Anyone brave enough to answer this: where do you get the money for expensive clothes?

[Childoftheseventies]

I work part time and earn a good wage. My husband runs his own (so far, succesful) business. For this I am thankful. However, I still can't afford anything other than basic high street clothes. Zara is pushing it; Gap sale only, Monsoon for special occasions. When I browse in what I consider to be expensive but desirable shops, or look at websites (LK Bennett, Reiss, Great Plains, Hobbs, White Company etc) I always wonder what gives people the income to buy from there. Now I know there are sales and outlets and eBay, but for those of you who buy non-sale stuff in these lovely places as a matter of course, I am fascinated to know where you get the money. Are you a lawyer or doctor or top sales person, or are you a SAHM with a high earning other half, or do you have no mortgage or what!? I promise this is not a snidey post, just a genuine, if very rude and nosey, question.

I only buy things on huge discount unless I am sure I will get loads of wear out of it. Even then I wouldnt buy anything over about 150.

Outnet is good as is Cocosa, Brandalley, Secret Sales for designer discount.

I also buy second hand stuff.

I do work FT in a relatively well paid job but dont have a lot left over after paying all the bills so I am careful.

Last big purchase £110 on a pencil skirt for work. A lot of money but I know it wont go on sale, its uber flattering and I will wear it every week probably twice a week until it dies (which I hope will be at least 3 or 4 years away).

As others have said, it is all down to a mixture of income and priorities. We have a pretty good income, but quite high outgoings (two mortgages we are overpaying on; pension AVCs; childcare and petrol costs from a long commute for me.) We spend quite a lot on travel/weekends away because that is what we like to do and it makes us happy as a family. I like new clothes and beauty products, but limit myself on the amount I spend so I can save/pay into pension etc which obviously reduces my disposale income. This means I mainly stick to the High Street, with slightly higher end stuff (My Wardrobe etc) only if there is a sale on. It's about working out what you can afford, doing a bit of saving/planning for the future (IMO) and THEN spoending on fun things - whether that is clothes/sports equipment/travel. Everyone will be different on what they enjoy buying.

We have a good, not fantastic income, have a mortgage, so I don't have an unlimited budget, and can no longer buy the clothes I did when I was single.

I limit what I would spend on any one item, and am very picky. Any item has to be good value. My cost per wear is very low, I suspect less than £5, as i get good wear out of my clothes. I have a strict rule that I have to LOVE LOVE LOVE something to buy it, and that it must match 3 other items in my wardrobe. (I have have broken the last rule a few times once.) I tend to get many seasons out of my clothes.

Thankfully I rarely take a fancy to expensive handbags (e.g. cannot see the allure of Mulberry), so that saves a bit. Likewise premium denim. I will spend on a good coat. And good underwear.

Couldn't have given a monkey's about my wedding dress. Was an off the peg job from Coast for less than £200. I'll never wear it again. Handbags are a different story, and yes, mine are on the home insurance.

Karl Lagerfeld, in one of his saner moments, said don't buy anything you won't wear in 10 years time. Quality items are investment pieces. I have a LV handbag that is down to less than a penny per wear, and a Gucci dress that is also down in the couple of quid per wear.

By wearing a mix of high-end designer and charity shop finds, with a few Sainsbury's Tu bits thrown in, my total spend isn't that huge, and definitely less than someone who spends £20 - £40 per item but shops more frequently.

Oh and underwear doesn't interest me (or DH, happily) at all. I have been rotating the same two ugly nursing bras from M&S for 18 months and refuse to buy new bras until I stop bf, and my pants are all about a fiver a pair from Gap, so I do economise in some place. Also I don't wear socks - money saving.

It's interesting. I do buy a nice bag but it will last for years. So given how expensive they are that is a bit of a saving.

I much rather spend on wool/cashmere/leather items. It's just an enjoyable hobby as people have said.

If you read the book Overdressed the shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion you realise that clothes were ALWAYS expensive (as they are high labour itesm) its only recently they have become "cheap". THis book has really put me off Primark, Zara etc

I now want to buy clothes that will last. It also strengthened my love of second hand shopping.

In truth both DH and I earn a lot.

However, I mix things up. Soem expensive things. Some bargains.
Today for example I am in a pair of denim shorts by Ralph Lauren but my ballet flats are from Sainsbos.

As well as my designer tops and dresses I have at least 4 Topshop tops that I have had for more than 5 years and regularly get an outing. I really love them and look after them well and want them to last. No sign of wear and tear yet. They are fab. They all cost less than 30 quid each.

Before I met DP and had DS budget for clothing was huge now I buy less and also from time to time go to TK maxx and buy from their Gold Label Range Emilio Pucci for £199 instead of £1550.00 its rude not to.

Trills, I agree! I only buy a few things every so often, and they are from mid to lower range high street. I am not into Primark disposable fashion. however, it is hard to find classics that last in tesco.

It can't just be lawyers that keep these shops going!

