Do you buy designer because....

[soocool]

Ok, I listen to B101.1 from Philly and the dj was talking about his 11 year old daughter after she went to school on Monday post holiday break. She told her family that all the girls were wearing the new Uggs they got for Christmas. He went on about that she wears knockoffs and he had explained to her a while ago why knockoffs were just as good as brand name, etc. However, after hearing that all these girls got the real thing (Uggs logo on boots to verify they''re genuine) he now feels compelled to go out and buy her the name brand boots. He has been asking listeners advice and one father called saying that if it were him he would buy her the Uggs and the dj was just so surprised by his statement,

I started thinking about this and found it interesting that DD never asked for Uggs or any other designer branded items, except for a Coach bag when she was 12 and I thought that no 12 year old needs a Coach bag so I bought her a knockoff at a local flea market and she was thrilled with it, not to mention all the attention and praise she got from her the girls in school. I don''t think a 12 year old would know the difference between a true designer product versus knockoff.


I thought about this long and hard and while at age 53 I really don''t own anything that I consider designer (though I own a lot of Jones New York, because of the fit and quality), my house is outfitted with a lot of high quality items (we just installed a new Provia entry door with sidelights...not cheap at all- but I doubt if anyone would really know that). When I was younger however, I did succumb to the "designer jeans" fad and remember dropping $50 bucks on them back in the early 1980''s, not to mention the 4 pair of Frye boots I just had to have and still do have them.

So my questions are

wait for it...) do you buy designer for the name, the status associated with it, the jaw dropping reactions you get from others when they see it, or merely for the quality and/or self satisfaction? Would you buy designer for your young child for the same reasons ?

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 1/5/2010 9:47:04 AM
Author:soocool


I thought about this long and hard and while at age 53 I really don''t own anything that I consider designer (though I own a lot of Jones New York, because of the fit and quality), my house is outfitted with a lot of high quality items (we just installed a new Provia entry door with sidelights...not cheap at all- but I doubt if anyone would really know that). When I was younger however, I did succumb to the ''designer jeans'' fad and remember dropping $50 bucks on them back in the early 1980''s, not to mention the 4 pair of Frye boots I just had to have and still do have them.

So my questions are

wait for it...) do you buy designer for the name, the status associated with it, the jaw dropping reactions you get from others when they see it, or merely for the quality and/or self satisfaction? Would you buy designer for your young child for the same reasons ?

Jordache?

i bought a couple of Coach bags for my older daughter.

 

[steph72276]

Hmmm, this makes me thankful that I have boys and generally they don''t care about that sort of thing as much as girls (at least from what I''ve learned from my brother/husband, my oldest is only 5!)...Old Navy usually works fine for boys! I see where you would want your child to fit in, but to buy $200 boots is way over the top in my opinion. I would make sure she has nice, up-to-date clothes, but for something so expensive, I would have her save up her own money from babysitting to pay for them...

 

[elrohwen]

I honestly don't buy designer anything. I buy things for their quality, so I'm not averse to spending some cash, but I don't do it for a label. For example, I always get JCrew jeans - they're probably $80-100. I buy them because of the quality and the way they fit me, not for a logo (they don't have a logo, and no one would be impressed by JCrew anyway). I'm also willing to spend $100+ on a hand bag, but I buy something with high quality leather that I like, not something with a brand on it. I guess I feel that you should get what you like, and get a high quality product if you want, but it's silly to focus on something just because it has a label and other people will swoon.

The only designer items I own are my glasses and sunglasses, but they're prescription and almost everything Lens Crafters sells now is from a big designer. I still get embarrassed when someone comments on my Versace sunglasses which I specifically bought because they don't say Versace anywhere on the glasses (I still don't know how people know what they are; I certainly wouldn't!). So yeah, if anything I feel uncomfortable when my few branded items draw attention because that certainly wasn't my intention in buying them.

Kids having designer items is ridiculous. They can't even tell poor quality from good quality at that point, so they just want the logo for status. Not a good competition to get into, IMO, because someone will always have something better than you.

 

[jewelz617]

I don''t buy designer. No 13 year old needs to be showing up at school with a $1300 Louis Vuitton bag. If my daughter gets bullied for not having the right accessories, I will give her the option of changing schools or home schooling. Hopefully she will be mature and confident enough in herself to understand that some families have to be careful how they spend money.

