What a great conversation.

As I've gotten older and started earning more, I've been willing to pay more for a quality point (and natural fibers) and for style. When I was in grad school, I managed this by mostly buying second-hand.

But also, I've always liked a deal, so I wait for things to go on sale. So my internal sense of "how much this should cost" skews low. I just bought a dress and a sweater top from Banana Republic, organic cotton and linen, good construction. Both were excluded from BR's promos and had almost sold out. It was hard to convince myself that full price, $130 for the dress and $60 for the top, was reasonable, when I'm used to BR always knocking 40% off. But if BR is trying a new strategy of making nicer things from good materials and avoiding discounts, I can see their point.

My other dilemma right now is a $90 tee shirt. $90 tee shirt. Yikes. That just seems so wrong. But my one previous expensive tee became a complete staple. Then again, I duplicated my favorite $15 Gap and Uniqlo tees and wore them for years. It's so hard to know which will be the winner. Anyway, I'm still debating the tee.

I live in jeans, and I like them to be current and rather distinctive. So this is my splurge area. Most of my jeans are $60-80 but some are a lot more, like the one pair of Agolde jeans I bought at almost full price, close to $200, and wear nonstop. And yet if someone said "You should buy these perfect jeans for $250" my gut reaction would be no way.

Part of my problem is that I'm hit or miss about what I end up loving. My boyfriend is so different from me in this. He has a very defined style and he's very slim and sized out of most brands. So, he pays full price for his go-to brands (Allsaints, G Star). He almost never has a miss. So his internal price point is a lot higher than mine because he knows he won't regret the purchases.

(All prices I listed are US. I always forget to do the math to compare in my head. Speaking of Canada, I've been shopping more at Aritzia and trying to adjust to higher prices for better quality, and fewer discounts.)

I get spoiled by second hand prices and quality but my tendency is to be willing to spend more on what I really love or basics that will be worn regularly for years. I am willing to pay more if something can be washed rather than dry cleaned. Even then, there are limits. If I am rushed I will spend more, such as a dress and matching cardi for an important high school reunion. EF at regular price. But both pieces have seen lots of wear since and will see more. I am glad I have them.
this contrasts with my MOG dress for which I paid $13 on sale plus alterations. I knew I was likely to wear it once and am happy with that purchase. I try to stick with natural fabrics, which are more pricy. Footwear, I spend for comfort and ease of wear , such as slip on over lace up, snd more for boots with a narrow shaft that will fit my narrow calves. You ask a good question and I am not sure my reply has been at all helpful.

I wrote about two pieces I’m thinking of going over my usual for, but never answered the question about my usual limits.

In Europe, I accept that clothes cost more than in the US and sales are less frequent (although they aren’t as rare here as they used to be). My maxes are lower than anything you list in the original question. It often happens that I think something is the right price, but that’s more than I want to pay, so I don’t get it.

I try to stay under 50 for jeans, don’t understand how those that are several times that are better. But I’m deciding right now between a couple pairs that are 60 each, so obviously i have some flexibility.

I think dresses & sweaters cost 60-120. That’s more than I want to pay, so I buy new ones very rarely.

When I first figured out that tights & boots make it possible to wear dresses in winter, the price of tights gave me pause. A co-worker told me that 30 was less than a pair of pants cost, so she was fine paying that much for the tights. Not a perfect argument, because sometimes one wears a skirt *and* tights, but I did start accepting that tights cost that much.

T-shirts idk. I don’t think I wear them, at least not the classic short-sleeved kind. But for something I wear against my skin, I want cotton or other non-synthetic fibers, produced in a way that uses less water. For anything, a comfortable thing that will last is worth more to me than any look. The closer to my skin it is, the more comfort matters. Cotton is absorbent & soaks up those oils, and is soft, so it’s worth paying for. Same with silk.

