A lot of people dress "high-low’ especially as the workplaces have become more casual. I wore mostly suits back in the 80’s/early 90’s but now mostly wear casual clothes from Banana or J Crew. I have narrow hard to fit feet so will spend more to get shoes that fit.
I think someone mentioned the Limited. I almost never shop there, but I happened to be traveling in a place with (no bad pun intended) limited shopping options and needed a pair of black pants. Bought a pair at Limited and they turned out to be amazingly flattering. I now own a pair in dark grey. You never know.
I have loved clothes and fashion since I was a teenager and I had no money and I sewed most of my own clothes. Until I finished my education, I was always wearing fashion on a budget. That mean though, rather low end “good clothes”. The difference between really high end clothes and knockoffs is usually in workmanship, although not always. A lining and how it is sewn in a high end dress, and whether it will be serviceable for years, may account for price differences. I am speaking of hundreds of dollars not the high end thousands of dollars items. However, the fast fashion trend often means that a knockoff is fine because it won’t be in style next season, and you won’t be wearing it year after year.
As to whether people who are rich comment on the designer clothes of others, I think this really depends on who you are talking about. I think if you mean "Housewives of " whatever place, the whole thing is about showing off designer stuff. Not all of them are that wealthy, although some are. A hundred Birkin bags wouldn’t make some of them seem educated or cultured. There are many places where such things are worshipped. Years ago when I was a young lawyer, I worked in a big NY firm and naturally came into contact with many rich people. I don’t think I ever heard anyone talking about what designer they had or were buying, and I think it would have been very declasse (sorry I can’t do accent marks.) Naturally many of the women were dressed very elegantly at parties or even for business, and the clothes looked excellent - well tailored, nice print etc. Who knows who made them!
I have a number of men over the years who probably are rich, but care nothing for fashion. The shirt collar is frayed (and ancient), and perhaps the shoe soles were worn out! I think in some circles it doesn’t matter - and in others it must matter a great deal. An ancient Brooks brothers suit may be fine in an “egghead” profession, but not for the owner of a clothing company.
A few comments on Birkin bags. They are very expensive (like 5 figures), but they haven’t gone out of style in over 30 years. And you can not just walk into the store and buy one - that’s a topic for a whole other thread. Of course I have no idea how long one would last and whether it would be “worth it”, but I tend to think it could never be worth it. Unless some stranger just benevolently bestows one on me, I won’t ever own one. I was at a very nice restaurant on the other coast a couple of years ago and two women were lunching and they each had what looked to me like identical Birkin bags. If they were real, it would be hard to manage that feat. They don’t make a whole bunch the same and just put them out on the shelf, not even a few years ago.
Since I don’t run in those circles and am not “rich”, I wouldn’t know But I highly doubt any of them would comment on the designer, and I imagine the most you would even get out of one is “you look divine, darling”.
In Paul Fussell’s 1983 book Class: A Guide Through the American Status System, he states that a marker of upper class people is that they never make comments about other people’s possessions.
Of course, there may be differences between “upper class” and “very rich.” And times change, I guess.
That book has really interesting things in it that I never would have guessed at, being far from upper class myself. For instance, fish aquariums in the home are considered (by upper class people) to be lower class, and so are red flowers in the garden!
There is a certain group of people who would never comment on the designer, or even tell you that you look good but they are conscious of what you’re wearing and make a mental note,
fireandrain, you beat me to it! No, everyone could not tell the difference between expensive suits and cheaper ones. I wouldn’t look closely enough at what someone was wearing to notice those details. I simply do not care about what people are wearing or what brand of purse they carry. I’m rich, and I buy most of my clothes at Kohl’s. My friends are mostly like me, so no chance of encountering designer things there. If I met someone at a social function I would have no idea what they were wearing, brand-wise.
It maybe the case in white people’s home, but for many Chinese it is a sign of prosperity to have fish aquariums. Our society is so diverse now, it is hard to say what is low class/high class. I knew of an instance when a FX trader insisted on installing a fish aquarium on the floor because it would bring him good luck (flowing of water symbolize flowing of money). For Chinese, red is good and white means death.
I wouldn’t recognize a Birkin bag even if it was hanging on my shoulder.
