I did it.
I did not buy those darned Acne Pistol boots off the Green With Envy sale. I abruptly shut off my computer and removed the thought from my head, despite the fact that they were:
a. $300 vs the usual $600
b. for once in my size and on sale
c. Acne
It was a bit of an internal struggle, and would have indeed put me into a financial pickle for the rest of the week...
But oh, I wanted them so very much.
But oh, I wanted them so very much.
What I want to know is why it was such a cause of internal turmoil? It's a pair of boots for crying out loud - and a $300 pair for that matter. A pair of boots. S & I are designing jumpers for our graduation and some people are crying blue murder over the $50+ price. Some people don't even have feet to put their boots on. What's even worse is that to me, it is an illogical purchase - it does not even make the cut on my list of things to buy.* Let me fill you in: I got rid of over half my wardrobe and now I'm slowly curating a better selection of things to wear - and how I'm preventing myself from going stir-crazy is by having this magical list. A magical list of things that actually suit me, not the trend-based junk that either finishes off at mid-calf thus rendering me 4-foot in appearance, or things that necessarily scream "BLAHHHHGER"**.
That aside, I scared myself.
The majority of us can be blinded by brand-lust. Or sale-goggles. Put them both together and you have a fatal concoction destined to desecrate that bank balance. I am definitely a victim of it, and I think I have the ability to justify just about any nonsensical purchase. However, I do think I have a bit of insight into my condition, and my magic list has definitely helped me steer clear of a few misguided additions - these boots included. Acne or raging teenage pimples, what is it that branding promises us? I know I'd usually answer with the usual "quality and craftsmanship", but lately I've been asking myself if this really the case? Perhaps it is so with the Acne brand, but to be realistic, I don't think the same can be said for many of the rags being flogged during sale season.
So readers, what I want to know are your thoughts into this matter; have you got any examples of where this has happened to you? Can a psychologist give me an answer as to what is going on in my material-driven brain?
Hit me up with your brainwaves. Especially you Claire & Kassy, I love your musings.
T
* To be perfectly truthful, the Pistol boots in black are on my list. Because they're usable and I will destroy them with wear.
**Actually to my horror, Sinead said I was looking particularly blogger-ish the other night. Let's pretend that never happened.
That aside, I scared myself.
The majority of us can be blinded by brand-lust. Or sale-goggles. Put them both together and you have a fatal concoction destined to desecrate that bank balance. I am definitely a victim of it, and I think I have the ability to justify just about any nonsensical purchase. However, I do think I have a bit of insight into my condition, and my magic list has definitely helped me steer clear of a few misguided additions - these boots included. Acne or raging teenage pimples, what is it that branding promises us? I know I'd usually answer with the usual "quality and craftsmanship", but lately I've been asking myself if this really the case? Perhaps it is so with the Acne brand, but to be realistic, I don't think the same can be said for many of the rags being flogged during sale season.
So readers, what I want to know are your thoughts into this matter; have you got any examples of where this has happened to you? Can a psychologist give me an answer as to what is going on in my material-driven brain?
Hit me up with your brainwaves. Especially you Claire & Kassy, I love your musings.
T
* To be perfectly truthful, the Pistol boots in black are on my list. Because they're usable and I will destroy them with wear.
**Actually to my horror, Sinead said I was looking particularly blogger-ish the other night. Let's pretend that never happened.
I understand this feeling, but I feel like I've learn to pick only what I know will suit me & pieces I will love forever, the more versatile items.
ReplyDeleteBut remember, if you haven't forgotten that one piece in two months, maybe you really need it haha
The Fashann Monster
Hahaha I use that rule too - if it's still on my mind after a solid month, then I'll usually start setting aside money for it!
DeleteHaha! Trish I was so happy to see my name at the end of this post! Damn STRAIGHT Im going to have my two cents on this!
ReplyDeleteIm totally with you, I didn't buy a THING from the sales! I had an Acne blazer and Alexander Wang shoes in my cart. I came away from the computer... came back.... slept on it.... then decided I just don't need so much shit in my life. That was the deciding factor. I thought "The only reason I want an over-sized blazer with a currency print on it is because its by Acne. So it didn't make it home. And Im happy about it.
And as my mentality has changed I avoid anything that screams BLLAAAAAHHHHGEEEERRRRR. Im pretty good at picking those sorts of pieces now, and I run in the opposite direction.
Hahahaha imagine how BLAAAAHHHGGGEERRRR the money-print ACNE stuff would have been! They're cool and kooky, but practical? Nehhhhh
DeleteAnd I am totally wanting those pistol boots too but closed the screens and hid my cards.. sale seasons so damn hard though! Guilty of purchasing through sale and brand googles... Really need to clean my wardrobe and do a big sale like you girls..!
ReplyDeleteHaving said all that.. I'm sure I saw very similar style to the pistol boots at CR... For a fraction of the price and CR shoes are pretty good quality.. Sometimes if you really lusting after trends finding cheaper GOOD quality alternatives may be the way to go... But hey thats a whole different topic..
Hahaha yeah, chain-store rip-offs being another one of my prickly subjects... not quite ready to tackle that one yet!
DeleteI like CR's quality, but they're pretty expensive too. And when ACNE is on sale at the same price as full-priced CR... hehehe it's a pickle.
THIS IS A TOUGH ONE.
ReplyDeleteI am obviously in camp Acne-boots-are-the-best-boots-evahhhh so will have to say I think you're missing out because they are a bargain & comfortable & you obviously really like them BUT in saying that, in terms of useful-spending-of-money-for-this-particular-point-in-time I think a pair of the black ones, even at full price, would be a better investment. I have and LOVE the red ones but realistically, at the end of the day, it's the black ones that I turn to when I can't be bothered thinking about footwear and made the cut in my hand-luggage-only trip overseas because they GO WITH EVERYTHING.
Sale shopping for me poses this dilemma: 90% of the time the good old basics in nice normal colours won't be going on sale (or if by some miracle they do it's in a size -2 or 104) so one is usually left looking at the crazier stuff, so even though in my brain I KNOW I've only got x amount of $ to spend and that REALLY I should be spending it on a pair of useful, comfortable, neutral heels or a bag that fits more than a card & phone, when I see the fun whimsical things on sale I think 'oh man so crazy so awesome, I can get basics any time but I'll never be able to get THAT again', hence, wardrobe full but nothing to wear.
After years of killing my feet in cheap shoes I am definitely an advocate of well made footwear, and, in my experience, it only seems to be the big guns that do it. I try not to be a brand snob (I tell myself that I can spot quality anywhere), but I will admit that I don't often look for quality outside my known brand comfort zone. Mainly because it's depressing and cheap horrible things make me sad. There's a fair amount of cheap horrible amongst the brands I like too but when I'm shopping online I don't have to see them so basically, I'm a brand snob and in denial.
I know you love your Pistol collection!! But good to hear that the black ones get more wear (a no-brainer really, they're black after all) hence justifying my good feelings for not buying the red ones for now :P
DeleteI'm only just realising now (hoping it's not too late) that good shoes are worth every penny - I walk and stand up all the time and I recall in first and second year uni hobbling around at the end of the day thanks to cheap shoes. So I guess brand snobbery might have it's podiatric benefits in this case! And yes, cheap and horrible things make me think of all the Asian sweatshops and children who have to go to work, which is a rather depressing thought...