<p>Why are people equating designer with showy? There are plenty of understated, classic, high quality designer handbags, shoes, sweaters, etc.</p>
<p>So, lets say we have a female college student who walks into a Starbucks and when it’s time to pay. What’s the level of bag where it goes from “having” to “flaunting”? Vera Bradley? Coach? Gucci? Louis Vuitton? Kate Spade? Hermes Birkin? What feelings does each bag arouse in you, and how much of that is her doing versus your own interpretation?</p>
<p>Well, I don’t equate designer with showy. Frankly, a lot of the time, unless you “know” you have no idea how expensive someone’s clothes are. My kids get their clothes tailored. You wouldn’t know this. They don’t say this. But well tailored clothes make all the difference. </p>
<p>Sometimes people dont understand this.</p>
<p>But, showy, conspicuous consumption is flashier than having your jackets and skirts fit perfectly.</p>
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<p>This reminds me of the TV thread. It concerned people who had “too many” TVs and what that said about them. I remember one poster saying something along the lines of “that’s just inconsistent with our values.” I honestly wanted to know how many TVs one could have before one’s “values” could be questioned. No one gave me an answer…</p>
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<p>I really should start doing this. Every time I get a blazer or long sleeve shirt, I notice that the sleeves are too long. I guess I have really short arms. :o</p>
<p>Here’s the funny thing about “designer” clothing. A Margiela men’s V-Neck sweater from Bergdorf Goodman costs $890 - designer does not place any sort of logo on clothing. An almost identical Ralph Lauren men’s V-Neck sweater can be purchased for under $100 at most department stores, and as we know all RL clothing has his logo. Who do you think will be branded the “showy” person? Clearly the one that paid much less for his sweater.</p>
<p>^^^^^Wow. I once had received a $100 gift certificate to a Ralph Lauren store. I took it to the store and saw a black short sleeve t-shirt which was priced at $690! I don’t know what it was made of, but I just sort of slowly backed out of the store. </p>
<p>I think I ended up buying an umbrella there later or some socks…</p>
<p>SomeOldGuy, you seem to have a lot of first hand knowledge of GW, what daily life is like, etc. Do you have a child there? Some other first hand connection? I would assume so since you post as if that is the case. If by some chance you don’t I actually do. Now that I’ve visited many many colleges with a younger D, I find many who seem much worse in terms of flaunting wealth…oh, but they are “old” money so that can’t be the case.</p>
<p>Nrdsb4, well here it is!</p>
<p>[Pima</a> Cotton V-Neck Sweater - V-Neck Sweaters - RalphLauren.com](<a href=“http://www.ralphlauren.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4373780]Pima”>http://www.ralphlauren.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4373780)</p>
<p>Yes, get your clothes tailored! A great tailor is a treasure. And it is less expensive than the 800 sweater, too. ;)</p>
<p>^^^^Looks great! Or ummm…maybe it’s the model. :o</p>
<p>“It almost seems that some posters feel that students from privileged backgrounds should “apologize” for who they are. I don’t agree with this line of thinking. Diversity is meant to include them as well.”</p>
<p>I agree. My daughters attended an expensive private school where many kids have more means than we do. I told them not to put those kids in a box, that it was no more fair to stereotype wealthy kids than poor kids. </p>
<p>And FWIW, the kids I know who have attended GWU are just smart, creative kids.</p>
<p>My ds applied to GW, and I had no idea about this “rich kid” reputation. I thought Georgetown was the “rich kid” school in D.C.</p>
<p>When we visited GWU, I was aware of the stereotype. I sat in a coffee shop and just kind of observed. I saw a lot of kids who were well-put together and had nice things befitting a nice urban area. Shrug. No crime in that. I think it’s hilarious that someone thinks that a student carrying a nice handbag or whatever is “flaunting.” That says more about the onlooker than the student. </p>
<p>I want to go back to the assumption made in an earlier post that it meant that “such students felt entitled” or “spent money freely.” How on earth does one come up with that assumption? In Family One, the kid gets a moderate handbag for her birthday. In Family Two, where there is more money, the kid gets a nicer handbag for her birthday. How can one possibly conclude that Student Two felt “entitled” to her bag? How do you know she isn’t equally as grateful? And how can one possibly conclude that Family Two “spends freely”? They likely have a budget just like every one else – it’s just that the budget is larger.</p>
<p>Frankly when Cobrat describes how his Oberlin buddies would have “regarded” such students as this, that and the other thing – that’s FAR more Judgey McJudgerson than the girl who walks into the coffee shop with a designer bag and says nothing about it. </p>
<p>And if we’re honest, we always think that people who have things we can’t have must be “flaunting” them, instead of being happy for other people’s station in life.</p>
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<p>You’re right, and you know who will be doing the branding of “showy”? The kind of people who don’t know any better - who are intimidated by Ralph Lauren when you can pick up Ralph Lauren polos and so forth pretty much anywhere for a song. If you think RL is “designer” at this point, you don’t even have a clue.</p>
<p>Yes, exactly. Showy and designer are almost antithetical.</p>
<p>Also, if you do the math on shoes, you are better off buying more expensive shoes and having a good shoe guy, also a treasure, than buying cheap shoes.</p>
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<p>Particularly for guys: Allen Edmonds has a wonderful recrafting service and consequently, the men’s shoes will last for many, many years. (Just a tip for those with senior boys who need ‘dress’ shoes for work.)</p>
<p>A quote I heard about Georgetown U.: “The students expect to be treated like royalty, because most of them are.” </p>
<p>I understand Georgetown attracts many sons and daughters of powerful international people.</p>
<p>^ And so do many other schools. My son’s rm is a tour guide at your alma mater Charlie. He has given many VIP tours to foreign dignitaries and royal families.</p>
<p>Absolutely excellent point about the shoes. We have always bought very good quality for DH and had them resoled as needed. Well worth the investment. The first thing I notice about a man are his watch and his shoes…old fashioned, I know but it’s true. (well, not the first but you get the idea)</p>
<p>bluebayou,S1 loves Allen Edmonds shoes. He swears by them and I had no clue what the heck he was talking about when he first mentioned them!</p>
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<p>What about the students who wear sweat pants? Seems that there was a pretty big thread where many posters here were critical of such students.
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1392117-wearing-sweatpants-sweatshirts-appropriate-suitable-campus.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1392117-wearing-sweatpants-sweatshirts-appropriate-suitable-campus.html</a></p>