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Oliver Stone's Wall Street was one of the masterpieces* of cultural response to the mid-'80s financial madness. It was an era when traders and institutions engaged in a high wire act with fortunes the size of a small countries, gambling that stock or bonds would head one way or another. And when the market failed to grant their wishes they took matters into their own hands - using the brute strength of their organisations to put it into motion, or wresting secrets from inside companies to give them a competitive advantage over the rest of the marketplace.
The period saw obscure financial approaches like Leveraged Buy Outs (LBOs) and Junk Bond Trading become front page news, with much of the world caught up in the notion that the markets could continue their amazing bull run. This fallacy only became apparent on Monday 19 October 1987, when shares worldwide plunged following shockwaves out of Hong Kong. By the month's end The United States and Britain had lost over 20% of their market's value. New Zealand was one of the worst affected countries of them all, losing 60% of its value - a figure it would take nearly a decade to regain.
Two months later Wall Street was released to rapturous reviews. The timing was serendipitous, but, as legendary critic Roger Ebert noted, the film's strengths lay in the way it made the frequently baffling world of traders come alive and make sense on screen.
"All the financial wheeling and dealing [seems] complicated and
convincing, and yet always [makes] sense," he wrote at the time. "The movie can be followed
by anybody, because the details of stock manipulation are all filtered
through transparent layers of greed. Most of the time we know what's
going on. All of the time, we know why."
Now here we are nearly a quarter-century later, suffering through a bigger recession caused by the same forces which drove the last one. So there could not be a more fitting time to catch up with Gordon Gekko, Michael Douglas' masterfully rendered villain, upon his release from prison. Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps has the potential to impact as deeply as its predecessor - perhaps more so, as the global economy has not been so easily righted as in the late '80s.
The film opens on September 23rd, and Barkers is proud to be associated with its arrival on our screens. Watch the trailer below and get a sense of why this film has been so hotly anticipated. And note too that bang on the one minute mark there's a shot of Gekko collecting a new suit - the men throughout these films are impeccably tailored, and to celebrate the film's release Barkers has assembled our most compelling suit deal yet.
To put it simply you can purchase a tailored suit, extra trousers, a dress shirt and tie** for just $499. The retail value of this package is over $1,000, but you can look a million bucks without having to commit insider training. This is for a very limited time so get in quick - our brand new styles are flying out the door. And if that wasn't enough with the help of Flight Centre, everyone who purchases a suit goes in the draw to win a trip for two to New York, the home of Wall Street and its brazen, dazzling greed.
So get in stores, pick up one of our fantastic new suits then head along to Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. Check out the trailer below:
* There were a number of fantastic books which captured the era too. Try Tom Wolfe's The Bonfire of The Vanities, James B. Stweart's Den of Thieves, Bryan Burrough and John Helyar's Barbarians at the Gate and Michael Lewis' Liar's Poker.
** Selected styles only
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Posted:
24 Aug 10, 12:00 a.m.
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Barkers is proud to be presenting the menswear category of the 2010 Style Pasifika New Zealand Fashion Awards. Next Friday the explosion of fashion, music, culture and dance takes place at Vector Arena. Barkers customers can get $5 off tickets simply by quoting the code 'BARKERS' when purchasing their tickets via TicketMaster.
The event features Black Grace, DawnRaid, Annie Crummer and many more - pick up your ticket today.
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Posted:
23 Aug 10, 12:00 a.m.
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| categories: Barkers Blog
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Barkers has history with Kidz in Space. The trio wore our suits on the cover of Real Groove magazine's May issue, they wear our casual jackets in their spare time, and they played a blinding live set at our conference in April.
So we're thrilled that their new single is out today. It's called 'Ghost', and features English singer Dan Black (currently familiar through a turn on Kid Cudi's 'Symphonies' remix). The single is available on iTunes from today, and the video - directed by long-time collaborator Tim Van Dammen, is below. Pumped.
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Posted:
2 Aug 10, 12:00 a.m.
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| categories: Barkers Blog
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We don't call you VIPs for nothing. This month, Barkers role as the Official Formalwear Sponsors of the All Blacks gets you the chance to get up close and personal with members of the team at some of your local Barkers stores.
Come along to any of the stores at the dates listed below to meet your heroes, get autographs, maybe a photo or a chat. We'll have the full 2010 Barkers Black range available for purchase too, so you can get the All Black look.
The first in-store is a little over a week away in New Plymouth, so book your local date into your schedule and make sure you don't miss the chance to meet the members of the All Blacks and cheer them on before the weekend's test.
Barkers New
Plymouth – Friday 11th June, 10.30-11.30am. Shop 57 Centre City
Mall, Gill Street, New Plymouth
Barkers
Dunedin – Friday 18th June, 10.30-11.30am. Meridian Mall, George
Street, Dunedin
Barkers
Outlet Hamilton – Friday 25th June, 10.30-11.30am. Dress-Smart, Te
Rapa Rd,
Hamilton
Barkers
Sylvia Park – Friday 9th July, 10.30-11.30am. 286 Mt Wellington
Highway, Sylvia Park, Auckland
Barkers
Wellington – Friday 16th July, 10.30-11.30am. 226 Lambton Quay,
Wellington
Barkers St
Lukes – Thursday 22nd July, 6.30-7.30pm. Westfield Shopping Town, St
Lukes, Auckland
Barkers
Riccarton – Tuesday 3rd August, 3.30-4.30pm. Shop 134 Westfield Shopping
Town, Riccarton,
Christchurch
Barkers
Cashel Mall – Friday 6th August, 10.30-11.30am. 125 Cashel Mall,
Triangle Centre, Christchurch.
Everyone who attends will receive a 20% off voucher to be used with a future Barkers' purchase, and we'll have autograph cards and specially priced tees available for purchase in store.
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Posted:
1 Jun 10, 12:00 a.m.
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| categories: Barkers Blog
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