The New York Times reports that retailers aren't buying as much stock this season since everyone's broke. Well, duh. Everyone already knew that. But we didn't know about this one anonymous retail buyer who's probably going to skip out on stocking a lot of Balmain for spring since that label's cheapest T-shirt costs $1,500. It's cotton with some "artfully placed holes," while a sparkly tee cost $3,000. We mean — DAMN. That is expensive. The label's evening dresses cost $12,000 to $22,000, and jackets cost $5,000. This is a twofold tragedy. First, because we effing love Balmain (one of French Vogue editor Carine Roitfeld's favorite labels) and there's no way we'll ever be able to afford it unless we trade our apartments for jackets, which might actually keep us warmer in theoretical ways. But second, because stores across the world will be deprived of Balmain hotness. To see what we mean by hotness, see our favorite Balmain looks in the slideshow. But grab your drool rag first.

Hello, Customers. Are You Out There? [NYT]