Just out of curiosity, I was looking at some clothes online from some popular Manhattan shops, and I was just blown away by some of the prices. I mean, it seems reasonable that there are some people out there who should be able to afford these clothes. But how could there be enough that there's a whole STORE full of these clothes? During a recession, no less. It's mind boggling.
I've highlighted this shirt as particularly baffling, because not only is it $750, it's UGLY. If I wore this shirt, I would look like a pregnant Amish person.
Oh, and this bag costs $21,500. How is that possible? It's a handbag. My bag cost $10 at Target and I was looking for one that was a little cheaper. What is the obsession with nice handbags? (I know way too much about handbags now due to Lauren Weisberger and Sophie Kinsella.)
No matter how much money I make, I will never be able to justify spending that kind of money on clothes and purses.
I hate carrying a purse. ALL purses. Though I will say the cheap ones I've gotten don't seem to last as long as the nicer ones. One I got at H&M for $20 I loved, but the handle broke and the liner ripped after about 3 months. Another my husband got for me at DSW for $30 and the handle broke after 6 months. I haven't had that problem when I pay a little more.
ReplyDeleteI do know people who would spend that kind of money on a purse, but who cares what they do with their money. It's theirs not mine and they have a lot more of it than I do. It doesn't make them bad people. Moral superiority about how others spend their money seems a little trashy to me.
I would argue that it is morally irresponsible to spend that much money on those things. That money could be spent is so many better ways than that.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I thought this watch was a joke...but it's not!
ReplyDeleteSo I had to buy like 4 of them, one for each appendage.
That handbag is beautiful- but it's almost as expensive as a year of my med school tuition. Kind of ridiculous. I will say that I have several bags in the 100-300 range and they've all held up beautifully. My favorite is the Longchamp which I use for school.
ReplyDeleteMy wife has a box full of Coach purses, I def think she's addicted but her justifications for it are hilarious
ReplyDeleteSpending a couple hundred dollars on something high quality that will be used frequently is totally reasonable. But thousands of dollars for a purse crosses a line into frivolity. Especially in a time when so many people are unemployed and losing their houses. I'd be embarrassed.
ReplyDeleteAs someone who thinks more than a $12 shirt at Walmart is too expensive, I find people spending thousands of dollars on clothes sickening.
ReplyDeleteWith the aformentioned shirt- I could pay my rent and eat for two weeks, even after splurging on a coffee. I don't have anything against rich people, but I do think they should be more responsible with their cash, and if they DO want to throw it away, give it to a good cause.
I'm kind of with OMDG on this one. I think the "line" between reasonable and frivolity is pretty relative, and I try not to judge.
ReplyDeleteI mean, let's face it. If you're living in Canada or the U.S., you're most likely much, much better off than the vast majority of the human population. Why isn't it viewed as morally irresponsible to splurge on a coffee when that same $3 will feed 12 children for a day?
Unfortunately, I think it's easier for us to ignore how privileged we actually are, and instead shift blame onto someone else.
This is something I've considered entering this profession where I will have wildly more money than most people in the world and more than I ever had growing up. How do we hold that privilege as physicians? There certainly isn't a conversation in medicine that I know of addressing this...
ReplyDeleteAnd just for fun, my favorite is this http://tinyurl.com/3f92t6j $11,000 folding directors chair from Hermes.
Liana: Personally, I don't splurge much on gourmet coffee or other things that I think are extravagances. I consider expensive drinks to be rare treats and I would rather donate money or save it for something we really need or for retirement.
ReplyDeleteI do think there is a line, and while it can be blurry, it exists. I think if the majority of people in this country think something is a reasonable thing to buy, then it's reasonable. I think if 99% of people gasp in horror at what you paid for a purse, then you probably paid too much. If I loved Starbucks coffee and got a lot of enjoyment out of that daily coffee, then it's probably worth it. But how much more enjoyment could you possibly get out of a $20K purse versus a $300 purse? And yeah, I do feel if you have that much money to pay for a purse, you should be donating more or paying more taxes.
But actually, none of this was exactly the point of the post. It was more that I really don't understand WHO has this kind of money. Obviously people are buying these items, so who is it? Celebrities? Investment bankers? Are there really enough of them buying it to justify having these clothing items exist? How many $20K purse get sold each year?
I think you may have missed my point, Fizzy. It's great that you donate money to charity instead of buying what you consider to extravagances. I just think it's a little bit ironic that this post exists.
ReplyDeleteIf we want to use the majority as the standard, I wonder if the 80% of the world's population living on less than $10 a day would be horrified by how much you paid for that bag at Target (leaving aside the fact that it was probably made in a sweatshop and if not, still, profit went to a company that is known to sell products made in sweatshops).
I want to clarify that I'm not attacking you, Fizzy. I honestly just think there's a problem with the distribution of wealth in the world. Sorry if I went off on too much of a tangent.
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ReplyDeleteWatch the documentary "Born Rich." These people do exist. Imagine being 17 and going out with your friends and blowing $700 on a single bottle of wine. Or having 20 $2000 purses. To these people, spending 500K on a horse is NOTHING (and they have a string of them). Yes, they live in a bubble and it IS somewhat disgusting, but that's who's buying this stuff. They really have that much money. Frankly, I'd rather they spend it on frivolous things than save it. At least then it gets recirculated back into the economy. They should probably pay higher taxes than they do too, but that's a whole 'nother debate.
ReplyDeleteIt's why when people talk about how rich drs are (and we are compared to a lot of people) I kind of chuckle.
Liana: I don't feel you're attacking me :) I understand that the world's standard might say $10 is too much for a handbag, but it's not practical to use those standards, because in the area where I live, I literally could not buy a bag for any cheaper and would be relegated to carrying my belongings in my fists. If I only agreed to pay what people in third world countries paid for housing, I would be homeless. I think it's more appropriate to use the standards of people who live in the same country as you and face similar prices and circumstances. I think most people do stick to those standards, but $20K for a purse is far beyond that.
ReplyDeleteOMDG: True about the rich doctors. I can't even afford to buy a house in a decent neighborhood around here. That's why I don't understand who these people are. I mean, I'm probably in the upper echelon of the population in terms of income, but I certainly can't afford these things (and still be able to pay the bills).
Live and let live. I'm going to go with it's more about ego than anything. I can purchase this for what most people spend on a vehicle because I can. If they have that amount of money so be it. I just always hope that they have the money in hand and it's not market driven cash. I know too many families where it's the kids end up suffering because the parents had to have the expensive stuff and now they are broke after their stock/company tanked. The worst is when they are broke, stop paying for things for the kids, but keep living the same lifestyle so that their friends don't know anything is wrong.
ReplyDeleteHey there, love your blog and your cartoons!! ... There's no dnying the ugliness of that bag either.. and the price... sheesh!
ReplyDeleteIf I had an $11,000 chair, I wouldn't even want to sit on it. My butt will get it dirty and then it won't be worth $11,000 anymore :P
ReplyDeleteThe comments here reminded me of this Yahoo news article about a photographer's project for an organization called Save the Children: http://tinyurl.com/3szez3v
If I ever buy a $21,500 purse there better be at least $21,475 inside it.
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