Do you own these sorts of things?!

[featherrr]

And if so what do you earn? I am in a professional career but don’t earn masses, it’s only really at the top when you tend to start making a lot. That said we are all on above minimum wage and salaries in range of 50-70k.

Everyone I work with has designer bags, coats from Reiss, Nike Air trainers etc. I have none of these and it wouldn’t occur to me to buy them as I would find it a huge outlay on my salary (mid range of the above). Do people just spend this? Even on a modest income? What do you sacrifice to buy it? I am in rented which is 1500 a month so maybe that is the difference?

I do shop in those stores and buy good quality classics, trousers, blazers, belts, scarves and accessories. I'm also a sucker for bags too. I also like Gucci, Jimmy Choo and other designers. Once you have the basic staples, you can put cheaper items with them and keep updating them. You get what you pay for, Jimmy Choo shoes are like putting on a pair of slippers, every pair I have. I've never had that with any other cheaper shoes, even though they are leather. I just can't get on with non leather shoes.

No I don't. I'm a low earner admittedly but I do actually have a decent amount of disposable income as my outgoings are low. I could afford Nike, Reiss etc if I wanted.

I'm not interested in clothes and spend my disposable income on holidays.

It’s just what you prioritize your spending on. I love fashion and bags/shoes so that is what I choose to spend my money on. I spend a lot of time planning what to buy and seeking out the best deal, waiting for a certain sale, discount code etc. It makes me happy. I also like buying bags from resale sites and will sell things I don’t use to free up space and money for a new thing. I work hard and clothes/bags/shoes are something I get to enjoy on a daily basis so it’s worth it to me. My kids are also older so I don’t have childcare expenses to worry about. We all like different things although I do hate the high and mighty posters on mumsnet who dismiss people who like clothes as shallow, vain and feel superior for not caring. Not everyone who likes fashion is doing it to look rich to other people and keep up with the Jones’ for shallow purposes!

I'm on 50k a year and could easily afford all those things. (Admittedly, mortgage is paid off)

I wouldn't though, because I don't think a pair of Nike airs are worth more than the £25 trainers I do buy.

This is partly why the mortgage is paid off.

I grew up quite poor, and really struggled financially for the first 10 years or so after leaving home.

We earn around 34k a year and splurge occasionally for Christmas and birthdays, but it's not a regular thing. I never understood why people wanted nike trainers and other brands when I was younger, but borrowed a friends hoodie one day which was a superdry brand and I love them! That said, I try to only shop when they're in a sale.

I earn around the same. I'm into sustainability (and saving for a house deposit!) and rarely buy clothes or shoes. Certainly wouldn't be able to afford to keep buying new branded clothes. I've been doing the capsule wardrobe thing for many years now - I own a handful of quality, staple pieces for each season I wear all the time, mix and match.

However, I do a lot of running, cycling and gym and have a rotation of mainly Adidas, Sweaty Betty and Lululemon stuff, some of which I've been wearing for years. I've had a Lulu bra and top for about 7 years, still going strong! It's important to me that sports gear fits well, performs well, and washes well, and these brands work for me. I do also usually buy a pair of higher end running shoes (eg. New Balance or Hoka) roughly once a year too. And I generally only buy clothes/shoes on sale.

I am in rented which is 1500 a month so maybe that is the difference?

I think that this does make a difference. My mortgage is almost half that and I spent less on clothes etc when I was renting.

That said, I can't imagine spending £1500 a month on rent. Maybe you're in an expensive part of the country, but when I was renting I tried to keep costs as low as possible so that I could save a deposit.

In fact, it seems like you are overburdened by rent. It shouldn't be more than about 30% of your take home pay. If it's this high, then it's not really a surprise that you are finding other things expensive, even on a reasonable salary. In your position, I would be looking for cheaper rent if possible.

I think it depends what you class as ‘designer’.

like do the people you know have birkins, Chanel etc, or burberry, or coach, Michael kors? All ‘designer’ but different price points and designer level.

im not into designer stuff really but I do appreciate a good designer bag, Chanel/christian Dior, as opposed to Michael kors 😂 not saying Michael kors is bad, but I have Chanel/dior/hermes etc available to me if I so wish to use one. (These were purchased by a family member when they lived abroad in income tax free countries over the last 20 ish years, so had plenty spare money)

my Facebook friends tend to have Michael kors sort of level things, both fake and real.

i don’t have the money to buy the designers I want, but I rarely use handbags anyway.

i would quite like some of the golden goose shoes though 😂

Spending of disposable income is a matter of priorities. I don’t spend on Reiss coats or designer handbags or much else for that matter, but we do spend a bundle on holidays. That’s our choice. Everyone has their vices, they just differ from person to person.

Some people have a lot more disposable income than others. It’s not always either/or. It’s making choices that suit you within your budget. My budget is not the same as other budgets. I don’t have a mortgage and it was no big deal to pay it off. We just did it from earnings.

No. I have no objection to buying good quality, but I object to having an item plastered with the brand name. They should be paying me to advertise their wares, surely?
I tend to regard anyone with "Gucci" or whatever displayed on a tee shirt across their chest or anywhere else as chavs.

Do you think Gucci actually make those t shirts? Chav is very rude, has no one told you?

We're wealthy by most people's standards. Work by choice really now, own our home, family money at the back etc.but I wouldn't dream of buying any of the things you mention!

I don't care one jot for designer labels, nor does DH or the DC. We just buy what we need, when we need it and buy the most suitable thing. It wouldn't occur to me to buy a 'label.' Everything's usually from John Lewis, M&S or Next as I hate shopping and find those stores easy to use online.

I buy a Prada fragrance, but that's it. We could afford to buy what we want, I suppose, but I hate waste, excess and anything flashy!

I think anyone who buys a designer brand just because it's a designer brand is a chav. If it's bought because they think it has some superior quality - long lasting, better performance - OK. But it seems to me people buy this stuff simply because they expect others to recognise it and be envious.

How can you possibly know that? Pure snobbery. People enjoy what they buy and I don’t care who they are. How judgemental!

I wouldn't buy brand names unless I thought they were exceptionally good quality. Which the ones you've mentioned aren't.

So no.

My outgoings are higher (mortgage) than yours, but also income is higher. Still no. I'd rather spend money on something I really wanted, like a holiday or a treat.

No I can’t afford them but I also feel a lot people buy them for that status symbol and that gives me the ick. As in, they want to seem above people. Don’t get me wrong- one piece of clothing without massive branding across the top can look lovely. But if your head to toe in it- it looks ridiculous

This isn't a discussion about branding though.

I've never seen a Reiss coat with 'Reiss' stamped on the front

It's not even a designer label, it's mid range high street.

I don't own any of those things, even though they're affordable to me.
The one ' designer ' thing I do own is a pure new wool winter maxi coat that I had made to measure in a classic design. It cost me a hell of a lot of money, however during the winter months it is worn constantly, so over the years it's paid for itself.

John Lewis sell Reiss. It's not designer, it's high street.

@wellington77 Who does that? Would you recognise understated brands? Of is it just a myth you are ordering from 30 years ago? There are some hugely dated comments on here.

I spend on my son so he's not left out. However, I get loads on Vinted and that has given us options that might not otherwise be affordable.

@MidnightMeltdown Unfortunately posters don’t know the difference!

I earn just shy of 100k and the only expensive items I have are technical. For example, I have a Musto BR2 all weather sailing jacket (£325). On the other hand, my wedding shoes cost £15.99 from the shoe shop down the road.

I just genuinely don't give a toss about fashion labels.