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Original poster

Why do people buy designer bags/shoes?

547 replies

ettieb · 29/03/2023 16:50

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.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
18
roarfeckingroarr · 29/03/2023 20:37

Because they want to.

I have a few designer bags, some of which I've had for over a decade. They're better quality and they're classic designs. Price per wear is better than cheap pleather.

Justforlaffs · 29/03/2023 20:37

I love the whole experience of buying luxury items. Even if I end up ordering online because the item I want isn’t in stock in the shop, everything arrives so beautifully packaged. I like owning things that I don’t really see other people wearing. Obviously buying expensive shoes/handbags etc limits the chances of seeing other people with them. I could buy a pair of those new balance trainers or whatever that everyone’s wearing at the moment but I’d feel unoriginal and mundane.

Wearing a pair of £500 trainers or a handbag costing £1k+ makes me feel good! I think I carry myself differently and have more confidence when I’m wearing a few luxury items.

Dh and I work very hard and can easily afford it so why not?

mybeautifuloak · 29/03/2023 20:42

Justforlaffs · 29/03/2023 20:37

I love the whole experience of buying luxury items. Even if I end up ordering online because the item I want isn’t in stock in the shop, everything arrives so beautifully packaged. I like owning things that I don’t really see other people wearing. Obviously buying expensive shoes/handbags etc limits the chances of seeing other people with them. I could buy a pair of those new balance trainers or whatever that everyone’s wearing at the moment but I’d feel unoriginal and mundane.

Wearing a pair of £500 trainers or a handbag costing £1k+ makes me feel good! I think I carry myself differently and have more confidence when I’m wearing a few luxury items.

Dh and I work very hard and can easily afford it so why not?

They are indeed packaged beautifully and that in itself can be a joy to behold but I certainly don't feel any more confident or 'special' when I wear or carry designer brands. I don't measure myself or others on that basis. I prefer to stay under the radar in any case so even luxury items I may buy, I will choose the least ostentatiousness or even openly branded. I buy them because they are good. The quality the designs, the details.

ShirleyPhallus · 29/03/2023 20:44

I always find weirdest about designer bag threads is when people say that you could buy a really good holiday for the cost of a bag. I mean, yeah, but a week later it’s gone and you’re left with nothing. At least with a bag you have it forever

Floofydawg · 29/03/2023 20:53

ShirleyPhallus · 29/03/2023 20:44

I always find weirdest about designer bag threads is when people say that you could buy a really good holiday for the cost of a bag. I mean, yeah, but a week later it’s gone and you’re left with nothing. At least with a bag you have it forever

Just buy both, then you get to take the bag on holiday. Simples.

mathanxiety · 29/03/2023 21:05

I've bought designer bags in a thrift shop. The shop I usually go to has a bag section. Just by looking, you can tell the high quality bags from those that are not. The nicer bags usually sold for a heck of a lot more initially. Some of the bags I've bought were made in the 70s and are still going strong.

Timesawastin · 29/03/2023 21:06

BakedTattie · 29/03/2023 16:51

Because they want to.

And have more money than sense.
OP, mostly what you'll get here is dozens of people seduced by one upmanship and advertising defensively insisting that you're just jealous and/or they are making entirely free choices based on superior quality. They aren't interested in reflecting on this because they are too invested in the Labels Are Just Better narrative.
Honestly, just be glad you have a sensible perspective on relative and leave them to it.

/eagerly awaits being told how jealous and judgemental I am, to which a) nope b) you betcha, and more people should be

Timesawastin · 29/03/2023 21:08

/ relative value
Typo

mrsfennel · 29/03/2023 21:11

I buy them for the same reason I buy Primark, New Look etc . I like them and know I will get good use from them.

CrossBun · 29/03/2023 21:13

It makes people feel high status, valued, successful.

Floofydawg · 29/03/2023 21:20

@Timesawastin but the difference is, those of us who are stating why we buy them didn't start a thread called 'why do people buy shite cheap pleather bags from Primark', did we?