Shopping for underthings, I’ve stepped away from the 5-pack and will pay 10 for a pair of underpants, but try to stay around 7. The bodysuits with support I like seem to be around 30, though I’m awfully tempted by long-sleeved ones for 50. Haven’t bit yet, because that just seems extravagant to me.

I’ve adapted €80 as my max for shoes. Seeing as I want so many of them, there needs to be a real limit.

$12 is the highest I’d go for a bottle of wine. I’m the only person in my household who drinks it, and I can’t get through an entire bottle before it goes bad, so I rarely get it.

Price isn’t what keeps me from buying often. I’d be lying if I said I was a born sustainability fan; it’s more likely that my “buy & hold” strategy comes from the same impulse that drove me to hide in the middle of circle racks when my mom wanted me to try stuff in. But there something in current ideas about sustainability that I disagree with in a very basic way. The head of Reformation says “To be really sustainable fast fashion, you would have to create truly disposable clothing that’s meant to be worn only a couple of times and can be discarded and biodegraded really quickly,” says Kozlowski. “This is the caveat of the whole thing: if we had processes in place where we can make truly disposable clothing, manufacturing methods that were not as taxing; and systems in place that allowed us to feed into other systems in a positive way — that would be the only way sustainability would work for a fast fashion brand.”. Perpetual motion is not possible. The kind of churn she describes will use up resources and can be harmful to workers. The quote is from https://www.voguebusiness.com/.....mRfN25ZdW4.

I have also been pondering this.

My Mum's good friend was a bit critical of my Mum's spending on purchased rather than home made clothing, getting a new kitchen put into their house etc yet the friend spent a lot more money on CDs and travel than my Mum (who had rheumatoid arthritis so couldn't sew and needed an easier care kitchen).

The whole picture can be very complex when it comes to spending can't it....

This is so very interesting to think about. I will drop a pretty penny, but I think I will only do it once for any one type of thing in a lifetime. One Hermès scarf, not one every year. That sort of thing. And I also think about my price points in terms of all my spending. I don’t go to the movies, out to dinner, travel, the ballet - nothing like that on a regular basis anymore. This *is* my hobby, my entertainment. My entertainment and clothing budgets are one and the same. I’m terribly cheap about so many things but am willing to spend on clothes. I only have nice cookware because my dad would give me a piece every year for xmas, for example. All my camping gear is from Walmart because I balk at REI’s price tags every time. I won’t spend more than $500 on a computer.

… I don’t think I have any explanation for my price points except caprice.

interesting question and responses!

For certain items, I believe the price is mainly positioned based on the marketing of the brand itself, there are certain bags which personally I do not want to purchase as I don't understand why I should spend thousands of £ for bags when I don't see much difference in the bags that I purchase.

For clothes it is a little bit more complicated. The quality of the piece is not always related to the price but I've often noticed that the difference between certain price ranges is in the cut of the piece and its finishing.

For this reason, I prefer to purchase preloved or in outlets or sales for a well made piece that will last for as long as possible. I set myself a budget and try to stick to the prices that I think are fair and my max tend to be £30 for a top, £70 for a blouse, £60 for trousers, £60 for a dress and £300 for a good coat. I am very fortunate that I can afford and find certain brands that fits me - though things have changed a bit since last Jan.

Brands that I have good experience to purchase pieces:

- weekend max mara (coat, dress)
- gerard darel (trousers, blouses)
- eric bompard (knitwear)
- sandro (blouses, tops)
- maje (blouses, tops)
- M&S trousers

I wanted to come back to the difference between some US prices and other countries. I know you have to pay Canadian prices, Runcarla. With our exchange rate to US, any US brands here will just be so much more, there is also the cost of importing them here. So as for something like what you call “premium” denim… well here in NZ Not Your Daughter’s Jeans has been a high-end brand! I’m fairly sure it’s not in the US. It was heavily advertised in our fashion mags here etc, and people said how comfortable the jeans supposedly were. But in $NZ they were around $300! That was a bridge too far for me, I found some in an outlet store for $159 and gave them a go finally in 2015. I loved the look but the comfort was not as advertised. They dug in. All the same I forced myself until they had done 30 wears, then donated them last year.
The most I ever paid for jeans was $200 about 2006, perfect fit at the time NZ made, wore for some years. I only have one pair now which cost $90 but have had almost that many wears. For me I think $100 will be an ongoing limit on jeans since I don’t wear them that much. I would have lots of other examples of high prices that would amaze you I feel.

