Who really buys high end fashion items?
 

Not jewelry. Not handbags and luggage. Those things get more use. I mean like shoes and clothing that cost unbelievable amounts. I cannot even imagine getting a casual blouse for 300 dollars...but whenever I go to Saks for example, that stuff is all over the place. I can just imagine getting a huge stain on it!

Anyway, the most expensive clothes that I wear only come from like Banana and J Crew, but most of my stuff is Old Navy. So when I go into the higher end sections of the BIG stores with people I find it a bit excessive.

Just wondering.

Edited to add: I am not talking about special occasion stuff here. Just normal outfits.

Come to San Franicsco sometime. Union Square shopping area to be exact. Grab a bench and sit back and watch the festivites. Chanel, Sacks, Neiman(mark-up) , Gucci, Prada, Coach, Celine, Max Azria, Louis V, Tiffany's, and a few others.

Come to my school sometime. We have a huge international student population and a lot rich kids. They sport this stuff all of the time. How does a 20 year old non-working college student be able to afford a complete Michael Kors ensemble( at least $1200 for the coat)? Dad, who happens to own lucrative vineyards in both the Napa and Sonama Valleys.

People who live in Boca Raton and West Palm Beach, Florida.
When I worked at Bloomie's, these people would come in and buy these $700 shirts that weren't that nice and you could probably find a similar one at Charlotte Russe for $20 but they purchased it because the label said Versace or Donna Karan. I never understood it. But, these people have money so I guess blowing $700 is nothing to them.

I don't think I would know if someone's clothes were not the most current available. Then again, I am not a fashion risktaker...I won't buy something that I think will really go out of style. I like simple, clean, classic cuts and colors and I take good care of my clothes. God has also blessed me to be the same size all the time, so I don't outgrow my clothes either.

I know I am rambling, so I will get to the point. I know people with LOTS of money to burn who still don't buy the super expensive stuff. They travel and buy nice cars and have vacation homes, etc. but it's the ultra-high-end clothing that is NOT something they go for. I mean, I understand that a shirt from wal-mart and a shirt from Banana or another comprable store do differ greatly in quality, but beyond the upper end of affordable, is there really a reason to buy the high-end versions? Does the stuff get that much better?

Am I making sense? I am not a cheapskate, I just can't see the reason for paying a chunk of money for a top when I could have had 6 perfectly great tops for the same price!

Not daily... but I have.

I have (in the past) bought a few pretty expensive items, mostly cool blouses and shirts. I think it's a phase I went through and I'm really over it, although I will *always* be a handbag snob.

I do like decent quality clothing, of course, but I usually get sick of things way before they start to look worn.

Yes, I agree with you, Tibi. Cut is a big thing also. My figure is such that it is difficult for me to buy skirts and not get that damned bunching in the front.(I have a round shapely rear end) I found a designer who cuts her skirt in a flattering way that I can wear. Tracy Reese. She's based out of NY but (thank God!) Nordstroms carry her line out here in San Fran.

Color is another thing also. cheaper clothing lines tend to stick to easy basic colors. Higher end designers quite often use muted colors and other mixed colors that take time to create. I know because last semester I took a color and design class and had to create colors. It's difficult to re-create a shade of something just right. Thats one of the reasons why they charge so much. You're talking about one of a kind colors and the TIME it takes to create them.

BTW, the Tracy Reese skirt I bought was originally around $300. I got it on sale for around $70. I think it was a great investmet because I know the material is not cheap and it will not fall apart after several [HAND] washings and I can wear it with other items in my wardrobe. :D

Edited to add: One other thing. This skirt is classic and modern in design. I can wear it for years (provided I stay the same weight!)

You can call me cheap, but I like to think of myself as thrifty. I was stunned when my exfiancee bought me a Kenneth Cole skirt for almost $90 bucks. No, it's not that I'm not aware of who Kenneth Cole is...but I'd rather buy 4 skirts for the price of his one! I just can't justify that sort of spending!

My bf is a clotheshorse. He has purchased Versace shirts for $500 and a jacket for $1500. I think that is overindulgent. My sister's ex has Gucci shoes and Hugo Boss everything. Personally, I can't afford that. I shop the sales at department stores, and I usually do well. I'm not a fashion plate, but I look cute. :)

doesnt anyone wear abercrombie anymore??? i guess i'm one of the few college students left who likes to look like a real preppy kid--the kind who cares one day, but not the next. who looks good in anything. who is down to have fun ane not care what the lables says...
i know i go to sdsu where everyday is a fashion show, and the sorority girls look like they steped out of a magazine, but a majority of us are real. the only over priced euro-trash purchase i made was for my sunglasses--i needed something dope for spring break last year.

