How Does Everyone Afford All These Designer Items?

[misstiz]

I tend to buy a lot of seasonal items from cheap fashion stores, or labels that do knock offs.. I still like to have some quality items like jeans etc, as cheap ones don't tend to fit right and their pocketing usually doesn't look so good! I also buy some good quality tops/ jackets.

I've noticed as I've got older I buy less designer items.. when I was a student I'd happily pay $300 for a skirt etc, but now, with a mortgage & a keen interest in home interiors I can't justify it! There's not enough to go around!!

In saying that though, I only keep my cheap stuff for about a year, it doesn't last and I feel crap wearing it when it looks shabby.

 

[Legyviel]

actually these days if you have some spare cash, ebay and bonanzle are great, people need money so theyre selling designer things they dont need for a really good price!
Too bad i myself dont have any extra money, lol.

 

[William_St_Girl]

I admit it... I simply have done well for myself in life and can afford to buy high end high st and designer items... however I'm not that loaded and don't buy loads as some people have said on this thread they do. I'll maybe only buy one or two new coats each winter and one or maybee three new handbags.... I like less known boutique designer items that are a little quirkey in style... and I operate on a strict less is more polocy. I'd rather pay for quality that lasts rather than fast fashion... classic pieces I'll still have in 5 years time or more. Then I tend to have built my wardrobe up over the years and you can pull something out you have not worn in a couple of years and it's still good to go... I guess I dont dress for whats in fashion... I buy fashionable pieces that have a timeless quality and wear them anytime!

I have always been like that though... even when I was not so well off... I'd save and buy nice things... as I love a little luxuary in my life and things like cashmere, fur and leather dont come cheap... but def so worth it... and im worth it to... or so I keep telling myself!

 

[Snow-White]

designer surplus sells pretty cheap, if you know where to look

 

[designerleather]

I work for it and work very hard...for the most part pretty much hustle and pimp myself, but in a good way. I bargain hunt looking for things that I want, and in the process if I find things that are undervalued, I often invest and turn them around. Sometimes I can triple my money in two weeks, other times I may sweat to break even again.

You do this right, you build a solid reputation and the above comes easier. I have been able to turn items around because I have verified them as authentic as well as people trust my descriptions.

It also helps to specialize.

I have a great customer who for the past couple of seasons has been liquidating her unworn closet and other items through me. I make next to nothing on those pieces when it comes to time and effort, but then again, being stocked and moving big name labels helps keep people following what I sell.

eBay used to be good for this, but their fee hikes and rule changes will eventually kill them in the end.

Is it worth it? I have wondered that from time to time. I do love fashion, so it helps me stay connected to the industry and there is also a lot of fun for the hunt of a deal and getting those items that you buy for $50 and sell for $600.

I love designer labels, but RARELY pay more than 15% of retail. If you stick to some more classic styles as well, even buy end of season or season old, you still get a lot of life without looking too out of date.

 

[Prudence Pureheart]

designer surplus sells pretty cheap, if you know where to look

Show me

 

[papa_levante]

Time to bump this bad boy.

When I move to NYC this summer, I can't imagine doing any shopping at all. Considering it's so expensive and all, I don't know if there will be anything leftover to go shopping with. I'll probably have to hit up quite a few thrift/consignment stores. What I've been reading from this thread are that sample sales are the way to go. What exactly is that?

 

[Sea Of Love]

Unfortunately I am not one of the blessed people that know where these sales are....but I want to

For me, I am only 21 which gives me the freedom of no bills!!! Anything that I have to pay for my parents get for me, for example pay for my car, petrol, stabling of my horses, erm even my phone. Yes I am dependant and yes I don't know the value of money etc. But my parents a) have enough money b) like spoiling me extensively and c) I am not going to mooch of them my whole life, once I get it together and start to grow up and get some real commitments I will be on my own two feet.
That being said, my parents would do backflips if they thought I 'wasted' my money on designer crap and they would never buy me anything from these places. They have no idea how much it all costs so for example if I buy a pair of shoes for $600 I tell my mum they cost $150, there is a rule of thumb for me - 25% of what it really costs. So all of the money I make from my job goes towards any clothes I want or to a bigger extent travel. Don't get me wrong my mother doesn't mind me spending the money she just doesn't understand designer and its price tag
With designer things I tend to buy about 2 pairs of shoes a season and maybe 2-3 items of clothing from designers and the basics I get from department stores and places like anthropologie and witchery. My style is very classic so the clothes I buy are in high rotation for about 5 years. They never look old because they are so well made and are a cut that never really ages. I would say I spend about $3000 a season for all of these clothes. It really adds up when you keep adding to your wardrobe and don't really throw much out but I don't have heaps of clothes at all.
I am saving up because I am doing a fair bit of travel long-haul next year so I need to afford that and as of Feb I am spending money on nothing but saving.
I never buy what I can't afford and I am very very good at saving when its needed so this is how I get designer things.

