I will second you call of BS on the durability and quality of more expensive clothes. I used to by all my jeans from Wal-Mart. Eventually, I decided I wanted something more fashionable and switched to buying them from GAP.

A pair of GAP jeans, worn with the intensity with which I wear them, lasts about two years before the holes start to develop. On the other hand, I have a pair of Rustlers that I bought years ago (think 5+). They are still hole-free.

I prefer my GAP jeans, for a number of reasons, but their durability is not one of them.

Oh, and I have a watch that tells me if it's night or day; I call it "my eyes." Honestly, people.

It's hardly self-evident, or "demonstrably false". A $400 suit doesn't even compare to, say, a $1500 suit. The more expensive suit looks and wears better than its cheaper counterpart. Same goes for shoes; you can wear $100 Kenneth Cole shoes made in a sweatshop in China, but they wear out much faster than a pair of $500 Ferragamos hand-crafted in the Dolomites. Just sayin'.

Signing off,
Label Whore

I actually considered including a paragraph about how I think the one exception is dress clothes. Certainly, a more expensive suit--I've never owned a suit that cost more than $500--is better than a cheaper one. I agree there.

As for shoes, maybe. Again, I've never spent that much on shoes, so I don't have a point of reference.

I stand by my point though, that for casual clothes like polo shirts, $95 is crazy.

I am SO with you on this. My coworker spent $300 on a purse ON SALE and was bragging about what a deal it was. Are you kidding me? I won't spend over $50 on a purse! haha

Re: Over-priced dress clothes

I think your post holds true (to a certain extent) even with suits. There is definitely a difference in appearance and quality between a $400 suit and a $1500 suit. But is a $1500 suit four times as good? Not based on anything I've ever seen.

Also, if you're going to buy a $1500 suit, you may as well just buy a plane ticket to Asia and get someone to hand-tailor a suit for you for $150. It will look and wear just as well as the $1500 model you got in the U.S. and you'll have spent $1350 on a trip to Asia instead of a suit. In any event, it's clearly not the label - it's the attention to detail by the person who made it.

As a girl, I can't speak to the quality shoe issue. If you give me a choice between a pair of $500 shoes and ten pairs of $50 shoes, I'll take the latter. I don't want a pair of shoes that lasts forever because I want a reason to go buy nine other pairs of shoes.

If I fly to Asia for a handmade suit, I would only fly first class, so it would take more than $1350 to get there. And, since I am a workaholic, I must add to that the lost opportunity cost of sight-seeing and losing time that could be spent working (or reading this blog)! I'll stay home and shell out the big bucks.

Dress Sharp,

Label Whore

I think Kristin's point remains, however: while there might be a vague correlation between price and quality in some areas, there is no necessary connection between the two. In other words, when you pay an exorbitant amount for clothing, you might be getting exactly what you're paying for or you might be getting ripped off. If what you're looking for is quality, then, the best thing to do would be to ignore labels and to seek out the best materials and craftsmanship. That might mean you'll pay more, but it also could mean you'd get a quality item without having to pay for the status of a brand.

Of course, if what you're after is the status of a brand, then may god have mercy on your soul.

I like Lacoste shirts because of how they fit me. I have very big shoulders, and lots of polo shirts that are big enough to fit my shoulders are also made for giant fatasses and hang down way too far, making me look like I am wearing a muumuu. Not so with Lacoste shirts. I call myself a label whore because, you know, I don't take myself seriously.

If I pay a ton of money for something, I might be getting what I pay for, or I might be getting ripped off. Isn't that a tautology?

If you are seeeking out the "best materials and craftmanship", you will likely pay for it. That's just the way it works. I don't make the rules, I just play the game.

Yours in Fashion,

Label Whore

Mike,
Like I said, you're free to do whatever you want for whatever reason you want. It's your money, spend it on what makes you happy. Of course, it's cool that you have a reason for spending more money on those shirts. I just wanted to make the point that paying more for nothing more than a label is stupid.

Mr. de la Renta,
You're correct that my statement is technically a tautology, but I was making a point, not trying to apply strict logic. I was just reiterating that the relationship between price and quality is not necessary. As I'm sure you know, some statements ("It's raining," for example) necessarily imply others ("It's cloudy"). Sometimes, that necessity runs both ways, so that each statement necessarily implies the other. "He was acquitted" and "The jury did not find him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt" are one example of a pair of such statements. If you know one, you know the other for certain.

My point was merely that the statements "It was expensive" and "It is high quality" are not an example of two-way implication. Something can be expensive without being high quality, and something can be high quality without being expensive. Put another way, expensive labels cannot be used as shorthand for quality.

My further point was that if you go and spend money on something because it's made by an expensive designer and assume you're getting something high quality, you're probably getting ripped off.

is it too late to comment? the price quality debate is tough. I make my living making clothing, so I really appericiate quality work and will pay extra for it. Though there have been times where i spent say $200 on a pair of shoes that fell apart more quickly and were less comfortable than my $20 heels from Ross.

As far as labels go, Ismael, how do you feel about knock-offs? If someone pays $30 for a fake $1000 designer brand, is that still being a stupid whore to labels or is it a smarter way or whoring?

You may have been trying to make a point, but your point was diminished by your lack of rhetorical flair. Nevertheless, I do enjoy your blog and will continue to monitor same on a semi-regular basis. If anyone needs me, I will be out spending coin on some outrageously expensive designer duds

Signing off,

Label Whore

1) Really? You mostly agree with Mike and think he's smart?
http://oystershurricanes.blogspot.com/2008/04/procrastination.html
2) Dude, you have clearly never had to walk a mile in cheap heels. Expensive shoes = more comfortable. Try it out in Wal-Mart heels and then get back to me.;)

Some Girl,
Mike kicks ass. Or, at the very least, his blog does. I mean, how could you not love it when there's stuff like this?