Designer brands

[Brissles]

I don't know about anyone else on here, and although I like and have purchased some designer items from Q; (its purely through Q that I've come to learn about them) i.e. Lulu Guinness, Kipling, Butler & Wilson, Lola Rose etc; but I've discovered that my family and friends have never heard of them !

One or two friends have 'dipped' into Q from time to time, but in the main, I know that if I 'gifted' the Lola Rose tsv today to any one of my female friends or family, the brand would be totally lost on them ! - therefore spending 30 quid on a scarf as a present would be a no no.

The same when I've worn a piece of B & W jewellery - the particular necklace is always commented on, but when I say its a B & W, I'm normally met with blank looks.

I've bought my sister-in-law a couple of Kipling bags in the past, so she at least knows the brand, but it had never been on her radar before.

My 'circle' are not chavvy, just normalites who shop in M & S, or Sainsbury - but the way that Q push for these brands to 'gift' I think is a lost cause for most of their audience who wouldn't dream of spending treble figures on a present.

 

[Turandot]

I think most people just get on with life and don't worry about designer stuff. My family / friends tend to think of designer as Gucci,Chanel, Valentino etc more high end expensive couture clothing and the like.

I knew Butler and Wilson having worked near their South Molton Steet shop, but that's about it.

 

[shopperholic]

I've said this a few times so I agree, when I used to shop with QVC a few years back I bought my daughter in laws some beauty items, and Leighton Denny, the Leighton Denny set was £40 but to them, who don't watch or buy from QVC, it was probably no different from the £9.99 set in Poundstretecher. I also bought my mother in law some Decleor things, the set cost me about £55 and just came in a brown box, when she opened it she just looked and said "oh thanks" and that was it, I can't blame her though because she doesn't bother with QVC either and wouldn't know those teeny tiny sizes were expensive, she didn't know it was an expernsive named brand, it's only QVC customers who know that. I closed my account two years ago and the following Christmas I bought her some Dreaded High Street beauty products and she was over the moon.

 

[shopperholic]

I'll just add, why would I buy QVC brands they sell elsewhere, the people they're meant for aren't going to know I paid over the odds for them, so all my beauty is from either IW or DHS (but bought on the internet because it's easier)

 

[Toril]

Before I had Freeview and access to QVC, I'd never heard of any of the featured designers they have on there (with the exception of Lulu, as a singer.) To be honest, I don't bother buying designer stuff, mainly because it's usually over-priced, and if someone gave me a present from a designer brand I probably wouldn't be impressed (I probably wouldn't have heard of them anyway. :wink: ) I'd rather receive a gift from an unknown Fred Bloggs Company if it was something that I liked and which had been chosen with 'love and thought.'

 

[Silver Fox]

They always make out that people will notice that you are carrying a LG bag but what does that matter?Buy if you can afford & like it but not to impress anyone else.I agree the average person will never know or care.I used to like Michael Kors bags but there are so many copies out there & that is something I would never buy.

 

[Tinkerbelle]

I found QVC as an option for buying brands I used. Particularly Liz Earle and Elemis but I already knew and owned OPI , Leighton Denny and Lulu Guinness. I knew Lola Rose but not sure if I already owned any. Can't quite remember. Oh and I used Bare Minerals.

There are some QVC brands I'd never heard of ... Gatineau for instance.

I'm not that bothered about "designer brands". If I love it then I love it. Mulberry or Marks and Sparks and I will happily mix the two.

My mum always used to spend her money on "good shoes" and "a good handbag". Her dress was most likely homemade but her shoes and bag had to be "good". Both would be cleaned regularly and repaired. Accessories are where I'm likely to spend my money. A well fitting black dress can be £20 or £200 and its actually not that easy to tell them apart.

 

[Muttley]

I know quite a few brand names as I am rather partial to handbags in department stores. I know that Lulu Guinness bags are rather expensive and Kipling are too casual for me. As for Butler and Wilson jewellery, the name does not impress me. I have seen some of their stuff and it is not to my taste. And I have only heard of Lola Rose through occasionally viewing QVC. The names that do impress me are Ted Baker and Michael Kors, if Santa were to bring me any handbags by these two brands I would be a happy bunny!!! (And my best "designer" bargain was a second-hand Mulberry purse in good condition for £1.50 in a craft fair!)

 

[rosey]

If you shop in John Lewis and House of Fraser they stock a lot of these brands so I know a lot of these brands from there not just from QVC. They also sell a few of them in TK Maxx - and at much cheaper prices

 

[Tinkerbelle]

Oh I knew B&W too as I also worked near South Molton Street which is how I knew about/used Liz Earle as it was sold in Browns.

 

[louise66]

I bought the Josie Maran 6 body butters oto recently -my first QVC purchase in a long time - because of the ethics behind the brand. I use elemis, purely because my irritable skin does not react to it, I like the scent, and the results. I do not buy anything, from anywhere, because it is a designer brand. I have kipling bags, because of the practicality;my 79 year old mum bought herself a couple, as they were the style she wanted. She had not heard of the brand, so this did not influence her decision to purchase.

 

[Akimbo]

Isn't everything designed by someone?

 

[loveallthingsitalian]

I think we forget that a lot of the brands are not household names if you dont watch Q on their never ending loop of the same old same old.

I had never heard of most of the brands prior to Q but now so many of them have got themselves into Boots/Debenhams/Marks more people will at least recognise them if not actually purchased them.

 

[Tinkerbelle]

Have to say I am loving Debenhams at the minute. Largely I think because I've actually been walking through to get to and from meetings. They have a great selection, good offers and a nice mix of prices and styles.

And yes Akimbo. Everything is designed by someone. Its just some put they name on their designs (or everything that comes out of their business) and other brands choose to promote the brand and not the "designer".

 

[candycane]

I had always loved Molton Brown from my London days and loved the value QVC did in the early days - and I still do buy MB from QVC. I had never heard of Decleor but now I buy all the TSVs. I knew of Lulu Guinness bags but only ever watched on QVC then only ever bought from LG's own super sales - I don't buy these as a "show off" but because I really love the style. Designer brands are for some a display of wealth or "in crowd" but I always think most are vastly overpriced. However, as posted above I do buy into it at times.

CC

 

[boffy]

i am a designer nut always have been from a very very young age. love vogue love fashion. at 14 i was wearing first by van cleef. love clothes so much that i found a lady to make me clothese from vogue patterns. i could go on lol

 

[Hippygirl]

It does depend where you shop. Many of the QVC 'designer' brands are in John Lewis, Debenhams, airports shops, M and S, etc. They are not all well known though, but I bought a Lola Rose scarf for my son's girlfriend the Christmas before last and she loves it. She loves designer clothes etc and had not heard of Lola Rose. She wears it a lot and says it gets lots of compliments. So for me it can be worth buying QVC 'designer' items in some cases. In other cases some of what is sold as 'designer' on QVC is anything but 'quality and value'....as much as I liked Julien McDonald on Strictly I thought his clothes on QVC recently were rubbish. Sorry rambling a bit!

 

[Caroleanne]

So do I !!! Been doing quite a bit online from them just lately. Fancy buying from a dreaded high street name without leaving my armchair!! lol If I like something and more especially if it suits me and fits well I don`t care who designed it !!

Have to say I am loving Debenhams at the minute. Largely I think because I've actually been walking through to get to and from meetings. They have a great selection, good offers and a nice mix of prices and styles.

And yes Akimbo. Everything is designed by someone. Its just some put they name on their designs (or everything that comes out of their business) and other brands choose to promote the brand and not the "designer".