Always wondered about that...how much of the high price goes into superb quality of materials, handle strap strength for example.
Does the handbag stand up to 'Father Time' compared to the knock-off put into service on the same day?
I've got 15 year old suits hanging in my closet that still look and wear like new. Maybe the quality of the thread DOES matter?
Same with footwear. Is 'ECCO' worth the price? IMO, yes.
No way a 'Men's Warehouse' garment would still be wearable.
@DCPatriot LOL! See, you and me are in entirely different worlds. I don't even own a suit anymore, and predictably never will again. I go to a funeral nowadays, I go as I am, and folks are alright with that (assumes pants, of course).
The closest I can come to all that is my Carhartts.The older set is probably 20 years old and have been to hell and back. In reality, all that fine stitching and high quality you are pointing to wouldn't last a day where they've been.
Shoes I get, to a degree. A set of mountain boots can set you back a touch. Same with Mukluks. But what makes em fine is that they can be resoled.That they can be taken apart piece by piece, and every piece can be remade and repaired. That can cost you a high dollar, but it is worth it. My hiking boots are Whites and have been around so long I can't even tell you how old they are. Same with the muks... The cobbler just keeps putting them back together. My first set of hikers were Dexters, that I bought when I was still in high school, and I had them way over half my life.
Shitkickers are a different thing. They have to be able to be resoled, because right off the get go I have to take em down and have a full-ride heel installed. They don't come that way so much anymore. But beyond that, They will probably only get resoled once.
I carry two pair. One nice set, and one working set. The nice set are for going out, but really that is so you can break em in easy. They become the working set when the old working set are done. Hopefully I am able to wear them all day by then.
But they only last about a year or two once they hit the barnyard. All the animal piss you are walking in tends to eat the leather. You'll get one resole, maybe two... so it ain't worth spending a mint on them.