I'm terrible: I have designer bags, shoes, clothes and jewelry and other accessories (like belts and scarves). While a majority of my stuff is designer, I do buy clothes from Zara and even Old Navy occasionally. After 15 or so years of buying designer stuff, I don't buy that much each season, just a few more items. I still wear old designer duds from 10 years ago; they've held up amazingly well. I believe if you buy quality and a classic design, you can enjoy them for decades to come.
"It has to be designer"
- Thread starter Glamorous_girl
- Start date
TPF may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, and others
I do own a purse like that, made of Deerskin ... hides from local hunters, produced in my own country, of coarse it doesn't have a 'designer label'
I have been buying luxury designer since my early 20's and I think I have around 60 premier designer bags and around 10+ from contemporary designer. AND I have a lot of totally No Brand bags too! [emoji16] I especially like to buy those ethnic looking bags when I go on vacation to any countries. I also buy cheap bags to experience with colors that I would never buy like those glaringly bright neon colors or weird design lol. After few times of wearing, I normally just give them away [emoji16] I think it's fun to be unpredictable once a while, makes my life more interesting. Hehe
But I normally don't give away my ethic design bags and jewelries, I find ethnic jewelries really add certain character to my outfit. All those ethnic designs r so unique imo. Basically I just buy whatever bags I love regardless of luxury designer or not.
When it comes to clothes n shoes, I buy whatever looks good on me n comfortable. They r med to low price range but never anything that's too cheap. Correct me if I'm wrong, I don't think there r any good comfortable shoes out there thats overly cheap?? I hardly wear high heels, most of my shoes r ballerina flats, Oxfords, sneakers, low ankle boots, espadrilles, moccasins etc bought from Cole Haan, Tod's, Ferragamo, Stuart Weitzman, Vans, Converse, Ecco, DeSquared, Kenzo etc.
Majority of my jeans, belts n sunnies r from designers, but I never buy clothes that are soooo expensive. I usually buy from cheaper brand like (CK, Armani, DKNY, Tommy H, Zara, Massimo Dutti, Gap etc) Hmmm lately I am thinking of buying Chanel n Burberry Jacket [emoji7]
There r few things where I insist on the best quality n they r usually not cheap either, stuff like..... towels, bed linen, lingeries etc.
A member here commented she doesn't like LV because ppl could assume it's fake since there r so many fake LVs out there. This issue never bothered me, maybe its because I live in small town where most people know each other. Over here make judgement based on cars and properties owned or what business we do.
But I normally don't give away my ethic design bags and jewelries, I find ethnic jewelries really add certain character to my outfit. All those ethnic designs r so unique imo. Basically I just buy whatever bags I love regardless of luxury designer or not.
When it comes to clothes n shoes, I buy whatever looks good on me n comfortable. They r med to low price range but never anything that's too cheap. Correct me if I'm wrong, I don't think there r any good comfortable shoes out there thats overly cheap?? I hardly wear high heels, most of my shoes r ballerina flats, Oxfords, sneakers, low ankle boots, espadrilles, moccasins etc bought from Cole Haan, Tod's, Ferragamo, Stuart Weitzman, Vans, Converse, Ecco, DeSquared, Kenzo etc.
Majority of my jeans, belts n sunnies r from designers, but I never buy clothes that are soooo expensive. I usually buy from cheaper brand like (CK, Armani, DKNY, Tommy H, Zara, Massimo Dutti, Gap etc) Hmmm lately I am thinking of buying Chanel n Burberry Jacket [emoji7]
There r few things where I insist on the best quality n they r usually not cheap either, stuff like..... towels, bed linen, lingeries etc.
A member here commented she doesn't like LV because ppl could assume it's fake since there r so many fake LVs out there. This issue never bothered me, maybe its because I live in small town where most people know each other. Over here make judgement based on cars and properties owned or what business we do.
For me it falls more into quality than label, although the two goes hand in hand for the most part. For bags, I want leather, preferably not overly treated leather, classic shape and design, and usability.
It doesn't have to be "designer" but it usually has to have a well thought out design. Sometimes the design has to differentiate it from mainstream items, in which case it might be "designer". But I rarely buy from the traditional luxury design houses, because I can get designs I like from less expensive sources.
For bags I mostly buy Coach for the price point and selection, but I only buy the bags I perceive to have good or excellent quality. For jewelry I look for art and quality. Ippolita and Na Hoku are my current favs. If I just need a staple item, I'll shop price with adequate quality. For clothing I shop for fit and quality. For home goods, I like a little bit of flair at a moderate price point - currently I'm obsessed with Crate and Barrel for dining and tabletop items. I consider these "designer" because the designs that I choose are creative and appealing.
For bags I mostly buy Coach for the price point and selection, but I only buy the bags I perceive to have good or excellent quality. For jewelry I look for art and quality. Ippolita and Na Hoku are my current favs. If I just need a staple item, I'll shop price with adequate quality. For clothing I shop for fit and quality. For home goods, I like a little bit of flair at a moderate price point - currently I'm obsessed with Crate and Barrel for dining and tabletop items. I consider these "designer" because the designs that I choose are creative and appealing.
YASSSSSSSSSS to Dooney [but I do actively seek them out]
HELLO...just say NO!!! [in agreement with literally everything in that paragraph]
YUP...on point.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And to actually answer the question [posed 8 years ago] I won't buy a purse unless it's name brand [specifically Gucci or Dooney] I have actually passed up other brand bags [which I rarely honestly find bags from other designers I like] because they are not "my" brand. Shallow...YUP...but I'm keeping it real. And honestly, these two brands make products that look far better than anything I've seen in any of the fashion houses [Hermes included] and very EXTREMELY high quality, I really don't need to look elsewhere. As a matter of fact, that's what drew me to these two particular brands. high quality, aesthetically appealing, etc.
The only brands outside of these I have considered buying are Celine [Phantom....like everybody else] and tie tote and Hermes [Birkin...and maybe a kelly]
I used to buy a bag in Zara or H&M even occasionally because I Thought I would use it when I traveled or as a knock around bag but the feel is just not right. I ended up passing them to my daughter. Now I use a handful of vintage luxury bags as my knock arounds. They're not in perfect condition but I keep them clean, moisturized and protected so I don't fear tossing them around a bit. Some of them are nearly 40 years old and still feel amazing! While I could appreciate a non designer bag I can't see most of them lasting long at all...short term is just not my style.
I don't care about the brand itself, I care about quality. I'd love to own a high end designer bag, of course, but I wouldn't buy a plastic or canvas tote just because it's from Chanel or Gucci or some other designer. It's gotta be a great item all around. If it's good quality, I can afford it and it's from a luxury (or my case most likely mid range) brand lucky me, but it's not mandatory at all.
As far as clothing is concerned it's the same thing: I really don't care where I buy, as long as the materials are good quality and can last over the years. I have a cashmere factory outlet quite near my house, I had bought a couple of sweaters there and after at least 6 years they're in great condition. They're not from a famous brand, but I had paid them around 100 euros each back them and they still are staples in my winter wardrobe
It's better to spend a bit more and own less stuff for me.
As far as clothing is concerned it's the same thing: I really don't care where I buy, as long as the materials are good quality and can last over the years. I have a cashmere factory outlet quite near my house, I had bought a couple of sweaters there and after at least 6 years they're in great condition. They're not from a famous brand, but I had paid them around 100 euros each back them and they still are staples in my winter wardrobe
It's better to spend a bit more and own less stuff for me.
Well. For me I love owning luxury brands. I wasn't into them in the past but now after buying chanel one day, I was bitten. I still look at everything in every store tho.
Last edited: