posted
Tom, I may have said fashionable, but I'm fairly certain that I didn't say designer. I regularly steer people to places such as Target and Old Navy and eBay, where you can get quality clothing for reasonable prices. I would never tell people that they have to spend thousands of dollars to look good. In fact, I always start fashion advice (which I never give unless it's solicited) with a disclaimer indicating that fashion is not what makes a person beautiful.
Everyone wears clothes. When we look at people, we look at what they are wearing and that gives us clues about them. When you get dressed, you are making a choice about how you want the world will see you. That is the reason that fashion is a vital form of self-expression. It is a form of self-expression that you cannot escape.
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posted
I have a hard time expressing myself civilly over a business that values a bag as more than our adjusted gross income. I guess it's just class warfare. I'll keep in mind that Mrs. M only alluded to coveting the bag, and not owning it.
Sure people have a right to do what they want with their money, I just don't choose to validate that.
P.S. For me this isn't about the snobbery of who knows what, it's about money.
quote:I have, however, heard someone say that she would not consider hiring someone because she brought a Gucci knockoff handbag to an interview.
Well, that's ridiculous. I worked in HR for years and I would never refuse to hire someone because I didn't like their outfit. What is wrong with that woman has nothing to do with fashion - she's a petty person whose pettiness happens to be manifesting itself in a particular way.
BTW, I suffered plenty of ugly riducule at the hands of people who were into things like comics and sci-fi (mostly in college). I can tell you that snobbery is not limited to fashionistas.
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posted
lol, even though I know what it means I still think "All your base are belong to us" is one of the stupidest things ever. Definitely higher on the list than gazillion dollar purses.
posted
"I worked in HR for years and I would never refuse to hire someone because I didn't like their outfit."
While I believe you, you also said -- and I'll admit to agreeing with you, broadly -- that clothing can give you clues about a person. Is it not possible that a Gucci knockoff reveals "clues" about someone which would indicate her unsuitability for a position? How much different is this than showing up for an interview in a ripped T-shirt and Daisy Dukes?
At what point does "fashion" overlap with basic respectability?
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quote:Is it not possible that a Gucci knockoff reveals "clues" about someone which would indicate her unsuitability for a position
It's pretty unlikely, unless the position is with Gucci.
quote:How much different is this than showing up for an interview in a ripped T-shirt and Daisy Dukes?
Very, very different.
quote:At what point does "fashion" overlap with basic respectability?
I don't think that it's very hard to see where the line is. Men who work in offices know that they have to wear (depending on the office) a suit and tie or khakis and a sport jacket. Women who go on job interviews for office positions know that they should wear either a suit or a nice skirt/pants and blouse. People may disagree on the nuances (e.g. is a polo shirt okay to wear to the office on casual Friday?), but I think that everyone is pretty clear on the basics.
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posted
wow.. who woulda thought that I had TWO topics that go to more than one page. *pats his head* Well done, Old bean.
Posts: 529 | Registered: Jul 2004
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quote:*looks down at linen skirt, pink sweater, and black strappy sandals*
*whistles*
Tell me, what do you think your boss would have said if you walked in this morning wearing Daisy Dukes?
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posted
Heh. Definitely B - for the jacket part. He'd politely avert his eyes from any lascivious glances.
My boss is about two years from retirement, and he thinks of us as his family. As in, when his daughter got married and moved to Tennessee, he had our group get what can only be called a family portrait done in the photo studio upstairs. It hangs in his office in a frame.
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quote: I don't think that it's very hard to see where the line is. Men who work in offices know that they have to wear (depending on the office) a suit and tie or khakis and a sport jacket. Women who go on job interviews for office positions know that they should wear either a suit or a nice skirt/pants and blouse. People may disagree on the nuances (e.g. is a polo shirt okay to wear to the office on casual Friday?), but I think that everyone is pretty clear on the basics.
See, right there you have aired the chafe. Respectable people wear the following. And those of us who do not are not respectable people.
I do admire your love of fashion, Mrs. M, because to you it is something fun. However, I also resent fashion because there are only a handful of times I have thought it was fun and I am forced to learn the rules of the game and play every day.
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quote:I have, however, heard someone say that she would not consider hiring someone because she brought a Gucci knockoff handbag to an interview
Okay, this is coming from someone who does in fact own one piece of designer apparel... well, accessory... but I didn't buy it, it was a Christmas gift from a boss because he didn't know me well enough to know my likes (and I turned out to REALLY like it!). However, if I were to find out that a potential or existing employer put THAT much emphasis on "the real thing" compared to a knockoff that's much more reasonable on the pocketbook and still stylish and functional, I'd be seriously questioning my willingness to associate myself with that particular employer.