 

[AmberGretchen]

I do buy certain designer items (jeans, handbags) because I truly enjoy the quality, fit and design. I also enjoy the fact the I know I am supporting talented and creative people who are making a career out of their creativity (this is especially true for my handbags).

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 1/5/2010 10:33:06 AM
Author: elrohwen

Kids having designer items is ridiculous. They can''t even tell poor quality from good quality at that point, so they just want the logo for status. Not a good competition to get into, IMO, because someone will always have something better than you.

depends on what brands do people consider a status for kids.

 

[Liane]

I''m pretty bleh about designer stuff because so much of it is plastered with logos over every square inch and to me that just screams tacky. LV bags, in particular, are dead to me.

That said, I like to have nice things. I shop for quality first, but it must be understated, which means nothing immediately identifiable as "designer." Even if it is.

I would never buy designer for a kid. They don''t know the difference, they just want to fit in or have bragging rights in their peer group. Fakies were made for them.

 

[rierie26]

I tend to buy designer for some things but not others. I have no problem spending extra money on designer purses and glasses than on designer jeans and shoes. The reason I buy designer for that stuff is usually because I like the design and the quality, not because it came from such-and-such label. Jeans and shoes? Meh, I don''t really get the designer jean thing and I''m not a big fan of jeans anyway (Old Navy''s $15 jeans work for me!) and I figure that any trendy shoe will go out of style by the time the shoes start to break apart anyway so why spend the extra money.

I wouldn''t buy my kids anything ridiculously expensive. Maybe something small from a label like a coin purse or ID flap or something. If my kid wanted a luxury item, I would tell them to go out and make the money and save to buy it themselves. Aren''t Uggs out of style already, anyway?

 

[Erin]

Date: 1/5/2010 10:13:14 AM
Author: Dancing Fire

Date: 1/5/2010 9:47:04 AM
Author:soocool


I thought about this long and hard and while at age 53 I really don't own anything that I consider designer (though I own a lot of Jones New York, because of the fit and quality), my house is outfitted with a lot of high quality items (we just installed a new Provia entry door with sidelights...not cheap at all- but I doubt if anyone would really know that). When I was younger however, I did succumb to the 'designer jeans' fad and remember dropping $50 bucks on them back in the early 1980's, not to mention the 4 pair of Frye boots I just had to have and still do have them.

So my questions are

wait for it...) do you buy designer for the name, the status associated with it, the jaw dropping reactions you get from others when they see it, or merely for the quality and/or self satisfaction? Would you buy designer for your young child for the same reasons ?

Jordache?

i bought a couple of Coach bags for my older daughter.

And your daughter bought a couple Coach bags for her Mom and sister, no?

When I was in junior high I HAD to have a pair of Guess jeans and my Mom never would buy them for me. Since then I've always been just fine with $20 jeans from Old Navy until I tried on Christopher Blue denim. Now I'd pay that money for the fit.

 

[jewelz617]

I think high end label items look silly being carried by children, because it''s so painfully obvious they it for the logo. However, I would purchase say a silver Tiffany''s necklace for my daughter''s graduation, or perhaps a small Kate Spade purse for a birthday present. Again, this is not meant to be offensive. What other people choose to buy their kids is none of my business.

 

[neatfreak]

I buy designer if I like it. I also don't condone buying fake bags ever. So I will never buy a fake purse, fake boots, etc.

Another brand that merely is inspired by the original? Sure if I like it. But never a fake.

If I had girls (or if my boys want them in the future) who wanted "status" items I would help them learn to save up for it so they could learn the value of the $ and buy it themselves. I might help them along the way with giving them ways to earn $ around the house. Or if it was a relatively cheap item (i.e., uggs) I'd buy them for a birthday if that's really what they wanted.

 

[Haven]

I don''t derive any sense of self worth or satisfaction because of things I own, or from other people recognizing those things.

If I buy designer it is only because I think the product is high quality and worth every penny.

DH and I have already discussed how we will address this particular issue if we have kids in the future. We plan to do the very same thing with our kids that we do with ourselves, and that''s to only buy things that we believe are actually worth it, regardless of the designer or brand. (The discussion came up because we live in an area where most of the kids run around wearing pricey and designer clothing, and carrying expensive gadgets and toys. Think of a kid in a North Face Fleece, wearing Ugg boots, designer jeans, a $90 t-shirt, and carrying the latest iPod or iPhone in her LV or Coach handbag. DH calls that our town''s "uniform".)

