to think you only buy a LV handbag to show off how wealthy you are?

[PhlegmyHead]

I'm not disputing their quality, as having watched a lot of construction videos they do seem reasonably well-made, but the monogrammed "leather" is just so ugly.

A bog-standard tote will set you back £1200 - handmade bags made by lesser known brands/designers in full-grain, veg tan leather would cost less and be far more attractive. (And higher quality too)

Seeing as we wear things to make a statement about ourselves (for the most part) and considering the bags aren't aesthetically pleasing, the statement, in this case, must be "look how much money I have"?

I'm super picky with handbags. You might not like them OP but someone will. Why shouldn't someone buy a bag they like?

I'm not in to the LV monogram - partly because it's a knock off magnet- but I'd pay a lot for a good quality bag I like-. I buy cheaper ones if they suit me and are good quality but I'd pay more for good leather. I'd buy a non monogram neverfull based on their hardwearing construction tbh. If you use it a lot, cost per wear you'll get your moneys worth.

My current work bag is a £320 Ralph Lauren tote & I'm expecting it to last a good while. If I can afford it, I'll go for a big name if there's one I like. I love my RL. It's nice leather, smart, carries a lot of stuff and seems to be robust and wearing well. Currently eyeing up Gucci Swings on vestiaire to maybe treat myself to though! My other passion is Hermes scarves

I bought my lv neverfull ages ago for about £400.

This thread is hilarious by the way...it's such a weird snobbery and lots of stealth boasting. Oh I spend thousands on designer items but I'm so classy with it so no one knows they cost thousands.

What a lot of people are trying to say in not so many words is, I'm a proper rich person, not a commoner who just happens to be able to afford it.

What I’m saying is I’ve spent a lot of money on nice handbags in my time but don’t like LV. Is that all right with you @formerbabe?

@VinylDetective

What I’m saying is I’ve spent a lot of money on nice handbags in my time but don’t like LV. Is that all right with you *@formerbabe*?

My comment wasn't aimed at you or anyone in particular. It's the overall attitude of people who think they're so much more classy because they aren't so showy about their purchases or fashion choices. Let's say you are wealthy and have a beautiful home, nice car, good holidays and want a bag, you have the luxury of buying something expensive but understated because you have nothing to prove. Its a very privileged position to be in and you shouldn't sneer at people who are proud they could afford it and want others to know they could.

Thing is, I’d love to know how many of you slating LV are owners of bags such as Michael Kors, Kate Spade etc. My most expensive Louis cost me £330 15 years ago and the cheapest £120 - very similar price point to MK etc. I earned a hell of a lot less money back then - I just liked saving to have nice things. No disrespect to the brands I mentioned - I love Kate Spade bags to.

In countries like Singapore, HK and Japan to a certain extent, a lot of women buy Louis Vuitton and other designer brands as a way of fitting in. In those countries, so many women carry Louis Vuitton that I don't really see it as a status symbol anymore as I have seen many women with non high paying jobs i.e. secretary, airline stewardess who carry LV, Chanel, Gucci, Ferragamo (not Hermes!) .I have heard from friends in client facing jobs that their clients would assume their company wasn't doing well if they didn't carry these bags in a business setting as they are obviously not being paid enough. A lot of these bags are also popular as gifts.

Frankly, outside of Asia, I don't really see the point of carrying such bags but maybe thats just me.

Not a fan of the monogram either.
It became massively popular in China because it is recognisably ‘Designer’.. having said that though, and read what other posters said about snobbishness, Im now questioning whether I don’t like it because I really think it’s ugly, or because I’m being a snob (Ie others are tacky and I’m not because I prefer understated luxury )

The thing with designer bags is that a large amount of them never go out of style, in fact many hold their value and some rarer ones even become more valuable. I bought a couple of designer bags 20+ years ago. I still use them now. My body has changed a lot over the years. I put on weight for various reasons (some my fault, some not) even my feet got bigger (or maybe flatter and spread more!) so any spending on clothes and shoes has been a waste. But my bags will always fit me!

