Random musings and general banter.

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As a kid, I was brainwashed by TV/media ads, and peer pressure, into thinking 'brand is best'. Must have Adidas, Nike or Kellogg's , Heinz, Lacoste, McVities', etc.
My parents soon put me straight by never paying for expensive trainers for school and not buying overpriced branded food, out of principle and taste!

As an adult I soon realised many of the brands were often not as good as others and spent a lot of money on advertising and marketing, which is what you're paying for. Sure, some have gained a reputation for quality, at a price, but many are overpriced and inferior. Designer goods especially are not often well made or good quality. You are paying for a brand name. Your self-esteem may feel good about it if you value that sort of thing.

How often have you watched a consumer taste test or look and feel comparison on a TV consumer show survey and the public testers all think the top brands are best until they vote on taste or look and feel and the top brands, or even top price exclusive less well-known higher end products fare badly and come bottom of the table in quality.


Really? Cadbury, Heinz, L'Oréal, Gillette all available.
What I think you mean is high-end expensive brands that don't fit or are too expensive.

I always remember from the quality courses that a plastic bag can be as good, or better quality than a Louis Vuitton holdall, if it is designed better, fit for function and better value. Similar a Citroen 2CV van be considered to have as much quality as a Rolls Royce. Value, design and function all play a part.

An Four in a Bed B&B TV competition, if judged properly, a 1 star B&B can be better than a 5 star B&B if better value and facilities than you'd expect at that price point/level! Always annoys me when the owners think a luxury B&B should always win against a lesser level B&B. It is about value, service and quality.
Because I'm worth it.

 
Because I'm worth it.

Poundland sell brands for everyday use, beans, razors but what I meant is they don't do top end clothes, watches etc.

Luxury brands don't want to be associated with the ordinary and you can't get much more ordinary than IW. That £99.99 fragrance they were flogging last night was a rather ridiculous attempt to place an unknown name in the top end bracket. I mean you might take a chance at £9.99 - how bad can it be - but not a 100 quid.
 
It's not as reductive as that, though. Maybe it's a generational thing that prevents some people from seeing the distinction. But real designer clothes/bags/shows, less so fast-fashion high-street designer brands, tend to be aspirational for a reason: quality.

Or to put it another way, how many people on this forum would rather own 1x Rolex or Omega than 4x Swan & Edgar, Gamages, etc?

Certainly for some it's about being seen to be able to afford a brand (i.e., for the bragging rights, as Mike of the Morons would say) but for others it's just about quality. Buy cheap, buy often.

Designer clothing brands are no different. I mean, when I want a good pair of shoes to skate(board) in, I don't go to Primark or H&M. They're cheap, they're not covered in logos, but they also won't last, won't be comfortable, etc. Does that make me a slave to designer wear? Sort of since most good skate brands aren't cheap and almost all ensure their logo is visible, I guess it does.

But a willing slave, at least.

As for "those on benefits always seem to have posh trainers, leggings, and tops" - unless you're expert on fashion, you've no way of knowing if they're genuine or expensive brands. And if they are, so what? Poor people are allowed to be aspirational, to covet nice things, to own nice things - even if "nice" in many instances these days is a marketing construct/trick - "Buy this and your life will be better… oh it isn't? well now buy this…"

Anyway, you'd be amazed at how nice a lot of very cheap clothes from Primark, etc can look, and outlets like TK MAXX, eBay, Vinted, etc all make "real designer clothes" affordable too.

I grew up to a single mum in a council house on a council estate. Most of what my sister and I had (which we were always grateful for, although as a kid sometimes you don't show it) was second hand, knock offs, or acquired through debt/saving up. We had "brands" too. I *lived* in my first pair of Adidas trainers as a kid (long after my feet had outgrown them), and I had a Gameboy my dad got me (likely from 'matey down pub', if you catch my drift). My first "mobile phone" was bought from a club book.

But I also got a dusty fourth-hand Amstrad CPC and a carrier bag of tapes - most of which didn't work - for xmas in mid 1990s when most people my age were getting PlayStations and Nintendo 64s.

If poor people have nice things it's not a given they've paid RRP cos they're rolling in cash, and if they did, it's more likely they gotten themselves into debt for it to have a bit of fleeting sunshine in their life. They don't have to go around in rags.

