Wearing designer items in the workplace is a polarizing topic, and most of us have strong opinions on it. I recognize that the nature of the work you do will play a role in your decision whether or not to bring your designer items to the office, but I have to pose the question. I’m a purse fanatic by night, but I hold a full time position at a university, so I have grappled with this question myself. I personally do carry my designer items to the office, but I didn’t come to that conclusion without a long winded internal debate.
Some designer items are obscure and can be worn undetected, but when you have a love for Louis Vuitton and monograms, it’s nearly impossible to stay under the radar. After going back and forth on whether to bring my bags to work, I’ve come to the conclusion that I buy my designer items to enjoy, and since I spend 40 hours a week at the office, I want to wear them everywhere I go. My bags don’t go unnoticed at the office, and I’m okay with that. I’ve found a few fellow purse lovers and PurseBlog readers at work, and I even helped a colleague—turned friend—help pick out her first premier designer bag: a Louis Vuitton Neverfull. Her family has nicknamed me “Louis Lucy”, a label that I fully embrace and love.
While I choose to carry my designer bags to work, I completely understand why some people would choose not to. As purse lovers, the amount of money we spend on bags can be staggering, and it’s understandable that you wouldn’t want your employer to know what you spend your paycheck on. The question of “how much did that cost?” is one that I have come to fear, but luckily have avoided thus far. However, carrying my designer items to the office has worked well for me, and I will continue to carry mine despite the fear of being judged for spending so much on a handbag. I’m asking here and now—do you wear your designer items to work?
original illustration by Kat J. Weiss
I agree in the notion that we choose our bags in order to enjoy them, therefore, we should be able to enjoy them wherever. I have no issue with wearing any of my bags to my office. As a man who wears designer handbags, I definitely get some curious looks at first. Fortunately, my place of work is extremely progressive and I have never faced any adversity. All of my coworkers and clients know me as “the guy who wears fancy handbags”, and I honestly love it. It gives me a sense of confidence and uniqueness that I wouldn’t find anywhere else. When the dreaded question “How much did that one cost?” comes up, I try to be as transparent as I can because I understand someone’s curiosity. I am not embarrassed about how much I have paid for some of my pieces because frankly, its my money and not theirs.
Sadly, (with tears in my eyes…lol.jk just being dramatic) I cannot carry my designer handbags to work because of the financially underserved neighborhood in which the medical school I work at is situated. All of my LV’s (Damier only!) are too noticeable, and I leave work pretty late in the evening and choose not to be a robbery target. I generally stick to my plain black Longchamp le pliage neo and neatly tuck my designer wallets inside. Like the Doctors that I work with who wear insanely expensive watches, I can get away with designer accessories but nothing larger than that.
Yes, I wear all my luxury bags to work. I’m a female engineer and work mostly with me. They usually don’t recognize my bags unless they have a SO who likes designer bags. The parking lot is full of expensive cars and the guys bring in their $8k bikes to store in their office… we all have our toys!
Yes, everyday. When I was at a law firm in SF, it wasn’t a big deal because the majority of our attorneys were women who loved fashion and high end handbags. People really seemed to enjoy seeing each others’ fun shoes and bags! Now that I’ve moved in house to a company with a slightly more formal vibe, I still do carry whatever I want to carry, but it stands out a little more because no one else really uses high end bags. No one really seems to care either way though!
It’s why you wear them. If it’s because you enjoy fashion then it works. If it’s to show off, it’s rude. (Based on the illustration above I’d never buy a Gucci tee!)
Yes.
But I also understand that not everyone feels comfortable or works in an environment where it is permissible.
Oh hell yeah
I, too, am a guy who wears bags to the office. The only thing I have in my favor is that the majority of my bags are under the radar bags. My collection consists of a PS1 large, a Loewe Puzzle in large, a Loewe briefcase, and a Loewe Barcelona. So it’s not as noticeable. If I wore monograms to the office, I’d probably get more stares and attention. Still wouldn’t stop me.
I work in a school and I do carry my LV bags but I stop there. Would never feel comfortable walking thru that door with my Celine luggage or my chanel flap on my arm lol!
When I was working–heck yeah! But they were Bals and BVs–no logos. The folks I worked with were so not into “fashion”, though they did compliment me on my blue Bal quite often.
What a great question/post. I have mixed feelings about this.