Neiman Marcus has the Last Call sale twice a year and I've been fortunate enough to find a lot of stuff there 'on sale'. D&G pants that were originally $400 were marked down to $80. I know, $80 is kinda steep for a pair of pants, but I couldn't put it back on the rack.

I have a Burberry's two-piece that I haven't even worn yet. It was a birthday present from a cousin last year. I'm too afraid that the salt water's going to cause it to fall apart or something.

I don't shop at Neiman or any other high-end store regularly. I tend to find everything I want at Ross.

Okay, you are all making me feel really poor. I cant even afford to shop at Abercrombie! (not that I would fit in their clothes anyway...) Growing up I had designer clothes, but that was because I had wealthy grandparents who spoiled me. But my family went through hard times in the past few years moving from upper middle class to lower middle class (note the fact that I am alumna of my sorority, and not active, I cant afford the 500 a year for it)

Eh, Im not really complaining, but I really dont see WHY there is a need to buy expensive clothing when you can get basically the same thing cheaper, and yea... "but it wont wear the same, it will start to fall apart... blah blah blah" are you really going to wear it that many times? Ive noticed that the people who buy expensive clothes are the ones who get a whole new line every season.

I just dont get it.

I would be happy to have some money to go to my workplace (yea, Kohls... :() and buy a few new items with my discount... ha.

Again... there are people who cant afford the expesive stuff, and if I could, I woudnt buy it because the money would be going somewhere its needed, like providing a better life for my parents, and other people less fortunate than myself.

The most expensive thing I've ever bought is a pair of Ralph Lauren sandals...they're fairly timeless and I know they will last forever. Same with the Lauren dress I just bought (marked down 80%). If I had the $$ to buy a Chanel something, I would because I know it's a classic. I can see making "investments" but $1000 for the shirt that will only be in style for a season, I do not get.

What I want to scream at people - what my mother drilled into me - is take care of your clothes and they will last longer!!! The cheap sweater still needs washed in Woolite. If it says dry clean, dry clean it. You'd be surprised at what a difference it makes.

I hear you AngelPhiSig!!! I love to shop for clothing, but my favorite stores are Express, American Eagle, and Abercrombie. I always find wonderful clothes at Kohl's and in the department stores. I have a lot of clothing, none of which is of the highly priced namebrand. I think it's the person that makes the clothes, not the clothes that make the person.
I personally would rather spend my money on more material things, such as my car or items for my apartment. And yes, I said MY MONEY . I am a 22 year old female, who graduated colllege May 2002 and I have been independent from my parents since the age of 18. So many of my friends are still reaching for mommy and daddy's wallets when it comes to anything dealing with money. I can't wait to see these same people live the lives they have when mommy and daddy cut the cash flow off! Unless they marry into money or find an incredible job, they are going to be knocked on their A$$es

I completely agree w/ AngelPhiSig.

When I was in high school, I always overindulged in higher-priced clothes. (not quite Channel, but I still payed out big bucks for skirts, tops and shoes ) And it wasn't because my family is super rich or anything, it's because I worked a part-time job through high school, and every summer I got a lot of overtime cash. I didn't work because I had to, but because I wanted to. I liked the satisfaction of working my way for all the stuff I wanted instead of relying on the parents. Now that I'm in college though, I shop at places like Old Navy because I love the clothes and don't have as much spare cash as I did before. Between tuition and random things like bills, I don't usually have huge amounts of spare cash to spend on clothes.

Agree! I think people would be surprised by what they can find at stores like Ross, Marshalls, and TJ Maxx. Stores like that carry designer clothes that may have a snag or the department store ordered way too much. The clothes in there are a season behind but, honestly, I wouldn't even notice.
I found a GREAT pair of Seven jeans at TJ Maxx a few weeks ago. Those jeans sell at Neimans for $120 and I got them for $30. There were no flaws in the material or anything. I've found DKNY, Nautica, Espirit, etc.
I definitely enjoyed working at Bloomingdale's. The employee discounts were great and there were times where I could buy Theory, Juicy, Bisou Bisou, French Connection, Ralph Lauren for half of the retail price. Sigh....my closet looked so nice back then.

Oh, yes. I'm a big fan of those stores! I just can't see paying full price for some of that stuff. When you pay full price, you really are buying the name. It's true that designer items are usually (notice I said USUALLY, not always) of better quality of material and workmanship, but the cost of making one of those articles of clothing is low compared to how much they sell for. One of the bad things about being a fashion major is that you can't go shopping without analyzing the quality of everything you try on, and I hate looking at price tags and thinking, "OMG, they're charging THAT when it probably only cost a few quid to make????" The designer stuff often comes out of the same factories as more reasonably-priced stuff, so I don't think I'd pay big bucks for a designer name...even if I did have the cash to afford it.

