I occasionally see and handbag or a pair of shoes which strikes my fancy in such a way that I think have to have it. Thankfully, it doesn't happen very often, so that when it does, my husband gives the go-ahead and says "ok".
Back before our culture started looking at everything as disposable, that was how things were done - you bought a few of the best you could afford, and that was that. You wore it, you repaired it, and you wore it some more. It makes more sense to me to spend a bit for a bag than to have 10 bags which cost as much together as my one.
We were at a summer cookout a few years ago, and we ladies got onto the topic of handbags and shoes. One of the women there, was telling the rest of us that her name had finally come up on the Birkin list at Hermes and she was waiting for delivery. For years, the list was about five years long and she'd saved up for years before that - her bag was around $6,000.00
A couple of the men, my husband included, overheard us. On the way home, he asked me what a "Birkin" was, and I told him. He said he'd never complain about the occasional cost of my stuff again, especially since I'm a careful shopper.
By the way, the economy has been so terrible the last few years, that as of last year, the five-year wait at Hermes for the Birkin no longer exists. They did away with it in 2010.
I have a Chanel and an LV that both cost more than that bag.
I would love a Chanel and/or a LV, but haven't found them at the right price (yet). The thrill of the hunt is part of it, though :)
....they look better too.
I don't know what it is about Mrs. Obama. She obviously wears expensive clothes, but often doesn't wear them well. There is almost always something "off" about her outfit. The color, the fit, the accessories, the style, ill-fitting - something.
She can look nice, like here: http://articles.nydailynews.com/2011-01-26/entertainment/27737969_1_young-designer-michelle-obama-renta but too often just looks odd.
I don't care for many of the asymmetrical things she wears (she wears so many things with one sleeve), or the sleeveless stuff when everyone else is wearing business attire. I don't like the crazy belts or busy patterns, either. She needs a different/better stylist.
If you have ever lived in the ghetto, you would realize that Aunt Esther’s wardrobe is perfectly acceptable. I’m waiting for her to wear her huge round gold earings with her name across the middle.
I shop at close outs for Saks Off Fifth, Neiman Marcus Last Call, etc. I have $400-500 dollar shoes that I pd. $49.99 for. Unfortunately Chanel and LV are never on sale. I usually pay no more for my designer label stuff than my friends pay for their stuff they get at Target.