TenTwentyAtCheltenhamSandwich · 29/03/2023 21:25

I’ve no idea as it just looks like cheap tat to me.

BHRK · 29/03/2023 21:30

Because the quality is so much better. Genuinely

Saz12 · 29/03/2023 21:30

Because theyve no confidence - need someone elses design, backed by someone ekses creative marketing, to feel that they themselves are special.
And need to show that they have money. Because monetary value is a huge performance measure for a lot of people... "I can afford xyz" .
And failure of imagination - is there really nothing and noone you'd rather spend money on than a bag youll own "for years". That homeless guy, that child who's a carer for his mum, the girl who really needs a better wheelchair for basketball, the food-bank, the employability charity....

Blossomtoes · 29/03/2023 21:31

I have four expensive bags. The branding is so minimal nobody would ever know. The leather is beautiful and the workmanship is immaculate. I expect them to last the rest of my life. Then my stepdaughter can have them as she covets them.

Floofydawg · 29/03/2023 21:32

Oh here we go, let me get my tiny violins out.

JaceLancs · 29/03/2023 21:35

I like a reasonable quality leather handbag but they don’t matter that much to me as other items so I tend to stick to max £500 although will buy second hand to get even better value
shoes on the other hand I think are worth spending good money on - I have small narrow feet and look for a good fit and something unusual that you won’t see elsewhere - they also last years if looked after properly
I have classic wool coats that are older than my adult DC and still look good and timeless eg Maxmara
when I really want to spoil myself it’s always jewellery which gives me so much pleasure - other people probably think some of its fake which doesn’t bother me - one of my favourite pieces is a classic diamond pendant which I bought from an antiques dealer many years ago - I paid a few thousand and traded in some unwanted pieces to afford it but it’s now valued at tens of thousands - hopefully I will be able to leave it to DD

fyn · 29/03/2023 21:38

Bags are absolutely not my thing but it’s so worth buying a decent pair of shoes. I bought a £475 pair of leather boots years ago and despite very heavy use they are still in great condition and timeless. In that same time I’ve gone through masses of cheap flats, if I’d have bought better quality to start with I’d have not wasted quite so much money!

whumpthereitis · 29/03/2023 21:39

And failure of imagination - is there really nothing and noone you'd rather spend money on than a bag youll own "for years"?

No. Hth.

redyellowpinkbluegreen · 29/03/2023 21:40

You're either a bag person or you're not. I am. I love my handbags

Sparklesocks · 29/03/2023 21:42

You could apply this thinking to anything of any price scale though. Why pay for coffee in pret when you can make it at home for a fraction of the price? Why go out to eat when you can get a meal at the supermarket for a few quid? Why spend thousands on a holiday abroad when you can do a week in the U.K. for nowhere near that? Why buy a new car when you can get a cheaper one second hand? Why buy a big house near a city when you could get could a flat rurally for far less? Etc.

If something is important/valued/loved by someone then the price tag is worth it to them, even if others wouldn’t dream of spending money in that way.

Lwrenagain · 29/03/2023 21:42

Things I give no fucks about - jewellery, shoes, expensive perfume, nails and hair. Just does nothing for me.

But a handbag? Just brings me joy.
My most expensive handbag was £200 and I'm getting buried with it 😂

redyellowpinkbluegreen · 29/03/2023 21:42

Although when I was away I saw a CD tote bag everywhere and loved it so thought that could be my next big bag- ive only got a LV neverfull and that was close to 1K... this tote is 3K!

redyellowpinkbluegreen · 29/03/2023 21:42

Which I absolutely wouldn't pay

User639762456 · 29/03/2023 21:43

DH spent thousands on a camera lens recently so in the scheme of things a £1k bag for me is quite cheap and will probably be used more but no one ever moans about stuff like camera lenses and says it's frivolous or a waste of money or is that because it's a hobby.