Do you buy or look for designer labels?

Quality is important to me. Most of my things are classic with a little boho flair and I can wear them forever. T-shirts have to be cotton and thick enough you can't see through the fabric. My jeans are high rise and I have had most of them so long they are coming back into style. Comfort and simplicity are my favorite qualities. I have a few designer things but they weren't purchased for the label.
 
Another benefit of retirement & having a lifestyle of leisure. Don't need to routinely increase or update my wardrobe. As for designer the closest I get is wrangler jeans. Aside from that my wife is my wardrobe fashion consultant. She makes sure I look good in what to wear when we go out.
 
Well, there is "designer" and there are just decent brands with predictable quality and fit. Once I locate something that works for me I generally stay with it. In my case, it's more about predictability and unwillingness to try on or send things back multiple times.
 
I don't care about "designer labels" as such. I care about fit and quality.

I've only bought shoes at Johnston & Murphy for years because they are stylish, comfortable and well-made. I still buy them in retirement. When I was working I bought almost exclusively Hugo Boss suits and sport coats because I'm thin, they fit well and they lasted forever. I really didn't care to tell anyone they were Hugo Boss, they just fit me like a glove and made me look good when dressed up. I haven't bought a suit or sport coat in 4 years. If there is some special occasion a black or blue, well-fitting suit still works.
 
For those of us that still hold a job, depending on what your position is, clothing can be an enormous part of being successful. I am not in sales, but I meet with many heads of corporations and as the old adage goes, “You only get one chance to make a good first impression.” If you look like a K-Mart shopper, you will likely be treated like one and quickly shown the door.

At home, leisure wear is up to you, but in the corporate world, dress can tell the other person how much you care that you will dress to impress. I know men that will wear an $800 Dior suit to an afternoon tea. The difference is that once you are home, that is your castle and no other executive in their right mind will disturb another high level executive while relaxing in their castle. It’s kind of an unwritten rule.

My closet is divided into 3 parts. Evening wear, Afternoon wear and Morning wear. There is no way I dare take off my coat and show a label that reads Hagar, Ralph Lauren or Joseph A. Bank, etc. it’s common for me to pay at least $500 for my white business shirts. They don’t give away Dolce Gabbana shirts.

My point to all this is that the next time you see one of these high level executives on a TV show like CNBC, just imagine how much their wardrobe is that they are wearing costing them or maybe I should say, their company. It is true that many of them like Tim Cook from Apple or even the old man, Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway have corporate accounts that allow them thousands of dollars per year to spend on clothing, even though you could put a $2000 Dior suit on Buffett, it wouldn’t help. It reminds me of another old adage, “You can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig.” Even Obama figured that out.
 
My darling mother used to buy all of my dad's shoes and clothes, he trusted her keen eye and always looked smart. Even when I needed a new blazer for winter, for school, she always tried it on and said, "Yes that will do", even if it was a little big on me, she said I would grow into it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top