 

[Haven]

Date: 1/5/2010 11:08:17 AM
Author: Liane
I'm pretty bleh about designer stuff because so much of it is plastered with logos over every square inch and to me that just screams tacky. LV bags, in particular, are dead to me.

That said, I like to have nice things. I shop for quality first, but it must be understated, which means nothing immediately identifiable as 'designer.' Even if it is.

I would never buy designer for a kid. They don't know the difference, they just want to fit in or have bragging rights in their peer group. Fakies were made for them.

I completely agree. I really dislike product shots, and I'd never buy anything that turned me into a walking billboard for a particular company/brand/designer. Those particular designs look very tasteless to me. I wish that trend would just die already.

 

[rhbgirl24]

I only buy designer if the quality is better, which is a lot of times the case. I've owned fake uggs and I have real ones. I can say BY FAR the real ones are warmer, more comfortable and last longer. So if I buy 3 pairs of fake ones in the amount of time the real ones last I'm actually losing money...........

I don't particularly care about the name of logo, just the quality for the money.

 

[radiantquest]

I bought the ugg boots for my step-daughter last Christmas. They were only $120. I think it matters more to teenagers than it does us. I have the jones new york pants too, but that is because that is the only place I can get my size in a long. I buy my jeans at American Eagle, not for the name, but for the legnth issue.

I know that when I was a teenager name brands meant alot more to me than they do now.

 

[movie zombie]

when did uggs become designer?

originally worn bu aussie surfers, migrated to US via surfers, knock offs around for many years, and now uggs are designer? perhaps a recognized label but not designer.

marketing has been successful and will convince us that we must have a certain label. is the label designer? chanel yes, ugg no.

mz

 

[janinegirly]

I consider myself a practical person and not much of a shopper. However I can appreciate a designer item once in awhile and consider it a "treat". It's fun and yes should come with quality that the price demands, but even with highest quality-the price will be inflated due to name recongition/marketing. I tend to avoid over trendy designs (Coach in my opinion), but that's all personal taste. I do like LV but will also buy lesser known French designs. In NYC I see ALOT of wannabes living on credit with Gucci and Manola shoes and it is v. tacky and transparent, but in my opinion you can be a down to earth person with a nice designer bag/shoes/outfit once in awhile just as a guy might be a pricey gadget just for fun. It's all about tone and moderation I suppose but it's perfectly healthy to treat yourself once in awhile with something you don't really need (only if you can afford it easily of course)--whether that be jewelry or a designer bag.

I would do the same for my daughter..an item here and there if she really wanted it and if it made sense, but certainly not on a regular basis. My area is also filled with little girls that are designer billboards and it kind of turns my stomach, but I also know that it's easier said then done to tell your children no no, here's a no name equivalent! I think knock offs are a great compromise btw!

 

[iheartscience]

Date: 1/5/2010 10:53:13 AM
Author: AmberGretchen
I do buy certain designer items (jeans, handbags) because I truly enjoy the quality, fit and design. I also enjoy the fact the I know I am supporting talented and creative people who are making a career out of their creativity (this is especially true for my handbags).

Ditto-well said! Most of my bags, jeans and some of my shoes would be considered designer, but the untrained eye probably wouldn''t know it.

 

[packrat]

I grew up on whatever Kmart or Alco sold. Chic, Wrangler and Rustler. I didn''t get acid washed jeans-mom took a bottle of bleach to a pair of my jeans and that was how it was. I was teased all thru school b/c we didn''t have cool clothes, so I know how it feels. My mom refused to spend more than $10 on a pair of jeans, ever. ''Course, this was many moons ago-back in the 80''s ya know. I saved my allowance and money for helping mom at her cleaning jobs to buy my own stuff.

If London wants something spendy for the label or name or whatever, she''s going to have to get it on her own. She''s only 6 right now, so it''s not a big deal to her-she doesn''t care if Mommy found it at a garage sale for $1 or got it on sale at Target. She just knows "Hey, lookit all this stuff I''m getting-yay for cheap prices".

