Does your jewelry/watch/clothes/car/home confer status?

[fiona00004]

Though many have perished on this glorious battlefield, I, Madam Bijoux, have lived to tell of the thrill of the fight.

Lovely! And the color!

 

[woofmama]

Though many have perished on this glorious battlefield, I, Madam Bijoux, have lived to tell of the thrill of the fight.

Holy Smokes Madam B-that's one heck-of-a purse ya got there! Is that a bejeweled diamond and emerald attached to it? I would so rock that purse Where's my winning lotto ticket?

 

[Madam Bijoux]

Hi, Woofmama! The emerald isn't part of the purse - it's one of my rings.

 

[woofmama]

Hi, Woofmama! The emerald isn't part of the purse - it's one of my rings.

Yummy goodies They compliment each other perfectly

 

[rosetta]

Madame, love the colour of your Hermes! A perfect emerald.

Can I be in your will, pretty please?

 

[smitcompton]

Hi,

I just want to reiterate what I think Circe and Harper said. There are things that in and of themselves confer status to the individual regardless of the individuals intent. The Birken, the Philipe Patik name, and those beautiful european sports cars. They are status symbols whether you want them to be or not.

Annette


Now coach is a symbol of middle class. We have symbols all over the place for all sorts of things.

 

[Circe]

Hi,

I'm always a bit perplexed by these threads as so many on here never do anything to show status. I had hoped Madam Bioux(sp)
would reply and as I thought she would be, has been as honest as she always is. . Thank You.

I dress on some occasions to show upwardly mobile status and dress down on other occasions to look downright poor. I believe people are influenced by how we are perceived by them and they react in a certain way. In real-estate you do have to look successful and dress the part. I have no doubt that Kenny's Rolex made the appropriate statement.

When Greg made more money he turned to the objects that have been shown as status symbols of success(each to his own). Most people do exactly that. So you think that European sports car is just this great piece of machinery that you love, or have you learned in life that it is a status symbol of the "good life"- rich life, to which you have become able to afford? It is a status symbol no matter how you wish to describe it.

Sometimes these small victory s, ala expensive handbags,etc. allow us to feel part of the good life. Look at the Chinese. They have flocked to the high end status symbols like they won't be there tomorrow. Status, its a part of life and most of us participate in some way. Its also fun.


Annette

Thanks, Annette - and I found myself nodding at everything you wrote in your first post, particularly the bolded line. I do think it's very important to acknowledge that we're all the products of our environment. We value what we're taught to value. We're on a diamond forum, yannow?

I once got into a spat with a friend who was making fatphobic cracks. I take those personally - a lot of the people I'm close to have struggled with their weight. Including, ironically, the person making the cracks. But, anyway, she kept insisting that she hadn't been socialized to prefer slender physiques: her ballet classes, her fashion background, her addiction to celebrity gossip, were all completely tangential. She just thought it looked better. It ... gave me some new insight into the levels of denial people can embrace in their desire to be Individuals(TM).

[Insert obligatory Monty Python quotation here.]

 

[Laila619]

I do buy some brand name items for status reasons and for quality. Like handbags...I will spend a couple hundred on one and jeans, as well.

There are some ways though that I think status can be seen that are brandless - like having an excellent haircut. I really think that well-cut hair = class.

i have no class since i'm only willing to pay $8 bucks for an haircut.

got you beat...I pay $7!

Oh, I haven't got a haircut in AGES because I am too cheap to go get a haircut. Everytime I get one, I get disappointed because it always turns out blah... no on has ever been able to creatively give me a good cut!

I once paid for an expensive 'designer' haircut and to me, it was NO different than the $15 ones I get at Hair Cuttery. What a waste of money IMO.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Hi,

I just want to reiterate what I think Circe and Harper said. There are things that in and of themselves confer status to the individual regardless of the individuals intent. The Birken, the Philipe Patik name, and those beautiful european sports cars. They are status symbols whether you want them to be or not.

Annette


Now coach is a symbol of middle class. We have symbols all over the place for all sorts of things.

not true...say if you stop 100 women on the street and asked them the Q...had ever heard of Hermes hand bags? my guess would be 85% of the women will answer "no". now,if asked them if they ever heard of LV or Coach,then 95% will answer "yes"

 

[smitcompton]

Hi,

I have very thin & straight hair. At the time Jacqueline Kennedy used to go to a hairdresser called Kenneths. Someone gave me money to go to this high end hairdresser to see what they would reccommend for my hair. As I called myself a shop-girl at the time, I was nervous at going to this upscale place.

It was lovely inside. We talked about what to do with my hair and he went forward. I never looked more beautiful in my life. When I went to work the next day no=one could believe it. It lasted 3 days, but if I had money I would go every 3 days. A week later i was myself again. What memories!

