Anonymous wrote:There’s not a strong correlation between who wears designer or high-end clothes and their NE or HHI. I saw an article once (sorry I can’t link to it) that said the average buyer of certain very high end and well-known brands (Gucci, Louis Vuitton, etc) was like 28 and made 80K.

I personally like designer items. But you have to ask yourself if you get value out of it. Would you rather have a 2K handbag or more money for that vacation? Etc.

I think the age is right, but it's not young people blowing paychecks, it's generational wealth and gen-Z with lots of pin money. It's certainly what I see anecdotally just walking around luxury shopping districts in LA. Brands I've watched for years have doubled prices since the pandemic, and shifted much younger in target audience. Luxury spending in the US is way up, and a driver of inflation, but interest hikes, and layoffs for the rest of us, aren't going to put any of that in check.

Anonymous wrote:There’s not a strong correlation between who wears designer or high-end clothes and their NE or HHI. I saw an article once (sorry I can’t link to it) that said the average buyer of certain very high end and well-known brands (Gucci, Louis Vuitton, etc) was like 28 and made 80K.

I personally like designer items. But you have to ask yourself if you get value out of it. Would you rather have a 2K handbag or more money for that vacation? Etc.

This. Our HHI is just over $200k, and I carry a $300 Brahmin bag and use the savings to buy first class tickets.

Anonymous wrote:I make a lot of money (>$1M a year pre-tax) but really trying NOT to have clothing creep. Mostly in the sense of (1) trying to convince myself to not buy that $400 sweater even though it looks so pretty and (2) just stop buying new products bc I really don’t need them and I should just ‘shop my closet’.

That said, I do mostly shop Rag & Bone, Vince, Veronica Beard and designer jeans (though everyone does that) plus like Burberry coats etc. But for many of those things, I still manage to get them at 50% off the list price just by strategically shopping sales.

Buy that $400 sweater!! You’ve worked for it.

Anonymous wrote:

Dear god, I hope you're a troll.

NP. I don’t understand this comment. PP who you quoted said nothing offensive.

NP but I thought she sounded very full of herself "me and my friends are fashionphiles".

I make a lot of money (>$1M a year pre-tax) but really trying NOT to have clothing creep. Mostly in the sense of (1) trying to convince myself to not buy that $400 sweater even though it looks so pretty and (2) just stop buying new products bc I really don’t need them and I should just ‘shop my closet’.

That said, I do mostly shop Rag & Bone, Vince, Veronica Beard and designer jeans (though everyone does that) plus like Burberry coats etc. But for many of those things, I still manage to get them at 50% off the list price just by strategically shopping sales.

we are UMC (around $200k HHI), and I buy a lot of designer through consignment and vintage shopping. A lot of places have "new with tags" items that are a fraction of the original cost (who are these people who buy items, never wear them and then sell them on consignment??? i dont know, but thank you!)

The clothes do fit better than fast fashion, last longer and are made of better materials. In the last year I bought an Armani silk dress (paid $200), a Diane Von Furstenburg woolen blazer (maybe paid $150) a Reiss silk blazer (under $100) and some beautiful sweaters with various labels. In the past, I was into Marc Jacobs dresses.

It does take effort and time to sift through the racks/websites. But the sites these days give you the option to look for "excellent condition" or "new with tags" only. Its hard to justify paying full price anymore!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People earning high incomes and then bragging about buying their clothes at target and zara are insufferable and irresponsible. Our HHI is not high but I try to buy sustainably produced products and you don't get them at Target or Zara. You don't have to buy luxury products becaus often they are not produced in a sustainable manner. But try at least to inform about stainably produced products and stop being proud of consumig fast fashion.

Many aren’t made sustainably and many sustainable brands aren’t designer. Wearing a target tshirt for 5 years isn’t somehow less sustainable than wearing a Celine tshirt for 5 years. Thrift designer or not designer if you want the morally superior route

Except the target items truly are designed to self-disintegrate in far less that 5 years both physically and in terms of fashion. Sure a given designer item might be extremely delicate, but that doesn't have to be the choice. When it comes to trends, the item subtly ahead of trend today is still wearable on it's way out. The mass market item, even if aggressively middle-of-the-road from inception, will be more recognized as tied to a point in time and rejected more quickly. Just walk through a thrift store, it's very clear how quickly mass market trends run their course.

