Sort of a double post. Really, one post with two topics.
FIRST: The hackneyed sentence You get what you pay for! Many--even in the frugality corner of the blogosphere--believe in the truth of the statement. Sadly, I generally do not. If it were as simple as that, it would be easy to make purchasing decisions.
Recent Case in Point: a Colehaan Alligator belt. The night before Frugal Son went off for his year in France, he announced that he didn't have a belt. Ergh. He is so disorganized (inherited from me). Luckily, I have a small assortment of belts for such emergencies, so we didn't have to run to Walmart or worse in the middle of the night. There to buy a low quality belt.
No, I had not one but two Colehaan alligator belts that I had acquired for very cheap, as is my wont. They were in Mr FS's closet. Of course, they had never been worn (either by the first owner, or by Mr FS, who likes to age his clothing).
Naturally, Frugal Son picked an alligator over some plainer belts. He does have an eye for luxury. His favorite sweaters are cashmere.
A few weeks ago, he emailed and mentioned that the belt was falling apart! I don't know if CH makes these anymore, but alligator belts cost upwards of $200. Was the belt worth $200--no.
Second part of the tale: how I got the belts at Goodwill. A LONG time ago, Funny About Money pined for a Brighton belt in her blog. I spied one from afar at GW and rushed over. I thought it would be so neat if I could send a fave blogger a present. Alas, though it was a Brighton belt, it was in very poor shape.
But picking it up to inspect its condition uncovered the two unused alligator belts. Mr FS and Frugal Son are always having belt emergencies, so I acquire extras where I can.
Thanks, Funny for the beautiful belts!
So, have you experienced any karma lately?
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3 comments:
Frugal, you cannot expect an alligator belt to wear like a cowhide one. This is like expecting fine silk to wear like thick wool. Alligator is a fragile skin, not durable but is desirable as an exotic material.
Don't send FS off with an alligator belt, to be worn frequently (I am gathering, since it is his only belt), and then be surprised it fell apart! Gift idea for FS: a good sturdy cowhide belt.
@Duchesse--I am always learning. Since I have my grandma's 60 y.o bag, I assumed alligator is forever. I have a back up belt I'll send FS in our next package! Thanks.
You might want to condition your 60 yr old bag with delicate leather cream such as that made by Moneysworth & Best. All leathers dry out over time if not cared for.
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