To feel conned by 'luxury' handbags?

[realhousewifeofmodor]

Have been fortunate enough to have had a bit more disposable income recently,and have found myself lusting after bags from certain well known middle-high end brands, such as Mulberry, Aspinal, Strathberry, Demellier etc.

Have bought a couple, and although they're nice bags, I can't now help but feel that I was conned into buying them from people on Instagram and I only ever really liked them for the name printed on the front. I can't afford the likes of Hermes etc so it's not even super high end, but do feel a bit disgusted with myself that I've spent so money on branded goods when that money could have done so much good.

Anyone else splurge a bit and then get buyers remorse? Or is it possible (or indeed OK) to own a plethora of such handbags etc and to not feel an ounce of guilt/shame about it? Or to truly believe people buy these items because they genuinely love them, not because of the brand name abs therefore status attached to them?

I have bought one label (Ted Baker - so not really high end) that I liked. But honestly I feel the price for a label is what DH calls a "stupid tax". I love the bag I've got now - it's a large heavy canvas one and I've "pimped" it with a floral star and a tassel in the same colour. Plus I can get everything in it!

I can, but don't buy designer shoes or bags. I have in the past and have regretted it. Mainly because my style and tastes change and I stop loving them. But if you can afford it and you like it, then why not!

@realhousewifeofmodor I have a couple from Dunmore Scotland. I’ve had one of their leather saddlebags for years and it’s probably the bag I use most day to day. I like a cross-body bag and my finger is currently hovering over their green leather satchel as there’s a really good sale on at the moment. I really don’t need another bag, but when’s that ever stopped anyone? 🤣

I absolutely adore the strathberry bags @realhousewifeofmodor - I think the closing is so elegant. Have also got a lovely cream leather Kate Spade which I adore. On the other hand I'm sick of seeing Louis Vuitton bags and wouldn't thank you for one! So for me it's the design not the label that is most important. Try the outnet too if you want a bargain-- some great bits on there.

I have got two M&S Cross body bags, both really nice, most expensive one was £65, had both about four years and still in excellent condition.

Also have a Bally bag bought in the 90s, still looks good and occasionally get it out and give it an airing if I go out at night and only need a very small bag.

I buy my bags from charity shops, never had buyer's remorse.

@PrincessNutella

My husband bought me a Coach bag. The zipper broke, and we took it back to the store to get it fixed. They couldn't fix it, so they gave me a new one for free. I have to say, that really impressed me. I felt as if they really stood behind the product they made and had a certain kind of pride about it.

Why did that impress you? New Look would do that! Well, with it he trying to fix first. Replacing a faulty product is a legal obligation.

@justasking111 they buy for family because European luxury goods are heavily taxed in China. There is a growing wealthy class in China. International students are mostly well off, we have to have to be as mostly our parents fund our studies and the home office checks our finances before giving us a visa. My dad had to put £200k in an accessible bank account as proof of finances as I was studying in London.and in Asia, luxury goods are often a sign of conformity with peer group rather than 'luxury'. Like I know in Singapore, I have heard people who worked in sales who said they felt pressured to carry luxury bags as their clients assumed they were not good at their job/had no clients if not carrying a Chanel or Prada. It is much cheaper to buy those brands in UK so naturally they do buy those brands when holidaying in the UK...

Also I have always felt that people from China/HK/Singapore buy luxury consumer goods because a very high percentage of the population live in apartments/condos including the rich so there is less they can do to improve it even if they own it. I speak as someone who owns a London apartment. How many times can you redecorate the interiors? Conversely , I feel home improvements are where rich British people spend the most money as outside of prime central London, most rich British people live in houses. That and private school and expensive holidays.

The most I've spent is £180 and it was on a dkny bag, I actually made myself walk around Bluewater to see if I still wanted to spend that much. I did buy it in the end and I loved it. I should of bought two because I loved the design and always got compliments on it but as I used it ao much it wore out. Shame they don't sell that dssign anymore.

Maybe ou bought too many at once and thats also contributing to your feeling.