I never hear of them anymore. But they were good, and that was high status for me.

 

[kenny]

i have no class since i'm only willing to pay $8 bucks for an haircut.

Then I'm below having no class since I cut my own hair.

But I do own a $120 Oster clipper, so I guess I DO have class.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aXsEO2eKo4

 

[MichelleCarmen]

I do buy some brand name items for status reasons and for quality. Like handbags...I will spend a couple hundred on one and jeans, as well.

There are some ways though that I think status can be seen that are brandless - like having an excellent haircut. I really think that well-cut hair = class.

i have no class since i'm only willing to pay $8 bucks for an haircut.

got you beat...I pay $7!

Oh, I haven't got a haircut in AGES because I am too cheap to go get a haircut. Everytime I get one, I get disappointed because it always turns out blah... no on has ever been able to creatively give me a good cut!

I once paid for an expensive 'designer' haircut and to me, it was NO different than the $15 ones I get at Hair Cuttery. What a waste of money IMO.

It's not how much you pay...I didn't say expensive hair cut. Just well-cut hair. lol! Guys hair doesn't count, though, DF... My DH pays $14 or so to get his hair cut... We went EVERYWHERE, then found the best hair dresser for guy cuts so both my husband and kids go to the same gal, as well after a couple years of searching. Older son is $12.99 and younger is $10.

I'm thinking scraggly hair, like tangles and messy doesn't look good. It doesn't take a $100 hair cut to look good. Just a nice trim to keep a person looking put together. I guess I am saying being PUT TOGETHER implies status to me. We went to a busy destination place the other day and I was kinda laughing at the assortment of mish-mash stuff people were wearing. But, then again, where I live was voted as having one of the worst sense of fashion in the country.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Hi,

I just want to reiterate what I think Circe and Harper said. There are things that in and of themselves confer status to the individual regardless of the individuals intent. The Birken, the Philipe Patik name, and those beautiful european sports cars. They are status symbols whether you want them to be or not.

Annette


Now coach is a symbol of middle class. We have symbols all over the place for all sorts of things.

Coach is an interesting one. I love their handbags and own a couple of them. It seems they span all income levels and I'll see a woman dressed impeccable, with her well-cut hair, and nice car walking around with a coach...then, I'll see a woman in old yuck sweats, messy hair, and an older-model car and a coach. This is for the C logo bags, that is. Seems that everyone has one regardless of income level.

 

[Harpertoo]

Hi,

I just want to reiterate what I think Circe and Harper said. There are things that in and of themselves confer status to the individual regardless of the individuals intent. The Birken, the Philipe Patik name, and those beautiful european sports cars. They are status symbols whether you want them to be or not.

Annette


Now coach is a symbol of middle class. We have symbols all over the place for all sorts of things.

I think part of the status is signaling to a group "in the know". The group you choose to identify with or aspire to...
Some of you from the Chgo area may remember the 312/630 hats & t-shirts...the 630 had a cross out. No one outside of the area would know that 312 was the original city area code, and 630 the newer "lesser" city/suburban code....it was a form of signaling to their group.
IMO more exclusive/ expensive brands signal to others who appreciate and enjoy those same items. The realtor with the Rolex does not care if everyone identifies his watch, he is signaling to the intended clients he's one of them. And as I mentioned before it can be intentional or not.....
clearly I find the topic very interesting, but I'm not sure it really tells a lot about individuals or their intentions.

 

[distracts]

Though many have perished on this glorious battlefield, I, Madam Bijoux, have lived to tell of the thrill of the fight.

Lovely! And the color!

Yes, that color is fantastic! And I do love how well it matches the emerald.

 

[partgypsy]

Though many have perished on this glorious battlefield, I, Madam Bijoux, have lived to tell of the thrill of the fight.

Yum! Love those colors!

 

[partgypsy]

Sometimes I wonder what our car, house, etc confers. I think that the most common inference is grad student (even though we are in our 40's) bohemian, hippy, artistic. Our car (honda oddessey) confers that we have school age kids, and how beat up it is confers we really don't care about cars. Our house (a smallish bungalow) does not convey "wealth" but maybe "coolness" (a description 2 different people have called it). On the weekends probably look like a poor grad student, during the work week anonymous professional.

It's interesting what is considered a "brand name". I don't consider that I use any brand names, and telling someone that, that I don't wear brands but I do buy a lot of Land's end, they corrected me and said that was a brand. Same thing happened when talking about Corelle, a Japanese professor I know stated that was a middle/upper middle class brand of dinnerware, that people register for it

I guess what I'm saying I don't intentionally buy brand names, behave a certain way to increase my status, but even unintentionally people probably judge various things about a person to make a judgement about that person. Personally I'd rather look like a bum and have a ton of money than vice versa, but since I work in an office environment I have to at least have clean clothes that fit me somewhat, etc.

