Wearing luxury to work? Would you do it? Does it depend?

[ItsPurseonal]

I work in fashion so it is par for the course for both me and my clients to wear nice clothes/have nice shoes/watches.

It would very much depend on one's field of work and possibly just general dynamic within the work place.

I honestly don't think many jobs outside of fashion allow you to dress as boldly as I enjoy to. I do however tone it done for certain clients who tend to dress more casually.

As for bags; I don't wear any of my bags to work.

This is so interesting, I’d love to know why you don’t wear your bags to work but you do wear nice (designer?) clothes, shoes and watches?

 

[zinacef]

critical care here, always have very small lockers so our purses are just laying out on chairs or anything. I’ve carried my Balenciagas and LV Epi backpack but for the most part, contemporaries only—- dooney , Tory Burch or Coach Or Longchamp. carried my luxuries when we‘re dining out or on trips. So far, only one of my co-workers know anything about what I carry even outfits. She’s on her 20’s and we get to talk about our favorite dress brands like Zimmerman or Sue Sartor. And of course, the coolest and most comfortable sneakers.

 

[Christofle]

This is so interesting, I’d love to know why you don’t wear your bags to work but you do wear nice (designer?) clothes, shoes and watches?

Because bags have a different connotation for whatever reason psychologically. Most of my clients are men roughly 40 years older than me so to avoid any kind of judgement that might impact current and future sales I choose not to wear designer bags around them. (Especially as a guy)

I’ve heard them many times mocking brands like Hermes and LV. Meanwhile they don’t bat an eye at owning multiple Porsches/Bentleys/etc… Mainly a nice car shows success and that you can be trusted while a bag is seen as overpaying and being easily misled.

 

[lill_canele]

I wear black scrubs every day and I wear my LV bags everyday. The bag sits in my office on it's little box (so not to touch the floor) I get in at 6:45 am so people only see me/my bag if I leave from the main door at 4pm and I don't care if they do.

Yay, scrubs for life! I wear scrubs pretty much everyday too. Technically, according to my position, I'm supposed to wear more business casual, but they're just too comfy.
But! When I do have to wear business casual, it gets a lot of comments. All positive, which is good. Some of my business casual is RTW, but it's basically like quiet luxury, no one can tell.

Oh, the important box! My bag sits on a tiny filing cabinet so I don't have to keep it on my desk and DEFINITELY not put it on the floor!

Haha, when I had a YSL sac de jour, I used it for work for a short period of time. Always put it on the floor, never thought about putting it anywhere else, until one of my co-workers let me know I could put it in a cabinet with a lock to keep it safe when I wasn't at my desk. Totally looking out for me, no negative connotation what-so-ever. And I was like....oh...I never thought about that.

I need a “No, because of my field of work” option in the poll

I love my job, but it is not ideal for anything too precious… plus, I’m in a male-dominated industry, so I’m a bit of an outlier, because generally a backpack is much more practical for day-to-day. (I am a structural engineer for heavy machinery, which means being on, in, or around the machines and in the field). I have to wear clothing that I don’t care about, because they are bound to get dirty, stained, damaged… so, by proxy, I would never carry a purse that cost over $30, and it has to deal with being stuffed into a backpack occasionally.

My current work purse of “choice” (read: necessity, functionality) is a small canvas Travelon cross-body I picked up off Amazon. It is hideous, not at all to my personal taste, but the key is that I would not lose any sleep if it got banged up, covered in machine grease, or set on fire.

But that’s my work purse… which I consider totally separate entity from my “personal” purse collection, which is a whole different story

Yes, I have a work purse specifically for work. A dark navy longchamp tote, nice and subtle, within a reasonable pricepoint that doesn't raise any eyebrows.
I used to bring a purple nylon longchamp a couple years, and one of the employees walking by got kind of excited and talked to me about how much she loved longchamp, which was cute.
Perhaps she likes luxury but can't find much of an opportunity to chat about it without fear of being judged. I've had another come up to me to talk about shopping/luxury because she felt like I'm of the few people she could talk to about designer because as a fellow luxury-lover, we "get it", but at my workplace, very few do and/or they judge.

 

[lill_canele]

Does it depend on the generation? (older vs newer)
I think the trend to show your wealth is more prevalent among the younger generations (I'm a 1990 baby, so I feel like I'm in between), in saying that, I have a European boss, he wears his D&G belt and Rolex watch, he's in his 60s. His Australian counterparts aren't as chicly dressed as he is generally, but I think that's a cultural thing. I really don't think wearing your designer goods (as long as they are not logo heavy) should be cause for judgement, you should be judged on how well you do your job.

