Designer clothes - how can the price be justified!!!!

chocgirl

astrofool wrote: »

A lot of designer labels aren't that profitable, it costs a lot of money to maintain a brand, LaCroix, for example, has never made money.

I do laugh when someone says "well I'd spend €100, but not €200", as if 100 was a little and 200 a whole lot more. People have a very personal concept of money, and what its value is to them, be very careful before judging others by it.

Exactly ten euro to one person could be 100 to another. I'd never forego my holidays for instance for the sake of a new outfit and wouldn't put myself in a situation where I was running up debt on credit cards like some people I know:).

tinkerbell

Karen Millen and Coast are high street, they are definitely not designer!

sunnyside

tinkerbell wrote: »

Karen Millen and Coast are high street, they are definitely not designer!

Reiss is always included in this category too, they are considered to be the upper end of the high street.
But Karen Millen and Coast used to be only in Brown Thomas which would be designer, bit confusing isn't it.

simu

sunnyside wrote: »

Reiss is always included in this category too, they are considered to be the upper end of the high street.
But Karen Millen and Coast used to be only in Brown Thomas which would be designer, bit confusing isn't it.

BT is kinda half designer, half upper-end high street. The one in Cork, anyway. I guess there isn't enough of a market for a purely designer-based department store in Cork.

Odats

Designer is justified especially for lads imo as Penny's,Dunnes etc don't offer the same quality with the value per wear category. Never buy in the likes of River Island Topman etc as they lose their shape after a few washes. Just back from holidays in America and stocked up on aload of casual tshirts,jeans,hoodies etc usual reliables, Abercrombie,Aeropostale,Levis etc. BTW we are getting robbed over here. My point I bought a Lyle & Scott cardigan in Brown Thomas at Christmas hasn't lost its shape where as bought a Jasper Conran one in Debenhams and completely lost its shape.
Items like good winter coats, leather jackets are worth the extra money as they'll last a lifetime.

Hermione*

Reiss, Coast, Karen Millen et al are all high street. I find there's very little that's genuinely designer in BT in Limerick; it's nearly all high street concessions.

I love clothes, but I buy mostly in sales, and I buy a lot online. I do have some designer pieces that were well worth the money - DvF dresses, Marc Jacobs boots, a Temperley dress, Catherine Malandrino dresses. I don't mind too much about designer or not; I hate labels anyway and I hate having what everyone else has. I am fanatical about the materials of my clothes though: shoes and handbags must be leather, coats must be wool/cashmere, macs must be cotton, winter sweaters must be cashmere,work trousers and pencil skirts must be wool for winter and linen for summer, and I love silk for dresses/shirts/tops. I couldn't buy anything that wasn't a natural fabric. I've been known to put back things I really liked because they were made of polyester. I would never buy a brand name bag like Gucci, Guess etc that's made of fabric and plastered in logos.

I do think designer pieces are worth the money. I have a Chloe handbag and a Marc Jacobs handbag that live in their dustbags when I'm not using them, and I expect to have them for at least twenty years. With proper care, they'll definitely show a return on investment.

doctor evil

lgoring21 wrote: »

and yet sometimes penneys clothes last longer than the other brands

Do you take it out of the bag, unfold it, look at it, refold it and put it back?

I don't like clothes covered in brand names, I would rather not be a billboard. I will spend money on better made clothes that by definition will last longer.

The problem with the internet is that you can never be sure of the fit than there is the cost of P&P which can be expensive. You'll be buggered if customs catches it as well.

midlandsmissus

doctor evil wrote: »

Do you take it out of the bag, unfold it, look at it, refold it and put it back?

I don't like clothes covered in brand names, I would rather not be a billboard. I will spend money on better made clothes that by definition will last longer.

The problem with the internet is that you can never be sure of the fit than there is the cost of P&P which can be expensive. You'll be buggered if customs catches it as well.

I've actually never had any clothes from Penneys that didn't last. Actually I've never had ANY clothes that didn't last. What do people mean when they say their clothes didn't last? Is it like lose shape/fall apart? Cause that's never once happened to me. Maybe I just take really good care of them or have a good washing machine or something?

Das Kitty

I definitely prefer good quality clothing (fabric, fit and finish), but I don't think you need to spend huge amounts to get it. In fact I was looking at a pair of wool trousers in Karen Millen for €120 and they weren't even lined and the finish on the seams was less than fabulous.

I actually find the quality of the clothing in Oasis very good in general and the prices aren't huge either.

ztoical

Twee. wrote: »

I like to spend on key wardrobe pieces. I mean I'd rather spend over a hundred quid on a great pair of jeans and crisp white shirt, but wouldn't dream of spending it on say Ugg boots, which will go/are/are going out of fashion.

+ 1 I tend to buy good jeans and other key pieces, spend the little extra and get ones that last and go with everything. Match them with cheaper items, charity shop finds or reconstructed shirts I do myself. Learning to use a sewing machine a few years back was one of the best things I ever did. I buy jeans once a year in new york as I'm always there for work in June. I stock up on several pairs of jeans at a fav local store I know and they last been worn day and night and I can dress them up or down as needed. Also stock up on undies and bras at the same time, get them in this one place that always has a buy 1 get one free deal on really good bras, never getting a cheap bra again after the under wiring broke and stabbed me in the chest. I also pick up shirts at craft shows and comic festivals that are hand printed - like Squid Fire or attack Threadless.com during one of their $5 sales.

I would spend good money on shoes as I think you should look after you feet, on glasses cus I need to wear them every day, good sunglasses as again you need to look after your eyes and a good coat that you'll get a number of years out of - don't care about the name on the clothes would check the fabric and the stitching to make sure its worth the cost.

Sometimes it's nice to splurg on a piece that just makes you feel really good about yourself. I got a cute sun dress earlier in the year that was costly at 80euro but I just felt so happy wearing it, it's yellow and bright and makes my boobs look great and just automatically puts me in a better mood when I put it on.

cuckoo

ztoical wrote: »

never getting a cheap bra again after the under wiring broke and stabbed me in the chest.

:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

BlackandGold

I've often pulled out the underwires also!!! Lol

I guess maybe I have a different opinion of what's acceptable to pay and what's not. To me, paying €200 for a dress is a little bit crazy, but to other people it's not.

I don't see clothes as an investment. I see cars, houses, shares as an investment, but not clothes and I laugh when people say that. However that's their opinion and I have mine.

I never shop in the expensive shops as I would feel horrible paying €54 for a simple top. Now I know that may not be "expensive" but I would still feel a bit funny about it. I would much rather have a night out with the girls and enjoy myself that way. I'm not stingy with money [quite the opposite in fact] but for me, I revel in finding a bargain and buying boots for €10 that were once €80!!!

Das Kitty

I have a friend who only shops for clothes cheaply. She spend way more than me on clothes and has a similar size wardrobe, just the cheap stuff keeps tearing, fading, shrinking, going bobbly and she has to throw it out and replace it. I have items of clothing for nearly 10 years that are still in great shape. I wouldn't be against buying a top for €54 if it was a classic style and not a faddy fashion piece.

Milky Moo

I don't think I've ever spent more than 70euro on any item of clothing...

I had would rather have a bunch of clothes for a hundred euro than one piece for that much....then again i rarely have that amount of money for clothes

That being said I probably do spend a good bit,you go into pennys etc and pick up a few things,individually they are cheap but together you are dropping 40-50e a go,do that a few times a month and it all adds up!