I don't buy super-high-end clothing because I'm above a size 14 and designers tend to ignore people who are built like me, unless you have major $$$ like Oprah Winfrey, Marjorie Gubelmann and Queen Latifah..:rolleyes:

Most of my "expensive" clothing comes from bridge designers such as Linda Allard/Ellen Tracy and Dana Buchman. I tend, however, to buy things on sale and at places like Off Fifth Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom Rack. For instance, I've found $200+ pieces for $50 or less.

I buy this stuff because I'm single and have no attachments, and will be inheriting my home. If I ever get married and have kids, I suspect I will be wearing T-shirts and casual pants because I don't want a baby messing over my silk shirts. :D

OMG, that is so stereotyping.........


Off the top of my head I can think of 2 people who are middle class that are both from Palm Beach......Some people enjoy the finer things life has to offer. My mom does buy expensive things and allows my younger brother and I do the same....but to a certain extent. I can't go out and blow 4,000$ on the credit card for my new seasonal clothes, but I am allowed a hefty upper limit. Then again I do like things from structure and express, which isn't very expensive. I don't consider Armani to be too expensive, some things are but not all. In my case though, I choose not to buy high end clothes so I can enjoy my funds in other ways. Instead of buying a 600$ pair of pants, I'd rather go out to a club. Do you know how many drinks 600$ can buy? A lot.....

I wish I was good at shopping at TJ Maxx or Ross. I am not opposed to the idea of it, bargains are always a good thing... but whereas everyone else raves about the deals they find, I am always like, "How do you sort through all the hideous stuff to get to something you might want?" I just can't... no matter how hard I try.

As for clothes... I WOULD spend a lot of money for clothes if I HAD that money. I can't justify spending $200 on a pair of pants when I have bills to pay. The exception is handbags and makeup... I buy those to cheer me up and even if I have to deal with an ungodly credit card bill, I still buy high-end. But if I had a real job and was financially secure, there are plenty of expensive things that I would buy.

Right now I wear a lot of Gap, Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, J.Crew, but I often make purchases at Old Navy as well. The thing with Old Navy is that you have to go in knowing that anything you buy isn't going to stay together for more than a season or two.

This is how I see it... if you have style, you can make clothes from Wal-Mart look good. I think it looks more carefree and stylish when you pair less expensive basics with the occasional splurge. People who spend money JUST to say, "Oh, this is Oscar" or fill their closets with expensive clothes they never wear get on my nerves.

I LOVE bargain shopping, and searching the clearance racks for those great buys! WHY spend $150.00 on something when if you wait just a few weeks they will mark it down 50-70% off? I drive my girls crazy - they see a sweater they want at the mall, and I say, well I'm not buying it today, but will keep my eye on it for you! They are always so thrilled when a few weeks later I come home with it at MY price! As far as the socialite thing - my sister-in-law is VERY into that scene, and she bought an evening gown for $15.00 on clearance at TJ Maxx (can't remember the brand), and is planning to wear it to a function where most of the ladies where $1000.00 dresses. But hey - she can pull it off! I think it is not so much the brand of clothes but how you wear them that make them stylish!

I didn't say all people. :rolleyes:
I'm from those areas and I don't buy expensive clothing.

And in my experience with "high end" clothing it's the complete opposite! I bought a fancy brand of shoes on clearance (still $50) and a seam busted the second time I wore them. Meanwhile my shoes I got 2 years ago at Payless - still kickin'!
Expensive dress I bought for a wedding - dry cleaned per instructions and the bronze sequins came back silver. The paint (or whatever they used to color the sequins) completely came off!
Very expensive coat my boyfriend got me for Christmas - one of the button holes ripped the second day I wore it. My 2 year old Gap coats - still buttoning fine.

If I was rich, maybe, but I am not going to spend my hard earned money on a pricey item that will last me two wears. I'd rather have 10 items from the Gap.

I think a lot of it has to do with your career choice. When I worked in public relations, I bought mostly clothing that would (I guess?) be considered "high end". I have several tiny Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, Moshino etc. ensembles gathering dust in my mom's attic if anyone's interested! lol (of course, they're all circa 1990 so we're talking midcalf length skirts and suits with peplums and stuff like that. Shoulderpads! Ugh!) Shoot, I have a classic Chanel suit in my closet from "back then" that cost more than my first car and my wedding gown (combined!) that I *swear* I'll fit back into one day.