What do you see in your work environment? Any stories?
Being in a hospital setting, I've seen accessories (particularly the male doctors and their watches), but most of my colleagues aren't wearing anything designer at work like RTW or shoes.

Regarding my colleagues, I've only ever had one person point out my shoes... and they were pretty obvious. I have worn designer bags to work though none of my LV monogram bags. I've never had anyone comment. I also don't throw it in people's faces, my bag gets put away in my office.

Agree, my boss and I are more in the end of the millennial generation, or I guess we are "young" millennials. Wearing obvious designer accessories and clothes is something we would never dare to wear, especially at an interview or being the new person at work. We chatted about it actually, she said: the new generation doesn't play around!

Yes, the male physicians usually go for their watches and shoes. Though I feel that even though the shoes are more formal and designer, they are very classic and unless someone knew about men's luxury shoes, no one can tell.
There are a couple of male doctors who wear designer jewelry, as their wedding band. I saw one wearing the gold Bvlgari B.Zero, in the widest width, as his wedding band. It looked really good!

 

[ChampagneandChakras]

Agree, my boss and I are more in the end of the millennial generation, or I guess we are "young" millennials. Wearing obvious designer accessories and clothes is something we would never dare to wear, especially at an interview or being the new person at work. We chatted about it actually, she said: the new generation doesn't play around!

Yes, the male physicians usually go for their watches and shoes. Though I feel that even though the shoes are more formal and designer, they are very classic and unless someone knew about men's luxury shoes, no one can tell.
There are a couple of male doctors who wear designer jewelry, as their wedding band. I saw one wearing the gold Bvlgari B.Zero, in the widest width, as his wedding band. It looked really good!

I'm the boss and I'm Gen X all the way. I do chuckle a little when these young kids come in with their Valentino shoes or their DA Neverfull or their blatant knock off bags (I had a really bad DE Neverfull come into my office the other day). I just appreciate that they at least look professional. I've had them come in with dresses on that were more for the club than the job interview. But I digress...as far as the surgeons I work for: they are all in scrubs all the time even on office days. They are younger. They also wear the rubber wedding bands and apple watches if any. In one of my previous jobs in Philly, my doctor boss wore custom made suits to the office and white lab coat over shirt and tie to see patients. It was sharp.

 

[IOSCHA]

Wanted to add again to this discussion since I just had a conversation with a coworker from a different division (sales) about luxury goods. She said that as with all client-facing positions, appearances are important and closely scrutinized, so the right bag can go a long way.

To paraphrase, you want to have some designer pieces on you so that clients will trust you with big-ticket spendings, but not too much that they think you don't need their business. Bottega Veneta was mentioned numerous times during this conversation, so perhaps the direction leans towards "subtle yet recognizable", if that makes sense.

I also heard from the reporter with the Chanel Boy that her peers find her designer items to be a sign of privilege, so she felt that she wasn't taken seriously because of that.

 

[maris.crane]

Would you wear designer accessories: bags, shoes, scarves, etc to work? Yes. Do and have.
How about RTW? I don't really own any RTW that is not party wear.
How about jewelry? I'm not a big jewellrey person, but I've worn Cartier band, T&Co. Silver and costume luxury to work. No one's really noticed.

Does it depend on the field/job? Yes. Previously I was in AML/ATF/Sanctions so carrying really high end stuff could look suspicious. I'm in Risk Management now in a more chill business line and I'll wear luxury. I'm also hybrid and in office maybe 1-2 days a week so I enjoy carrying my bags, wearing my shoes, jewellrey.
Does it depend on your job title/status? Yes. See above.
Does it depend on the generation? (older vs newer) Yes - our department skews heavily Boomer (Directors onward) with a smattering of Milennials and Gen Z summer students. I don't notice the older crowd noticing bags whereas in previous roles with Gen X/ Elder Milennials the commentary was a bit... much.
What do you see in your work environment? Any stories? I like seeing luxury bags / shoes in the underground. I've seen a Gold Kelly once, I see lots of Louis Vuitton, Chanel (19s, Flaps), lots of Longchamp. I can walk to Saks from my office now which is nice but the Saks is... pretty terrible.

