Power Pause before new purchase - YouLookFab Forum

Category

Shopping

Welcome! Read about what to wear and how to wear it on the YLF Blog. Join the YLF Forum to ask specific questions or just chat about fashion and personal style. Or check out the curated list of things we love in YLF Finds.

Outfits Ensembles Trends Advice

Power Pause before new purchase

Synne

Veteran

I want to shop less, be more frugal, you know the drill....

What do you do when you come across something like this? Well made leather trousers, in tall sizes even (yay). "My" colour. Classic silhouette. But on the pricier side... Above my preffered budget for a single item. But this looks like it would last for years and years.

Thoughts?

This post has 1 photo. Photos uploaded by this member are only visible to other logged in members.

If you aren't a member, but would like to participate, please consider signing up. It only takes a minute and we'd love to have you.

Shopping

30 replies

Latest reply was from nuancedream

Helena

Veteran

This looks beautiful, well made, and definitely perfect for your style. For me (and I am definitely on the more frugal side of frugal!), If I could but this one great piece in place of a few smalls purchases to make up the extra budget, I'd go for it! I am very strict about not buying beyond my means though. Among other things, the stress would ruin the purchase for me! But that's a very personal determination obviously. They are really gorgeous pants!

Elizabeth P

Veteran

When you come across something that makes your heart sing, and can work seamlessly into your wardrobe, you'll never look back and regret the money you spent. At least that's my experience. Will you regret not getting them?

These really ARE gorgeous! And I can imagine that finding pants (let alone leather ones!) that tick so many boxes would be really challenging. Esp the tall part.

Enable enable enable...

Deb

Veteran

I would rather buy one beautiful piece than ten lesser pieces. These pants are special and you don’t come across perfect for you pieces too often. I’d buy the pants and cut back your spending over the coming months to balance your budget if the outlay concerns you.

nemosmom

Veteran

I admire that you are taking a power pause! Big ticket items can be difficult, but I am agreeing with TG and Elizabeth - if one great quality piece ticks all the boxes, makes you happy, and doesn't break the bank, I would totally forego other small purchases to make up the difference in my dollar budget. Maybe it's about BETTER investment-type pieces; not MORE ?

Lesley

Veteran

Those are gorgeous. If they are in your budget, are truly different from everything you own, and you can imagine lots of looks to make with them... they seem like a good investment!

Murph11

Veteran

If these gorgeous pants fit seamlessly into your wardrobe and can work in your budget somehow, I’d go for it! I’ve done this a few times, then realized I needed the right shoes / other pieces which then made the splurge even more costly. They are beautiful.

notsaf

Veteran

These look lovely for you! If you put them on and you know you would wear them immediately, then I say stretch the budget for them and make it up later. If, however, you are imagining them for a future time/season, then I'd say pass. My biggest regrets have been overspending on pieces for next season that, when it finally came around, were not quite right.

Bijou

Veteran

Synne I work out what I was planning to buy in the current year and what I would be willing to forgo or get a cheaper option to allow this purchase.

For example, blue boots with a heel height of no more than 1.5 inches has been a highly elusive wardrobe item for me. If I find the perfect pair, I would be willing to pay quite a lot for these and forgo any additional shoes or boots for winter. The reason for this is my winter shoe capsule is in a good place and the boots would be on high rotation anyway.

In relation to these pants, what would they replace? Your jeans, dressy pants? Could you buy these and cut back on other areas or do you need to build your wardrobe at the moment and one bigger purchase means that you will have nothing to wear them with?

The French 5 wardrobe items pretty much is this philosophy - buy 5 great items only each season but get the best quality you can afford. This is a great strategy but does rely on a reasonable base wardrobe to begin with.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Have you tried them on, or is this an online find? I find that the try-on either makes or breaks the deal.

Anonymous

I'm a chronic enabler, but they look really nice and would go well with your wardrobe! With investment pieces though, there are definite considerations :
Do they suit your primary life activities and climate? Muddy days, sticky child fingers, long summers, inability to wear to work could be factors. The PUPY-potential use per year factor.
How forgiving are they? Leather isn't super flexible. If your weight is stable it's not a problem, if not, I'd pass.
How forgiving is your budget? Are there other things (clothes or not) you need more, or big potential house/car repairs, etc? Would you end up buying them and feeling bad that the $ shouldv'e been used elsewhere?

