You know, despite the fact that I have lived in New York City for over six years, I find it amusing that I am still quite literally taken aback by the amount of money that people spend on clothing and other little "luxuries/necessities" (the exact term used is completely dependent upon who is using it). Yes, I like nice things just as much as anyone else out there. In fact, to my dismay, whenever I am window shopping, browsing through a catalog or actually looking for something that I need, my personal tastes usually drift towards the expensive side of the spectrum. I know, it shouldn't be a problem for this (insert sarcasm) "high rolling" social worker, but I do have a problem with it. At least my wallet has a problem with it so I usually make a compromise instead.
Tonight I got home and an Ann Taylor advertisement was waiting for me patiently in my mailbox. I opened the tri-fold to see if there was anything interesting. My eyes immediately went to these great looking pair of shoes. Next my eyes were drawn to the price... $175! I'm sorry, but I am NOT spending $175 on shoes. I don't care how cute they are or what they will match or if Mr. Fancy-Pants Shoe Designer made them. $175 on shoes is too much for me.
The scary thing is, compared to other stores on 5th Avenue, Ann Taylor is probably seen as one of the lower end clothing stores. (I mean, sometimes even I can afford the sale rack.) So I started to think about NYC shoppers and realized that if people were willing to pay $95 for a young Hollywood, linen scarf that had a "love quote" attached to it with a piece of string and safety pin, then they are also probably willing to pay that measly $175 for a pair of shoes....and yes, well beyond that price for others. (p.s. I have one of these scarves...BUT I got it at a charity auction. i still love it though.)
I guess I'd like to think that if I ever came into exorbitant amounts of money, that I would still be a wise shopper, that I could maintain my taste for finer things but still be reasonable about it. Anyway, if anyone is interested in helping me to test my theory, I'm totally up for enjoying a larger cash flow. Just have your people contact my people.
4 comments:
I totally hear you Malia. I can't get over how much money some people pay for purses!
I've thought about this topic before myself. Blows my mind. If only money grew on trees.=)
You always make me laugh, Malia.
And $175 for shoes? No, I couldn't do that either.
I'm terrible. I totally spent more than that on a pair of shoes. In my defense, they were for my wedding and my dress was, in contrast, incredibly cheap (you can see where my priorities were). But on the whole, as much as I love fashion, I have to agree. You can buy something nice that lasts for reasonable prices. And I LOVE sale racks. :) However, I am incredibly grateful for all those people who pay full price so the items I covet that are too expensive will still GET to the sales rack and keep those fine designers in business. Every economy needs a bottom feeder, and I'm fine with that job. :)
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