Choosing quality over quantity instead of buying cheap substitutes

Even though this article says that one of the rules of being a stylish person without blowing a lot of money is to find lower-end versions of higher-end items they covet, when I get obsessed with something, like let’s say owning a perfect white blazer like this:

..and I see a contender that looks nice like this white tuxedo blazer:

I always see plenty of great options at mainstream retailers like Banana Republic, J. Crew, Club Monaco, even at lower-end retailers like H&M or Zara have pieces that are really affordable to achieve the same look…..

….. but I don’t bite.

Why?

…because I can’t get over the quality of the item.

The price may be right, but the price for its quality is not.

When I buy something these days, I am far more discerning to understand how it’s cut, and what the fabric is.

I am less inclined to buy the mostly-polyester blend items EVEN THOUGH in photos it looks the same as the higher end version.

I’d prefer not to buy polyester-anything at all, but it certainly can’t make up the majority of the fabric!

I could have fooled myself in the past saying: Well they’re all white blazers they all look the same don’t they?, but they really don’t.

Not only that, they don’t FEEL the same.

They don’t hang off your body in the same way, drape the way they should and in some cases you can even see through the fabric and see the shoulder pads clearly visible.

There is something visceral and oh-so-perfect about slipping on a perfectly fitted, beautiful piece of clothing that you may have saved and hunted a long time for, versus rushing out and buying the newest, cheapest high-street substitute of what you actually wanted.

It may meet the requirements now for the look you are trying to achieve, but it will not satisfy you, and you may even end up with a closetful of white, substitute almost-there cheap blazers instead of the one you really wanted.

In truth, I’d rather buy the perfect white blazer, or find something totally interesting and unique in a secondhand store that I did not think of, but evokes the same sense of style for me.

Good things are worth waiting and saving for.