yet with a little twist. After looking at the collections online, I was very curious to look at them closely.

We moved to NYC right in time when the spring collection's sale started. My husband Rob and I only planned to stop by for a minute, but my Fendi Spy flat sandals caught John's eyes (John is a very good looking sales associate at Fendi). That resulted in a guided tour in the beautiful boutique. Once we reached the clothing racks, I was almost "forced" by the Italian hospitality to try on different outfits. For the first time in the past months, I saw sparkles in Rob's eyes. He was sitting in the Fendi arm chair chatting with John and looking at different looks on me giving out "yay or nay" like a connoisseur. I was in great joy: the craftsmanship was superb and the details were brilliant. Most of the clothes were simple, but they could be combined to different looks and often time, with a twist. Better yet, the price was so much cheaper than brands such as Chanel. For instance, I bought a wool shell with detailed puffy look at the bottom. It cost me about $270 after discount. It was not cheap, but I guarantee you that the price would be at least double at Marc Jacobs and triple at Chanel. I also bought an A-line silk skirt with similar price. The two items, together with my YSL wide black belt, created a sophisticated yet effortless look. I was impressed.

Looking at the fall collection look book, classic men's trousers and puffy skirts were presented with Fendi's new wide belts. The grey puffy skirt featured on magazines for many times looked amazing in person: the fabric was very thick and rich, perfect for the winter, and the construction was perfect. The skirt and the wide belt combo was $720, which would be at least $2,000 if the label says Marc Jacobs or Chanel. What can I say? I just found the value stock I've been looking for.