 

[WingNut]

My take:


Would you wear designer accessories: bags, shoes, scarves, etc to work?
Yes, and I do. I carry an Hermes bag almost daily, because it's functional. I don't tell people what it is, most wouldn't know or care. I strongly avoid logos, and I think a lower-end logo'd item would be much more recognizable and probably perceived as more showy than a higher-end item without logos.
How about RTW?
I don't own much and that which I do own isn't really recognizable as such. Wearing Fendi cargo pants right now but no one knows what they are, and I certainly don't go around telling people about it.
How about jewelry?
Yes, Cartier and/or VCA daily, but not exceptionally blingy and I don't pile it on and my pieces are not really recognizable. Currently wearing Cartier full set Clash with D'Amour necklace and JUC bracelet.

Does it depend on the field/job? It could/should. In an executive desk job yes, if working at a volunteer organization I wouldn't. I should note that I live and work in a desert of a fashion city and non-fashion-savvy organization...
Does it depend on your job title/status? In my case, I'm CEO, tech company with mostly men. No one cares. One or two women notice, we chat about it and they also might wear designer items. IF I see someone more junior with high-end items I assume they have earned it and I don't judge how they did so. I'm all for seeing people dress up more..
Does it depend on the generation? (older vs newer). Probably? I'm one of the older ones....
What do you see in your work environment? Any stories? I see engineers walking through their area in socks and sometimes not so clean t-shirts . Some of the people in sales definitely wear well-tailored higher end items.

I understand many may have strong opinions this (I know I do), but let's just have a discussion, see how people feel and what they see at work? And how do their co-worker's see or judge? If anyone judges, I have not heard either directly nor through the rumor mill.

 

[abl13]

I work in finance in an internal-facing position (no clients) and hell yes I wear Cartier, Tiffany, LV daily and so do a lot of other women, along with bigger engagement rings, etc. I was so happy when I saw one of our attorneys wearing Louboutins. I haven’t received any negative feedback about it at all.

 

[lill_canele]

I'm the boss and I'm Gen X all the way. I do chuckle a little when these young kids come in with their Valentino shoes or their DA Neverfull or their blatant knock off bags (I had a really bad DE Neverfull come into my office the other day). I just appreciate that they at least look professional. I've had them come in with dresses on that were more for the club than the job interview. But I digress...as far as the surgeons I work for: they are all in scrubs all the time even on office days. They are younger. They also wear the rubber wedding bands and apple watches if any. In one of my previous jobs in Philly, my doctor boss wore custom made suits to the office and white lab coat over shirt and tie to see patients. It was sharp.

Haha, that is true. I do appreciate professional attire.

Our older male physicians definitely dress to the nines! One hematology oncologist wore a suit everyday to our meetings.
I know a neurosurgeon who wore Armani suits to work everyday.
Years ago I worked with an infectious disease doctor who came from Boston. He wore a 3 piece suit and it looked so smart!
It was a little out of place in southern California, haha, but when I lived on the East Coast, people in general were not as casually dressed as Californians.

 

[ItsPurseonal]

Because bags have a different connotation for whatever reason psychologically. Most of my clients are men roughly 40 years older than me so to avoid any kind of judgement that might impact current and future sales I choose not to wear designer bags around them. (Especially as a guy)

I’ve heard them many times mocking brands like Hermes and LV. Meanwhile they don’t bat an eye at owning multiple Porsches/Bentleys/etc… Mainly a nice car shows success and that you can be trusted while a bag is seen as overpaying and being easily misled.

Yes, I see what you mean. It’s unfortunate but that is certainly an accurate characterization

 

[kaledonia]

I do see people wearing their Burberry coats and Mulberry bags to work. Why ? No logo here.

Despite wearing my LV wallet everyday, I would not take my LV canvas bag to work.

 

[lvpiggy]

Definitely depends on the job context for me. For example:

• when in finance, for sure, I know everyone's making good money so there's no issue of jealousy
• when in fashion/luxury, yes, because everyone has access to employee sales, samples, etc.
• when in an agency, with luxury clients, either something from their brand or no-name items

When working in fashion or luxury you're very likely to see people decked out head to toe in luxury items but always from a few years ago, that they got in employee sales... or else in things that might even be mistaken for fakes because it's a sample and there were some adjustments made between the showroom presentation and the production

 

[Cali2HI]

I wear my designer bags to work. I work in healthcare at a medical center. I see both staff and patients wear LV, Gucci and even Hermes around the facility.