The splurge. The fashion holy grail. We have a finite fashion budget and are often looking for a steal of a deal. A friend of mine prompted today’s Fashion Friday at a party with one question. What one fashion item would be your splurge?
My item: always a purse. I’m hard on shoes, and fickle, but as I get older I rarely swap purses. A solid purse has always been my fashion go-to-item. I like boxier purses in colors, not blacks or browns, but I select a color that won’t clash with most outfit (and avoid patterns/fabrics).
Because of my friend’s question, and my blinders to everything but purses, I took a very scientific poll on Facebook. Tell me, I asked: If you splurge on one fashion item, what is it?
Boy do people have opinions on this.
Two clear winners emerged: The Purse and The Shoe.
They were basically neck and neck in the vote count – purse would start edging out shoe as a winner and then shoe voters would come back.
There were other votes as well. The next two vote getters were: The Jacket and The Jean.
Also in the mix were undergarments, from a good bra to socks to proper underwear, as well as a good t-shirt and a watch/jewelry.
Now I was really curious. How much are folks spending? And which brand are they spending it with? There was no consensus there, but certainly lots of fun (*dream*) options. When asked where they would spend the money on their singular fashion splurge, here’s what my fashionista friends said:
Prada pumps (according to my reviewer, who has lovely fashion sensibilities, these still look new after four years) or John Fluevog shoes for those looking for better support with lower heels:
Burberry trench or an Italian leather jacket (both of which have lasted nearly a decade):
Ferragamo tote or Kate Spade tote:
Rag & Bone t-shirt or Lilla P t-shirt (and I have to admit, I can NOT find a good t-shirt anywhere so I understand the frustration with cheap tees):
What say you? Do you have a splurge item? What’s your favorite brand if you splurge? How long has it lasted you (I’ve heard 8-10 years for some of these pieces!)?
I splurge on a purse for fashion, and shoes for comfort. I can also see the benefit of a great jacket/blazer. I have one from more than 20 years ago that still commands respect. =).
Ah, shoes for comfort, what a novel idea 🙂
A handbag can make any outfit look good. And a good blazer can really pull together an outfit. Everything else I stick to inexpensive staples and update seasonally or as needed.
I am a fiend for blazers!