That’s a lovely bag!
Is wealth inequality causing the big issues of our day?
Reforms response to Rachel Reeves’ heckler.
Actually, please don't answer that. This is not an inquisition nor is it meant to be judgmental.
There is an old saying "Cut your coat according to your cloth" which is said to mean Live within your means, or Make the most of the money you have. I agree with both interpretations.
My son recently spent over £400 on a coat. He can afford it. So could I if I wanted to, I suppose, but, to use an old Yorkshire word, I couldn't thoil to do so ( = couldn't bring myself to ). I paid just £40 for one recently, as it was heavily discounted in the sales.
My daughter paid £10 for a Vinted one, good quality, as new.
We are all happy with our purchases.
In this case, it was not a question of " You get what you pay for".
Could you bring yourself to spend £400 on something you could get for £40 or even £10?
( Yes, I know some people cannot afford even £10. This is not a about poverty ).
That’s a lovely bag!
I've just bought a coat that cost £350. I bought it because I loved it and could afford it. I will also carry on wearing a M&S" second " coat I bought about 15 years ago for £17, it's a heavy wool coat in a cherry red & cream houndstooth, I love it & it always gets compliments. I bought it for the same reasons as the new one. I'm a regular Primark/TK Maxx shopper but equally I'll pay more if I like something expensive.
I have spent money on an expensive coat for a Winter wedding and vowed that I would wear it again. I have done, but also I was just as happy finding a brand new M & S coat in a charity shop!
I tend to buy reduced coats because in a long Winter it is easy to become fed up with coats. If you have ring the changes with colours and styles that don’t cost too much, then it is good value!
pen50
Last coat was £210 from Jumping Ships; boiled wool, made in Britain:
jumpingships.com/product/aymestrey-coat-100-premium-boiled-wool-12-colours/
Love the colour!
I'm in love.😍
I could pay £400 for a coat but I couldn't thole it either
silverlining48
I just tried to ‘buy’ the £9000 coat but it seems it only comes in size zero. I am devastated.
I love this excuse! 


Couldn’t bring myself to spend £400 on a coat either and I am not from Yorkshire. Recently bought a long puffy coat from Next petite range for around £70.
I have to confess that I bought a coat in 2003 for£400.00. This was a padded waterproof very warm coat with pockets and zips plus a hood with fur round the edge. We were going to Canada in the March of that year to look after a new grandson while the others all went skiing. There had just been a fall of 15 ft of snow. The coat was brilliant - kept me so warm - and I still use this coat every year and every day when it gets very cold here. It still looks smart - still looks fashionable- everyone you see seems to have fur round the hood and padding. It is also washable and can be put in the drier. I had never spent so much on a coat before but I reckon I got my money’s worth with this one. It was made in Germany. The label inside reads
C.O.V.E.R. Clothes of very effective resistance- !!
Just looked it up. 227 euros incl delivery
I have always liked German clothes. I have found them to be well cut and well made.
If I won £65 million on the lottery I wouldn't spend 400 on a coat. Shoes yes, coat no.
I pick up coats in sales, I never am looking for one at the time but they have always been too good to miss,and not only do I get compliments on them but they also last me years ! If only I could get actual clothes that easily.
I couldn't afford a £400 coat, but say I saved and saved and bought one, I'd probably spill something on it , catch it on a nail on someone's garden gate or something, or go out in it and get it stolen from a coat peg ! Such is life !
I have two winter coats, one for very cold weather when I want to cover my backside, from lands end and then the other, in the sale, Pablo calf length nearly all wool, for when I go out out, not so warm though. However, I have no idea what price they were but it wouldn’t have been more than £200 a few years ago.
I live in Wet Wales, my Coat needs are warm, hood and WATERPROOF! … 2 of my Coats were Charity shop buys, one a lined hunter-type ‘ country’ coat. The other a warm wool zipped full length warm coat with hood … both of these cost me about £5/10 each. Had both for so long I can’t remember how long. Wear them alternately depending on the weather. I also splashed out on alight lined water-resistant coat from Cotton Traders a couple of years ago which appears when it gets a little warmer … probably about £ 45? . My latest slash out was a long reversible padded hooded coat from Temu @£23. Worn that only a couple of times so far.
I would pay a few hundred for a coat IF I fell in love with it , it suited me, and it was needed for a Royal Occasion or similar! 👸
Over thirty years ago I lived near a place which discounted expensive clothes. Back in 1992 I spent around £100 on a cashmere coat which was reduced from around £1000. I still have it and have worn it countless times. It was definitely worth £100 back in 1992 but not £1000! Nowadays I will look on ebay or wait for the sales. My current go to is a £20 waterproof that came from Primark - keeps out the rain and I can fit a fleece below it.
Even though I live in Canada, we don't get extreme cold in my area. We hover around freezing, and get a lot of rain.
I couldn't bring myself to spend that amount on a coat, my insulated Helly Hansen waterproof was around 150 GBP and has lasted years. I have a nicer wool mix coat for occasions, but I didn't spend a lot for that one.
I paid £300 for mine but 7 years later I'm still wearing it and it's as good as new!
I bought a cashmere/wool mix coat for £220 in the sales about 10years ago.
I mainly wear if going out for lunch, going to the theatre or Winter weekends away.
I love it and always feel well dressed and I love the fact I got such a bargain.
I think it all depends on how much you love it, I don’t have a lot of coats, I try not to wear them unless I have to, don’t like feeling bundled up.
But the ones I have I really like, so paying £400 is ok, I wouldn’t spend silly money, but if you can afford it, why not?
I bought 3 coats today. The Guess one was in the sale for £100. It’s beautiful and will be nice for going to theatre etc. Then I popped into Michael Korrs and paid £400 for one that will be a nice funeral going coat. So both practical and of lovely quality, weight, design and fabric.
2 coats, not 3 😤
If I could find a coat that fitted me properly (I am only 4 foot 11 inches in height and fairly slim shoulders and short arms but larger hips), and it looked elegant and comfortable, |I might consider spending £400 - especially as I keep my clothes for years. But it would have to be absolutely perfect!
Cheap clothes aren't always awful. I bought a light three-quarter length mac-type coat from TK Maxx about 10 years ago for £11, and I still get compliments on it.
The most I’ve spent on a coat is one from Masai which was £250. It was half price in their sale. It was pure wool with a diagonal zip and I kept it for special occasions.
To my horror, I got it out last year and it was covered in moth holes. I very nearly cried as I threw it out.
My Mum bought me a Hobbs mac once and that was £175 many years ago.
Oh Primrose that is very upsetting. I can get very attached to clothes that fit me well and that were a significant expense for me. Moths had a go at my two cashmere jumpers. I darned one (rather inexpertly) but it can be seen a bit. Now I put all woollen stuff in a plastic bag. Other preventative measures don't seem to work - lavender bags, etc.
Primrose, you habe my sympathy. I have been spared moths (so far) but some years ago bits broke off my washing machine drum in mid wash and the rough edges made holes in all the garments in the load, including several irreplaceable garments that I had had for years. Like you I was reduced to tears.
Registering is free, easy, and means you can join the discussion, watch threads and lots more.
Register now »Already registered? Log in with:
Gransnet »Get our top conversations, latest advice, fantastic competitions, and more, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter here.