Designer Brands You Will Never Buy

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#6,331
Prada, Fendi, and Givenchy bags. they just look cheap and for me, its overpriced. the quality did not resemblance its price at all.
my mother once owned a Prada bags (forget which one). bought from US, and we got back to Indonesia, all the sudden the glue spread everywhere. the worst part, it ruined the leather and when she ask for replacement (we have to done it in Singapore back then because they dont have an official boutique here) they made her wait for 3 months, and in just exactly 2 months the glue back at it again. and they came with Saffianos, and i thought to my self 'well maybe we could try this one' but the second i touched the bag i just feel nothing. i think my DKNY saffiano bag is better than Prada's.
as for Fendi and Givenchy, i just think they are overrated and overpriced.
 
#6,333
Burberry – except for their Heritage Trenchcoats.
Their seasonal wear looks terribly cheap. Online it looks good, but when I see it IRL, I turn away.
Cheap fashion, made in China. A pitty!
The Heritage Trenchcoats are a different story: Made in UK, decent quality.
 
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#6,334
lovely_bag said:
Burberry – except for their Heritage Trenchcoats.
Their seasonal wear looks terribly cheap. Online it looks good, but when I see it IRL, I turn away.
Cheap fasion, made in China. A pitty!
The Heritage Trenchcoats are a different story: Made in UK, decent quality.
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I totally agree with you!
No way shall I buy a made in China Burberry bag.
In my opinion, high end brands that have their goods made in Asia are losing their appeal!
 
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#6,335
- Marc Jacobs (because I see it everywhere)
- Michael Kors (same)
- Hermes (with the exception of some of their clic clac bracelets). Thankfully, I'm not digging the Birkin at all, 'cause I can't imagine playing little games; buying stuff I don't need, just to have the privilege to get what I want. The only bag I do like from Hermes is the Kelly 28, but I guess I my love doesn't run deep enough to sacrifice my wallet and time. I also have a price cap for bags.......and 10k isn't it :no:.
 
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#6,337
Hermezzy said:
For me-

Bottega Veneta: I understand that it is great quality and I understand Tomas Meier is a genius and that it is well made...I just have never warmed to the aesthetic. I feel the zipper pulls look cheap and, at BV price points, the items could look more distinctive. The neutral colored items, in particular, look very meh to me.

Balenciaga: I like the clothes but the bags are just not my aesthetic. Too much detailing/hardware/activity on a bag for me, though I can see them fitting beautifully with other personalities.
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I completely agree on both of these brands for the same reasons. Maybe at some time I will "get" BV because they are obviously well made, but I can't really tell what sets them apart visually, other than the woven styles, which aren't really my aesthetic. Balenciaga clothes and jackets are amazing, but the bags are too busy for me.
Other brands that are popular but don't really work for me are miu miu (many styles have fake jewels and other styles look like cheaper pradas to me), proenza schouler (all of the styles look similar to me, though again, I like some of the clothing, edgy but better constructed than other clothes with asymmetric layers like HL or AW), and mulberry (too understated for me and the logo makes me think of my neighbors in Seattle who make their own hemp milk and kombucha).
I used to like prada, but the bags and wallets are looking cheap lately. I still like the shoes.
CL bags, Ferragamo bags and Jimmy Choo bags - I prefer the shoes. (CL shoes I find pretty to look at but not comfortable to wear, Jimmy Choo shoes I find to be beautiful, feminine and extremely comfortable. Ferragamo shoes are extremely comfortable, but maybe a little gimmicky looking, I can't have more than a few pairs or I feel foolish since they all have the same profile and bows).

Some brands mentioned here I love though:

To me, Chanel is easy, classy and fun. Chanel quality is maybe not what it used to be, and I have to be more careful with my bags and SLG than with some other brands or they get scuffed or scratched. Their clothing and shoes are so well made, and if any repair is ever needed, they are constructed so well that they will look new again after a trip in for repairs.
For Hermes, the quality of craftsmanship is so pleasing, it is like driving your first higher end car, where everything feels so soft and substantial to the touch, but it still surprises and delights you each time you touch it for the first couple of years. I still feel like this about Hermes.
LV I am on the fence about. I do not have any of their canvas, but I have a lot of their empreinte leather bags and SLG because I feel they are more understated with the logos blended in, and they are extremely well made, definitely every-day bags and wallets where you can beat them around and they don't get scuffed or misshapen.
 
#6,340
Stephanieg218 said:
Can I ask your reason why? I'm just curious. I feel like I'm somewhat torn about designer bags myself.
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The reasons might sound a bit silly to you, but... mainly because everyone carries them, and the quality is declining while the price increases. I see so many people carry LV, Chanel, Rebecca Minkoff, Coach... that I just got tired of them. The leathers on most contemporary designers are so cheaply made. Kate Spade especially, her bags are cute but so not worth the full price. And RM is just dreadful. Cheap, cheap, cheap looking bags for over a couple hundred? No thanks. I've heard so many complaints here on TPF especially for Tory Burch, Valentino, Saint Laurent... that it made me hesitant to buy any bags from them.