Funny thing is, one of my favorite blogs is Tom & Lorenzo, who write about fashion.
I love to shop. Every now and then I browse in the higher end stores. But given that I don’t work in an office or go to many social events, it’s really hard for me to justify paying three figures for a pair of nice black pants that I might wear once – if ever. I was sincerely wondering what people might think of me when I wear a “cheap” skirt or pants to something, whether I am being judged.
No, fireandrain, absolutely not! If anyone is judgemental about your pants, it is their problem. Even though I can tell fine wool fabrics from synthetic blends, when I am at a business function, I look at people’s faces, not their clothes. I don’t really pay attention to the business outfits, unless I see something that is totally out of place, like dress pants so tight that they might burst at the seams if the lady bends down to pick up something from the floor, a jacket that is two sizes too large, or a blouse with guns printed on it.
No, you are not being judged. 99.5% of people wear those clothes or their equivalents, at least some of the time. Why would you be singled out for judgment? It is the default.
When I said that anyone could tell the difference between an Akris suit and an H&M suit, I meant if two people of similar size and shape were standing right next to each other, and you were asked to identify who was wearing the $100 suit and who was wearing the $3500 suit, most people would guess correctly. I didn’t mean to suggest that anyone would notice in the absence of that express question, or that anyone would care.
I care a lot about what I wear, but I don’t really care a lot about what other people wear, unless it’s something clearly unsuitable to an occasion or something like that. I have only one girlfriend who’s a fashionista type - the rest don’t care all that much. I think, like most things, people are mostly concerned with what they want to do, and aren’t really scrutinizing everyone else.
VaBluebird, I think your original post sounds like you think rich people are like Thurston Howell from Gilligan’s Island – “oh, how smashing”!
Iglooo, I think you can credit Jacqueline Kennedy with the initial success of Lilly Pulitzer (from what I’ve read). But the staying power? That mystifies me. There is a section in the Preppy Handbook that is consistent with the popularity of Lilly Pulitzer–so the preppie fashion phase might have carried the label about 20 years forward from the time that Jackie wore it. Then? Does anyone know?
Paul Fussell’s book is actually a comedy, as you can tell from the profiles of men in the different classes. The “no bookcases in the living room” clause wiped us out from being upper class.
To me, LP seems to have transformed from the Palm Beach matron to the Southern sorority girl look. It’s not a look I care for or would be flattering to me - but to each her own. If I were to have a style icon, I’d go more Audrey Hepburn or Angelina Jolie, with classic lines and not a lot of prints.
Do rich people with class comment on others clothing? Yes but only to compliment (pretty dress, great color!) not because it’s designer. And you can’t tell if a person is rich by what they are wearing. Most of the rich people I know didn’t become rich by spending their money on designer fashion or fancy cars Their money went into financial investments. They could care less about what others wear.
Quality clothes that fit well do have a certain look and feel to them that is better for a professional workplace/practice… Good fit and fabric is more important than a label name any day.
“And you can’t tell if a person is rich by what they are wearing. Most of the rich people I know didn’t become rich by spending their money on designer fashion or fancy cars Their money went into financial investments. They could care less about what others wear.
Quality clothes that fit well do have a certain look and feel to them that is better for a professional workplace/practice… Good fit and fabric is more important than a label name.”
Some designers do have quality clothes / fabric / cut. Others are just splashy logos.
We took our son to Brooks Brothers to buy 2 suits and a good wool overcoat. To me that’s investment dressing, what a young man needs to have starting out. Well-made, but not “designer” - just good quality, timeless.
My good friend loves LP and I’m still baffled by it. I like the bright colors but one dress in my closet would be enough. They all look the same to me and not in a classic way. Like someone said above it’s like wearing a logo all over you. I don’t buy purses with names on them either no matter how much I like the purse. Maybe it’s just me.
I think the current incarnation of Lilly Pulitzer is primarily a junior line – something for the 13 to 20 year old set. Completely different from the brand in Jackie’s day, when it was resort wear for country club matrons, although the signature prints remain.
I have no idea when they went through the rebranding, but maybe they were influenced by Abercrombie & Fitch, which started out as an old-school sporting line for country gentlemen and transformed itself into its current line of trendy junior clothes.
And times change, I guess.