 

[iLander]

I dunno . . . you tell me

I'm surprised that people don't realize that a used one of these costs less than your average new Toyota.

 

[Dancing Fire]

I dunno . . . you tell me

I'm surprised that people don't realize that a used one of these costs less than your average new Toyota.

i couldn't afford the insurance.

 

[NTave]

My clothes/car/house confer status. My status is need a whole lot more money.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Haha, the only thing I wear meant to confer status is my white coat at work, it's supposed to confer "I'm a doctor", but at least one person every day still goes "hey nurse". Sigh.

Other than that, my watch is a Ball automatic which nobody has heard of, my wedding set is Leon Mege/Van Craeynest which nobody here has heard of, my other jewelry is all more or less custom made and modest so neither the brand nor amount of bling is really note worthy, if you added up the retail price of all the clothing/shoes I wore less month it'd be less than 500$, I don't own purses, I drive a kia, and my house is creaky and old, lol.

So all in all, other than my jewelry, I don't have expensive things. And my jewelry is expensive in a way that most people wouldn't realize it was expensive, lol. For example, I have a lightning ridge solid black opal ring, which prompted someone at work one day to go "ooo, that's so pretty, is that a mood ring?"

 

[Rosebloom]

I dunno . . . you tell me

I'm surprised that people don't realize that a used one of these costs less than your average new Toyota.

SERIOUSLY?!

(Off to research used Porsches...)

 

[SB621]

I dunno . . . you tell me

I'm surprised that people don't realize that a used one of these costs less than your average new Toyota.

SERIOUSLY?!

(Off to research used Porsches...)

OH MY GOSH ME TOOO!!!!!!!!!!! DH has wanted a porsche forever.

iLander where do you recommend looking? Online or at a Porsche dealership?

 

[momhappy]

I would absolutely assume that my "things" confer status. I prefer premier designers (Chanel, CL, Cartier, etc.).

 

[kenny]

My clothes/car/house confer status. My status is need a whole lot more money.

 

[iLander]

I dunno . . . you tell me

I'm surprised that people don't realize that a used one of these costs less than your average new Toyota.

SERIOUSLY?!

(Off to research used Porsches...)

OH MY GOSH ME TOOO!!!!!!!!!!! DH has wanted a porsche forever.

iLander where do you recommend looking? Online or at a Porsche dealership?

Here's the scoop: use kbb.com to check prices. Private party or used car dealer is cheapest. Also, check Lexus/mercedes/luxury dealers (trade ins) they have their inventory on line, also check ebay and autotrader. Porsche dealers tend to rock you, but they do offer certified preowned, which is what mine was. They also take trades, which helps. 24K miles, $32K dollars, Boxster base. For best reliability, 2009 and newer Boxsters/Caymans are best, 2001 and newer 911's are best. Avoid the Cayennes. Porsches tend to be third cars and weekend drivers, so mileage can be very low. There are also forums for Porsches, you can learn and ask questions there. But be ready for maintenance charges. It's a $400 oil change, not $40, and tires are a bitch. If you can do some things yourself, (youtube!!) or find a reasonable local shop (check the forums) you'll be okay. They do hold their value very well, DH had a 911 for 10 years (he has another one now) and the cost was $10K, because he paid $25K and sold it for $15K. If you get going on that path, post here, this is our 4th one over the years, and I'll be glad to help.

But be careful, they are very addictive! I drove mine for 2 hours yesterday, and I just wanted to drive some more. Nothing else has ever been like that for me.

 

[Dreamer_D]

They do, but it's extrinsic rather than intrinsic.

I don't think I've ever bought a thing JUST because I know it's a status symbol.

But when a thing I find beautiful happens to convey status? Sure. It's going to send that message to the general society regardless of how I feel about it.

Exactly.

And I am going to go one step further and suggest that the status aspect is part of the reason we find things beautiful -- beauty and status and wealth are nearly inextricable when it comes to things we wear and display.

 

[madelise]

Don't all purchases confer status? A designer label will tell others you either prefer quality, or prefer labels. Something with a logo slapped all over it (think LV bags and their monogram print, or Coach and their C's all over) shows that the owner cares to show that off. Something with a less conspicuous logo shows the owner cares for quality, but may not care to shove the logo down everyone's throats. Someone who chooses to never purchase these things, and opt for non-brand name items, confer that they are more frugal?

I dunno . . . you tell me

I'm surprised that people don't realize that a used one of these costs less than your average new Toyota.