It's honestly hard to know what will last and what won't. I have a $25ish pencil skirt from H&M (bought as a law student for my summer job) that I have been wearing for 15 years and it still looks good. Meanwhile many Theory and Boss workwear items have become threadbare in that time.

That's on the buyer at any price point. There are always exceptions, but quality cut/construction/material will generally last better and correlate to purchase price. There's no better source for a pencil skirt in a dark color than Real Real. They're a common item and they photograph poorly, so they can be had for $12 from designer brands. Still years of life left and superior fit.

Anonymous wrote:I can’t stand the self righteousness of women who post here to say they earn some large income but only shop at Target.

Designer items are a luxury and a luxury is by definition non-essential. But most people who can afford it do enjoy SOME kind of luxury in their lives. Maybe it’s fashion, maybe it’s splurging on vacation, maybe it’s an extra nice home or car. And if you have a high income but deny yourself any “luxuries” you are actually just indulging in the luxury of squirreling money away for both extra security and so you can brag on dcum about your high NW.

I know dcum is not the place to preach this, but people are different and enjoy different things and make different choices, and it’s all okay.

The OP asked a simple question, and the answer (which I gave previously) is that there is not a solid correlation between owning or wearing designer items and HHI or net worth.

I personally started buying more high end things as I got older and my income climbed, both because I enjoy designer fashion and because I want to buy things that last for years and years (and then can be resold and have a new life). But many other women splurge the most in their 20s when their HHI is low but they have a lot of disposable income. Other people splurge in order to feel richer than they are. I know it’s easy to see someone decked out in labels and think they must be rich, but that’s just not true - maybe they are, maybe they aren’t.

But if you enjoy it and get value out of it and can afford it, good for you! If not, that’s fine too.

It does have a bit of a self-righteous tinge to it. OP specifically directed this thread to people who DO wear designer items, so why are all these folks who DON'T feeling compelled to respond at all??

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People earning high incomes and then bragging about buying their clothes at target and zara are insufferable and irresponsible. Our HHI is not high but I try to buy sustainably produced products and you don't get them at Target or Zara. You don't have to buy luxury products becaus often they are not produced in a sustainable manner. But try at least to inform about stainably produced products and stop being proud of consumig fast fashion.

Many aren’t made sustainably and many sustainable brands aren’t designer. Wearing a target tshirt for 5 years isn’t somehow less sustainable than wearing a Celine tshirt for 5 years. Thrift designer or not designer if you want the morally superior route

Except the target items truly are designed to self-disintegrate in far less that 5 years both physically and in terms of fashion. Sure a given designer item might be extremely delicate, but that doesn't have to be the choice. When it comes to trends, the item subtly ahead of trend today is still wearable on it's way out. The mass market item, even if aggressively middle-of-the-road from inception, will be more recognized as tied to a point in time and rejected more quickly. Just walk through a thrift store, it's very clear how quickly mass market trends run their course.

It's honestly hard to know what will last and what won't. I have a $25ish pencil skirt from H&M (bought as a law student for my summer job) that I have been wearing for 15 years and it still looks good. Meanwhile many Theory and Boss workwear items have become threadbare in that time.

Same - I have target tshirts and workout gear I wear regularly that’s a decade old. If you buy a bunch of clothes regularly, whether they cost $15 or $1500, you are being environmentally wasteful (which isn’t the point of the thread! I’m sure everyone on here flies a reasonable amount which is by far the worst polluting thing we do as individuals).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People earning high incomes and then bragging about buying their clothes at target and zara are insufferable and irresponsible. Our HHI is not high but I try to buy sustainably produced products and you don't get them at Target or Zara. You don't have to buy luxury products becaus often they are not produced in a sustainable manner. But try at least to inform about stainably produced products and stop being proud of consumig fast fashion.

