Seong-gyu Jang
Fashionable or unnecessary?
Gucci, Prada, Fendi, Armani. Are these names of any significance? To most, the only thing those names might signify is a massive, burning hole in their wallet, but to some, those names might mean so much more.
Designer clothing is clothing that bears the logo of a recognizable fashion designer. It is always of the utmost quality, and usually brandishes a price tag too high for the majority of people. There is no grey area when diving into the world of “high couture” (the fancy name for designer clothing) ; it either makes perfect sense, or no sense at all. On one end of the spectrum, a very aesthetic perspective. Some people love to impress others, decked out in a wardrobe worth several thousand dollars: an eighty-dollar Boy London hat, a four-hundred-dollar Versace Medusa embroidered shirt, an eight-hundred dollar MCM diamond-studded backpack, a five-hundred-thirty-dollar Prada Saffiano Reversible belt, four-hundred-dollar Dsquared jeans, and to put the cherry on the cake, nine-thousand-dollar Nike Air Mags. On the other end of the spectrum, lies a more utilitarian perspective. There is no practicality in wasting thousands of dollars on designer clothes when a fifteen-dollar American-Eagle shirt can serve its purpose equally well.
Of course, opinions on haute couture also vary depending on country and culture. For instance, although a preference for haute couture may not be very present in North America, it is very dominant in Asia. Expensive designer brands are very à la mode to Asian youth, especially in countries like Japan and China. It is exactly why the fashion style of new Asian immigrants differs from that of the North American norm.
In the end, it all boils down to what a person values more: aestheticism or pragmatism. The only opinion concerning what a person wears should be theirs. If a life of long receipts and chic fashion is what a person prefers, then by all means, he or she should pursue their desire with the utmost effort. But if thrift stores and ten-dollar jackets seem like a better deal, that is totally okay too.
19