{"id":3114,"date":"2012-03-05T05:40:20","date_gmt":"2012-03-05T13:40:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/?p=3114"},"modified":"2012-02-28T10:21:02","modified_gmt":"2012-02-28T18:21:02","slug":"whats-in-a-designer-name","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/whats-in-a-designer-name\/","title":{"rendered":"What’s in a (Designer) Name?"},"content":{"rendered":"

I once was browsing in a fancy department store when a sweater caught my eye. When I lifted the sleeve and read the price tag I nearly fell over – $495! I hadn\u2019t noticed that I had wandered into the \u201cdesigner\u201d department where the high-fashion apparel was sold. It was a very nice looking sweater but there\u2019s no way in the world I could ever conceive of paying that much for a sweater. Why, I wondered, would anyone?<\/p>\n

That got me thinking about designer products. Why do they cost so much more than \u201cregular\u201d products. Here\u2019s what I\u2019ve discovered:<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no particular criteria for \u201cdesigner\u201d products that require them to be of higher quality or in any way \u201cbetter\u201d than any other product. It\u2019s all about the name and the clout it carries. A consumer assumes that Emeril Lagasse\u2019s line of cookware, Martha Stewart\u2019s home decor products and Vera Wang\u2019s eyeglass frames are \u201cspecial\u201d in some way because those names are known to be knowledgeable and talented people in their fields of expertise. We like to think that these who have a line of products that carry their name also carry their tacit \u201cstamp of approval.\u201d<\/p>\n

That \u201cstamp of approval\u201d allows those brands to charge premium prices for their merchandise – and consumers are often more than willing to spend more for the status a designer name imparts. The reputation of the designer – rather than the products themselves – is largely what consumers are paying for.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not to say that there\u2019s no difference between designer merchandise and other brands. Because it\u2019s the reputation of the designer on the line, their products are often of higher-than-average quality. It\u2019s just important to realize that \u201cdesigner\u201d is not necessarily synonymous with \u201cthe best.\u201d<\/p>\n

Having watched the Academy Awards last night, I\u2019ve been thinking about that ubiquitous question the celebrities are asked as they work the red carpet, \u201cWho are you wearing?\u201d<\/em> This is a question that most people go their entire lives without needing to answer. For most of us, it\u2019s a matter of what<\/em> rather than who<\/em>.<\/p>\n

When you\u2019re in the market for a new suit, for example, rather than looking automatically at the designer labels, find the qualities that are most important to you. Designer suits may be made with more comfortable fabric or be more durable. Consider fabric and quality of construction if you\u2019re going to wear the suit frequently. If, however, you need a suit for one wedding and you won\u2019t wear it again for a year, you can most likely find a great suit without paying more for that designer label.<\/p>\n

The truth is, there is a lot of high quality merchandise on the market that doesn\u2019t bear a designer name. That\u2019s where being a savvy consumer comes in. Remember these two things to buy good quality merchandise without overpaying for designer labels:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Don\u2019t automatically assume that designer merchandise is better.<\/strong> There\u2019s no guarantee that it\u2019s superior to any other brand.<\/li>\n
  2. Know what makes a quality product.<\/strong> If the designer product has those qualities and you can justify a price that is most likely higher than other brands, then go for it.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Of course, there are times when you discover there is indeed something extra-appealing about a designer product. If you find that your favorite fragrance is made by Chanel and you don\u2019t mind splurging to get what you consider the best, by all means do. At least you\u2019ll know that you made the decision based upon your real opinion. Bottom line – don\u2019t let the designer name alone unduly influence your purchasing decision.<\/p>\n

    Do you pay more for designer brands?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    I once was browsing in a fancy department store when a sweater caught my eye. When I lifted the sleeve and read the price tag I nearly fell over – $495! I hadn\u2019t noticed that I had wandered into the \u201cdesigner\u201d department where the high-fashion apparel was sold. It was a very nice looking sweater […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[514],"tags":[44,74,23],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3114"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3114"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3114\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3114"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3114"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3114"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}