What’s in a name?
Well, listen in on this conversation:
“Oh, Suzie, I love your purse!”
“Prada”
“Your welcome?”
Or how about this one:
“Jennifer, your haircut is so stylish.”
“Vidal Sassoon”
“Gesundheit!”
Why do some people still get so caught up in brands, the who’s who and the what’s what, that they can’t even answer a question properly?
It’s so Yesterday.
OK, there’s something to be said about being in the fashion know, if you care or even find the gazillion-dollar industry interesting. Let’s face it, if no one was interested, we wouldn’t be inundated with fashion magazines, ever-changing trends, and a huge swath of jobs, international trade, and overall economic benefit.
However, some people get so caught up, they end up in personal debt resulting from continuous shopping and not enough self-control over consumerism.
I’d like to think that I’m savvy enough to recognize some labels — to a certain, unobsessive extent. I can spot a Pucci scarf a mile away, a Burberry design, even the odd luxe Prada item. After all, there’s interesting design features involved beyond just marketing hype. I also appreciate quality merchandise. A fine material, for example, is nice to the touch.
But a high fashion trend follower, I’m not.
So, if someone commented on something I was wearing, I would simply say, thank you. Of course, if they asked, I’d tell them the make and where I picked it up, though it might well be a hand-me-down or a name of no cache. But there are times when people make comments just to be nice. I know I do.
Here’s an example: the other day I noticed my girlfriend had a different haircut and I thought the new style suited her well. So I said so. End of story. But she went on and on about who did it, at what salon, how super expensive it was, blah, blah, blah. I smiled, feigning interest, and quickly changed the subject.
Being a name-dropper works in some circles, but it doesn’t impress me.
On the other hand, tell me that you bought a terrific item at half-price somewhere, and I WILL be impressed with your smart shopping skills.
Or inform me of your new approach to buying environmentally-friendly materials — whether clothing or household goods — and that, too, will catch my interest.
Anyone can overspend, or follow the fashion dictates of clever marketers. But learning the new, much-needed language and research abilities to find well-priced items and goods that are part of being responsible citizens in our ecologically-aware times, well, that’s to be commended and admired.
We all need to rethink what’s in a name, and focus instead on what’s in our immediate world that we can improve.
It’s so Today.
