Is Mid- to High-End Clothing truly worth the price?

[AtLeastITried]

I have been looking through this forum and other places on the web to answer my question: Is high-end, high priced clothing really worth it?

Is the fit really better, or can you just tailor a Target shirt?
Is the quality really better, or will RL polos or MJ or Burberry polos fall apart as quickly as Lands End?

Is the feeling just psychological, that you feel like you have a better item than the next guy because you paid quadruple the price?

Please, answer my nagging question, and use examples from specific brands.

Thank you!

 

[Huntsman]

I get tons of compliments when I wear my RLPL suit, and women always ask if they can feel it (women know cashmere a mile off). I get occasional comments (not always flattering) when I wear HF. Case closed for me.

 

[longskate88]

In my experience, being a college student, your "Tailored Target" shirt is likely what I'll end up leaning toward in the future. IMO, as long as the fabric is quality, and most importantly the shirt fits, then there is no need to have a designer brand. I would much rather spend $100 on a custom MTM shirts with decent fabric than on a low-end designer shirt that I'll have to get tailored anyway. Take a good $50-$60 shirt, throw $20 to your tailor, and you'd have a solid, inexpensive shirt that will be able to wear with pride. Nothing worse IMO than someone who drops thousands of dollars on designer clothes, with putting a dime toward making them fit.

 

[repressedm]

Wut does MJ stand for?

Is Hickey Freeman really low-end?

 

[DocHolliday]

Depends on the high-end clothing. Some is very high quality, some is not. But yes, a well-made shirt, of good cloth, will be much more durable than the poly-cotton stuff you find in the discount bin at Marshall's. Of course, you can also pay a huge premium for a shirt that's really not much better than those cotton-poly numbers. That's where SF is an invaluable resource.

Ultimately, though, many folks here are willing to pay a premium for aesthetics. Department store suits that retail for $300-$500 are pretty interchangeable, in that they're generally glued-together jobbies of indifferent cut thrown together by poorly paid workers in China or some third-world country. Paying more for a suit not only buys you much better quality but your choice of styling. You'll see plenty of discussion here of the cut of Polo v. Black Label v. Purple Label, but there's not much reason to debate Claiborne v. Jones New York. It's not that you can't look good in Claiborne -- for many guys it's quite possible with the right tailoring -- but you're never going to get the same fit or styling as if you were wearing Black Label. And Black Label comes with the bonus of being made of much better materials and with much better construction. That Black Label suit should last much longer than its cheapie department store counterpart.

That said, let's consider the value proposition of a couple pairs of shoes. A quality welted shoe, well maintained, will last a long time and can be reheeled and resoled when necessary. A $100 pair of Dockers shoes will be tossed in the trash when the heel wears down or the sole comes unglued. Will a pair of $1,200 EGs outlast 12 pairs of Dockers? Not necessarily. Is the EG "worth" the premium? Well, some folks here will say yes, and some folks here will say no. Some guys are perfectly content with AE, while others wouldn't buy them at any price. Ultimately, it's up to each of us to decide what represents the best value for our money.

 

[appolyon]

Words of wisdom from Doc as usual, so I will only contribute a small extension to Doc's point of us determining what is value for our money.

You (and most men) need to spend a bit of time educating yourself on what the points of quality are such as the types of cottons used in shirts, construction and leathers used is shoes, cloth and construction in suits etc. A little bit of knowledge goes a long way in leading you towards quality products and away from designer fluff.

 

[Christofuh]

Paying $40K-plus for a Jaguar boasting a tweaked Ford motor and built on a Ford platform is what I'd call psychologically disturbing.
In terms of shoes/clothes the price-value equation for the most part resides in your head.
How else could one explain the success the likes of Prada are having while hawking made-in-Vietnam sneakers for $400+

 

[erdawe]

Things are only worth what people are willing to pay. It's just too arbitry to get a clear-cut answer, (which I'm sure is what you're looking to get).

 

[HKTenor]

Originally Posted by AtLeastITried

Is high-end, high priced clothing really worth it?
"high-end/high priced" clothing in and by itself is worth nothing. What is worth a huge amount is looking and feeling one's best: the ease of movement in a well-cut suit, the feel of a good shirting wrapped around you all day, the involuntary smile on a woman's lips as she flicks her eyes up and down in appraisal (OK, that's on a good day), just the right pocket square with an outfit - all of these are valuable. Now, there are many ways one can get there: infinitely various combinations of money and time, the two great substances of life. It is absolutely possible to be outrageously stylish and well-dressed for all occasions never venturing beyond Target, or the local thrift store. (Perhaps not full-dress occasions, unless that's a hell of a thrift store) Conversely, there are innumerable unstylish oafs in Brioni, Poole, and Armani....just having money won't do unless you also have the desire to look good, and the eye for doing so - which takes time. Don't automatically disdain either the expensive or the cheap - try to see them for what they are, and find the things in each category which by rights belong in the other. Naturally, on this board you find a disproportionate number of the obsessed, which as in the case of any fixation means that they are investing massive amounts of both time and money. If you can't currently see why this is so - and I deduce from your question that that's the position you're in - you definitely shouldn't be plunging in behind them at full tilt. So, my advice would be to invest a little of which ever substance you currently have more of, and check out the results. If you have money but not a lot of time, put yourself in the hands of an expert and buy something much more expensive than is your wont. Wear it, live with it, and see if you start to understand what about it is superior. If you can't figure it out, either you have bought completely the wrong thing (try again), or maybe you ultimately don't care about clothing - not the end of the world. If the distinctions do start to dawn on you, then it's time to invest some time to develop a personal style and preferences, as you will invariably have bought the wrong thing at first even with good help. You will do better the next time, and the next, and eventually will wind up on the internet making fun of other people's coat buttons. If, as is more common, you have less money but more time. spend some time. Haunt thrift stores for well-made things that you can try out without big investment. Make every dollar you spend in a store count by doing research, plan a versatile wardrobe around a few good pieces, and don't spend a sou for emblems, logos, or other such fripperies. Take care of what you buy, and put real effort into tailoring, ironing, polishing, and so forth. It is possible to look shockingly good on almost no money, and to gain the respect of others who appreciate the subtleties of dress, as they will appreciate both the care with which you have attired yourself and the added difficulty of having done so without a lavish budget.

