Label Whores
Filed under: FashionI love the odd designer indulgence because let’s face it; mere mortals (like me) can’t afford to don designer threads every day, and (honestly) that suits me just fine. Why? Well I think that if I owned loads of expensive clothes and accessories, then I wouldn’t take as good care of them as I do now. If you can afford it on a regular basis, then it’s probably not as important because if anything gets damaged you have the financial means to replace it (or find a ludicrously over priced look-a-like). I however have to treat my Chanel’s and Gabbana’s like gold dust.
The thought of designer being disposable sounds like an oxymoron, however we all know that to some people, it is. However I’m not here to whine about the rich and wasteful (it’d be terribly working class of me for one thing). Instead I’m going to have a good old swipe at those who I affectionately call label whores.
We all know them, I mentioned her (sometimes him) briefly in my track suit couture post; remember the person so desperate to make herself/himself seem important? Yeah, that’s the one. The thing is there is no specific age or background from which this style doppelgänger comes from. The good thing is that they feel like they deserve those clothes; the bad thing is they think that they need them.
Don’t be a runway replica
Every designer (like every capable person) has a style aesthetic of their own and this usually translates into their creations. I love this luxurious diversity: it gives you (the customer) the freedom to mix and match between all these wonderful personalities; giving you the ability to enhance your own. What I will never understand is how people dress head to toe in one designer. Where’s the individuality in that? The truth is, there is none. You are simply conforming to an ideal that you like; which is fair enough, if you want to be a walking billboard.
I know it’s easy to fall into the trap; hell I love Vivienne Westwood but would never dream of wearing her stuff from top to bottom, even if I could afford it. The thing to remember is, no matter how much you love their stuff, you should always mix and match designer (either with high street, vintage or other designers); to save looking like you walked straight out of their look book. This will help to create your own authentic identity as opposed to one created by a team of designers who don’t know you.
Another thing that happens is, people wear a brand and try to adhere to a particular archetype; whether this is deliberate or not, the result is the same manufactured void. I’ll talk about that in another post though, because I consider it to be a separate pet peeve altogether.
Designer does not mean better
So don’t be afraid to mix and match: vintage is all the rage now anyway and besides putting together an outfit that you have personally handpicked (from loads of different places) will always be a better reflection of who you are.
Finally the thing to remember is that although splurging on the latest designer gear may give you a temporary high, it is just that; temporary. That “it bag” didn’t make you a smarter, stronger or a better person; nor will it permanently fill an emotional chasm. If you relish in the superiority of having the newest gear, knowing that your friends don’t then you are a very sad human indeed, and it’s people like you who get my sympathy, not my respect.
