Why do people buy designer bags/shoes?

[ettieb]

I have seen a few threads recently with people discussing designer handbags and I'm absolutely baffled why people are spending so much money on a handbag.
What can be so special about a handbag (or a pair of shoes) that people will pay hundreds of pounds for them when they can get a decent leather bag for a fraction of the cost of a designer bag?
There must be a limit to how good the quality of a bag can be... surely no bag is worth £800?
The most expensive bag I have ever bought cost £35 and I felt very guilty as this is a lot of money for a bag in my world.
Is it a status thing? Do they buy and carry these bags so other people will know that they have lots of money to waste?
I honestly don't get it, it just seems obscene to me. I get that people can spend their money on whatever they want but it just seems such a waste and so show-offy.

God forbid you would drive a Kia!

The bag is no better than a cheaper one

Says nobody who’s ever owned an expensive handbag.

I don't. But I suppose they don't go in and out of fashion as quickly as clothes. So it's a sounder investment for long term use.

I don’t get the bag thing as I don’t regularly use a hand bag, don’t get the car thing either unless we are talking classics, but I love my house and will happily spend money there or on holidays and yes if I went away I could stay in a Travel Lodge or Premier Inn but if I’m going to enjoy the time I want a lovely hotel with a pool and good food.

I wouldn’t know if a bag was designer or not 🤣. I honestly pay no attention to what people are carrying around or what they have on their feet - it’s not important. If one of my friends wanted to show me a purchase they were particularly pleased with I’d pay proper attention to that though, would be rude not too.

I'm a H&M/Sainsburys clothes shopper. Three years ago I got a bonus and splashed half of it on a (for me!) expensive handbag. It was about 130 quid and I felt sick. But the money was not expected at all, we had plenty savings etc so I did it.

I've literally used the bag every single day since. And it looks exactly like it did when I got it. I can't say the same for the cheap bags I usually get, even with a lot less than daily use.

It's definetly the max I'd go on a bag and barring a lottery win, I'd never do it again. But I can see why people do it, as honestly, the look and feel of the bag is like no other bag I've ever owned.

I haven't rtft but there's a brilliant leatherworker on TikTok who buys bags at all price points and pulls them apart. He tests the quality of the leather, the fabric, the metalwork and then says how much it should cost including labour to assemble it. Often, the mid-range bags come out best - decent quality materials, assembled in a sturdy way, reasonable mark up. It is shocking when he says that a designer bag should cost say £200 (materials, an hour to assemble) and it retails for £8000. He always says you are paying for the label. I can only assume some women are happy to do that.

I can't claim to have full-on designer bags, but the Kate Sheridan and Cambridge Satchel bags I have look lovely, feel nice and, I feel, make my outfit look slightly more stylish. If you aren't bothered about such things, don't spend money on a bag. But 'people buy stuff they like" doesn't seem like an unreasonable course of action.

I don't understand either, but that's because those expensive bags look absolutely hideous to me. I would be embarrassed to carry one around. I hate cars too, and they all look the same to me (ugly).

I do spend preposterous amounts of money on things other people would find absurd, though.

People prioritise different things though don't they? Some women get hair done, nails done, massages, trips away frequently and may be perfectly happy with their New Look bag

Other women may choose not to spend on treatments; trips etc and instead invest in designer bags.

Some women are lucky enough to afford the choice of what they spend their surplus income on. Who are we to question them?

It really doesn't.

I have a lot of designer bags, I love them, they are wonderful quality and will last a lifetime. Some of them have appreciated in value.
I have a few pairs of designer shoes, heels only, again I love wearing them occasionally and really finish an outfit.
I also have a few Hermès scarves which I just adore, they make me happy and I treasure them. Designer sunglasses too.

I rarely buy designer clothes - I don’t find them good value. Accessories yes, they can elevate an outfit and make you feel great. Fashions change, but a Hermes scarf will look great forever, we will a Chanel bag.

I can afford it, I am very lucky, but I appreciate every single great quality item I own.

Because I like them, I can afford to and I want to. I have a few designer bags in different styles, chosen because I like the appearance of them as well as the quality. Could I have got a good quality bags for cheaper? Sure, but those wouldn’t have been the ones I wanted.

