A question for women regarding high-end purses/clothes. (breaking, brands, male)
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I once had a boss with the same style sense as mine, and who wore the same brands. We enjoyed complimenting each other on our exceptionally good taste.
Dressing as well as the boss does not mean buying the same priced clothing. When asked about, say, suit options, my advice is always to spend less on the garment and more on the tailoring. A person in a poorly tailored -- or straight off the rack -- $2,000 suit will look quite shabby next to the one in a properly tailored $400 suit.
If I were to impose a strict dress code (which I will almost certainly do at some point in the future) I would also consider it fair to subsidize some of the cost. A $3,000-$4,000 wardrobe stipend would be quite reasonable for people who know how/where to shop for quality items, and what items to choose to make a small wardrobe seem large.
If I am expecting specific, pricey brands, then I would have to buy those outright.
Quote:
Originally Posted by emm74
While I think it was very inappropriate for the boss/boss's wife, there is a very big difference between merely not dressing shabby and wearing a suit that could cost somewhere around $1500-2000 at full retail.
BTW, it would be equally inappropriate for a boss to expect employees to dress as well as they did, if that meant they were supposed to be buying clothing in that price range but weren't getting paid to do so. Now, if you simply mean you pay people enough to dress in more formal business attire and therefore set that as a dress code, that's fine. But when someone is referencing a specific, pricey brand of clothing, that's a different thing. I would not expect to make as much money as my boss and I would not expect to spend as much as she does on clothing and it would be quite problematic if my boss expected me to spend a much larger percentage of my salary on clothing if I was supposed to match what she bought.
Nope, it's not at matter of taste. You can like whatever you like, but some brands are high end and some brands are not. The brands you like are perfectly nice, they are not high end.
Personally, when I see really high end stuff (like an Hermes Birkin), I assume it's a knock off unless it's a celebrity. I'm sure I'm wrong some of the time, but I would guess that the average person walking down the street isn't carrying a $20,000 handbag
Exactly. MK, Kate Spade, Coach is NOT high end. Most people who know about stuff like this would rather have a $20 bag than these bc they say all the wrong things. IMHO, they are embarrassing to own. YMMV depends on where you live but not respected in Chicago and NYC.
It depends on the brand, sometimes you can tell sometimes you can't. Typically if they are wearing high end clothes though you would automatically assume the purse is too.
OK, help me out here... what story am I getting from your rings and manicure?
Rings & jewelry in general can often tell more about a person's wealth than the clothes they're wearing. Salespeople are often trained to look at them. The size of rocks being the main clue, but also the amount of gold, the general quality of the jewelry, etc. Lots of wealthy people dress down these days, so salespeople can't 'size them up' by their clothing. In places like the Silicon Valley & other areas of new wealth, it's common for VERY wealthy people to dress like teenagers or homeless guys, so one of the things salespeople are taught is to look at the hands.
The hands/manicure tells whether someone works with their hands or not. Soft hands, perfect manicures, all say the person probably doesn't do any work with their hands. I'm not saying people who work with their hands can't be wealthy, they certainly can. It's just that it's something salespeople have been trained to look at for years. It used to be more about what clothing a customer was wearing, but that's not a reliable indicator anymore since the boomers care more about being comfy, not broadcasting their wealth.
Rings & jewelry in general can often tell more about a person's wealth than the clothes they're wearing. Salespeople are often trained to look at them. The size of rocks being the main clue, but also the amount of gold, the general quality of the jewelry, etc. Lots of wealthy people dress down these days, so salespeople can't 'size them up' by their clothing. In places like the Silicon Valley & other areas of new wealth, it's common for VERY wealthy people to dress like teenagers or homeless guys, so one of the things salespeople are taught is to look at the hands.
The hands/manicure tells whether someone works with their hands or not. Soft hands, perfect manicures, all say the person probably doesn't do any work with their hands. I'm not saying people who work with their hands can't be wealthy, they certainly can. It's just that it's something salespeople have been trained to look at for years. It used to be more about what clothing a customer was wearing, but that's not a reliable indicator anymore since the boomers care more about being comfy, not broadcasting their wealth.
