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Designer Shirt Gives New Meaning to Idea of Layering

Luxury fashion brand Balenciaga just launched some Franken-fashion that’s befuddling the Twittersphere and beyond. The $1,290 “T-shirt Shirt,” as Balenciaga calls it, can be donned in two ways: Either wear it as a T-shirt, or switch into the long-sleeve button-down that’s inexplicably draped across the front of the tee.

For $200 more, you can show off a more formal version of the look: Balenciaga’s “Double Shirt,” a striped, collared short-sleeve shirt with a long-sleeve top layered across the front.

As you can imagine, the unusual garb has attracted mockery and snark online.

Believe it or not, this isn't the first time a Balenciaga piece became the object of online ridicule. Last year, the fashion company released a tote with a striking resemblance to Ikea’s shopping bag.

More recently, Balenciaga debuted an $895 New York City sweatshirt that one can probably buy for less then $20 on the streets of Times Square.

What's the lesson for promotional products professionals amid all this mockery? The perceived value of an item is truly dependent on public perception, and even high-end designers miss the mark now and again.

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