My price points per garment are pretty low. There are many reasons for that. I was raised not to spend much on clothing, so it's ingrained. I have a casual lifestyle and workplace, so it doesn't make sense to me to buy expensive items. My weight fluctuates a lot, so Iturn over items pretty quickly as I don't like to hold on to things that don't fit.
I also just don't have a ton of money available to spend on clothes, and I don't want to be in debt. I have bought more clothes recently than ever before in my life because I finally have a fulltime job where I wear my own clothes. I am needing more variety so I don't get bored, but I am not spending much per piece. I started my job in the winter and had to buy a basic wardrobe, and now I have clothes for work for spring/summer also. Shoes are the one item where I will spend a little bit more, as those do tend to last longer for me.

Interesting read…
I’ll start by saying I’m not a parent and so never had to worry about educating or clothing someone else, and so that has absolutely impacted my budget
But the way I read Runclara’s question it was about price/value perception and how they intersect with budget.
I will pay more for something made in a country that pays its workers more. A plain cotton v neck tee shirt made in the US/Canada/EU is going to cost more China or Bangladesh and I factor that in
A truly designed piece, where thought has been given to thread color, button size & placement etc I will pay more for. This is obviously subjective and what I feel is good design can & does change

Shoes are one thing I almost always find it pays to pay for..the construction of a shoe is complex and especially if there is a heel requires some precise engineering to be comfortable. So this is a category that I have a top price, $300 in general but will higher for a workhorse classic style

I’ll be honest, I’m just starting to shop on the real real, but I have a real aversion to paying a lot of something less than pristine. But that’s just me.

JenniNZ, NYDJ struck me as too high-priced when I was in the states. My pink pants are from them, because clearance pricing brought them into my price range.

I’ve been stirring on this since yesterday, too… Back to add more thoughts:

- most items (especially bottoms) don’t fit me off the rack, so I have to add alteration costs to every pair of jeans (well, nearly all bottoms). If I find a pair that does fit, I might pay more for them. I do have brands and cuts that work better for me than others. When a brand that works is a premium brand, I try to source identical replacements through online secondhand sellers. I think I avoid buying trendy bottoms because of the cost involved in making them fit, so I need them to stay current-looking for as long as possible.

- I have a rolling monthly budget that is a percentage of income. If I have a low spend one month, I’ll have more allowance the next; if my work dries up one month, my budget dries up as well.

- Like Rachylou, my wardrobe *IS* my entertainment and the budget is one in the same. I don’t have any other hobbies or indulgences (do my own nails, workout at home, keep a simple kitchen, etc). So, maybe a splurge item for me is defined differently than a splurge for someone else.

- Lifestyle I think plays a huge part of defining splurges. For example, I WFH, and no longer commute on foot to an office. So, I might allocate more money for a good pair of slippers than a pair of dress shoes. The only outings I have tend to be kid-related (ball games and such), so I might be willing to spend more on something like a great rain jacket than I would a blazer.

This is so interesting. I am willing to pay more for good construction and natural fibers, not to have a designer name or be on trend. So I would cheerily spend the $$ for FI’s Geiger coat, and wear it for ages. I am also trying to switch to suppliers who make products on this continent, to reduce the global impact of my purchases, but that is a slow process as I identify where to shop. I have done a better job of figuring out toiletries and makeup that meet that criteria than in identifying clothing brands, I think because a lot of the green brands are too normcore for me. Amour Vert is an example of sustainability with design I like, but only their tops fit me, and I am looking for others. I think if everyone who could afford it shifted our mix to more sustainable choices, we could collectively slow the demand for polyester, poor quality clothing, and the roll of tanker ships from China.