In Silicon Valley, there are other uniforms and signals of wealth! Jewelry is not super popular among younger people, so I am wondering what signals will be left when these people get older!
Rings & jewelry in general can often tell more about a person's wealth than the clothes they're wearing. Salespeople are often trained to look at them. The size of rocks being the main clue, but also the amount of gold, the general quality of the jewelry, etc. Lots of wealthy people dress down these days, so salespeople can't 'size them up' by their clothing. In places like the Silicon Valley & other areas of new wealth, it's common for VERY wealthy people to dress like teenagers or homeless guys, so one of the things salespeople are taught is to look at the hands.
The hands/manicure tells whether someone works with their hands or not. Soft hands, perfect manicures, all say the person probably doesn't do any work with their hands. I'm not saying people who work with their hands can't be wealthy, they certainly can. It's just that it's something salespeople have been trained to look at for years. It used to be more about what clothing a customer was wearing, but that's not a reliable indicator anymore since the boomers care more about being comfy, not broadcasting their wealth.
Rings, maybe, assuming the person judging you has a good eye for jewelry.
Manicures, though, are a dime a dozen. Many cashiers around here have them, they're not a sure-fire indicator of a healthy bank account.
In Silicon Valley, there are other uniforms and signals of wealth! Jewelry is not super popular among younger people, so I am wondering what signals will be left when these people get older!
Since learning to sew and tender my own style to the wardrobe I can sincerely say: "branding" has much to be dispelled. When broken down to economics.. 2 yards for a shirt. Avg cost:23$. 3 hours tailor labor. 52$, yet consumers pay 250$. Who's ripping who off? I've commended some of the craftsmanship required when making certain items. But do not be so foolish in your taste for style that you are paying for the "upper crust" .
You are just buying for bragging rights... I've seen the knock offs.. And the difference is in the materials used. Yet when put to the objective eye... Neither "cost" as much to produce , yet leave it to some to convince a person that the "brand" is worth the investment.
I personally cannot justify paying 300$ per square yard just to have another human say.. Well that looks nice.
Yet some do..
I recall being in Italy. Got a pair of Ferragamo shoes.. Still have them 20 years later. the leather/comfort still last. Since I am not versed in cobbler trades.. It's one of the few items I will invest in comfort.
Wearing the company logo used to be regarded as declasse. Even now, some people avoid the bags with the logo or initials on them, and go for the advertising-free options by the same manufacturer. I think people who have high-end items as a way of life recognize styling, quality, materials, that finer purveyors use.
I hate logos and refuse to promote these company's brands for free. I think it's quite tacky.
I do spend a decent amount of money on purses and shoes, but I care more about quality, style and price than brand.
You are factually correct, however, there are definite differences in fabric quality and appearance.
For suits I own just two brands: Ermenegildo Zegna and Canali, because of the quality/appearance of fabric. Less costly brands do not compare, while more costly ones (i.e., Brioni) offer diminishing returns not worth the higher price.
You mentioned shirts specifically and I agree with you on that. No $250 shirt I have seen is worth the money. I also agree with your shoe sentiment, as they make or break the outfit.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nov3
Since learning to sew and tender my own style to the wardrobe I can sincerely say: "branding" has much to be dispelled. When broken down to economics.. 2 yards for a shirt. Avg cost:23$. 3 hours tailor labor. 52$, yet consumers pay 250$. Who's ripping who off? I've commended some of the craftsmanship required when making certain items. But do not be so foolish in your taste for style that you are paying for the "upper crust" .
You are just buying for bragging rights... I've seen the knock offs.. And the difference is in the materials used. Yet when put to the objective eye... Neither "cost" as much to produce , yet leave it to some to convince a person that the "brand" is worth the investment.
I personally cannot justify paying 300$ per square yard just to have another human say.. Well that looks nice.
Yet some do..
I recall being in Italy. Got a pair of Ferragamo shoes.. Still have them 20 years later. the leather/comfort still last. Since I am not versed in cobbler trades.. It's one of the few items I will invest in comfort.
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