When Luxury Isn’t Worth It: Better Buying Non-Designer

I love luxury fashion, don’t get me wrong. But there are specific things you should absolutely never buy designer.

I learned this the hard way so you don’t have to. I really wanted to share my biggest realizations with you today. Here is exactly when luxury is a total scam, and why you are way better off buying non-designer. Let’s get into the tea!

1. The Basic White Cotton T-Shirt

Okay, we have to start here because this is my biggest regret of my entire twenties. You know how every fashion magazine tells you to “invest in basics”? They tell you that a $300 designer white t-shirt will change your life and drape perfectly. Girl, it is a lie.

Let me tell you a little story. Two years ago, I convinced myself I needed this stupidly expensive designer white tee. I saved up for it. I bought it, took it out of the beautiful tissue paper, and wore it to grab coffee. Literally twenty minutes into wearing it, I took a sip of my iced mocha and the lid wasn’t on right. Boom. Chocolate coffee all down the front of my $300 shirt.

I almost started crying right there in the middle of the street. I rushed home, put every stain remover known to man on it, and washed it exactly how the tag said. Guess what? The stain stayed, and the collar warped. It looked like a rag. I could not believe it.

Here is the truth. Cotton is just cotton. A white shirt is a magnet for disaster. You will sweat in it, you will spill things on it, and it will eventually get armpit stains. It just happens. Why on earth would you spend a car payment on something that has a lifespan of like, six months?

What you should do instead:

• Go to the men’s section: The best white tees are in the men’s department at regular stores like Target or Uniqlo. They are thicker and not sheer.
• Buy in multipacks: Find a mid-tier brand you like and buy three at a time. When one gets ruined, you just toss it without feeling guilty.
• Focus on the fit: Take a $15 shirt to a tailor and have them crop it perfectly for your body. It will look like it cost $500, I promise you.

2. Trendy, Crazy-Shaped “It” Bags

We need to talk about handbags. A classic, timeless leather bag from a luxury house? Yes, that can be a good investment if you use it every day. But those trendy, brightly colored, weirdly shaped micro-bags? Absolutely not.

Remember that phase we went through where everyone wanted a bag that was basically the size of a chicken nugget? Yeah, I fell for that. I bought this neon pink, geometric designer bag that was the “it” item of the summer. It cost me so much money.

I took it out on a Friday night with you, remember? I tried to put my phone in it, and it wouldn’t fit. I had to carry my phone in my hand all night. I tried to put my lip gloss in, and the zipper wouldn’t close. I basically paid a fortune for a useless neon pink heavy necklace. By the time the next summer rolled around, the neon trend was completely dead, and the bag looked so outdated. I couldn’t even resell it for half of what I paid.

If a bag has a crazy shape, a super loud logo pattern, or a trendy color that won’t match 90 percent of your closet, do not drop designer money on it.

How to get the trend without the price tag:

• Mid-range brands are dominating: Brands that sit in that $100 to $300 range are making incredible, fun bags right now out of real leather.
• Vintage hunting: If you want a fun shape, go to a thrift store. You can find amazing, funky bags from the 90s for like twenty bucks.
• Rent it: If you really want that specific crazy designer bag for a wedding or a party, just use a rental service for the weekend.

3. Designer Costume Jewelry (The Brass Trap)

This point gets me so heated, honestly. I see girls dropping $600 on a pair of designer earrings or a chunky ring just because it has the logo on it. But if you actually flip the tag over and read what it is made of, it usually says “brass” or “gold-tone metal.”

They are charging you fine jewelry prices for base metals that will tarnish and turn your skin green. It is criminal!

I really learned this from my family. You know my auntie makes the most incredible traditional jewelry. Growing up, I was always surrounded by real sterling silver and genuine turquoise that my relatives made by hand. It is heavy, it lasts forever, and it actually means something.

A few years ago, I bought this trendy designer logo ring. It was gold-plated brass. I wore it every day, and within a month, the gold rubbed off and left this ugly brown metal underneath. It literally left a green ring around my finger. I was so embarrassed. Meanwhile, the silver rings my auntie gave me when I was sixteen still look brand new.

It makes no sense to buy designer fashion jewelry. You are literally just paying for the name etched into cheap metal.

Where to spend your jewelry money instead:

• Support indigenous artists: I am biased, but honestly, buying hand-crafted silver or beadwork from Native creators gives you a unique, high-quality piece that has an actual story.
• Look for “Gold Filled”: If you can’t afford solid gold, look for “gold filled” jewelry from small independent brands, not “gold plated.” It lasts way longer and won’t tarnish immediately.
• Etsy is your best friend: You can find amazing silversmiths and jewelers who make solid, real jewelry for a fraction of what a luxury brand charges for brass.

4. Trendy Summer Slides and Flip Flops

This one is short and sweet. Rubber is rubber, my friend. Plastic is plastic.

Every single summer, luxury brands release these chunky rubber pool slides or platform flip-flops. They stamp their name on the strap and suddenly charge $450 for them.

I have tried on my friends’ designer rubber slides. They give you blisters just as fast, if not faster, than the cheap ones. They are heavy, they get scuffed up on the pavement immediately, and they get ruined if you actually wear them to the pool because of chlorine.

Footwear that you are going to sweat in, walk on sand in, and generally beat up during the summer should never be an “investment piece.” It is just not practical.

Your summer footwear game plan:

• Stick to the classics: A good pair of basic leather sandals from a regular shoe store will look more expensive and last longer than bright pink designer rubber slides.
• Embrace the sporty brands: If you want comfort, just buy regular athletic slides. They are actually designed for your feet and cost way less.

5. The Ultra-Trendy Sunglasses

Sunglasses are my weakness. I love throwing on a big pair of shades when I have zero makeup on and look like a tired racoon. But here is the secret the fashion industry doesn’t want you to know. Almost all designer sunglasses, regardless of the brand, are made by the exact same huge company in the same factories.

You are paying a massive premium just for the logo on the temple.

If you wear classic aviators or basic black cat-eye glasses every single day of your life, sure, treat yourself to a nice pair. But those crazy seasonal trends? The tiny Matrix glasses, or the massive alien bug-eye frames in neon orange? Skip the designer version.

I bought a pair of trendy, very geometric sunglasses from a fast-fashion site for $15 just to see if the shape suited my face. I ended up getting so many compliments on them. People literally thought they were designer. Meanwhile, my friend bought the actual designer version for $400, sat on them in her car, and snapped them in half two weeks later. She was devastated.

Glasses are fragile. We drop them, we lose them, we scratch them. Don’t put your money there.