If someone thinks that makes me stupid or gullible, that’s fine 🤷🏻‍♀️

You should buy the best quality shoes (and coat) you can afford and think about it in terms of cost-per-wear. Be sustainable. I have a Stella McCartney coat that I’ll probably have forever, some Chanel heels, some Jimmy Choos, I have had some Miu Miu flats but they were more ‚fashion‘ so probably won’t wear them again. They were fun in my 20s though. Also a gorgeous ACNE leather flying jacket, but I don’t wear it any more because I’m veggie so feels a bit wrong to be walking around in another creature’s skin now.

Bags, I could go either way on to be honest. It’s probably nice to have one if you really love it. Or if having multiple designer bags makes you happy then why not. I’m never that interested in the designer bags personally, but happy to see that they bring other people joy.

It’s the knock offs that do the real harm…

I buy designer shoes and bags because I like them. They are well made and last well. I also buy cheaper bags and shoes if I like them.

I don't smoke, barely drink, buying these items doesn't mean I can't afford to feed myself or my children, or that any of us goes without anything they need.

What I buy doesn't affect anyone else and it's not my fault others can't afford to buy some of the things that I can, but does that mean I shouldn't buy them?

i own a few items bought in last 2 years and spent about £3.5k at louis vuitton and mulberry. i did celebrate a big birthday, had been saving and started a new job however and had never bought any bag more than £100 before. the things i bought are not heavily branded.

From time to time i do wonder why i have done this as they really are just handbags and hold things. they just aren't worth the £££ in materials/assembly/piece cutting/material processing etc.

i also often wonder why people drive a BMW when a Kia would be serviceable but people say its to do with performance.

i think it is a number of factors being present at the same time including-
status as in not everyone can afford to buy them
feels special as expensive and mostly higher quality materials
a statement and distinctive item to punctuate an outfit

Caring about brands and labels is really so stupid and meaningless really in terms of indicating wealth/exclusivity due to fakes, buying items on credit card and accessible to buy in every major city around the world.

But they're not "billboards". We're a bit past the white plastic coated Louis Vuittons with the multicoloured logos.

My 12 year old Mulberry Bayswater is still perfect and all it's got on it is a little embossed tree on the keyfob. I'd love a Loewe for the shape and leather quality, and that's got a small embossed shape in the top corner. And I just like finishing off an outfit with an accessory that I like. A lot of the time it's a secondhand canvas Longchamp that was less than £40 but I'd still rather carry that than a brand new cheapy bag from Primark.

What you're actually saying is 'I don't understand how people have different values and priorities to me.'
I don't get people like you that think like that and can't think outside their own tiny narrow view.

Surely you must recognise that there are things that you spend money on that others would think was a complete waste. But everyone's different. Spending money on designer items isn't hurting anyone (more than consumerism does generally) and is contributing to the economy and providing jobs.

You could just as easily as why do people spend money on private school if you can often get as good an education at a good state one. Or expensive wine if you can buy a nice bottle for a tenner. Or £80 on perfume when you can buy ones that smell just as nice for a fiver. Or an iphone 13 plus when a mid range samsung does 99% of the same stuff. Or £30k on a wedding when people often have a better time at the cheaper, DIY ones. Or a brand new mercedes when a second hand ford will get you from a to b in the same time. Or, or, or....

It’s because those of us who like expensive stuff are idiots with more money than sense or up to our eyeballs in debt. In either case we’ll get our just desserts. Whereas people like you OP, will win out in the end because you’re sensible with high morals and just overall better human beings.

Is this what you wanted to hear OP? hmm? Are you bathed in a warm glow of superiority surrounded by your bargains which are only cheap because some poor woman in Indonesia is being beaten to make your stuff for $1 a day?

Amazon van turning up outside your door every week with more cheap throwaway ‘bargains’ where you can relish in moral superiority over Jane at work who has a Chanel bag. But yours from the market is just as good as it’s got a similar logo to Calvin Klein but if you look closely it says Gavin Klein but you’re not a mug who will buy a real one? Amiright?

This!

It’s much easier to guess in real life than from pictures though

I think I might love you @Endlesssummer2022.

Absolutely this^^

Chatting about bags, in Style and Beauty, where people go to chat about Style and Beauty. So you don’t ‘get’ it? Why should they care? Honestly, this place and the snarky superiority towards other people’s pleasures is utterly tiresome.

In my circle, the designer bags are owned by people who saved up for ages. They live in modest houses and have modest lifestyles. They can spend their money on whatever they want but it does seem daft to me. Like men who drive fast cars but live with their mum. The women I know who have a high disposable income don't spend it on designer bags. I'm on the fence - several designer bags that I bought when younger but I don't see the appeal any more.