Gotta have it? Wait for a little while

KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
At the high end of the luxury market, designer handbags that cost as much as a trip to Europe are so coveted that women happily sign up on long waiting lists. Limited production is a longtime ploy in the world of chic.
Now, the Wall Street Journal reported, the same idea has shifted to the not-so-precious merchandise. T-shirts from C & amp;C California, the newest-style Seven jeans and a Club Monaco handbag are requiring women to sit it out from two weeks up to two months. Even Van Dutch's trucker cap, now up to $85 after 250,000 caps sold, means possibly a four week wait.
A $198 boucle-tailored jacket, widely featured in Banana Republic advertising this fall, is wait-listed at most stores, says a public relations spokeswoman. The company may not be able to fill all the orders.
Blame, in part, goes to the tough economy, which caused manufacturers and retailers to hold back on production and orders, the Journal says. At the same time, fashion folks learned long ago that making an item or a designer runway show exclusive creates a gotta-have buzz.
But the practice has a downside. Shoppers go elsewhere. The world of style is fickle. An item may be not so hot by the time it arrives.