VMan
Distinguished Member
- Joined
- Feb 26, 2003
- Messages
- 4,996
- Reaction score
- 34
Hey guys, I hate to break up the light mood with a more 'serious' discussion. However, it's been on my mind and I think it is important to discuss. Background info: Did some outlet shopping today with a friend (at the Versace store in SouthEast Wisconsin, and at the Gurnee Mills outlet mall in Illinois) and got some good deals. At the Versace store, I picked up two Gianni Versace Couture line (not V2 or anything....these are the top line) dress shirts in dark navy and medium gray for $60 each. I considered this an excellent deal, because the shirts fit me absolutely perfectly, the material is nice, and basically I got a $400 shirt for the price of a Banana Republic shirt. I also picked up a pair of Kenneth Cole NY light brown slip-ons for $20 (low quality I know, but they look so nice with jeans and this pair is actually visually-pleasing) at the outlet mall. The price was right for all items purchased; I would have never considered buying them at full retail. Anyway, I get home and show off my purchases. The parents are not happy at the money I spent - seems to be that a college student can't have a treat once in a while. The main concern, as my dad later tells me, is not how much I spend, but rather why I am purchasing such expensive clothing. He feels that it is due to three reasons; I have low-self esteem, I feel the need to pretend I'm someone I'm not by wearing expensive labels, or that I am depressed and need to buy things to make myself happy. Here is what I think. I like to look good, everyone does. I feel better about myself (I may suffer from a touch of low-self-esteem, but I'm probably the same as everyone else) when I know I look good. I get confidence and my day is better. I also think it makes me more 'attractive' to the opposite sex. He sees this as a problem, because I'm using shallow reasoning. However, by looking nice, you can attract the girl and make a good first impression, which will give you a later opportunity (open the door in a sense) to show off your personality and what a good person you are. I'm not trying to be someone I'm not, but I do like nice things. By the way, I am 20 years old. I have enough money to keep me happy and I do make as much money as I need by working a 40-hour a week job, as well as selling clothing on ebay. I do get a sense of satisfaction by opening my closet in the morning and thinking "hmm...should I wear the Versace, the T&A, or the Etro shirt today?". Kind of like my hard work has paid off. I have just been constantly upgrading my wardrobe over the past three years (american eagle/nautica -> Express/Banana Republic -> Diesel/Kenneth Cole/Armani -> Etro/T&A/Versace) and it's hard to step back down to purchasing something 'lower' on the tier of brands. I do like spending money. Ever since I was six or so, I've always been a spender. It's just shifted from Legos and Matchbox cars up to clothing. I save my money, and I'm nowhere close to being in debt (save for student loans), but I spend a good chunk of what I make. So, any more thoughts on the issue?