Who buys all of this expensive clothing?

[disneysteve]

We were at the Jersey shore today, Cape May to be exact. Because we have a trip planned to Mexico early next year, I suggested we do some shopping for beach/island wear while we were there. We went into several shops and bought nothing. Why? Neither of us are big clothing people. We don't care about designer labels and trends and high end fashion. When I saw a nice shirt, I then looked at the tag to see that it was $168. No way that is ever happening. Item after item in multiple stores were all pretty similar. I'd pay $30, maybe a bit more, for a nice shirt (like the 2 I bought in Kohl's last week for $24.99 each) but $168 for one shirt is nuts.

My wife found the same thing. Looking at summery dresses and beach coverups only to find them priced at $75 or $90 or more. Nope. Not for us.

It really makes me wonder who buys this stuff. Clearly there are enough people doing it to keep these stores in business, and there are multiple stores like it within a 2 or 3 block area.

Am I the oddball here? Are most guys going and and dropping that much for a single shirt on a regular basis?

[QuarterMillionMan]

In my teens and early 20's, I would only wear surf wear designer shorts & shirts such as $50 Quicksilver surf trunks, Billabong, O'Neil, Body Glove, Local Motion, Town & Country, etc. Now I'll wear Walmart brand George shirts for $10 or JC Penney St John's $9.99 shorts, etc.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Did you know the resale on some clothes and bags and shoes are super high? That they become couture? Some clothes add in valued

[kork13]

Some people place alot of value in their clothing, and will spend hundreds a month on new, specialty clothing of all types & styles. However, I'd guess that many of us here do not, merely because clothing is an easy category for saving alot of money.

Personally, I might buy 3-4 pieces of clothing a year, and keep most clothes for over a decade (as long as they still fit). Mostly, those things will be between $20-$50 apiece. I tend to buy from either Costco (mostly off-brands) or outlet stores (previous-year styles, excess inventory, manufacturing errors). Occasionally discount stores live TJ Maxx or Ross. I simply don't care about clothes -- as long as I look decent, clothing mostly doesn't matter to me.

[myrdale]

For my jeans, I wear Lucky Brand ($100 per pair). They look good and feel good.

Shirts, I've switched over to Columbia ($40 ea).

For all my work wear, it's Docker's ($50 per pair) khakis and LLBean shirts ($80 ea), under shirts are Fruit of the Loom.

Wigwam for socks ($15 per pair).

Exofficio for underwear ($20 per pair).

Gym shorts are mostly Under Armor ($40 per pair).

I had went through different phases over the years where I liked Tommy Hillfigure, American Eagle, Umbro, Abercrombie & Fitch. Honestly if it comes from the mall, it's mostly junk.

[disneysteve]

Personally, I might buy 3-4 pieces of clothing a year, and keep most clothes for over a decade

Only a decade? I have shirts that are older than our daughter.

[QuarterMillionMan]

I used to buy $150 Oakley designer sunglasses. MLB players wear it. Now .99 cents store sunglasses works fine for me.

[disneysteve]

For my jeans, I wear Lucky Brand ($100 per pair). They look good and feel good.

Shirts, I've switched over to Columbia ($40 ea).

For all my work wear, it's Docker's ($50 per pair) khakis and LLBean shirts ($80 ea), under shirts are Fruit of the Loom.

Wigwam for socks ($15 per pair).

Exofficio for underwear ($20 per pair).

Gym shorts are mostly Under Armor ($40 per pair)
.

Yeah. Way spendier than me.

Van Heusen khakis for under $30.
Hanes socks about 8 for $13 at Target.
Fruit of the Loom underwear about 9 for $17 on Amazon.
Dress shirts Van Heusen around $18-20.
T shirts Walmart or Target for $6-8.

[myrdale]

I used to buy $150 Oakley designer sunglasses. MLB players wear it. Now .99 cents store sunglasses works fine for me.

I do have a $250 pair of Costa sun glasses. That said they are going on probably 5 years old, and they get worn only while driving. Very seldom do they ever leave the truck.

[QuarterMillionMan]

Stylish people here in this crowd, lol.

My girlfriends in Tijuana love designer handbags such as $1000 Gucci, Coach, Michael Kors, etc. They love designer perfumes such as Paris Hilton perfume, Brittney Spears perfume, etc. Clothing wear they wear Bebe shirts, Polo Ralph Lauren, DKNY, etc. They love American fashion wear.

[Fishindude77]

I've become a big fan of the Duluth brand clothing.
It's what I consider on the expensive side, but the stuff lasts a long time, doesn't shrink, fits well, all the pants have cell phone pockets, etc.
Also like LL Bean clothing for similar reasons.

[ua_guy]

There is a subset of people who buy and wear flashy, expensive clothes and accessories but I definitely wouldn't say doing so is "mainstream". Think like high-profile sales and other professionals, people who enjoy night life and highly social things, networking, etc.

I do not fit in! lol. My criteria is: Durability, longevity, utility (and those three things tend to be comfortable!). I have a small subset of nicer things for when I do need to be more formal but even those favor good quality and longevity over fashion or brand name.

[disneysteve]

My criteria is: Durability, longevity, utility (and those three things tend to be comfortable!)..

Same here, and the stuff I listed above meets those criteria. As I type this, I'm wearing a $6.99 shirt from Target that is probably 8-10 years old and still looks the same as when it was new. I can't fathom paying 5-10 times as much for some name brand that markets themselves as "durable". How much longer than 10-15 years do I need a $7 shirt to last? Honestly, I get bored of most of my clothes long before they wear out. I eventually get tired of wearing the same 10 items over and over again. Especially when I look back at old pictures and see myself in the same shirts I'm still wearing today.

[myrdale]

Especially when I look back at old pictures and see myself in the same shirts I'm still wearing today.

I wear the same shirt every time I renew my drivers licenses or carry permit, that I've worn for going on 15 years.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

My husband has some oakleys, maui jims, and raybans. He likes sunglasses and wears it until it breaks or he loses them. Like his bose headphones. He also wears lucky jeans and whatever shoes are sold at costco. We buy most of our clothes at costco. He gets the socks from there. The one big issue is his sensory issues with clothing. Which my daughter also has along with her skin allergies. So we probably spend more than we should to accomodate such people. 100% cotton clothes and underwear, special shampoo, detergents, etc. For him the lucky jeans are one specific line and size and he doesn't like clothes over his head (nor does my daughter). Lots of weird little quirks.

For the most part they wear it till it falls apart or doesn't fit. But not super expensive stuff. I'm not against it but honestly it doesn't really fit. I buy lots of cute cheap clothes that fit for a bit then wear out. HM, Uniqlo, costco, etc. Only expensive thing is sneakers, I only wear brooks adrenalines for 20 years. If I find a sale I buy in bulk but i started in model 3 and have model 22 now. So every year or couple years if I buy like 3-4 pairs at a time. That's my indulgence is sneakers that are perfect fit with specific inserts.

Otherwise I'm not so picky with target, old navy, etc. I buy sometimes kids shoes at thrift stores for winter boots, rain boots, etc. But otherwise new shoes that fit perfectly are a pet peeve for me. like right now I am weeding the kids clothes that don't fit.

I am curious if maybe I would buy more expensive stuff if I lost weight and it fit better. I mean really high end, but i'm not really sure I care. I also don't have a reason to dress up since I don't go to work.