I think what everyone says about fit an quality is true, but I have a kind of rule of thumb that I for one should not spend more than about $150 on any given piece (jeans, sweater, blazer, whatever: and I often spend quite a bit less) without very good reason. Sometimes there are good reasons (like the green suit that has been a HEWI for years and was a major spend), but they few and far between.

I think it is also the case that you and I have fairly classic wardrobe preferences, so we can find what we like in reasonable quality and lower price points than those how have more specialized taste. (Come to think of it, that's one of the things I like about dressing this way: it's easy!)

Like Greyscale and unlike Gryffen, I am at the stage of my wardrobe development where I don't always know what will be a winner in advance and I hate the feeling of having splurged on something that doesn't serve it's function. That's especially true about shoes (where some fabbers are willing to spend more, I am not), since my feet are picky and what's comfortable to me does not seem to be directly related to price.

I'm like Kkards in that I don't tend to buy second hand (my small collection of antique and vintage jewelry aside) and like you in that I expect my clothes to be worn and to wear out, so spending a bit less on any given piece also makes me more comfortable making replacements as necessary to keeping things looking pristine (as Angie would say). That is also a personal preference.

Oh, FI, those NYDJ jeans you were dissing for being too expensive are made in the US. So a great choice if you are in the U.S. and the Levi’s made here don’t fit. (And I have bought most of mine on sale, so they are not much more expensive than the Levi’s at full price.)

Hehe ok, another thing came to mind, so, last post (maybe)

Seasons / weather and versatility of a piece also dictate where I will spend.

A pair of weatherproof boots that can be re-soled might justify a higher price tag.

A warm, classic topper that works with nearly every outfit combo I own will justify a higher price tag than one in a trendy pattern or color that has limited pairings with what I already own.

If I have to spend *more* money to find a supporting act for a piece, I’m less willing to spend for that piece in the first place.

Cat2, no intention of dissing them, just replying to JenniNZ’s statement that they are pricey where she lives, but apparently affordable in the US.

FI, Understood. This year I added Karen Kane to the mix, they are made here, and just put my money where my mouth is by spending the morning researching new to me green brands. I don’t need anything right now, but will try them when I do.

Lol, since fashion is my hobby, this topic is giving me so much joy! I love a trendy piece, but I realise it doesn’t have to *still* be trendy: I found a $1000 Coach silk patchwork bomber jacket at Ross for $140. It was new, but three years out of date and probably someone found it on the stockroom floor under a shelf. I wasn’t compelled to buy it when it was current but I lusted after it. It stuck in my memory as fantastic. Construction is excellent, but maybe not $1000 excellent. I have a cheapie similar H&M jacket, not as fantastic, not involving multiple fabrics, and zipper is clearly not quality, but it’s holding up. $1000 was too much for me for this, but $140 was a steal. I got it because it *had* been trendy, lol.

And then there’s my rain gear. I got really mad because the gear I got at REI didn’t last 30 years. Not more than *10* even, lol. Now I have a plastic suit from the hardware store and I’m really happy. This is probably not rational. This probably has to do with finding out it wasn’t waterproof anymore while wearing it in the rain! Lol.

Very interesting read. I am drawn to more statement-y types of things, with unusual prints, fabric, cuts, etc. For those, I mostly shop on TheRealReal, where I can find lots of pieces that are interesting and high-quality, and not too expensive. Just about everything I have bought there has been (or looked) brand-new, so my sense is that people are buying expensive clothes, then wearing them once, and selling them? It's a little baffling to me, TBH, but I am happy to benefit. So this scratches my itch for statement-y, high-quality, relatively unique types of items, without breaking the bank.

