Aha, I am the one who was called sneery for my use of déclassé…
There’s a saying that money shouts, wealth whispers, so for me, if I do succumb to anything, I prefer the logo to be as small as possible, if it features at all. I just don’t think having such an obvious tell on an item makes it luxurious, it does not, is just shows the wearer has money.
I guess it’s a question of what luxury means to you? For many, it just means expensive whereas I look at it more critically than that - so many luxury brands sell their wares online as well as in stores, and in vast numbers, so question if anything mass produced can ever be truly luxurious. This is why where possible, I prefer to buy from smaller brands who produce items in small numbers.
So, like PP has mentioned, Raey for clothing but it is v. expensive and I tend to buy it when there are offers on, when it’s on sale or buy it from secondhand and/or consignment sites. & Daughter is a good suggestion too but I find they don’t work for my body shape. Other smaller brands I like are The Row and Co (a small LA-based label) and have been lucky to find them reduced on consignment sites/on sale.
With regards to leather goods, well, I discount most of the fashion brands like YSL, Valentino, Dior, Chloe etc who make handbags because they were never specialists in this field. So although that leave a wide playground including very well-known brands such Louis Vuitton, Goyard, Bottega Veneta, Prada, Chanel and of course Hermès, many of these are sold online too, so to my mind, that reduces their desirability too. Factor into Chanel’s rapidly increasing prices and fall in quality, I would discount never buying new bags from them again and start looking at pre-2000 bags or older. But, there are so many other more interesting handbags to buy that are made in smaller numbers, sold on fewer platforms and not in store at all. I recall the first time I saw someone with a Wandler handbag, it really jumped out at me because it was stylish, beautiful leather and understated. I have a huge love of Lutz Morris handbags too for similar reasons. The latter’s ethics are impeccable too. I like Polene too but have yet to buy from them.
Regarding jewellery - here’s an interesting piece from Vogue about how non-branded jewellery is more sought after and considered luxurious than branded/easily recognisable/easily available pieces.
Apologies for the essay but this is a subject close to my heart - I have been involved with luxury goods in one way or another for much of my working life, so do have many opinions about this. Unfortunately, shopping in this way is expensive, so it’s a question of working out where you spend your money. Additionally, I think the whole point of something being truly luxurious is being understated, not screaming with logos, and should be under the zeitgeist, not worn by everyone or appearing on lists of aspirational items to buy as by the time something has hit the mainstream, it really is not luxurious at all. But maybe that’s just me being sneery again.