When I was asked to start blogging for Pandora Dress Agency I thought it would be a piece of (low-fat) cake. After all, a good writer can become an expert on any topic, right? So what if I’m a designer dunce, clueless about couture – a feckless fashionista?
At the same time, I happened to land a job at the head office of a prestigious fashion label known for instantly recognisable designer handbags and quality leather goods that champion British style.
Suddenly, I had been thrown into a world of high value fashion that at first, I did not understand.
I found myself uninspired by magazines and fashion blogs that seemed to be speaking a foreign language.
I thought, why spend thousands on a designer dress when a few tenners on the high street would do? Why pay for Prada, not Primark?
Label lust – can it really be justified in an ailing economy?
In this economy fashion really does fall into two camps – luxury and thrifty. Some savvy shoppers will mix the two, teaming vintage or high street pieces with key luxury items to elevate their look.
But do we need designer brands? Could we spend our money more wisely on essentials?
Label lovers often face a kind of inverted snobbery when it comes to their buying decisions. High street consumers often expect their luxury loving counterparts to justify high value purchases. The truth is, anyone desiring designer cannot and should not justify her love of fashion.
Throwaway fashion versus investments in quality
I’ve been talking to my friends – style queens and reluctant dressers alike – about my job at Handbag HQ. They are unanimously horrified by the extravagant amounts spent on the ‘it’ bags of each season. Until I get them thinking about it properly, that is. What would they spend a couple of thousand pounds on? The answers are varied: a luxury retreat, a road trip, an iMac.
“Why buy an iMac when you can do everything you need on a PC?” I ask.
“Because it’s pretty,” is the initial answer. It gets a laugh, because it’s so like talking to a woman about a luxury handbag. “But seriously, they’re such good quality. They last for years.”
I rest my case. There really is no difference between buying designer clothes and high quality technology, a great car, or a luxury holiday. Cheaper options exist for all these things – the choice is ours.
What’s more, designer clothes are the stuff of fantasy. The quality is superlative. When bought directly from the brand, they often come with a guarantee. In store, customer care is unparalleled by what we have become used to on the high street. The same goes for the materials used.
Last week I met a twenty-one year old who owns five pairs of Louboutins and a Givenchy tote, not to mention a pair of Jimmy Choos and Vivienne Westwood flats. That’s just the stuff I know about. She works in Customer Service and lives at home with her parents, sacrificing nights out in favour of saving for her next fashion buy. This lifestyle is something that her friends who are attending University simply do not understand. But she doesn’t berate them about how much they spend on the student lifestyle.
They just can’t relate to her passion for fashion.
Neither, it seems, could the cobbler who recently sprayed the iconic red sole of her first ever pair of Louboutins black.
Even I know how serious that is.
Purchasing those Louboutins was not about status or superiority. They represent a summer’s hard slog in a thankless hotel job. Now ruined, they need resoling, meaning even more hard work for my friend. She has to earn those iconic red soles all over again.
Pandora could place a value on those shoes but to her, they are priceless.
About Pandora
Bargain hunters need not fear. Pandora can help you find your next desirable designer piece at a fraction of the original cost. At Pandora Dress Agency, most of the pieces are discounted by around 75% when compared to their original value. It’s label lust, but guilt free. Now that’s something I can understand.