My name is Amanda and I am addicted to brands. Perhaps the more popularly used term is "brand whore." But it's true: I fall hard for the allure of a name.
Marc Jacobs, YSL, Prada, Louis Vuitton - I love them all. I don't think I'll ever grow out of the excitement of opening up my very own sleek and clean shoebox with the name strategically stamped on the top. And I know I'm not the only one.
When I was younger, the thrill had to be achieved in small ways: My mother bought Chance by Chanel and I snagged the small paper bag she had carried it home in. That wasn't just any paper bag, it was a shiny black bag graced with those double interlocking C's.
Of course, it's not just the presentation and fancy wrappings. There is an undeniable quality with the higher brand names.
While I might like J. Crew or American Apparel, they could never compare with how light and soft a silk 3.1 Phillip Lim shirt feels against the skin.
The cult of the name is exciting, but dangerous, because so much of it is the paper bag that holds your purchase and the tingling feeling that comes from name recognition.
That's why, after I perfume-shopped last week (no purchase, I'm still contemplating different scents), I took the two Viktor & Rolf paper testers on which I'd sprayed Mega and Flowerbomb.
The large, white, thick-papered squares with a raised, wax seal-detail center and Viktor & Rolf printed in strong black letters underneath were immediately tacked to my bulletin board.
The truly dangerous thing about being addicted to brands is that every time a purchase tempts me, I must step back and think, "Am I buying this because I like it, or am I buying it because it's Comme des Gar??ons?"
You have to be careful not to be blinded by a name. It gets worse, especially for someone college-aged but certainly also for our older counterparts, when brands enter sales or thrift stores.
You not only have a designer name, but you are paying considerably less for it.
Then there are all sorts of justifications: "You see, this is a great deal, this dress is usually over $500 but I bought it for just about $100."
The problem with sales is that they make you think that by saving $25 or $100 on a piece of clothing, you're being a smart shopper. But if you're only buying it because it's on sale, then you should not buy it at all.
This saves you all that money and you are walking around with a full wallet instead of something you only vaguely liked.
I've always said that you shouldn't buy something just because it's cheap, even if it's "just $14!"
All those $14 purchases can add up and eventually even prevent you from buying the $150 purchase that would have really meant something.
My own recovery is coming along well - I am learning to live in harmony with my love of brands.
When I am able to separate my actual personal taste from the bedazzlement of a fancy name, I realize that I would never ever wear one of the Marc by Marc Jacobs Miss Marc Ts (phew, that's a mouthful) - a T-shirt with a goofy cartoon illustration of girls with large eyes.
I might even admit that I actually found the Chanel Spring 2010 Show quite boring.