Many aren’t made sustainably and many sustainable brands aren’t designer. Wearing a target tshirt for 5 years isn’t somehow less sustainable than wearing a Celine tshirt for 5 years. Thrift designer or not designer if you want the morally superior route

Except the target items truly are designed to self-disintegrate in far less that 5 years both physically and in terms of fashion. Sure a given designer item might be extremely delicate, but that doesn't have to be the choice. When it comes to trends, the item subtly ahead of trend today is still wearable on it's way out. The mass market item, even if aggressively middle-of-the-road from inception, will be more recognized as tied to a point in time and rejected more quickly. Just walk through a thrift store, it's very clear how quickly mass market trends run their course.

It's honestly hard to know what will last and what won't. I have a $25ish pencil skirt from H&M (bought as a law student for my summer job) that I have been wearing for 15 years and it still looks good. Meanwhile many Theory and Boss workwear items have become threadbare in that time.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People earning high incomes and then bragging about buying their clothes at target and zara are insufferable and irresponsible. Our HHI is not high but I try to buy sustainably produced products and you don't get them at Target or Zara. You don't have to buy luxury products becaus often they are not produced in a sustainable manner. But try at least to inform about stainably produced products and stop being proud of consumig fast fashion.

Many aren’t made sustainably and many sustainable brands aren’t designer. Wearing a target tshirt for 5 years isn’t somehow less sustainable than wearing a Celine tshirt for 5 years. Thrift designer or not designer if you want the morally superior route

Except the target items truly are designed to self-disintegrate in far less that 5 years both physically and in terms of fashion. Sure a given designer item might be extremely delicate, but that doesn't have to be the choice. When it comes to trends, the item subtly ahead of trend today is still wearable on it's way out. The mass market item, even if aggressively middle-of-the-road from inception, will be more recognized as tied to a point in time and rejected more quickly. Just walk through a thrift store, it's very clear how quickly mass market trends run their course.

Anonymous wrote:People earning high incomes and then bragging about buying their clothes at target and zara are insufferable and irresponsible. Our HHI is not high but I try to buy sustainably produced products and you don't get them at Target or Zara. You don't have to buy luxury products becaus often they are not produced in a sustainable manner. But try at least to inform about stainably produced products and stop being proud of consumig fast fashion.

Many aren’t made sustainably and many sustainable brands aren’t designer. Wearing a target tshirt for 5 years isn’t somehow less sustainable than wearing a Celine tshirt for 5 years. Thrift designer or not designer if you want the morally superior route

People earning high incomes and then bragging about buying their clothes at target and zara are insufferable and irresponsible. Our HHI is not high but I try to buy sustainably produced products and you don't get them at Target or Zara. You don't have to buy luxury products becaus often they are not produced in a sustainable manner. But try at least to inform about stainably produced products and stop being proud of consumig fast fashion.

HHI $600K and nothing designer.
I grew up true middle class and didn't really know anything about designer clothing in my 20's and now I'm late 40s and my looks are declining in general so I spend very little time thinking about what I wear.
I have a uniform of mostly jeans and sweaters from Madewell or Jcrew.
We're not super savers--we spend what we have on travel and a second home.

Also, I actually allow my teenage daughters to get fancier things--(not true designer but an occasional purchase at Bloomingdales, etc) because I think it's nice to have an appreciation for quality over quantity.

I can’t stand the self righteousness of women who post here to say they earn some large income but only shop at Target.

Designer items are a luxury and a luxury is by definition non-essential. But most people who can afford it do enjoy SOME kind of luxury in their lives. Maybe it’s fashion, maybe it’s splurging on vacation, maybe it’s an extra nice home or car. And if you have a high income but deny yourself any “luxuries” you are actually just indulging in the luxury of squirreling money away for both extra security and so you can brag on dcum about your high NW.

I know dcum is not the place to preach this, but people are different and enjoy different things and make different choices, and it’s all okay.

The OP asked a simple question, and the answer (which I gave previously) is that there is not a solid correlation between owning or wearing designer items and HHI or net worth.

I personally started buying more high end things as I got older and my income climbed, both because I enjoy designer fashion and because I want to buy things that last for years and years (and then can be resold and have a new life). But many other women splurge the most in their 20s when their HHI is low but they have a lot of disposable income. Other people splurge in order to feel richer than they are. I know it’s easy to see someone decked out in labels and think they must be rich, but that’s just not true - maybe they are, maybe they aren’t.

But if you enjoy it and get value out of it and can afford it, good for you! If not, that’s fine too.