"Expensive" menswear things: smart buys or for suckers?

“Expensive” menswear things: smart buys or for suckers?

I received a really great question from umperios, who asked:

What is your opinion on clothes that seem ridiculously priced? Such as a $55 single pair of socks or something along those lines? Do you think there is a limit to how much things should cost?

This is a hard question to answer. The idea of “expensive” is arbitrary. And while I certainly have thought some things were definitely expensive by my own measure, I’ve splurged and bought several items that I’m sure many would think are ridiculously priced.

Put This On has covered this topic quite a bit, covering ideas like “Cheap Fast Good: Pick Two”, and at the risk of sounding like a broken record, I think you just have to ask if the price of something is worth that amount to you to own it.

There’s been several times I’ve seen accessories that I just had to own because they were unlike any others I’d seen and I was impressed with the level of craftsmanship. It was a case of a premium price for a premium product.

Other times I’ve paid a premium price for custom items, like shirting, because it was worth it to me to have shirts that fit me the way I wanted in the fabric I wanted with the style I wanted.

Paying for fit also is something I continually pay for with alterations to off-the-rack or even thrifted garments. To me it’s worth it to know the tailor I get my alterations at knows my style and will give me the desired fit on the first try. This is something I don’t try to skimp on.

Should you $55 for a pair of cashmere over-the-calf socks? I can’t answer that for you. I can tell you I see the appeal and that the nicer “premium” wool socks I’ve bought in the past do feel great when I wear them. But I also bought them on Gilt on deep discount and wouldn’t have otherwise.

So, what’s some lessons you can take away from all this?

I’d say spend your money where you think you’ll actually derive a lot of value from the purchase.

For me, that means the item fits well, is made of slightly better quality materials, is constructed a bit better and is something I will be able to wear for a long time — and that I plan to wear quite a bit.

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