Looking at it from a different angle, how much do you think somebody should be paid to create a leather handbag? Think about all the people along the supply chain, from the leather tanners/ processors, the designers, people cutting it out, sewing it together, producing all the metal hardware bits etc. I don't know the answer to this question, but I suspect it would be higher than we all expect - not sure why it's seen as virtuous to spend as little as possible.

I don't have the budget right now, but if I'm ever in a position to spend a few hundred on a bag, I'd happily spend it if I felt it was ethically produced and great quality. I realise that a higher price tag doesn't always guarantee either of these things (and have no idea about the brands you mentioned) but I'd be researching small producers making beautiful products - possibly even buying direct from them.

@Cocomarine for new look, you need to take it back within 30 days..never bought coach but I wouldn't be surprised if they accepted even after 30 days had lapsed. My bag has a lifetime guarantee- repairs all free. This isn't exclusive to luxury but generally only brands who have an emphasis on quality i.e. not new look would do that.

I think a good quality bag and shoes are good buys - so long as you can afford it. I would never get into debt to buy one and I buy what I like personally, I don't look at Instagram etc. I have a few but use one mulberry and one LV handbag most of the time so I certainly get my monies worth. I agree you could buy a leather bag from Tk maxx or somewhere much cheaper which would be just as good quality. But having "nice" bags and shoes etc give me a little boost and I can afford them.

It's all about the overall look though. There's a fine line between looking classy or overdone. I usually assume people with things like Chanel and those little black Gucci shoulder bags are fakes as so many young girls have them and don't look like they can actually afford the real thing, but perhaps that's just me being a snob. There are so many good fakes around though - there was a man selling all manner of fakes on a stall in Dublin recently and I was astounded at how real they looked. I wouldn't buy one though as I would know it was fake and I'd feel like a fraud!

I have known two women who buy high end bags, both are from poor backgrounds. One has most definitely made it and herself and her DH are millionaires a couple of times over. The other still lives in pretty grim circumstance and really scrimps to afford the couple of bags she has. I suppose it makes them feel good.

I just spent 1k on a full size arcade video game machine, I absolutely love it and pootle about in public with a rucksack that’s cost about £20. Each to their own I suppose.

When it comes to items that people want it’s only an issue if they can’t afford them. Capitalism relies on people wasting money :)

My hunt for a beautiful bag that I could fall in love with came from a brand-ignorant starting place. I was looking around with big eyes and the ones I LOVED weren't cheap.

Then I started noticing patterns, I tend to like Loewe bags. I don't seem to like Chanel bags. So my tastes were a bit champagne on a ginger beer budget but they were still genuine.

I'm not carrying around a framed bank draft on a strap and it's interesting that some people who don't love bags can reduce a love of bags to pure materialisms and nothing else. No space to allow an appreciation for the design or the quality at all.

The bag I bought for my 50th, if I'd seen a similar bag for half the price I would have bought it but there's nothing out there remotely similar and I do appreciate the quality and the design being unusual.

I have brought it to work, on the bus, out to family events and I wouldn't think that most people know well that was not from m&s.

I think posters who say it's only about the label, can't imagine people just buying something they like ... which is sad.
There are also issues of materials, workmanship, whether staff are paid a living wage ... plus the design element.
This is reminding me of a thread from a few weeks ago. Handbags aren't 'valued' because they are associated with women and viewed as 'frivolous' purchases. Watches and cars are viewed as serious 'investments' because they're traditionally associated with the male market.
In the last year, handbags have outstripped watches, cars and property on investment returns. And yet women are constantly asked to 'justify' their frivolity. It's not frivolity when it's the most sound investment on the market. Handbags and jewellery are both good ways for women to have access to valuable items that can be carried easily and converted to money if need be.