Coach still makes excellent quality bags and their glove-tanned leathers are to die for, but their ridiculous price increases are getting out-of-hand ($600-$700+ for a Made in Vietnam/China Coach bag? Gimmie a break). I feel I can buy better quality bags from sellers on Etsy. I have several bags from them and the quality is amazing. All handmade in USA and beautiful in person. Plus I like supporting small businesses and getting a one-of-a-kind bag that no one will carry. I still have a couple LV's but I won't carry them that much anymore. Etsy bags all the way.
 
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#6,341
anthrosphere said:
The reasons might sound a bit silly to you, but... mainly because everyone carries them, and the quality is declining while the price increases. I see so many people carry LV, Chanel, Rebecca Minkoff, Coach... that I just got tired of them. The leathers on most contemporary designers are so cheaply made. Kate Spade especially, her bags are cute but so not worth the full price. And RM is just dreadful. Cheap, cheap, cheap looking bags for over a couple hundred? No thanks. I've heard so many complaints here on TPF especially for Tory Burch, Valentino, Saint Laurent... that it made me hesitant to buy any bags from them.

Coach still makes excellent quality bags and their glove-tanned leathers are to die for, but their ridiculous price increases are getting out-of-hand ($600-$700+ for a Made in Vietnam/China Coach bag? Gimmie a break). I feel I can buy better quality bags from sellers on Etsy. I have several bags from them and the quality is amazing. All handmade in USA and beautiful in person. Plus I like supporting small businesses and getting a one-of-a-kind bag that no one will carry. I still have a couple LV's but I won't carry them that much anymore. Etsy bags all the way.
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I do agree with much of what you've said regarding quality and pricing. I think as consumers we've become "used to" the cheaper leathers because more and more that's what we're offered. For those of us who know better, the leathers of old were much better and I'm not talking high designers leather but just leathers like Coach offered. You are correct that Coach's latest round of price increases are just incredible. For me, I'll purchased pre-loved if it's a design I have to have, no big deal to me as long as the bag is in good condition.
I used to own several LV's as well but didn't feel comfortable carrying them for whatever reason. Plus they were all the monogram print which I got bored with.
I do read (in disbelief) on these forums every day the prices that some pay for their designer "fix". For me the most important thing is the design of the bag itself, then I look for the quality in a price point I feel comfortable with.
I had a bag made by a designer on Etsy that is one of my all time favorites.
 
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#6,342
anthrosphere said:
The reasons might sound a bit silly to you, but... mainly because everyone carries them, and the quality is declining while the price increases. I see so many people carry LV, Chanel, Rebecca Minkoff, Coach... that I just got tired of them. The leathers on most contemporary designers are so cheaply made. Kate Spade especially, her bags are cute but so not worth the full price. And RM is just dreadful. Cheap, cheap, cheap looking bags for over a couple hundred? No thanks. I've heard so many complaints here on TPF especially for Tory Burch, Valentino, Saint Laurent... that it made me hesitant to buy any bags from them.

Coach still makes excellent quality bags and their glove-tanned leathers are to die for, but their ridiculous price increases are getting out-of-hand ($600-$700+ for a Made in Vietnam/China Coach bag? Gimmie a break). I feel I can buy better quality bags from sellers on Etsy. I have several bags from them and the quality is amazing. All handmade in USA and beautiful in person. Plus I like supporting small businesses and getting a one-of-a-kind bag that no one will carry. I still have a couple LV's but I won't carry them that much anymore. Etsy bags all the way.
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Agree. Coach leather quality is TDF and especially in their new 1941 line. It is probably now one of the best lines out there. Yes, the 1941s are $600-$800-even $1300-$1500, but you get what you pay for. In this case, given the quality of the 1941s compared to some of the other brands mentioned here, you probably get MORE than what you paid for in the 1941s. Because of this, IMO, the pricing on the 1941s is justified.

Most people on PF wouldn't blink an eye over paying $1000 for a LV canvas bag, except for the honest souls responding here on this topic...
I can pay about $1200 for a small LV Twice in part canvas/part suede that fits a phone, card holder, and a lipstick, or about $1200 for a buttery leather Coach Rogue with exotic handles that holds the kitchen sink.

Seems like in most brands quality is staying the same or sinking and Coach appears to now be going through an up-branding and renissance.

I recently stopped buying Kors, RM, and LV. I will still buy an occasional K Spade but only if the design is absolutely adorable. Would love a small Channel. Just haven't connected with the right one yet. I won't lie...I'd love a Kelly, but at $10K plus a trip to Paris, I just can't do it...and even if I could, I have other more important things to spend the $$$$$ on.
 
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#6,343
I too am backing off the designer frenzy. Especially the ones now with bags and straps sold separately. Ha. I went through such a large phase of buying high-end bags that as I think back I really feel foolish. Seems like such a waste of money now, and I have more than I can use in my lifetime. I have sold and gifted many, but as I've grown older I can't help but think of how much money I have truly just wasted. The think most of the extra expensive bags are just not worth the dollars, and I certainly don't need another. I am sometimes even embarrassed carrying them. Maybe I feel a tiny bit "showy" when I carry them, I don't know. I also feel ridiculous purchasing a $35-50 lipstick.
 
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