Ok, as a guide, if you were buying a classic winter coat to last several years, where would you go and what would you pay?

I tend to buy a lot from Zara, Mango, H&M and Primark but my aim is to pick items that don't look cheap and are good basics. I probably have fewer items from the next rung up ie white company, Reiss, boden etc it's aproximately 70% low end 30% mid end. I do have good handbags ie Marc Jacobs, Chloe etc although a Mulberry is still on my wish list. Overall I could buy less but better quality but every season I have such a long list of things I want that I end up back trawling H&M. I probably spend £200 - £300 a month am a SAHM. Dh despairs of my low end habits and is more inclined to buy few items at better quality.

Great question - it must change for most people over time - I used to buy a couple of new, expensive things when I was younger - id budget so that I could afford something every other payday - then buy some stock items (underwear, t shirts, basics etc) the other pay days - I would shop around and find something, prepare my wardrobe for it and make sure I could use it in as many ways as possible so as to make it worth it.

Then I had a baby and put on weight - so money goes onto cheap fat clothes and child care - special event clothing (wedding, christening, graduation, etc) is bought on either a credit card or saved for depending on how much warning we have about the event and costs etc - but I still have my beautiful bags and shoes which I actually take a lot more care of now - it brings the overall cost of an outfit down when you only have to buy a dress. but I know a lot of people (mostly men it has to be said) who won't wear the same shoes to two occasions or the same shirt etc which they replace by wracking up massive credit card or catalogue debts - this just doesn't appeal to me, I use my cc when I know I can pay it back - id rather buy cheap

Oh and I make a good few things for myself and often adapt things I buy. So last years winter coat cost £35 from H&M and I adapted it.

Interesting thread!

IN my early 20s I wore relatively cheap stuff because I was thin and could get away with it. As I got older I started to buy more quality items because you need better fabrics, and my disposable income went up.

When I became self-employed I quite literally didn't need to get dressed some days, so I'd buy virtually nothing for everyday wear (not that I didn't get dressed, but any old t-shirt & jogging bottoms would do) but I'd always buy nice quality shoes, coats and dresses for going out.

Now I'm still fat a year on post-pregnancy shape I'm really struggling with how to shop, I've never shopped at lower end high street and just find it hard to spend £30 on a pair of jeans I know will look a bit crap on me, but I can't afford to buy nice things in a size I don't intend to stay. So I'm wearing supermarket things and some old maternity tops, whilst I have a very small wardrobe full of dresses and things from Whistles, Mint Velvet and so on torturing me!

Gah, sorry my first sentence went awry. Don't mean to sound fattist at all - just when I was young and poor I could wear something the size of a hankie for £10 from Bay Trader, and as I got more curvy as I got older I found that thin fabrics didn't look so good on me, and I discovered tailoring and well-cut things really helped my body confidence.

Child I am about to buy a new winter coat. I wi try eBay first, but if I can't find anything I will probably spend £2-400. BUT I haven't bought a winter coat of any description (apart from a £10 maternity one on eBay) for.. Quick sum... 8 or 9 years. And I wouldn't be buying one now if I hadn't been too lazy to take my old (£250-ish) coat to the dry cleaners and tried to spot clean it and ruined it in spectacular fashion.

I still have the same sensible waterproof for outdoors that I bought when I was 18 - it's a Musto one that is into its 13th year and looks great.

Incidentally, I reckon I wore my old one at least 5 days a week for 6 months of the year for 7 years. So about 27p per wear.

lurkingaround I'm impressed by your 3-items rule. I'm going to adopt that rule - I love a system, and love to improve it. Has anyone else got rules I can nick?

Not so keen on cost-per-wear - only works if you compare like with like (coats obviously get worn more than earrings, say) - and seems too much of a fiddle-arse to break it down into that detail.

Probably spend 250-300 per month. Work full time as a civil servant. For a coat I would want maxmara or such like. Up to 750. But I would always look at the outnet first or buy in the sales. Love Zara, primary et al but must say a lot of my wardrobe is DVf, see by chloe, Marc Jacobs etc. the stuff lasts!

I have only recently started getting interested in fashion, and have quickly realised cheap high street stuff is made for 20 year olds, no more than five feet five, and size ten max. As I am none of those things I have gulped and started buying higher end high street - great plains, Hobbs, phase eight, reiss etc but even those are only in sale or outlet stores. I bought the me and em dress that's been raved about on here recently. I am really pleased but I wouldn't have paid 149 quid!

I thought it was just me who did the £ per wear calculation! i have a mulberry bag that I bought for £480 (had been £800 full price) which I reckon is now below the 50p mark... I always think- would I be happy to give someone £x everytime i want to wear it when making a big purchase.

It is sooooooooooooo true that you can look good in cheap stuff if you're tall and thin, but it's much much harder if you're larger. I have a friend who is a size 6 and all her clothes are Primark, she's very fashion-y and always has something new on reflecting the latest trends - but I would look like a bag lady if I dressed out of there.