That being said, I''ve spent $80 on jeans-Lucky''s and Silver. Was a long time ago tho..and then I realized I could find them at resale shops for waaay cheaper. I did spend $100 on my Columbia coat last year, and I got that sucker on sale. I wanted something I KNEW was going to be warm, windproof and waterproof, and Columbia is a good brand for that. Oh, and I bought some Keen snowboots the other day, but got a kick ass deal so they were 1/2 price. And I spent $50 on a Mad Bomber hat..spent extra for the real thing and not a knock off b/c it''s dang cold here and like my other winter gear, I *know* this is a good brand.

Ha, my ideas of "brands" are a little different than Coach and LV!

 

[Haven]

Date: 1/5/2010 11:52:14 AM
Author: movie zombie
when did uggs become designer?

originally worn bu aussie surfers, migrated to US via surfers, knock offs around for many years, and now uggs are designer? perhaps a recognized label but not designer.

marketing has been successful and will convince us that we must have a certain label. is the label designer? chanel yes, ugg no.

mz

I was thinking the same thing.

I assumed the OP was talking about relatively pricey labels rather than designer items.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 1/5/2010 11:20:16 AM
Author: Starset Princess

Date: 1/5/2010 10:13:14 AM
Author: Dancing Fire

Date: 1/5/2010 9:47:04 AM
Author:soocool


I thought about this long and hard and while at age 53 I really don''t own anything that I consider designer (though I own a lot of Jones New York, because of the fit and quality), my house is outfitted with a lot of high quality items (we just installed a new Provia entry door with sidelights...not cheap at all- but I doubt if anyone would really know that). When I was younger however, I did succumb to the ''designer jeans'' fad and remember dropping $50 bucks on them back in the early 1980''s, not to mention the 4 pair of Frye boots I just had to have and still do have them.

So my questions are

wait for it...) do you buy designer for the name, the status associated with it, the jaw dropping reactions you get from others when they see it, or merely for the quality and/or self satisfaction? Would you buy designer for your young child for the same reasons ?

Jordache?

i bought a couple of Coach bags for my older daughter.

And your daughter bought a couple Coach bags for her Mom and sister, no?

When I was in junior high I HAD to have a pair of Guess jeans and my Mom never would buy them for me. Since then I''ve always been just fine with $20 jeans from Old Navy until I tried on Christopher Blue denim. Now I''d pay that money for the fit.

yea, she bought i paid.

 

[Liane]

Date: 1/5/2010 11:52:14 AM
Author: movie zombie
when did uggs become designer?

Ha, fair question.

Around here (Philly), Uggs have actually gone full circle (trendy --> tacky --> trendy again in ironic fashion). Hipsters wear them as a joke. I guess they''re inexpensive enough to be used that way.

To me it''s funny because you''ll see a college kid wearing the Uggs/North Face fleece/headband uniform, and half a block away see a hipster wearing the exact same boots with a totally different ensemble to signify that the Uggs are being worn tongue-in-cheek. "Ironic" or not, the company must be making a mint.

 

[soocool]

Date: 1/5/2010 10:59:19 AM
Author: Dancing Fire

Date: 1/5/2010 10:33:06 AM
Author: elrohwen

Kids having designer items is ridiculous. They can''t even tell poor quality from good quality at that point, so they just want the logo for status. Not a good competition to get into, IMO, because someone will always have something better than you.

depends on what brands do people consider a status for kids.

My neighbor had a baby boy in November. When I stopped by to drop off a present, it was amusing to see her expression. I shop the outlet stores in Lahaska, Pa and bought the baby an outfit from OshKosh and a plush toy from there as well. When she opened the package she was like "Oh....how cute". and then put it down. Ok, so if she didn''t like it, etc. I included a gift receipt. Cost of my gift was around $25.00 for the stuffed dog, shirt, pants.

The baby was decked out in Baby Gap, head to toe. She then showed me his room. In his closet was a Burberry winter coat , some Ralph Lauren shirts. (She made sure she told me the brand names.) A few more items that I remembered were: Bugaboo stroller( don''t know if this a designer name since I only know Graco), Prada baby bag (I almost gasped), layette may have been Lauren also, I don''t remember. And when I said wow, she said, "Nothing but the best for my little boy."

Now I need to mention, these are people who have a very small starter home that the husband (a contractor) has fixed up nicely, but no high end appliances or furniture and from some of the thing she said really don''t have much money. To top it off she said that most of these were not gifts that she returned many things because she had to many wrong items??? Well, I finally wished her well again and told her that if she wanted to exchange the present that I included a gift receipt. She then asked where the store was located, so I guess I''ll never see that outfit on him.

