When Is It Okay To Buy A $250 T-Shirt?

by Verena von Pfetten | 10:47 am, April 7th, 2010

Exactly one week ago today, I spent $167 (that’s including tax) on a sweatshirt. This was no ordinary sweatshirt, mind you; this was a feathery soft, heathery grey, fashionably cut top from Rodarte, which as far as I’m concerned, just so happened to be made out of sweatshirt cotton.

I purchased it from the Opening Ceremony outpost in the Ace Hotel. I recommended it to LemonDrop’s discerning readers. I’ve worn it almost daily. But I still feel the need to excuse and explain the purchase because, well, $167 on a sweatshirt is absurd.

But, then again: it’s Rodarte. It says Rodarte on the tag, and it says Rodarte on both the front and the back. (“J’aime Rodarte” / “Je deteste Rodarte” — in case you were wondering.) And it will, in all likelihood, be the only piece of Rodarte I’ll ever own.

So I justified it. I made the case that this was a piece of fashion art. Something that would age well, that I could hand down to my as-of-yet still fictional daughter that would make her think, “Wow, my mom was cool.”

Yesterday, I told my sister about the purchase — via Gchat, obviously, so excuse the grammar — and she responded, verbatim: “Mind you I spent $220 on a Alex McQueen t-shirt so I could own something of his [winky face emoticon.]”

And I realized that while it still felt silly to spend hundreds of dollars on something that could be bought at American Apparel for $26, or from Hanes at 3 for $10, it was okay because a rarefied and verified designer had designed it.

But is an Alexander McQueen t-shirt really that much better of a t-shirt? Does the fact that it says Rodarte on it make a bunch of cheap cotton really worth $167? And, more importantly, doesn’t the fact that I think it does make me kind of an asshole?

As I’m writing this, I also can’t believe I’m grappling with the morality of designer cotton — fashion is deep, people — but the bottom line is that I love the sweatshirt. I’ll wear it until there’s no longer any doubt in my mind as to its worth. And I’ll feel damn cool while doing so.

Alexander McQueen Balmain expensive tshirts jaime rodarte Rodarte