How much extra are you willing to pay for a color you love?

Back in the spring, I tried on this cozy fleece hoodie at a gear shop and fell in love with the fit and fabric. I’ve been in the market for a cozy, non-technical, throw-over-anything fleece for a few years, and have auditioned and rejected quite a few. I didn’t take it home with me then because I balked at the price tag and wasn’t in love with any of the colors. I decided to wait for a discount or see if one turned up secondhand. Well, now the past-season colors have been discounted (photo #1), but they also released a new fall color that I adore (photo #2)! I’m still hesitant about the price, even though I know this is the kind of thing I’ll wear into the ground and in the end it will probably cost me pennies per wear. I’m very torn over whether I can justify spending $50 extra to get the color I feel excited about. The discounted “natural” color will do all the same things as the lovely yummy warm brown — but will I become bored with it and always regret not grabbing the brown one?

What do you all do in situations like this? I know Angie advocates buying the color/pattern you love and avoiding sales goggles. This isn’t so much sales goggles; I’ve wanted the thing since it was full price, and because I felt equally neutral toward all the previous colors, I told myself I’d buy whichever one turned up at a lower-than-retail price. If this new color hadn’t appeared, I would’ve bought the discounted one without a second thought and probably would have enjoyed it for years to come! Argh. Now I can have the color I want or the price I want, but not both, unless I’m willing to roll the dice on finding the new color marked down in the future…? How much more mental energy am I willing to invest in this darn hoodie?! So here I am seeking the collective wisdom of YLF.

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1 year ago

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Such a snuggly, cuddly jacket!

Looking at full-priced items and waiting to see if they go on sale is new to me since joining ylf. I usually just shop sales, fingers in my ears to anything different. I might see something I like, or I might not, but I’m not going to know there’s this other thing over there for more money. I sort by price and stop scrolling when I get past the amount I’m willing to pay. I recall your advice to me a few years back was that another one would come along. Otoh, cream does show the dirt. I almost think you should order both just to see how they really feel.

Janet

(website)

I am a big fan of getting the color that you love even if it’s not the one on sale. I’m never as happy with an item that’s a lesser-favorite color once I know a better color was available. And I can’t rely on a later sale when I find one of my colors, especially lately since retail has been full of colors that I don’t love for the last two years!

JAileen

I do not buy colors I don’t like. Then it’s easier - is this item (in a color I like) worth the price? And that’s it.

Echo

I have found that items that aren't in my preferred colors just aren't worth it in the long run. I am just not excited to wear them and indeed, I have gone out of my way NOT to wear them sometimes. They end up languishing in my closet until I pass them on, no matter how useful I thought they would be when I bought them.

UmmLila (Lisa)

Color is my first decision point for any apparel item. Also, that dark brown suits your coloring much better than the oatmealy one.

merwoman

LaPed, I’m done with settling. It it was me, I would spend the extra money on the colour I love and feel wonderful every time I put the jacket on.

Kathie

I no longer buy colors that I'm not in love with, even if on sale. I'd get the brown one, and wear it with a smile.

cat2

+1 to what Kathie said. Sale gear is often in brights that look horrible on me, and I have stopped buying it.

rachylou

I say, no, don’t settle and don’t pass up a good brown. A good brown is not easy to come by.

SarahD8

Oh, gosh. Get the brown. It's just perfect for you. We know you (and you know yourself) well enough to know that it will be worth it both in # of wears and enjoyment of wears (the latter of which, I think, is too easy to value less than we ought).

phoebe

Active Member

I would sooner do without than pay less for the one I want less

LJP

I’m with Lisa .

nemosmom

Yep, jumping on the brown bandwagon. If you know you won’t wear the cream one as often, and the cream already leaves you feeling “meh”, go with the one you WANT - you know you will wear it enough to justify the extra cost.

If budget is an issue, look at someplace you can cut back, if it helps.

MsMaven

Yep, another vote for the brown. I’ve bought a couple of items, fleece jackets in this case, in blah colors because I wanted the style. Didn’t wear them so much and didn’t feel great when I did. The brown is gorgeous. Wait until it goes on sale is risky.

Irina

Joining the others - get the color you love. Funny, in this case I would pay extra for the #1 fleece horses for courses

DonnaF

$50 is significant, so I get your hesitation. It seems to me that brown is a more practical color so won’t have to be cleaned/washed as often and will end up lasting and looking better for longer. How’s that for justification?

Runcarla

Agreeing with everyone above. Get the brown - and love wearing it. YOU ARE WORTH IT!

(I had a navy puffer I bought on deep discount. It was stolen whilst I was at the gym working out. A couple months later I found one, but it was regular price. I bought it, wore it a few times, and then temps got too warm. I’m looking forward to wearing it this fall/winter and have no regrets!!)

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by Runcarla

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Jaime

I agree with the crowd - especially since the lighter color in that material doesn't wear as well from what I have seen. The brown will make you much happier.

Jules

Get the thing you really want.

Another way of looking at this situation was the original price was too high for colours you felt meh about. But maybe it’s not too high for a colour you love. This is the kind of thing you’ll probably wear over and over for years - high happiness factor and low CPW in the end.

Bijou

I get this because I have previously bought the on sale colour, but always felt a sense of regret at not buying my favourite colour. I would get the brown and be thrilled that the colour was released before buying a lesser colour.

Joy

Another vote for getting the brown one. If you don't get it ,you will still be wanting it and may not wear the light one much. Save somewhere else.

slim cat

Yes to the favorite color!

judy

$50.00 more for your favorite color IS a bargain!

Sal

I would get the brown - it feels the best choice for you. I think it will wear better too.

I have only been in this exact situation once and funnily enough the colour I wanted was cheaper. My friend and I looked at the hoodies and I didn't tell her which was cheaper - we both chose the cheaper.

Indigoprint

What judy said!!!

Kate

Easy. Brown. Don’t settle.

Jenni NZ

I don’t know what I would do. I would probably try to wait for the brown to come down in price, I suspect. But I would not buy the less favoured colour because I would regret that. The better colour or else none at all.
If you will wear it heaps, then it is worth paying more. The brown looks so much more like your colour.

Anonymous

Think of it in terms of cost per wear. You’ll probably wear the color you like a lot more than the one you don’t, so even though the one you like costs more, in the end it will probably work out to about the same cost/wear. Also: If you buy the cheaper one, it will always remind you of the one that got away.

Decisions, decisions….

April

1000% what Rachy said - with browns, it's terribly hard to find just the right one for you.

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