I'm going to give my simplified answer. I just perused through some of the posts as they were somewhat long. It all depends on the city where you reside and work. Also, it depends on the field that you work in and the people that you work with. You need to know your own circumstances.
Cartier jewelry/stacks „hurting your image“, why, if so?
- Thread starter south-of-france
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I think it depends on the customer. Some might think, "If she can afford that, she must be over-charging me." But from what I saw working in finance, High-Net-Worth-Individuals wouldn't trust a finance person (or lawyer, event planner, decorator, etc) who didn't dress/accessorize to a certain level.
I don’t know in what world it would be advisable to wear a flashy stack at work unless you’re in certain industries such as fashion or marketing. 
And I live in a very flashy, keep up with the Joneses kind of area. Whether you’re in DC or LA, it’s generally the same idea - wearing luxury stuff can be an open invitation for haters even if luxury items are commonplace.
Yes, one should always be your authentic self and do whatever you please. But be self-aware and acknowledge that there are consequences for every action. If you want to wear a fat stack at work, make that decision mindfully and know that sometimes people will feel jealous and get the wrong ideas from it.
Other people’s judgment is not your fault and it shouldn’t be that way, but often it is. IMHO I would save the bling for outings with friends but be less conspicuous at work unless it benefitted me to appear a certain way.
And I live in a very flashy, keep up with the Joneses kind of area. Whether you’re in DC or LA, it’s generally the same idea - wearing luxury stuff can be an open invitation for haters even if luxury items are commonplace.Yes, one should always be your authentic self and do whatever you please. But be self-aware and acknowledge that there are consequences for every action. If you want to wear a fat stack at work, make that decision mindfully and know that sometimes people will feel jealous and get the wrong ideas from it.
Other people’s judgment is not your fault and it shouldn’t be that way, but often it is. IMHO I would save the bling for outings with friends but be less conspicuous at work unless it benefitted me to appear a certain way.
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Wow! Lots of commentary since I last checked. I appreciate everyone’s opinions and am actually just about to board a flight for the next business trip.
This job is stressful as is, so avoiding finding yet another thing to worry about (like what can I wear without being judged) is certainly preferable.
I grew up being gifted nice things by my parents at a really really young age. I also lived abroad in asia most of my childhood and returned to the US for college in nyc. Growing up in Asian cities with rich ex pats shaped a lot of my core belief that wearing fancy things was the norm. I honestly thought nothing of it. I went to college carrying an LV backpack and wore Cartier daily - nobody in our circle batted an eye and I had zero feelings about it. So the feeling that I can wear whatever I want didn’t change until a lot later in life. When I became a lawyer and went to a large midtown Manhattan firm, I was surrounded by women who carried similar things so I was comfortable. I bought myself nice jewelry and bags to soothe my aching work soul whenever I reached a milestone or as a pick me up on gloomy days. This all continued until my recent career change.
I feel like each corporation has their own culture and it’s not as much about where I’m located that’s making me feel dreadful about whether I’ll be judged bc I travel out of state to different states or countries each time. A lot depends on “what does my supervisor wear?”- and while gender shouldn’t matter, it does in this context. Women seem to be more familiar with brands or the type of jewelry I wear. I think this trip is where I’ll find out for sure what to think bc I’m going with the big boss lady. I even took off my nails and am toning down make up so she doesn’t feel like I’m high maintenance. I may be overthinking everything but this career change (since I’ve gone corporate) is making me question a lot about how I appear. Many coworkers live in rural areas like Des Moines IA which might contribute to how differently we all dress. I also rent a car instead of taking one of my own cars bc I’m afraid they’ll judge. I even tried to not share my address in case someone tries to look it up- so now I sound purely paranoid. Maybe I am. I don’t know. Doesn’t help that this job has been the bane of my existence right lately.
Not sure exactly where I’m going with this but I just wanted to come back and say that this forum has helped me think of this from a high level viewpoint. So thank you all.
On a side note- I took off most of my stack except two loves- one holds major sentimental value and I never take it off. The other one I had bought when I got this job as a congrats gift to self. I took off my earrings and won’t wear a necklace. I’m taking a black Celine bag with no logos (small cabas). I’ll report back with an update on how it went this coming week. I agree that this all mostly depends on the field you work in regardless of the city. I’m now a corporate auditor getting paid more than I did as a lawyer but the atmosphere is very different.
