Is Kate Spade not considered high-end designer? (& thoughts on other bands)

[Dogsrus99]

As the title says
What about Marc Jacobs? Radley? Ted Baker ?

I wouldn’t say any of those is truly high end. More like affordable luxury.

I'm not a Mulberry fan but I think the fact its prices are in a much higher bracket than the other brands you mention means it can't really be categorised alongside them.

Low end High Street- Primark
High Street- Marks and Sparks
High end High Street- Ted baker etc
Entry level designer- Marc Jacobs/ Mulberry
Designer diffusion lines- See by Chloe
Designer- Gucci/ Saint Laurent/ Prada/etc
Top end designer- Hermes/ Chanel/ Louis Vuitton

Designer brands will go in and out of favour depending on their current designer etc. The top end designers are never discounted.

People afford the high end stuff by being wealthy.
Buying expensive stuff doesn’t make you any better than buying everything from Primark.

Is it just the price bracket that makes it high end?
If you are wanting a bag for the label then you have to go to one of the big ones. Other than that the labels don't really matter kate spade Micheal Korrs mark Jacobs etc are all a bit interchangeable

You can also find Dolce and Gabanna and Gucci so I don't that's necessarily a litmus test

The originals from New York were great at one point, but over-commercialisation has made them a bit chavvy - like Canada Goose jackets.

What does designer actually mean? It’s not elite couture. There’s a big difference. Every bag is designed by someone. Look at quality of bag. Look at materials and hardware quality.

Yup. Tiffany and Kate Spade were very lux and high end when there was one shop in New York. Now they are everywhere, they've maxed out their 'entry' lines (see 'Return to Tiffany' silver chunky jewellery) and sorry to say have become a bit 'chavvy'.

On a more expensive scale, a similar thing has happened with Louis Vuitton IMO. Despite the high price point they don't really compare to brands like The Row, Celine, Loewe etc.

This ! that has hit the nail on the head. I guess my real question should have been ''what brands are now considered to be chavvy''

I think MK and Burberry, for starters ?

Burberry has done the rare thing of going chavvy and then back to classy again

Their checked shirts were ripped off in market stalls everywhere but their trenches have come back as an absolute classic again

It’s interesting as I was in John Lewis in Brent Cross yesterday (I don’t normally go there) and an older couple were wandering round the bags and shoes sections debating designer or not and the man was saying “just because it’s xxx doesn’t mean it’s worth xxx money” he also commented the same on a Radley bag!

I know people who when they buy eg Michael Kors, Ted Baker etc they think it’s something to aspire to and sort of designer. They wouldn’t necessarily buy a designer bag but at this price point it fits their remit. If a few other people they know have it it’s like a club.

I also knew a friend of DM’s (a teacher) who whether abroad or in this country bought a couple of Burberry bags which she was very pleased about and then complained to us once that her boyfriend’s DM commented “x has a Burberry bag!” in a surprised comment. The friend either told the DM or commented to herself “yes I have 2-3 Burberry bags!” But she was put out by the fact that her boyfriend’s DM thought she couldn’t afford etc the designer bag.

I do think of Marc Jacobs as higher end than eg Coach or Kate Spade and I think along same lines as other designer high end bags.

When I was younger up to a certain age I could’ve bought designer bags but just didn’t. I think I might’ve got a Mulberry bag when they were cheaper and better made. And even after that I actually preferred Miu Miu to eg Prada but mostly due to the design.

I’ve known close friends with designer bags - like LV monogram or Chloe Paddington when it was very trendy but they tend to see those as “aspirational” brands and also if it’s trendy at the time all the better. A friend who had the LV bags said “well I just like nice things and can afford them”.

Even when I was in USA when younger I was encouraged to buy by friends and did get a Coach black leather bag because the exchange rate was great and also they thought it was a nice bag. My friend wasn’t into designer labels at all but her DM loved shopping and Bloomies.

Lots of the designers seem to do two distinct types of products. The heavily branded items which are for the buyer who wants to make sure everyone knows what they have bought, and more quiet luxe items, with no branding.
Agree that The Row etc try to avoid that, although Loewe and Celine are definitely trying to get/ getting ‘it’ bag and belt status atm.

Kate Spade is high street designer. The bags are a few hundred. A normal high street bag might be max £100?

The elite brands do not do entry lines! Have you seen an entry level Chanel handbag? Or what about Dior? Simply does not happen. You just get make up and sunglasses. LV has used canvas for it’s least expensive lines.

Also please stop using “chav”. It’s derogatory and not acceptable. Would you use a word about black people dressing in a similar way? Definitely not.

You can buy Louis Vuitton and Prada in TK Maxx.

I love my bags and have many, but I put a limit on cost because I don't want to give my husband a heartattack lol. BUT that being said, my fav bags are my kate spades. They are subtle and understated without big gaudy prints. I have 8 of them. I have 3 Calvin Kleins and 4 Coach. I would never spend more money than what I spent on these. For the record, I also have several cheap (like 40 dollar cheap) bags. Yes I have a bag fetish. Lets not get onto shoes hahahaha. Guess what I am saying is WHO CARES what brand it is , whether high street, designer, top designer? If it makes you happy and you can afford it, enjoy it.

what are brands like senreve?

Just out of interest. Definitely not luxury imho as they mainly sell online with very few physical shops. They do go on discount and have sales with very steep discounts which usually means they aren't luxury. but if you buy at RRP, it can be over £800 (a few years ago, that could have gotten you a mulberry bag but that is probably no longer the case).

But yet I don't think they are high street? their bags are made in italy.

What do you think of Tory Burch?

Have never heard of Tory Burch or Coach or The Row or Lowe (sp?)

Loewe are having a bit of a resurgence I think.

My dc has taken one of my 30+ year old fendi bags - thank goodness vintage is now a thing.

A few years back (before having to be invited) I almost bought the Birkin- now way out of my price range. Big mistake 😭

I love Tory Burch, and bought a bag and a purse in NYC a few years ago. I've several Coach, MK (bought before they became totally ubiquitous!), DKNY, a beautiful, discreetly branded Marc Jacobs (also purchased in NY), Coccinelle, Le Tanneur, and a See by Chloe. Just bought a Liu Jo and a Hispanitas on holiday. I can't bring myself to like Guess!!!

TB, MK, Coach, DKNY, MJ, See by Chloe are all available to buy in Harrods??

In the early 2000s Burberry had to discontinue their caps because hooligans were buying them. They were relatively affordable and had been worn by chav idols such as the Beckhams and Z-list soap stars such as Daniela Westbrook. So the chavs started buying them and they became associated with hooligan subculture, to the extent that lots of pubs banned anyone wearing Burberry check.

It took them two decades to pull back from the brink of ruin, and they did it by pretty much eliminating the check pattern from their products. It’s only recently that it’s reappeared - but at a much higher price point, perhaps 5-6 times higher than the items the yobs used to buy. I still feel a bit funny about it though, because I’m old enough to remember the type of people it was associated with. I understand that younger people who don’t remember that era are less worried about wearing it.

MK is going the same way unfortunately. In the last 7-8 years their stuff has become popular with the same undesirable social group, which means everyone else no longer wants it and it’s seen as tacky.

The brands I see wealthy people wearing now are The Row, Loro Piana, Acne Studios, Raey, Anine Bing, Studio Nicholson, Cecile Bahnsen, &Daughter, etc. The “traditional” designer brands like LV, Gucci, etc are a bit old hat.

It's Loewe, pronounced lo-ay-vay. They definitely seem to be one of the hot brands at the moment. Their puzzle bag that seems to be their most popular product doesn't do much for me I have to say.