"Embarrassing to be seen w/ a show-offy bag?"

[exotikittenx]

Originally Posted by Vintage Leather

The woman interviewed is in the fashion industry - so I doubt that she is criticizing expensive handbags. To me, it sounds like she is criticizing logo bags. And I will admit, I haven't seen as many people sporting logo bags recently.

It seems a bit superficial, then, doesn't it? If she criticizes only logo bags, but not expensive ones, because what is the difference if both bags are the same price? Only a superficial one, and the person is still spending a high amount on a bag either way.

[AnneHathaway]

Ok, she has some good points but she also sounds like a woman with an axe to grind. Maybe she wasn't popular in high school? She's going to take it out on every woman who acts like she's superior.

Who knows. There are some interesting things here though. As much as I like LVs etc. do you think it might be the natural demise of status symbols to be copied to such an extent that they ultimately die out?

In a class in college I learned that in Japan at one time over a hundred or so years ago, coloring your front teeth black was "in" for upper class women. It was a way in which to show that you were loyal to your husband that you no longer needed to be attractive. When less affluent women began to copy the trend as a way in which to appear wealthy too, the upper class women stopped blackening their teeth as it no longer was a marker of their high financial status. This is going to happen again and again. But people will also keep finding new things to highlight their so called superiority. This is just natural human behavior and I believe will be so for quite some time.


So this women apparently just doesn't get it. And if they bother her so much why doesn't she just ignore it. Sounds like she feels a little threatened! But it's true, no one likes arrogance or snobbery, but if a person is snobby they are going to be that way with or without the handbag.

[ampeefyed]

Kinda true about the charity t-shirts! Often, only a small portion of the proceeds actually go to the charities..

[NagaJolokia]

Only in Mexico would I be embarrassed to be seen with a show-offy bag.

[Jahpson]

Originally Posted by Compass Rose

I don't care what other people think about what I do. Pure and simple. As much as I'd like to save the world, too, I can't live under a rock and deny myself what I need and want.

thats what Im saying.

Its just a bag>accessory

next thing they will be making a big deal over earrings.

if folks dont spend their money on bags, then they will spend their money elsewhere. I know plenty of people that don't spend money on bags, but they don't spend money on charities either. Where is their attack?

[Jahpson]

Originally Posted by wordbox

Eh, whatever. People don't seem to care that others are still buying big screen TVs and iPods and expensive cell phones and sports cars, or a million other extravagant things. I'll carry what I want, and anyone that has a problem with it can mind their own business. There will always be someone richer than you, and you'll always see people that seem to be living an easier life than you. But you know what? To someone else, YOU are that person.

didnt realize this post was old, but great point

[chloehandbags]

Originally Posted by GyrlLayney

Almost one and half years later... what else do y'all think?

Thanks, Gyrl!

That's a very good question - have things changed?

I would say not that much, yet, TBH - but, much like the financial situation, they may have been alleviated somewhat.

[chloehandbags]

Originally Posted by Vintage Leather

The woman interviewed is in the fashion industry - so I doubt that she is criticizing expensive handbags. To me, it sounds like she is criticizing logo bags. And I will admit, I haven't seen as many people sporting logo bags recently.

Exactly.

Obvious logos/monograms and/or extremely recognisable designs.

[chloehandbags]

Originally Posted by Bitten

I think it's more important to be sensitive in my conversations rather than in my clothes/bags/accessories. I have a colleague who at our staff christmas lunch last year was talking at the top of her voice about her twice-yearly overseas holidays, her new house on the river, her first-class airfares. To other staff who make $50,000 pa tops and struggle with their mortgages. I thought that was the most boorish behaviour, so classless and insensitive. When you want to contrast that behaviour to "What brand of underpants/bra/top/skirt/shoes/bag did you put on this morning?"...

But don't you think it's possible that some people 'read' designer logos as visual signs of boorishness?

So, even if the person is not boorish, or not being boorish at the time, some (many?) people will still think they probably are?

[chloehandbags]

Originally Posted by BgaHolic

I understand what Chloehandbags is saying and what the writer is saying but I think the danger in this article is the country is taking what appears to me as a "socialistic" tone because since when did anyone ever care what anyone else was wearing? (Unless they walk out of the house mismatched and unkempt). We are and have always been a democractic society with ALL different classes. Ie. rich, comfortable, struggling, poor, etc.