@ShinyHappyPoster

I think posters who say it's only about the label, can't imagine people just buying something they like ... which is sad. There are also issues of materials, workmanship, whether staff are paid a living wage ... plus the design element. This is reminding me of a thread from a few weeks ago. Handbags aren't 'valued' because they are associated with women and viewed as 'frivolous' purchases. Watches and cars are viewed as serious 'investments' because they're traditionally associated with the male market. In the last year, handbags have outstripped watches, cars and property on investment returns. And yet women are constantly asked to 'justify' their frivolity. It's not frivolity when it's the most sound investment on the market. Handbags and jewellery are both good ways for women to have access to valuable items that can be carried easily and converted to money if need be.

I think you are ascribing views to people without evidence. I think a man who buys an ugly watch to show off the maker, or has a car he can't get in and out of properly but is a high end brand, is a tit.

Again, as I said for bags - buy what you like, and enjoy using it. Buying anything because you think the brand is impressive is vacuous.

To be fair, although there will still be a mark up with expensive cars, there is much more of an element of 'you get what you pay for' with cars. The difference between a Ferarri, a Mercedes and a Hyundai is huge in terms of engine, interior spec etc and much bigger than the difference between a New Look, a Mulberry and a Hermes bag. There is just no way that a single handbag can be worth 20 grand, or even a thousand pounds really, even when you factor in materials and labour.

The ridiculous price hikes of Chanel bags in the last 3 or 4 years have shown that its all total bullshit.

My point exactly about cars - you could buy a cheap runaround like a Kia or Ford Focus - why go for a BMW 5 series? Of course its about being in the "i can afford better" gang!!!! Cars are acceptable but more traditionally female things like bags are not.

realhousewifeofmodor

CrimbleCrumble1
I have a few Dior bags and would rather save up for one of these than spend on the £500 bags.
I also have quite a few under £40 bags that I enjoy using, it’s the middle price range I’m not keen on.

I prefer them, I don’t really go for the £1500 ones either. My bags are more than double that.
It’s no different to preferring an Audi to a Citroen.

Why are luxury bags always picked on? People spend on fine food and wine, nice expensive cars, expensive holidays, get their nails done, or spend on expensive hobbies and no one judges that?
I don't do any of the above but I do like nice bags.
I recently had the chance to meet some of artisan creators at Dior and they do everything by hand (unlike what some PP claimed). They train for years and years at their craft so Ofcourse it's going to cost most. And bags ARE an investment. I bought my small lady dior in 2015 for £1850 and now it's £3050.
Ofcourse don't buy something just for the sake of a name though, if you're going to feel disgust with yourself then it's clearly not something you get joy from.

OP what would good would you have done with the money if you had not bought the bags? Do you generally feel guilty spending money on yourself or only on bags?

@saturning

My point exactly about cars - you could buy a cheap runaround like a Kia or Ford Focus - why go for a BMW 5 series? Of course its about being in the "i can afford better" gang!!!! Cars are acceptable but more traditionally female things like bags are not.

It's not though? Those cars are more comfortable to drive, have smoother engines, better acceleration, have better interior options such as climate control, adaptive cruise control etc. And once you get to Ferarri/Aston Martin territory the driving experience is completely different, you can't really compare to a Kia at all.

Yes there are 'luxury cars' that are pretty shit (looking at you Range Rover) but generally more expensive cars are nicer to drive.

A Chanel/Hermes isn't going to give a better 'handbag' experience than a Coach/Osprey or even nice leather Zara, apart from knowing its a high end brand.

YANBU to feel conned because they are a con. Simple.

Chanel/Hermes isn't going to give a better 'handbag' experience than a Coach/Osprey or even nice leather Zara, apart from knowing its a high end brand it does for me, i feel great with my bags, they make my outfits look lovely, I enjoy looking at them and using them, I’m worth it.

"A Chanel/Hermes isn't going to give a better 'handbag' experience than a Coach/Osprey or even nice leather Zara, apart from knowing its a high end brand."

@Omicrone but that's your subjective opinion isn't it? I get a lot of joy when I use my Chanel flap. I have some Coach bags too for daily use and I love them too but it's a different feel when I take my Chanel out. And a Toyota can give just as nice of a driving experience as a BMW, I have a hybrid Toyota because as long as my car is comfortable, reliable, and functional I don't care what brand it is, but some people do and that's okay.