Sorry, I got off track there! I'm just saying that, in some cities, and depending on your job (especially if that job entails impressing potential clients), you're expected to really "dress the part". In my days that either meant damn good knock-offs or the real thing. And since I was always worried that some catty co-worker with an eye for properly finished seams would "out" me if I wore a knock-off, I blindly left half of my paycheck on Madison Avenue every month :rolleyes:

Hey, I never claimed to be a rocket scientist!

I agree.

LOL!!http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/laugh.gif

:rolleyes: :rolleyes: Really?!? What High School did you go to?


If you're from Boca then don't bother telling me, though i do have a number of friends from there and the delray beach area you could have went to high school with.


If you're from West Palm.....I went to Benjamin...grad May of 98.

Keep those clothes from 1990. I fnally cleaned out my closet full of old clothes and the next season, I saw some of my old outfits in the department stores. :rolleyes: Oh well. Shoulderpads will be back someday. :)

I usually shop the sales at department stores in Manhattan or I go to the outlets. They have great sales on designer clothes! :)

They may not be linebacker-size, but shoulderpads never went away for some people. :p

I'm wearing this high-end RTW Bill Blass jacket from 1999 that has little shoulderpads today.

One of these days, I need to get my tail to New York, haven't been since 1997. I want to go to Woodbury Common.

GC roadtrip to Woodbury Common!!! :D

I'm hitting Macy's this weekend because they extended their President's Day sale due to the weather.

oh, i am so down :)

My fiance and I absolutely love that place!! Just make sure to have enough money and plastic handy b/c there are so many stores (I need to pay the Coach store a visit!!), it could take you all day to stop at all of the stores.

Let us know when you plan to visit NY. :D

I'm completely down with what KillarneyRose has to say about shopping for high-end items WHEN YOU HAVE TO DRESS THE PART as far as jobs are concerned. In some businesses in some cities, it's the only way to go.

But...I don't think some of the people who are posting in defence of obscenely-priced items need to dress extremely well for a job...just walking around on campus. It seems that once you have to start paying your bills, those things become less of a priority.

As for me, I have moments. When I was in Italy last spring, I bought a lot of stuff at Diesel, because it's about half of the price of what it would cost in the States, and the jeans looked hot on me. I am not averse to outlet shopping, sales, or stores like TJMaxx. The person, not the clothing, makes the style.

I make pretty darn good money for a college student, and I'm lucky enough to have my parents help (read: pay) with the bills so I can spend my money on almost whatever I want and I have one major credit card with a high limit.

Clothes I don't really care about. Most of my closet is Banana, Lerner, J. Crew, and Limited for work, and everything from bebe, Guess, and Express to Old Navy and Target (gotta love mossimo) for regular clothes. I still can't justify $200 for a t-shirt!!

Now shoes are a totally different story!!!!! I blame Sex and the City for my recently discovered shoe fetish. My first pair of Manolo Blahnik pumps was like a religious experience!! While visiting a cousin in DC, we took a shopping trip to NYC, and I have been worshipping Blahnik and Jimmy Choo every since. My accessories probably account for at least 75% of the cost of my wardrobe. Now, don't get me wrong--I don't walk around in $500 pairs of shoes all the time. Those are my "grown-up"/"I'm feeling sexy today" shoes. On campus you can find me in Nikes, Timberlands, or flip-flops--although I have broke down and worn my Blahnik "timbs" a couple of times to class......:D

GET OUT!!!!! I WANT A PAIR!!!!:(

I seriously need to spruce up the wardrobe, I have lost weight, and now, I am falling out of most of my nicer clothes...not that I am complaining!

why the hell do timbos cost do damn much? i have like 5 pairs in different colors and that's about as expensive as i get. but they go with everything anyway.

being a poor college student with an eye for fashion sucks!!!! but i found my savior at www.bluefly.com!!! they have a good amount of high end brands i.e. fendi bags and vera wang gowns. they also have great sales. most of their stuff is 60-80% off and it is more or less in season!!! :) where else could you find a $500$ dress for $150$?!?!?!?!

Vera Wang! One of my sisters is in love with her! She wants to design her wedding dresses!

I'm going to be a sarcastic snot here and say...

West Palm? Don't you mean just Palm Beach? *West* palm is a bit low end for some....

lol....thats not low end......I say both. When I talk to people who are not from Palm Beach, they don't know what city I'm talking about unless I say West Palm. It's kinda weird considering the county is Palm Beach county.


Are you from there?