 

[soocool]

Date: 1/5/2010 10:13:14 AM
Author: Dancing Fire

Date: 1/5/2010 9:47:04 AM
Author:soocool


I thought about this long and hard and while at age 53 I really don''t own anything that I consider designer (though I own a lot of Jones New York, because of the fit and quality), my house is outfitted with a lot of high quality items (we just installed a new Provia entry door with sidelights...not cheap at all- but I doubt if anyone would really know that). When I was younger however, I did succumb to the ''designer jeans'' fad and remember dropping $50 bucks on them back in the early 1980''s, not to mention the 4 pair of Frye boots I just had to have and still do have them.

So my questions are

wait for it...) do you buy designer for the name, the status associated with it, the jaw dropping reactions you get from others when they see it, or merely for the quality and/or self satisfaction? Would you buy designer for your young child for the same reasons ?

Jordache?

i bought a couple of Coach bags for my older daughter.

Actually, I think one pair was Jordache. I also think Calvin Kleins and perhaps Guess come to mind as well. I wonder if Stone Mountain bags were considered designer as well, because I had about 10 of them.

 

[soocool]

Date: 1/5/2010 11:51:21 AM
Author: radiantquest
I bought the ugg boots for my step-daughter last Christmas. They were only $120. I think it matters more to teenagers than it does us. I have the jones new york pants too, but that is because that is the only place I can get my size in a long. I buy my jeans at American Eagle, not for the name, but for the legnth issue.

I know that when I was a teenager name brands meant alot more to me than they do now.

I have the same problem with pants/jeans. Finding them long enough. Usually Gap flairs are long enough. I may try American Eagle.

I tend to agree that brand names meant more to me when I was younger. However, while I don''t focus on the brand name, I have never bought clothes from Walmart, Target, etc. So maybe I buy name brands without realizing they are name/designer brands???

 

[lyra]

I don''t buy designer, but my husband sure does! It''s annoying. I wanted Ugg-like boots so I got Bearpaws. My younger daughter wanted Uggs so she got Emu''s. Not going to pay for a name. My kids are old enough to buy what they want. They work at a designer used clothing store for teens. LOL. So in a way, yes they buy designer--but it''s used and greatly discounted.

I would go for quality, not name. If quality happens to have a recognizable name, then fine.

 

[Rachel9]

Hmmm I think kids just want to be popular ''parents'' are the ones who want ''logo status'' because they are the ones who purchase branded items to them. My kids will be wearing uniforms, good shoes and Costco backpacks to school until the graduate from HS just like my brothers and sisters did. I tend to buy designer jeans because they simply fit better and last forever, quality shoes are my thing, purses aren''t. Where we live it''s impossible to impress anyone so I don''t play the emulate game

 

[Sizzle]

There aren''t many things I really care about the label on. I too hate "signature" items. I am not a free advertisement for LV, nor do I want my fabulosity to be attributed to them. I think the people who''s style i most admire is quality, designer non descript. I think there is something to be said about quality classic items, but you should always have some cheap fun inventory to spice up your wardrobe.

 

[princesss]

If I buy something nice, I want it to last. I don''t mind when a certain style or pattern becomes associated with a brand (like Burberry''s plaid), but I don''t want to wear the logo. I know they serve the same purpose, but I don''t feel like carting around a bag with Cs everywhere so people know it''s Coach, or a wallet with the intertwined Cs so I can tell people "It''s real Chanel!" (as a friend of mine does), but patterns/colours/styles don''t bother me. A trained eye can catch a Birkin bag without Hermes needing to draw an "H" all over it, after all.

I haven''t bought designer jeans because I''m still trying to lose weight, and while I think they''re worth it if the quality is good and you can wear them for a few years, I won''t shell out the money if I''m actively trying to not be that size anymore.

Some things I love became trendy (the Le Pliage bag from Longchamps - I''ve had mine for 3 years and I haven''t killed it yet! I''m totally in love), and some things haven''t (I''ve got gorgeous brown leather boots that I adore, but have never seen anything similar on other people).

But I really only buy designer if I think the quality (and this includes aesthetic appeal) merits the price.