I wouldn't buy one as i cannot afford to spend £1500 on a bag but I woudn't bat an eyelid at spending £300 on a pair of shoes for my teen (wouldn't on myself) which others might think is excessive. We live within our means

I love this saying.

We spend money we can't really afford on stuff we don't really need to impress people we don't really know or like

@Muzzyarker

I love this saying.

We spend money we can't really afford on stuff we don't really need to impress people we don't really know or like

Ha!

Also, don't go broke trying to look rich.

@Muzzyarker

I love this saying.

We spend money we can't really afford on stuff we don't really need to impress people we don't really know or like

I pretty much explained this mindset to my seven year old the other day. You have to decide if you’re going to live a life full of material possessions you purchase or get yourself in debt for with the sole ambition of impressing other people. Or you buy the things you need and the things that bring you joy and live a life you can afford. Thats your decision to make as a adult.

Don't think it shows you've got money necessarily when you can get one o a market in Spain for 20 euros.

I just assume any designer-monogrammed bag I see is an aspirational fake.

@3rdNamechange

Don't think it shows you've got money necessarily when you can get one o a market in Spain for 20 euros.

You can't get one in a market for 20 euros...you can get a fake one

@SeasonallySnowyPeasant

I just assume any designer-monogrammed bag I see is an aspirational fake.

Thats very silly of you. The fashion houses make bags which are heavily logoed...do you think they don't sell any? Of course they do. Someone buys them hence some you see will be the real deal.

It's unfortunate that there are so many fakes that you can't tell which is which.

I can tell. I look at the stitching. The stitching on my lv bag is absolute perfection.

I used to be designer/brand mad when younger.
Now I have no desire for expensive products at all. I cannot bear that in our first world, we spend so much money on things we do not need whilst in the third world children are dying due to lack of basics like food, water and medicine. What would we say to those parents if we were sat across a table from them. What if we put ourselves in their shoes, if roles were reversed, how would we feel. The world and in the majority of us seem to have lost all humanity. Handbags costing hundreds if not thousands. Really. Think about it parents.

You have to be pretty bloody close to inspect the stitching! For normal purposes, ie on a stranger’s arm, the difference isn’t discernible.

I don't think an accessory makes anyone look whether they are rich or not. Who knows, it could be a present, a knock off, bought outright as pocket money for the owner, could be borrowed, bought on credit, etc.

Disney Dooney and Bourke is my preference.

I haven't judged anyone - I simply stated that as the bags are not attractive and that as a general rule, people buy things to make a statement about themselves - a bag covered in a designer logo must be making the statement "look at what I can afford".

I haven't, for example, called anyone a snob, a dick, jealous, poor or bitter - all judgements of which have been made on me in this very thread.

Purely because I cannot understand the appeal of a very very branded bag.

Those saying they are high quality - great. I'm sure it's true. But it certainly isn't £1200 worth of quality. It's £200 of quality and £1000 of brand name.
And therefore, the only reason one could want to wear it is to show off that brand name.

As for an investment, £1200 could be invested far wiser elsewhere.

As for liking the design - then we just have different taste. But there are very similar bags for half the price - so why specifically the LV one, if not for the brand name?

At the end of the day, people can of course spend their own money as they please - I just find it genuinely interesting, as its something I wouldn't consider worth the money.

Unless someone looked obviously wealthy I used to assume that most of the LV bags were fakes, until the early days of the big Lockdown release.

When the shops started opening on Sloane Street I was on the bus a few days running, around midday, and was amazed to see queuing outside LV - think only a few people allowed in at a time, and about 6 people in the queue. They all looked very 'ordinary' not the very wealthy with chauffeured cars outside. Some people just seem to need their designer fix, or the thrill of being in the shop.

A few days later in Westfield which was like a ghost town, again a small queue outside LV, and nowhere else!