How Does Everyone Afford All These Designer Items?

[DandyWarhol]

ya in sweden you cant buy anyyyyything designer unless you wanna pay ten times more.. it is worth just going to states or somewhere cheaper to buy the stuff.
one time my sister told me she bought a marc jacobs jacket, normally 400 or so and in sweden, over 700 dollars (it was sold out evrywhere else apparently so that why she bought it).
but i dont think ill be buying any 700 dollar jackets until i stop growing.

 

[Couture_Tribe]

Ale, say it!!

 

[leyla m.]

Ale,

i am also intrigued what you have to say as i feel ill get banned too if i speak
its an interesting subject.
to sum it up though, i pretty much buy everything from my salary and some of it is so called "work uniform" and therefore pretty much free.

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ I too would like to hear Ale's thoughts

 

[just_me]

I think people should voice their opinion (to a certain degree) without the fear of getting banned.. that is what could be an interesting discussion!

 

[yourbestfriend]

As long as what you say is respectful, no one will be banned
It'd be good to hear some other opinions...

 

[justinleaddict]

but what if he or she doesn't deserve respect?

Do they have to pretend to be respectful?

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ If I fail to treat another with respect, it reflects badly on me, not the other person

Well, here's what I think ...

I think we all know that you can be chic without spending much money, and you can be tacky having spent a great deal of money ... having money can be an advantage, because it takes away a constraint. OTOH, we also know that having constraints makes us better shoppers.

I think that shopaholism is real, and like every other addiction, signals deeper issues. There is no problem that is truly answered by "stuff."

I think we always have choices. "I have no choice but to shop at Wal-mart" really means "I am choosing to shop at Wal-mart." The ethics of shopping are important to me, and I also think that unlimited money should not equal unlimited spending. Bigger isn't better; more isn't better. I believe in an edited life, and I also believe in using my time and money for things I believe are truly important. I think fashion is important in the sense that self-expression is important, but when I think about my real priorities, fashion is not on the list.

PS Brooke Astor is a great example of what I'm talking about.

 

[Alexandra8715]

I tend to buy from typical british high street stores but Ive also recently been using ebay a lot more and that has really given me a new scope for spending the little money I have (I'm a student!!) on things that other people wouldnt have so much. In the vintage part Ive found some great bags and tops etc.

The only designer piece Ive been able to buy has been from ebay, a Marc Jacobs savannah t shirt which Im guessing was a lot cheaper than the RRP.

The next designer item I really want is a classic 2.55 Chanel bag but since my pub job doesnt bring in much money Im going to wait 4 years (ARRRGH!) til Ive finished my degree and started a job. Ive loved the bag for about 4 years already so thats 8 years Ill be waiting for my beloved bag!! After that I probably wont buy much designer unless I can really afford it. Im happy sticking to vintage/2nd hand/high street for clothes. I like shabby chic anyway (apart from the Chanel bag obv) so its all good.

 

[mingminglei]

I think that shopaholism is real, and like every other addiction, signals deeper issues. There is no problem that is truly answered by "stuff."

I completely agree with this. And I'm not pointing to anyone on this board, but there are people in this world who create large amounts of debt for themselves buying things that perhaps they don't need and definately cannot afford to have. Part of it I blame on the consumerism that seems to be tied with capitalism. Part of it I think is a recent phenom, where designer items have become so much more prominent and more and more people desire them because it's mainstream. And they buy what they can to fill up some sort of void about personal insecurities or perhaps something else.

 

[emma peel]

yeah, shopaholism is my cure for a deadline!

 

[sanrio]

hm. as i myself am not allowed to work.. i get money from my very generous parents. they are very strict and don't allow me to socialise much.. like visiting clubs or spending too much time with friends.. but instead i get to shop often and afford expensice clothes and stuff. they took away one thing but gave another.

 

[emma peel]

to get money to pay for my big items i take on extra writing assignments.

it's a simple calculus: ok, one rick owens jacket is twelve 250 word word articles (eek!), or westwood pirate boots, one 2,400 word article, for example...