BrieN

Veteran

I would be sure to consider the additional costs of any tailoring that might need to be done and especially the cost to clean leather.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I'm reminding you about how leather pants wrinkle and you can't iron them! And the wash care is tricky.

Synne

Veteran

Oh, how I appreciate this place. Lots of nuggets of wisdom here. I'm letting these pass... if not a surprise sale would happen
Wrinkly, bagged out leather and sticky children fingers put me off the thought of these. But they ARE fantastic pants. I will enjoy them on someone else!

Synne

Veteran

Eta: I did recently duplicate my fav ecru jeans, on sale even! So I already have sorta the same style in my wardrobe. That can be laundered too!

View Info

Cardiff girl

Veteran

I was going to say what Angie said.l need to be able to chuck my trousers in the wash,not visit the dry cleaners every time they need cleaning or freshening up.

Barbara Diane

Veteran

Enjoy your ecru jeans

notsaf

Veteran

Please send me a pair! I love those jeans.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

They are gorgeous pants, but for me, practicality would top all....I need to be able to wash light coloured pants easily, which is why I enjoy white jeans. An ecru, white, ivory, or pale taupe leather jacket might work better than the pants -- wouldn't need washing as often and would give you the textural joy that leather brings.

kkards

Veteran

YAY for the power pause. i need to practice this maneuver.

nemosmom

Veteran

Oooh foiled by laundering.... I didn't even think of that!

rachylou

Veteran

I have a white leather skirt that I love, so I am biased... also, as Janet says, the tryout is the make or break...

bj1111

Veteran

i'm an emotional shopper...i'd buy this in heartbeat.

Lesley

Veteran

See, Angie always brings the wisdom. The only leather pants I ever had were skintight jeans in the 90s, so I had no idea about the wrinkles! The more you know!

Jenni NZ

Veteran

I think the first few responders on these kinds of posts tend to enable. This is not at all a criticism, it’s just something I’ve noticed on several similar posts, and I suspect happens because we are mostly a kind bunch who want each other to be happy. Then several posters down someone might bring up the disadvantages of the piece!
My own experiences of buying the expensive thing have been mixed. Sometimes it has worked out brilliantly but other times it hangs there mocking me a bit. I remember decades ago when I got the expensive and beautiful Thai silk suit in Singapore. Hubby encouraged me to get it at the time, and he is very frugal. He said “ I’ve seen you struggling to put together your very best outfit for a wedding and I think you need it”. He was right. I wore it to his brother’s wedding the next year and many other events until at least 9 years later.
I think in this case the ecru jeans will get much more wear for a much lesser budget! But I am of course able to say this after you’ve already decided...

Sal

Veteran

I think these are great but I think your pause is wise. If you still want them in a week then in most situations they will be still there!

Things I think about-
- will I really forego other purchases - I might aim to but in the end just spend more.
- will I love them enough for three years?

And of course there is always something around the corner tempting us.

I can honestly think of two things that I paused on and never bought that I regretted.

Now - tickets to a concert - don’t pause on them!!

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

"Power pause" is a great idea!

How many pairs of leather and faux leather pants do you have? I've seen you in a couple different outfits with them; is that because they are so easy for you to wear, or is it the result of your challenge to wear every dang thing in your closet, and so you pulled them out of some dark corner?

For couches, leather is a great option, because it's easy to wipe all the sticky stuff off and they don't gather dust/fur. I bet the same is true for pants. Does leather actually bag out, and then refresh with a cleaning? That's news to me.

How are you feeling about your choice not to get them?

Anonymous

Gorgeous pants , but they’ll be very high - maintenance, which will limit their wear .

Synne

Veteran

Thanks for excellent input, everyone!

Jenni, I appreciate getting to reflect on every pro and con, things I hadn't even considered my self. What a great community. Or style bank, should I say!
I also notice the pattern you describe. My mischievous side forces me to wager in with some gentle critique (if asked for) when I see the forum is going mostly in one direction

FashIntern, you're absolutely right, I already have three pair of faux leather trousers... Oh my. I had this idea that I sorely needed more 'interesting texture' in my wardrobe, so leather look trousers seemed like I great idea. Time to hit the brakes...

The Cat

Veteran

Well, I can just say that I still regret that I didn't purchase a pair of leather pants I tried years ago. They were perfect for me in any way, except that they, too, were on the pricier side. However, I think they would have become a "perennial" in my wardrobe. My other leather garments have been in constant rotation for 10-15 years or more.

If you are totally sure about the style, fit, colour, and your styling options, it might very well be worth the money.

12