Yes, but the gap between the rich and the poor has grown to an extraordinary degree over the last two, or three decades (since Reaganomics reared its illogical head, basically [the trickle down effect has now been scientifically proven to be a highly flawed concept]).

Then, of course, the bubble, inevitably, burst and exacerbated the problem, even further, as people lost their jobs and could/can no longer pay even the interest on the high levels of leverage they were forced to accrue, in an attempt to compensate for the fact that their wages hadn't kept track with inflation, for many years.

I'm wandering into economics, now, but economies do not flourish when the vast majority of the money is in the hands of the very few, as the very few cannot and do not need to spend the vast majority of their wealth. Whereas, the poor and the middle incomed have to spend a lot more (or all) of their money, whether they want to or not; so it pours back into the economy, causing it to grow.

But, of course, when the poor and the middle incomed have far less money and they can no longer get credit in the way they could, they simply can't spend (even though they need to buy things) and so, the economy grinds to a halt (as we saw, before the stimulus).

This is not a socialistic argument on my part, BTW, it's economic fact - proven by science (check out New Scientist for more details - they covered all this, although, I can't remember the date of the issue? Maybe last December, or January '09?).

[ami kio]

Originally Posted by chloehandbags

But don't you think it's possible that some people 'read' designer logos as visual signs of boorishness? So, even if the person is not boorish, or not being boorish at the time, some (many?) people will still think they probably are?

I think that it happens in certain situations. If I was volunteering in a soup kitchen, I wouldn't go down there wearing big diamonds and carrying a Hermes for multiple reasons, but one of them would be b/c I think that it would be visually offensive.

In my daily (sub)urban life, however, I'll still carry whatever I want; however, the point is moot for me since most of my bags are smaller designers that aren't as recognizable to Jane Suburb. People around here don't recognize anything except Coach, LV, Hermes, or Chanel.

[chloehandbags]

Originally Posted by ami kio

I think that it happens in certain situations. If I was volunteering in a soup kitchen, I wouldn't go down there wearing big diamonds and carrying a Hermes for multiple reasons, but one of them would be b/c I think that it would be visually offensive.

Yes, quite.

Quote:

In my daily (sub)urban life, however, I'll still carry whatever I want; however, the point is moot for me since most of my bags are smaller designers that aren't as recognizable to Jane Suburb. People around here don't recognize anything except Coach, LV, Hermes, or Chanel.

[isabellam]

I think the Prada salesgirl was really glad I bought my show-offy bag last month.

"Saving the economy one bag at a time..."

[papertiger]

I'd rather people who can - spend their money rather than keep it all to themselves -

Stealth wealth? That was 'in' in the mid-'90s - so retro.

I've never seen so many people shopping in London, Paris, Stuttgart and Munich as I have recently.

It's not us that are out of touch and old fashioned - people don't always do what's simply expected by the media. Maybe a lot of people can't afford a new car (although sales are apparently up in the UK) or move house so maybe the 'little' disposable income they do have buys a new bag that they can purr over for 6 months or so.

Fashion people only make money when people buy 'things'. Anybody in fashion who thinks wearing a beautiful handbag new, old or vintage is 'wrong' is in the wrong business. Perhaps those people quoted might be better off with career in one of the charity industries.

[chloehandbags]

Originally Posted by papertiger

I've never seen so many people shopping in London, Paris, Stuttgart and Munich as I have recently.

As far as London goes, that's largely due to:


a) the deep discounts/special offers/lower prices and

b) Eurozone citizens picking up bargains, due to virtual parity between the € and the £.

Quote:

Maybe a lot of people can't afford a new car (although sales are apparently up in the UK)

Due to Cash for Clunkers - which, BTW, is causing palpitations amongst the classic car collectors, as people are scrapping beautiful and irreplaceable vintage cars.

Also, it's appalling for the environment, as many of the cars scrapped have many good years left and according to environmental groups, it almost always 'costs' far more, environmentally speaking, to build a new car, than it does to continue running an older one until it's ready to be scrapped.

Imagine if they were doing Cash for Old Handbags? All those gorgeous, Italian, or French-made older and vintage bags, with many years left in them, being destroyed, just to get a discount on a poorer quality new bag.

I'd better shut-up, or I'll give them ideas...