 

[coralmilk]

The most expensive designer item I own is a pair of Marc Jacobs' shoes I got last year. My father bought them for me, he was doing well in business. Most of the times I'm not so lucky, I have a budget of about 350 $ to spend on random things I want every month and most of the times I can't save enough to buy really expensive things.
I am going to start working though, at local temporary work companies, which pay quite good actually, even if I can't work that much with college (architecture's a mess)...

 

[Briar_Rose]

I'm just your typical 18 year old university student and as far as I am concerned, a great pair of jeans and a good winter coat (I'm Scottish, these are year round items!! lol!) should be the only indulgence worth taking. I've got a few pairs of Seven jeans (fit fantastic!) and I think those are worth paying for, opposed to when I was happy enough with the odd pair from Topshop. The coats are pretty self explanitory because in this case it just proves that designer can and does equal quality.
I've only got three designer handbags. I have a vintage Chanel tote, a chanel 2.55 and a MJ patchwork stam. The latter two were bought half by me and half by my parents (I flat out refused to allow my parents to spend their money on some superficial object for me when they could spend it on themselves!); and the vintage by myself (sufice to say I didn't have money to go out for about a month after it!).
Everything else i own is either from Topshop, Urban Outfitters, Miss Selfridge, Zara etc. I don't see the need to spend £400 on a top I can get in a similar cut/style from topshop for £35. Especially when, since my taste is so fleeting, I will be bored of it within a year.
As far as I am concerned, looking "chic" has nothing to do with the budget you have or how many designer pieces sit in your wardrobe. It's about having a good enough eye to see which of the cheap shoes from the cheap shops will make you look cheap (as someone put it earlier!). Right this very second I am sitting in a pair of jeans, a Marks and Spencers white vest and a £16 caridgan I picked up on a whim today in New Look (!!!) and I think I look pretty good.

 

[Alexandra8715]

^yay I so agree with you and Im moving the Edinburgh to start uni in September so I'll be looking for a good quality coat.

 

[jollyvixen]

Short answer to the original question - I don't. I buy what I can afford and what I like.

Personally, I think it's quite ridiculous to spend a large amount of money on clothing - especially pieces that are only "in" for three months. It seems like a waste. Being dressed up in "designer" and "couture" doesn't make you morally superior to the person wearing casual clothing from places like H&M and Gap. It's understandable if you buy simple, classic pieces you expect to keep for many years though. However, the majority of people in this world don't have that luxury.

It's been my experience that those obsessed with the outside are usually lacking much on the inside. I could care less about what fashion-obsessed people in New York City and other "trendy" places think of my ratty black pants and baggy top. Why in the world would I need anything designer for my trip to the grocery store or my night at the movies? Most people really don't care.

If you are the type of person to judge others based on appearance and clothing, you are not the type of person I would want to be associated with anyway. I prefer people with a little substance behind the facade.

 

[Alexandra8715]

I don't think people who buy designer clothes consider themselves 'morally superior' as you put it jollyvixen. I agree that there are some people who buy designer clothes for the status side of it, but there are people who genuinely love fashion and enjoy collecting pieces from their favourite designers. I think your post was a bit unfair and stereoptypes people to be honest.
When I have a job and can afford designer clothes every now and again, I'll be buying it for what I hope is better quality, tailoring and design. Obviously there are more important things in life than fashion, but if you have the money and think it's worth it, then there's nothing wrong with indulging in designer clothing.

 

[emma peel]

everyone likes beautiful things. everyone has topics/hobbies they follow to a close degree. i think many people at tfs admire beautiful construction and an elegant/interesting silhouette, probably in clothes as in other things in life and home design. well designed clothes, shoes and bags are beautiful objects-- only part of their appeal (at least to me) is personal adornment, though that's undoubtedly part why I collect shoes more than art, for example (which I don't have much space for anyways and like to think about more than own-- whereas I like to own fashion more than I think about it). I'm sure a stamp collector sees beauty in what he or she covets too.

 

[morgan38]

You know I have to say that reading tfs, this is something I have always always wondered. I'm a student and today I got stressed out just grocery shopping because everything seemed so expensice. So when I come online and see members my age or younger buying pieces that cost thousands and thousands of dollars I really have to wonder how they swing it.