But I will spend more at regular retail (i.e., not previously owned) for things like boots, footwear, and outerwear. Again, I am typically looking for very specific, sort of hard to find things (I wear a large size in footwear, and my arms are very long, so footwear and outerwear are tricky purchases for me), and I am willing to spend a bit if I find what I want and it fits! Other things like loungewear and underwear are areas in which I spend a lot less, since I have found that places like the Gap and Uniqlo are great for these types of items.

I don't really experience my clothes "wearing out," with a few exceptions for things like underwear and a few t-shirts. I keep things I buy for many years, and in fact have stuff from 10+ years ago that I continue to wear. Probably because I have enough items to rotate things (and don't count wears or anything like that--I might wear a particular jacket or sweater a few times a year, and be perfectly happy with its performance and place in my closet), I don't usually wear something out. So when I buy something, I am assuming I will have it for a long time.

I think I mentioned this on a previous thread by BJ1111, but I didn't spend much money on clothes (or anything else) for about 8 years, as we saved every penny we could for two college-bound kids. Now we have ample savings--the youngest is in college--so I am rebuilding my wardrobe and buying more than I have in years. We also have more disposable income than we have ever had (and I'm no longer buying new clothes for the kids every year, like I did for so many years). So I think life course changes also play a role in spending habits and what I'm willing to spend on something: less then, more now. Final thing :): Like a few others who have replied, I don't have any other expensive hobbies, we don't go out to eat much (we cook at home), we don't travel much, so fashion is my creative outlet.

Sal, you make a really good point about different people having different priorities. I think everyone has at least one area where they will spend on something others might not - that might be clothing, technology, autos, housing, travel, a hobby, collecting. My aunt knits and has a collection of yarn with varieties that cost more than I ever imagined yarn could be worth. That might seem frivolous to ME, but not to her. This is why being judgmental about spending is so silly. We ALL have something we spend on that others wouldn't, and different ways of arriving at those amounts.

Clothing can be considered a hobby, collecting and/or entertainment. Those categories can combine to make seemingly high dollar amounts downright reasonable.

I wasn’t sure I wanted to respond to your question, Carla, because what seems reasonable to one person often seems totally irresponsible to another. Every explanation, example, or rationalization makes perfect sense to person who uses it. What bothers me, though, is how our responses can make others feel uncomfortably judged as we expose the standards we’ve chosen to fit our own needs and values.

I like your reply here, Gaylene. And hearing about your painting. What I hear you saying is it's about pleasure. This makes sense to me. The denim I buy is for the feel of the fabric that's made in Japan. It gives me great pleasure to wear them and I wear jeans exclusively in my life these days. I have things that I have spent very little money on that give me pleasure, clothes and objects...a dish from a yard sale comes to mind...and things I have spent much more on. It isn't the cost I'm measuring so much as the enjoyment. And the enjoyment too of choosing where to spend/share the money, whatever the amount.

@ Gaylene - I’m glad you decided to answer because you have put your finger on something I didn’t address, and that is the emotional response to something that is aspirational - and within reach, but which my pragmatic side says must be justified or rationalized - when maybe it doesn’t? I can create an efficient decision making tool, but in the end, maybe an emotional response is the answer?

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to participate in this thread, and for keeping the tone of your responses non judgemental. There is wisdom and there are solutions in your answers to my questions.

I liked Gaylene's answer as people do have different priorities and it is an emotional thing often. I also like to think about where my money goes, not always successfully. I tend to buy thrift if I can because I feel that I am supporting charity and even if I don't get as much wear out of the clothes, at least I have supported a good cause and it has been sustainable to some extent. My higher purchases are at the mall which I avoid if I can and only go to occasionally, and its generally an impulse buy. So the most money I will spend is on jackets (limit $150) if they are a really good fit, bras (I have a certain t-shirty kind that I love without wire and they are $80 ) and shoes limit about $250 because i have fussy feet and spend a lot of time on my feet. The shoes I spend a lot of money on I usually wear everyday so I feel fine spending more on them. LIke Chewyspaghetti, I also fluctuate in size so find thrift shopping good for that. Clothes aren't really a hobby for me, but I do enjoy putting outfits and ideas together. I probably spend way more than others do on yoga when in reality I could do it by myself at home. But that is one of my hobbies (my others are walking and reading and they are not expensive) and I have my reasons for wanting to support the studio and enjoy having some instruction. My husband spends money eating out because he likes socialising and he will wear his clothes until they fall off him. I have friends who spend a lot on art and music. Its all what gives us pleasure, what we can afford and what we can justify.