 

[Sator]

There was a time when every man and his wife/girlfriend knew to buy the best. I remember someone saying that there was a time when labourers would save up for weeks before going to Jermyn St to buy a pair of Edward Greens etc. He knew it would last for years and years - maybe even decades if cared for properly. Every man knew to polish his shoes and keep them in trees too, because Dad had brought him up that way.

Today, I guess the same disposable income is eaten up by the new laptop, the iPhone/iPod, Blackberry, HD DVD, widescreen TV etc. The wardrobe basics now get neglected. $100 starts to look like an astronomical price for a pair of shoes. But a pair of high end shoes or well made lounge suit will outlast all of these modern gadgets. Now a man fears the derision of a wife for spending $1000 on a pair of shoes, even if it will last him over ten years and be better value than ten pairs of $100 shoes in the long run.

In fact, this is the problem with quality stuff. They last too long. You have to spend a bit more to get the absolute best because you will be stuck with it for years and years. It is like a marriage: only make the commitment if you are 100% happy with the relationship.

 

[Dewey]

to answer the OP: for the most part -- yes

 

[RJman]

No.

 

[paul_22]

Here's what I think:

In all honesty, it matters on the person wearing the clothes. No joke, I've seen good-looking guys in unfashionably torn pants and uncombed hair pick up very attractive women. I've also seen plenty of guys in quite costly clothing crying over loneliness, and not that Why Did I Cheat On My Wife loneliness. I mean the real loneliness, from which cash and nice cars cannot protect you. Gross self-interest is the only motivator behind spending one's life savings on clothing, for when you get right down to it, are you actually going to go around TELLING people you're wearing expensive clothes? Where's the class in that?


I have a navy blue Men's Wearhouse suit that looks so good with the right shirt and tie combo that you wouldn't believe it was from Men's Wearhouse. My Chaps suits, purchased as separates and tailored to fit my frame, make me look like a million bucks when worn with a turtleneck. The bottom line is, certain clothes just look good on certain people, and that very same outfit might look like crap on another person. Color coordination, cut, material, and confidence make the outfit--not the price tag. And despite what designers mash down your throat, most of their clothing ALSO comes from sweatshops and developing nations, and is not of noticeably better quality than something from Target. Really, my friends, it all depends on how the outfit HANGS, which is why we use the fitting room before buying (another primo tip for guys). Anyone can look fantastic with a nice haircut and just a little bit of fashion awareness. And the REAL bottom line is, if we're spending our lives trying to impress people with things like costly clothing, the true issue is not in our wallets--it's in our minds. Such obsessions should not control our lives.


I don't have $50,000 a month to blow on clothing, and I wouldn't spend so much even if I had such funds. Most people are in the same sitch. When the time comes to swap my jeans and hoodie for shirt and tie, I go with Chaps, Men's Wearhouse, or something similar. When they need replacing, it doesn't cost thousands of bucks, and I still look as good. Besides, just how long do people plan on keeping their suits/dress clothing...? I wear a suit three or four times, maybe for six or seven occasions tops, before donating it to Purple Hearts and buying a new one. Doesn't keeping a suit for years run counter to the very notion of style..? What good is an old Armani suit or Blass tie, regardless of what you paid for it in 2001?


Remember, too, that you have to be CLEAN--that means clean nails, hair, teeth, ears, skin, underarms, feet, no nasty hair anywhere, etc. That works wonders too, going along with self-confidence truly boosting your physical beauty. It's sort of like what Sator says about older folks taking care of their stuff--same goes for hair, nails, teeth, etc. Plain, simple hygiene like keeping your hair neat and shoes polished goes a LONG way toward looking good. I only hear compliments about my cleanliness and neatness of appearance--not condemnations about my Chaps suits not being Armani. Such compliments help my confidence, which is the TRUE secret behind physical attraction. And on a last note: while it's a pain, having your dress clothes tailored really does make a difference in appearance. Try to picture it like a pair of shoes--if you wear size 12 shoes, size 11 pinches from being too small, and size 13 flops around looking funny. Only size 12 fits perfectly, because it so closely fits the foot wearing it.


Is it not so...?


Paul

 

[audiophilia]

While innate style is something that you are born with, 'Fit, Fabric and Finish' really show when compared to cheaper gear. And the posters are right, women do notice.

Better to buy select pieces on sale, etc (this place teaches you a lot) than to walk around Walmart with all the peasants and buy **** in bulk

 

[philosophe]

I'd add one more point: high-priced clothing is only worth it if you can afford it. It's perfectly possible to look good in less expensive clothing, and it's foolish to neglect savings and other important tasks in the service of one's wardrobe.