Quote:
Originally Posted by endorphinz
the old adage:"if you have to ask how much something costs, you can't afford it" ...the labels being discussed are not meant for "ordinary folk" blah blah blah...
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Aah, and another sweeping generalization from an outsider looking in. You have little clue what actually goes down so you're left to go off assumptions and adages–neither of which make you sound as bright as you probably are.
endorphinz, there is something called a middle ground. A lot of people I know, including many of the people on this forum, are able to own these labels based on 2 major factors:
1. they're not making frequent expenditures on lower to mid-range brands like Diesel, A&F, Kenneth Cole, etc (like the vast majority of people do, both male and female). Instead, they'll pool their cash for a while until they can drop it on one great piece–that will likely stay in their
possession for a lot longer than anything found at the mall. It's a matter of having one stellar blazer/coat/boot whatever, over 3-4 that add up to the same amount in cost, but never character.
And
2. you're making the assumption that everything is acquired for full retail price, which is the case maybe half the time, if that. When people aren't making bank, they still find ways to
get things they want. Between online auctions like eBay, SZ & SuFu classifieds (let one thing go, acquire another) store sales, etc, they're kopping their shit at a price that they're able to swing, even if it means letting the electric bill double over. Full retail purchases often go on credit cards, get paid down, then get
jacked back up. If they work in the industry, they get discounts deep enough to make you cry, or they receive gratis. Though there are plenty of exceptions, if you were to peer into a many of their closets, you'd find that they're half as full as you might expect–though when you did the math, your mind would be
blown.
No one I know is dropping 20K on shopping sprees, but I've dressed
many people who have such budgets, and you know what the common thread, no pun intended, running between each of them is? They more often than not look contrived due to a painfully obvious
lack of sincerity, which no amount of money can fake. I've found that those who appreciate artisanal/niche clothing the most are those who can afford it the
least.
Just goes to show that
money and style are mutually exclusive. Most everyone here already knows it. The rest are throwing around assumptions and adages because they don't have anything else to go by.
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