SO just bought my dream car last weekend, the R8. He had a C350 before. He bought the C350 for the price of a new Toyota, and then he bought the R8 for not much more than a new C350. I <3 preloved everything.

I dunno . . . you tell me

I'm surprised that people don't realize that a used one of these costs less than your average new Toyota.

SERIOUSLY?!

(Off to research used Porsches...)

OH MY GOSH ME TOOO!!!!!!!!!!! DH has wanted a porsche forever.

iLander where do you recommend looking? Online or at a Porsche dealership?

The key to getting a good deal on cars is the same key we use for eBay steals on bling. You need to research, research, research and then WAIT. And when a good deal appears, you need to jump on it ASAP. You also can't be uber picky, and be open to alternatives (like color). SO searched for my car (a dinky Yaris) to replace my beater car for almost a year, and we ended up buying a 2 year old car with less than 10K miles on it for $6K. The ad had on sale for $8.5K, we went to visit it, and we bargained it down to 7.5K. Then you bring cash and offer to buy it on the spot for less. It's cash, it saves him time from looking for another seller, and it's immediate since he didn't have to wait for another interested party to go find a loan or whatever. Voila. $6K 2009 Yaris in 2011, with less than 10K miles on it. But we put in a lot of time and effort searching local private sellers, and waited almost a year. It is time consuming.

Also look at dealerships with preowned cars. If you want to find a Porsche, look at trade-ins at other luxury car companies. They'll offer it for less than their own cars. The R8 was found at a Lamborghini dealership. It had less ~5K miles on it, is a 2009 car, had a bunch of upgrades worth $$$ that came "for free", and cost less than 1/2 the retail price.

Luxury cars, look at dealers. You want your warrantees for used cars. Cheaper cars like mine, look at independent sellers who are more open to negotiation on price. If it's a doable amount, pay cash to bring price down some more. As with all cash transactions, make sure to have a bunch of written proof for the transaction. We traded photocopies of each other's driver's licenses, and drew up a bill of sale for proof of the change of ownership. We also had an agreed upon date written down that he must have the change of ownership transferred to us by. I drove off with the car, so it was in my hands.


Sorry, I'm not iLander, but for the last 3 years, I have spent a lot of time hunting for car deals with the SO, for my car and then for his. I hate paying full price for anything, cars the worst. The value depreciates the moment you pay for it. I iz not down for that!

 

[Alexiszoe]

Don't all purchases confer status? A designer label will tell others you either prefer quality, or prefer labels. Something with a logo slapped all over it (think LV bags and their monogram print, or Coach and their C's all over) shows that the owner cares to show that off. Something with a less conspicuous logo shows the owner cares for quality, but may not care to shove the logo down everyone's throats. Someone who chooses to never purchase these things, and opt for non-brand name items, confer that they are more frugal?

Madelise,

I agree with what you said, you took the words out of my mouth! It is also relative: most people would think Rolex/LV is the epitome of luxury, whereas very few, such as enthusiasts or the extremely wealthy might be able to discern a Patek Philippe or under the radar Hermes item. Like you mentioned, it is not just a matter of buying to impress, but also others who buy for themselves: caring about the quality but does not want people to know they are wearing/using something , or, impressing the appropriate social circle.

 

[madelise]

Don't all purchases confer status? A designer label will tell others you either prefer quality, or prefer labels. Something with a logo slapped all over it (think LV bags and their monogram print, or Coach and their C's all over) shows that the owner cares to show that off. Something with a less conspicuous logo shows the owner cares for quality, but may not care to shove the logo down everyone's throats. Someone who chooses to never purchase these things, and opt for non-brand name items, confer that they are more frugal?

Madelise,

I agree with what you said, you took the words out of my mouth! It is also relative: most people would think Rolex/LV is the epitome of luxury, whereas very few, such as enthusiasts or the extremely wealthy might be able to discern a Patek Philippe or under the radar Hermes item. Like you mentioned, it is not just a matter of buying to impress, but also others who buy for themselves: caring about the quality but does not want people to know they are wearing/using something , or, impressing the appropriate social circle.

Lol, yes! Ditto the relative. My HS friends don't know the $ difference between a LV bag and a Balenciaga one. In fact, I doubt they know what Balenciaga is. LV, Coach, and Michael Kors is all the rage. A Rolex watch would make them swoon, but they won't know Omega or Patek Philippe, and they DEFINITELY don't know what Breguet, Ulysse Nardin, or Piguet are.

And location is related too. In Taiwan, Coach and Kate Spade are like TOP BRANDS because they're "American Brands".. while they aren't so top notch HERE within the US, where we lust for Italian and French labels. My family in Taiwan will come here and go to the Coach outlet and buy THE UGLIEST purses as long as the word "Coach" is vomited all over the bag.