Oh,and Sid made a very big deal of presenting me with the gift receipt in case I chose to exchange the Kate Spade handbag for something else... Just for S&G I later went to the website of the store where it was purchased and almost died of sticker shock! Absolutely NO WAY would I ever spend THAT much on a flipping purse! Of course, now that I have it, there's no way I'm getting rid of it, either. LOL
Back to Bag Borrow or Steal... I like the concept for situations where you do need something different from your normal stock - such as a wedding or corporate party, things like that. The membership fee was a bit shocking to me, even considering the kinds of bags they carry. I'll probably hang onto the address, though, and consider doing the "free trial membership" for the enxt time such an event comes up... assuming the site is still in business when that time comes.
quote: When you get dressed, you are making a choice about how you want the world will see you.
I just bought a pair of black flannel pajama trousers with brightly colored pictures of different kinds of sushi (and the word "wasabi") printed all over them. Size XL.
What does that say about me?
P.S. I got them for 9.99 at Marshall's.
[ September 28, 2004, 09:31 PM: Message edited by: Yozhik ]
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I have a Kate Spade handbag, and it's the only designer anything I own. I've carried every day for the past year and a half and it still looks good and works nicely, though, so I'm feeling better about buying it.
I didn't get it for the name - I got it because It's Perfect. It's small enough to be subtle unless I'm in evening dress, but it's big enough to carry my DayPlanner. The top doesn't zip, so I can just stick it in there without having to mess with buckles and things. It's rigid on the sides, so when I set it down it doesn't slump over. It's just wide enough to carry my planner and scriptures on Sunday, and it's just long enough to carry my planner lengthwise with the keys on one end and the cell phone on the other. I love it. I hope she makes it forever because when this one dies - in a few years, I think - I want another one.
And sadly enough, I have had a few friendly encounters with girls that otherwise would have ignored me because of the bag I was carrying. I thought they were insane, but I never would have believed it happened otherwise.
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quote:I have a Kate Spade handbag, and it's the only designer anything I own. I've carried every day for the past year and a half and it still looks good and works nicely, though, so I'm feeling better about buying it.
I didn't get it for the name - I got it because It's Perfect. It's small enough to be subtle unless I'm in evening dress, but it's big enough to carry my DayPlanner. The top doesn't zip, so I can just stick it in there without having to mess with buckles and things. It's rigid on the sides, so when I set it down it doesn't slump over. It's just wide enough to carry my planner and scriptures on Sunday, and it's just long enough to carry my planner lengthwise with the keys on one end and the cell phone on the other. I love it. I hope she makes it forever because when this one dies - in a few years, I think - I want another one.
Sounds like your bag is similar to mine, Katharina. And I agree with you, once I wear this one out I DO want another one!
BB&S had a grey Kate Spade bag that looked very similar, a bit higher sides than my pink and cream, that I'm kind of eyeing. Off to Neiman's website to see how much... and then start dropping hints to the bosses LOL
posted
grumble grumble grumble... I CANNOT find that Kate Spade RAchel in ANY of the stores I would have normally thought of it being sold OR on the KS website!! Finally did a google search and found it on some Yahoo shop (as in shops.yahoo.com/something or another) for about $200. I think I'd better lobby for it now or start saving up the money to buy it myself soon... looks like it won't be around when I finally wear out my dot noel sam (what a weird style name LOL).
posted
I bought mine online at Neiman Marcus, and they had a whole selection. I think they have an exclusive agreement with them - Lord and Taylor and Dillards don't even carry Kate Spade.
I do love mine - that's about how much I spent for it. I was horrified with myself, but considering how much use I've gotten out of it, it's completely worth it.
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quote:I bought mine online at Neiman Marcus, and they had a whole selection. I think they have an exclusive agreement with them - Lord and Taylor and Dillards don't even carry Kate Spade.
NM and Nordstrom both sell Kate Spade. My dot came from Nordstrom, my other boss' wife works for NM. =)
Fields and Carson's don't even have online shopping, which was a bit of a surprise - but of course I'm blocks from both their flagship stores here at work so I may take a walk at lunch.
I was very surprised to see that the Kate Spade website didn't have this style at all. The only thing that came up when I searched for "Rachel" on her site was sunglasses.
Heaven help me, I'm starting to obsess over a purse.... LOL who can I blame for this?
posted
Kate Spade stopped making the Rachel a couple of years ago. Your best bet is eBay. BTW, I wouldn't pay more than $60 for it. I had a grey one w/ a red lining and it wore out pretty quickly. I am extremely hard on purses, which is one of the reasons why I carry Ferragamos exclusively now.
Christy, I can understand how being forced to learn rules and play a game that you dislike is frustrating. And to have to do it every day, no less. I can't say that I fully understand feeling that way about fashion b/c I get so much pleasure out of it. If there is every anything that I can do to make it more enjoyable or even less frustrating, let me know - it's something I love to do.
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