 

[couture.gab]

ive got a good job

 

[bombdotcom]

sample sales for the win, preferably ones that are not THAT public.

but honestly, in the last year, sample sales have dramatically declined in quality. additionally, prices have gone up, isn't it ironic?

for example, in june of last year, i got 2 jackets and 3 pants for $250 at a helmut lang sample sale. later on in december, jackets were marked at $175 and pants $100. many of the jackets were leftover from the previous sale.

people are not spending more wisely in a recession - and if they are, i can only imagine how they were spending before.

 

[bombdotcom]

ok, let me just continue my rant
last week, there was a rebecca minkoff sample sale, where women were positively out of control, grabbing 4 to 6 bags per ARM. and guess what? prices were only about 50% off, with bags being in a chaotic state, selection slim. you're much better off buying online from shopbop or revolve, you'd be able to get the same price with coupon codes, etc.

and in the case of the YSL Sale, completely out of control, with lines starting at 6AM? i suspect many were planning to profit by reselling. Let me tell you, the best of the bags at the YSL sale were muse twos that never really saw a retail store. But blind buying for name isn't anything new and I trust you will know better.

But the thing is just to shop smart.

I've been incredibly lucky in my buys: shoes, i mostly buy at barneys [that's the one place where the price cut IS better since the recession]. I've also gotten good deals on bags in europe during soldes. clothing and jewelry, sample sales and online clearance.

if you're in ny, you definitely should not be paying retail. paying for topshop at full price when you can get designer - more importantly, non synthetic quality - duds is silly.

 

[bombdotcom]

also have had luck on ebay, but you have to be really careful. most of the listings on tfs are trustworthy

 

[fashionista-ta]

sample sales for the win, preferably ones that are not THAT public.

but honestly, in the last year, sample sales have dramatically declined in quality. additionally, prices have gone up, isn't it ironic?

for example, in june of last year, i got 2 jackets and 3 pants for $250 at a helmut lang sample sale. later on in december, jackets were marked at $175 and pants $100. many of the jackets were leftover from the previous sale.

people are not spending more wisely in a recession - and if they are, i can only imagine how they were spending before.

I don't know if they're spending more wisely, but I think there's no question they're spending less. To me, spending at Forever 21 instead of someplace with better quality is not wise, and freaking out at sample sales like you're mentioning is not wise ...

 

[dumbfairy]

I opened myself up to criticism and wrote in this thread last year that my student loan was blown on shopping. And just to please you all,I did exactly the same this year. Only now I work a good part time job which balances up the books,so round of applause for me.

I also took the dreaded walk into TK Maxx (Which I usually despise)...and walked out with Alexander McQueen red peep toe heels,which saved me a fair few £s. Frivolity is fun

 

[Udjat]

This is a neat thread. I'm also fairly young(21) and I've only gotten into fashion about a year ago. I developed tremendous appreciation for the designs I see out there. It's hard to look back when after I've gotten to handle wonderful designs from various houses.

I work hard as an IT worker at the college I attend(full time) to help me pay bills and pay for the random stuff I buy. I like to hunt for deals and sometimes I'm just lucky with what I find on ebay. It's probably more than irresponsible to spend as much as I do on shoes when I'm in school but I work for it and I have no regrets.

 

[quimby]

I have no debt, so when I see something I love, I get it and I don't feel bad about it. But if I do start to feel bad (say, when the expenses start to add up), then I reduce my spending. It's all about balance.

 

[moniescloset]

I think it is important to have your own style and confidence, and not blow your money/ go in debt just to impress the populace or jump on a bandwagon. I shop for myself, and only for myself. So I know that I don't personally feel good about spending 600$ on a pair of shoes no matter how much money I make, or how awesome they are. I'm a professional, and I make a lot of money and don't have any debt. I love fashion, I love clothes, but I don't love frivolousness, just for designer sake. I don't feel I have any business spending rediculous amounts of money on things that aren't even on sale, when I see people who can't even afford a 20$ pair of new shoes.
When you take that approach, its really hard to convince yourself to spend money on something you know is over the top. For example, I will always think that more than 200$ on a purse is absurd, because logically I know how much that purse actually cost to make. It's the ridiculous designer markups I hate. It's that point when you know the quality to price ratio just skyrocketed, and you are pretty much paying for the label. I'm not saying designer stuff isn't awesome, and unique etc, but I at least wait for that **** to drop below 50$ before I will even entertain it. At the end of the day, it's just a piece of clothing designed by some person who feels they can now charge millions because they "made it". How about I just make my own version for 1/5th of the price(if only I could sew). Quality/style doesn't have to cost hundreds/thousands.

 

[g212142]

Sample sales, especially when everything is 90% off

 

[minstinguett]

I started buying less stuff but much better quality a few years ago, when I cleaned out my wardrobe for the millionth time and threw out cheap clothes that had fallen apart but kept the more expensive stuff! Easy lesson to learn. Now I shop online and wait for sales. I haven't added that much stuff to my wardrobe this year but what I have added has been good quality and designer.

 

[rosalynn]

I've learnt to be the same minstinguett, I used to be an impulse buyer, and before that I used to be an impulse buyer who bought cheap and cheerful shoes. I've sold pretty much every shoe I own worth under £300 and have built on this collection so it is timeless and high quality. I'm currently doing the same with my clothes now too.

Also I got a promotion, so that'll help to haha