This job is stressful as is, so avoiding finding yet another thing to worry about (like what can I wear without being judged) is certainly preferable.
I grew up being gifted nice things by my parents at a really really young age. I also lived abroad in asia most of my childhood and returned to the US for college in nyc. Growing up in Asian cities with rich ex pats shaped a lot of my core belief that wearing fancy things was the norm. I honestly thought nothing of it. I went to college carrying an LV backpack and wore Cartier daily - nobody in our circle batted an eye and I had zero feelings about it. So the feeling that I can wear whatever I want didn’t change until a lot later in life. When I became a lawyer and went to a large midtown Manhattan firm, I was surrounded by women who carried similar things so I was comfortable. I bought myself nice jewelry and bags to soothe my aching work soul whenever I reached a milestone or as a pick me up on gloomy days. This all continued until my recent career change.
I feel like each corporation has their own culture and it’s not as much about where I’m located that’s making me feel dreadful about whether I’ll be judged bc I travel out of state to different states or countries each time. A lot depends on “what does my supervisor wear?”- and while gender shouldn’t matter, it does in this context. Women seem to be more familiar with brands or the type of jewelry I wear. I think this trip is where I’ll find out for sure what to think bc I’m going with the big boss lady. I even took off my nails and am toning down make up so she doesn’t feel like I’m high maintenance. I may be overthinking everything but this career change (since I’ve gone corporate) is making me question a lot about how I appear. Many coworkers live in rural areas like Des Moines IA which might contribute to how differently we all dress. I also rent a car instead of taking one of my own cars bc I’m afraid they’ll judge. I even tried to not share my address in case someone tries to look it up- so now I sound purely paranoid. Maybe I am. I don’t know. Doesn’t help that this job has been the bane of my existence right lately.
Not sure exactly where I’m going with this but I just wanted to come back and say that this forum has helped me think of this from a high level viewpoint. So thank you all.
On a side note- I took off most of my stack except two loves- one holds major sentimental value and I never take it off. The other one I had bought when I got this job as a congrats gift to self. I took off my earrings and won’t wear a necklace. I’m taking a black Celine bag with no logos (small cabas). I’ll report back with an update on how it went this coming week. I agree that this all mostly depends on the field you work in regardless of the city. I’m now a corporate auditor getting paid more than I did as a lawyer but the atmosphere is very different.
I am lucky in that no one in my small pacific NW area would even recognize a Cartier piece. I would wear what you want unless you work somewhere that limits the amount of jewelry that you can have on.
Same here. I live in a small college town so nobody has recognized my Cartier jewelry. It’s nicer that way.
I am a teacher and don't think much about this at all. I only currently have a love ring and wear it everyday and everywhere (Except the gym). No one has noticed it yet (that I know of). I don't have my love bracelet YET, but when I do I will proudly wear it to school (or wherever).
I live in a town where people dress very casually and have only seen love bracelets and other Cartier pieces a handful of times. Only one of my coworkers recognizes and appreciates them but my other coworkers have no idea and would be incredulous at what they cost. If I get a complement from someone I just thank them but even that’s not frequent. I don’t wear them all together—just a little too much in the atmosphere at my workplace, but I do wear my reg love 24/7 and my 2 thins most of the time (separate wrists).
I live in the UK , England. We are no different to the USA in regards to showing wealth
Some people will be judgmental and others won't. It's down to the people you know not the country.
It's funny because I just got back from Europe, and only saw one person wearing a single Cartier LOVE bangle. I thought for sure I'd see a lot more and was surprised that I only saw the one. Barely saw anyone with designer handbags as well.
I think that‘s a valid question, as Europe is a conglomerate of very different countries (both in terms of culture, fincancial situation etc.). I can tell you, here in Vienna you see lots of fine jewellery and designer handbags, as you will in certain areas of London, Paris, Milan, Munich, Hamburg, also in popular holiday areas like Ibiza, Mallorca. St. Tropez, Mykonos, also ski resorts etc. It really depends where you go but there is definitley a crowd in Europe fond of wearing luxury items! In addition, there is also lots of wealthy tourists from Asia who enjoy to buy and wear luxury items in Europe.
We went to Paris, Venice and then Rome.