My answers to these interesting questions are different now than they have been at other periods in my life. I have an annual budget for clothing and am strict about adhering to it. However, within that budget I occasionally spend more than “usual” on carefully-selected items. An example would be a great-fitting, on-trend pair of jeans or a really nice coat which I expect to wear for many years. I especially appreciate and enjoy such splurges because they are infrequent.

I don’t have set prices for things in mind, but I know a ridiculous price when I see it.

I grew up with extremely frugal parents, children of the Depression. Because of that, extravagance always felt wrong to me. And yet I still manage to be extravagant. For example, I bought the Rag and Bone pajama jeans in 2014. I thought these trompe l'oeil sweat pants were fabulous. They were, in theory. I wore them on a trip to Hawaii, but then saw myself in a mirror at Seatac and was suddenly over them. They were worn out and stained looking jeans which was wrong for me. And to this day my husband refers to them as my expensive pants. I’ve also bought a couple of camel hair coats. I wish I knew how many times I wore them, though. It was every day for quite a few winters. I wore them every day because I only had one winter coat. I wore one out, and then bought another one. I still have the second one, but sadly, it doesn’t fit anymore. They were so beautifully made of gorgeous soft fabric. I felt like a million bucks wearing them, too. That cannot be underestimated.

Such an interesting post, Carla. I hadn't thought of price points like that before, that most clothing items of a given type are going to have the same longevity, regardless of price.

I don't have a lot of money, so i tend to be pretty careful with it, but given that my size is not plentiful, even at retail, I often pay full price for things. I do have my own subjective limits, usually around $100 for a top or bottom, and $150 for a dress or shoes. If an item is much beyond these limits, I will most likely pass on the item, no matter how awesome it is.

To splurge on something, it has to fit perfectly and be something that I have a hard time finding. And the quality must be there too. An example is my Frye lace-up booties. I got them on sale for I think $268. I did it because they were exceptionally comfy, I knew Frye was good quality, and the style (hard edge but also feminine) is really hard for me to find. So I bought them (I think five years ago?), and they are still one of my favorite pairs of shoes to this day.

I don't know that anything would make me move my price limits. Even if I made substantially more money than I do now, I would still want a premium-priced item to fit me perfectly, be high quality, and be special in some way. Getting all those things to align is difficult, no matter how much money you have.

That’s a good point, JAileen: The flip side of this question is, ‘How do you know when you’re over valuing something?’

I really want one of these Always pans: https://fromourplace.com/?utm_.....gKXcvD_BwE

But thanks to dad, I have first class cookware. And all the reviews say, if you do, you’ll still prefer using them. That these will most satisfy people with minimal kitchens and who do a lot of stir-fries, which is not me.

But I love the idea of a do-everything pan with steamer baskets that fit and a place to put your spoon. I can’t decide.

I’ll spend up to $50 on an item without much emotion about the cost, and from $50 to $100 with a little “ouch” but I’ll do it pretty easily. Over $100 and I’m really starting to hesitate and get a little worried that I might make an expensive mistake, but I’ll do it for shoes especially (a category I’’m confident in my choices and one where I won’t buy second hand). I only have two items that cost over $200 (a parka and a pair of shoes). Thinking about your question, $200 is a hard number - above that is definitely splurge category that I’m not typically comfortable with.

It has taken a long time to get to these high dollar amounts - We spent a lot of years building a financial foundation before opening the purse strings a bit.