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.
No, they don't have to go round in rags at all but the old saying of cut your coat according to your cloth still holds true.

I'm not a right winger, nothing like it but I have had cause to visit people on benefits and nearly all of them have designer stuff everywhere (including a huge pile of Nike trainers in the hall) and a massive plasma TV much much bigger than my own. Many smoke which costs a fortune these days. Most days a takeaway or food delivery. I just dont think they get their priorities right.

Anyway, shapeless leggings and hoodies, the modern uniform, is hardly stylish designer label or not. There is little individualism now.

I watched a bunch of lads walking down the street the other day and all were dressed almost identically in baggy leggings and hoodie tops grey or black, trainers.

I thought of my youth when we wore all different colour shirts (OK usually Ben Sherman) desert or leather boots. The girls looked lovely in figure hugging bright tee shirts and jeans or proper dresses in summer.

Today they slink behind looking exactly the same as the boys. It is so drab. Anyone else think so?
 
Great idea: Opatra do a special "healing" version of the luminous parasol IW are flogging. Switch from blue to red to green light setting according to the condition needing treatment.

Thus could then be used on multiple people at a time with groups of friends in mass garden sessions.

Only £999.99 Reduced from £9999.99 obviously.

Think of the benefits to the NHS.
 
Agreed Lord H. Where I live many of the people that don't work have big dogs that look hungry, let alone vets bills.

I agree about the fashions these days. I was a teenager in the early 80s, all New Romantic frilly shirt type of thing. I was always plump and didn't try to follow fashion as I would have looked ridiculous. These days I try to look the best I can with clothes that suit me, couldn't care less what is supposed to be fashionable. I rarely buy things from Primark, not through snobbery, I don't find they fit me well. They exception is their hooded tracksuit type jackets, mega cheap and got a few colours. Usually I buy clothes from M&S or John Lewis, rather pay a bit more as I tend to hang on to things for a while.

I haven't bought any of IW Tamsy smock dresses despite being told they're very fashionable🤔
 
Agreed Lord H. Where I live many of the people that don't work have big dogs that look hungry, let alone vets bills.

I agree about the fashions these days. I was a teenager in the early 80s, all New Romantic frilly shirt type of thing. I was always plump and didn't try to follow fashion as I would have looked ridiculous. These days I try to look the best I can with clothes that suit me, couldn't care less what is supposed to be fashionable. I rarely buy things from Primark, not through snobbery, I don't find they fit me well. They exception is their hooded tracksuit type jackets, mega cheap and got a few colours. Usually I buy clothes from M&S or John Lewis, rather pay a bit more as I tend to hang on to things for a while.

I haven't bought any of IW Tamsy smock dresses despite being told they're very fashionable🤔
Oh God I forgot to mention the poor dogs. Either XL Bully types or French bulldogs struggling to breathe. Rarely being walked, poor things.

My era was Bolan/Bowie do your own thing don't worry about being different. I also liked Adam Ant & Co. a bit later, same philosophy.

Who wants to look like Ed Sheeran? Or Adele?
 
Tents are cheap to manufacture, no resetting of pattern cutting for individual sizes, little need for quality control to check sizing is correct. Who’s gonna know if one tent is slightly smaller/shorter or a slightly different shape than another tent.
As for sally’s saying all us vertically challenged people need to do is take a garment up that’s bull if it’s got any shape as both the hips and the waistline are likely to be in entirely the wrong place.

Ive just spent money on new clothes to take on my holiday

I bought a pair of bengaline peddle pushers from Roman because I wanted a pair of cropped trousers. The peddle pushers are designed to fall just below the knee however on me they fall mid calf which is exactly what I was looking for 😊
 
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Tents are cheap to manufacture, no resetting of pattern cutting for individual sizes, little need for quality control to check sizing is correct. Who’s gonna know if one tent is slightly smaller/shorter or a slightly different shape than another tent.
As for sally’s saying all us vertically challenged people need to do is take a garment up that’s bull if it’s got any shape as both the hips and the waistline are likely to be in entirely the wrong place.
Sally will say anything for a sale.

A size sold out of a pair of trousers, she announced it by screaming
 

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