Note to Style Forum, High Price or Name does not mean High Quality

[deveandepot1]

I have been reading this forum for the last 9 months and something has been on my nerves since day 1. I am not trying to be mean, but I have to say that some of you don't understand the Economy of Scale. I often read things like this "You get what you pay for", "Target/H&M/Levis/... is poor quality", "NDG, Naked and Famous, Apc/Most 200+ jeans... is high quality". I am not an Economist, but here is an example: the simple fact that Levis produces half the world's jeans means that their production cost is low so thus they can give a higher quality product for less. This also works in reverse.
I have been wearing clothes my whole life and I would like to give you examples of my own experiences.

Jeans

I have Levi Jeans from when I was in high school 10 years ago.

I have a pair of Indigo Topman jeans that I paid 20 dollars for, that have been worn twice a week for the last 3 years.

I have had 2 Apc jeans last 3 months or less.

I have had a pair of Naked and Famous jeans last 6 months.

Shirts

Most of my H&M dress shirts last at least 2 years.

I have had a Paul Smith shirt fall apart in the washing machine the first time I washed it.

Shoes

I have chuck taylors/Vans from high school.

I have had YMC shoes sole fall off after 2 wearings. 2 Jill Sander shoes last 3 months. Hudson shoes last less than a month. I actually have many examples of designer shoes falling apart.


Other

I have BR sunglasses from 2004.

I have a pair of Puma sport sunglasses that have lasted the last 3 months while playing tennis.

I had a pair of Tom Ford sunglasses (b-day present) that literally fell apart while walking the second day I wore them.

I have had a few exceptions:

I have Gucci luggage that has been in my family for 20 years.

Vintage Burberry coat has lasted 10+ years.

I am currently wearing a pair of Grenson shoes that have lasted 6 months and still look good.

I am wondering if maybe I am just lucky/unlucky. Have you had the same experience?

 

[deveandepot1]

I just read the first paragraph of my thread it sounded a bit aggresive. I didn't mean it to be that aggressive, but my points still stand.

 

[Stazy]

I don't necessarily buy expensive clothes expecting the best of quality. Sometimes the styling of the pieces are enough for me to drop some $$$$. That being said, I've almost never been disappointed in the quality of pieces I buy from NDG, Acne, APC, etc.

 

[AR_Six]

I won't even make a substantial argument for or against your position, but isn't it a little presumptuous to assume that the sole useful definition of the word "quality" is "lasts a long time"?

 

[LA Guy]

Note to Dave:

High Quality does not equal durable.

 

[zissou]

To me, 'quality' is WAY more than simply how many times an article of clothing can be worn before it needs to be thrown out.

 

[Ispy]

Originally Posted by deveandepot1

I have been wearing clothes my whole life

This might be sig worthy

 

[Lel]

There is a correlation between price and "quality" (which you seem to be confusing with durability), but there are other variables as well (how you wear it, how you wash it, take care of it, etc).

It's not so much a per-item thing, but I find that even though small by SF standards, my wardrobe on the whole just feels better. I suppose I have taken some things for granted but a lot of cheap suits feel stiff, a lot of outerwear is itchy, shirt fabrics just don't seem to "pop" anymore after the 3rd wash, etc. Some people complain about crotch blow outs after they size down 3, wear them for 9 months straight, and wrestle bears while sky diving but it seems to me that "non-SF denim" wears out even faster under very normal and (relatively) infrequent wear. There's also sizing issues within the same brands and models of garments.

It's nothing extremely obvious it just seems that way overall.

 

[Get Smart]

OP has some bad luck, with sunglasses falling apart on day 2 and shirts disintegrating on first wash..!!!??

me, if the fit and overall aesthetic are good, that's enough for me to pay a higher price. TBH, the potential of a garment's quality is never a factor when I buy something.

 

[Bona Drag]

Originally Posted by Ispy

This might be sig worthy

**** you for beating me to it.

 

[PolePosition]

Seems that this issue has come up more than once within the last 6 months or so.... price vs quality vs durability

To what degree does quality vary with durability? Or are they mutually exclusive attributes? Is there a way to quantify quality? And is price always directly proportional to quality?

 

[deveandepot1]

Originally Posted by Ispy

This might be sig worthy

I thought that was funny too.

I agree with most of what you guys said. The only reason I still buy expensive denim, is because I simple like the way it looks at least for the first 3 months. My main argument in this thread is that some people think that high priced items mean that they will last a long time or that they are made out of higher quality material. For example, I know for a fact that BR, Gap, and On is made in the same factories, but we, and I include myself, continue to buy BR because we think there is a higher quality in it.

 

[chronoaug]

If someone is simply trying to clothe themselves the longest amount of time for cheap, why are they on a forum about Style?

Also, not many people here by banana republic because the fit, design, fabric, and pieces generally suck. I also don't think i've ever had anything disintegrate in the wash. Do you guys use acid in your washing machines? Then again, i don't put anything i actually care about through the dryer

 

[pokey07]

I didn't know crotches blowing out on jeans was possible until I discovered raw denim. It doesn't stop me from loving the fit of my jeans though. Just wish my nuts weren't always hanging out of my jeans after 7 months of wear.

 

[Get Smart]

Originally Posted by deveandepot1

For example, I know for a fact that BR, Gap, and On is made in the same factories, but we, and I include myself, continue to buy BR because we think there is a higher quality in it.

Even if items are made in the same factory doesnt mean you get the same amount of "quality/durability". A factory can use hugely differing degrees of raw material quality to produce items that are good or complete crap, all from the same place.

I'm not sure if there is a "we" here that buys BR