On one hand, I work in the extremely casual SF startup environment where you can wear pretty much whatever you want. My colleagues’ attire spans the gamut: flipflips and gymshorts paired with a raggedy Jansport from high school; Allbirds and jeans with a Patagonia jacket and some sort of laptop backpack or tote (a favorite basic of many many tech people); or, if you’re one of those people who care about fashion, an elevated business casual outfit with maybe a Neverfull or Prada tote. Many people, particularly the male techies, don’t know or care about the latest trends and the hottest labels, so I can and have showed up to the office with discreet designer items without loud logos. Generally people say nothing or remark “that’s a cool bag” without knowing the brand or price tag, so I do have a lot of leeway.
On the other hand, I’m still pretty early in my career working a job that’s a little out of my experience range and I want to be taken seriously as I try to level myself up. I want to avoid being seen as merely a young woman who enjoys fashion and designer goods and other frivolous things, and doesn’t know or care about Serious Adult Stuff like Roth IRAs and mortgages and subject matter expertise in my role. I basically already am that person anyway, since my office is extra casual and “whatever” about fashion.
Of course you can love fancy pretty things AND be great at your job (as all you PB readers are!). But it’s still an annoying truth that everyone loves counting other people’s money and making value judgements on what they purchase. I don’t want to be in the position of asking for a raise or discussing another employee’s compensation package and have the person on the other side of the table thinking “You just spent $4000 on a freakin BAG, you don’t need the money/you have no idea about money”. I think it’ll be different when I’m 15 years into my career and can just breeze into work and throw my Birkin (one can dream) on my desk, but right now I have too much to prove to myself and to others, and I don’t want my outfits to be the #1 thing I’m known for at the office.
I love the Gucci tees but I don’t think I’ll be wearing anything like that to work for a while 🙂 I did, however, recently invest in an Acne Studios sweater that I’ve been getting lots of compliments on!
Totally on point! I work in Bay Area too with a very non-fashion conscious techie crowd ( think a Coach outlet bag is a splurge) and have been judged aloud or felt I already have too much money even for my starter designer bags (1K) as a LV Neverfull. People conveniently forgot that I dont have kids in private schools, maybe I take less vacations, manage household expenses better or just that it’s my business 🙂 . Also agree with the point that people think fashionable girls are not techy enough – I now carry my company issued laptop bag with a discreet contemporary crossbody. Tory Burch & Kate Spade are still fashion forward but acceptable for my position at work apparently 😛
I’ve been working for tech startups for the past 8+ years now and feel similarly. At my last company, I had several colleagues who were purse crazy as I am – and almost always wore my gorgeous designer bags to the office (which I work very hard for). I’ve changed jobs recently and I work for an earlier stage startup in CO so I have dialed back the designer purses to the office. If I showed up with a crazy Patagonia backpack, I’m sure everyone would notice. I personally think it’s up to you whether or not you want to wear your beautiful handbag to work – if you work hard to be able to enjoy purchasing a luxury handbag, you should not feel bad wearing it!
I absolutely wear my bags to work. If people are into bags, they’ll notice and it’s fun to talk bags and fashion. I’d say at LEAST half my office has no idea about bags and couldn’t care less, so that’s fine too. I own bags to wear them.
Yes, I wear all my luxury bags to work. I’m a female engineer and work mostly with men. They usually don’t recognize my bags unless they have a SO who likes designer bags. The parking lot is full of expensive cars and the guys bring in their $8k road bikes to store in their office… we all have our toys!
Ha ha, I agree about we all have toys, wish the men did too! When a man has joked about my bag, I’m like ok, your car is around 30 of these bags 😀 but still somehow a cool car is money well spent, a bag is just a bag in their eyes.
I’m the same as you! Love that the guys rarely notice.
I carry designer bags to work and to pretty much anywhere that I have to go. The only times when I do not is if someone who I think knows what he or she is talking about says that it is dangerous to do it. It is not a problem at my job and never has been at any place that I have worked. What I never do is wear logo t-shirts or logo print clothing unless one counts a Burberry plaid scarf as a logo item. .
I started buying designer bags when I was 23 and first started working at the professional accounting firm. I didn’t wear my designer bags for the first 5 years of my career, I didn’t want people to judge me because I was still an analyst and then a senior analyst. It seemed like a waste to have all these bags and then not actually be able to wear them, so when I was promoted to manager I started wearing them to the office.
If there’s anything with blaring logos (like the Saint Laurent Kate bag), I turn the logo side in towards me when I am going into my office lobby and up the elevator. Other bags I don’t really care that much about. Most people don’t know / care that I am using designer, or at least they haven’t asked me about it. Only one of my coworkers is a bit nosy and likes to come into my office and ask about my bag. I don’t have a cubbie or locker to store my bag in, so it’s just sitting on my desk but I usually face it inwards towards the wall and covered with a jacket or something.
No -nothing immediately recognizable as ‘designer’. (1) its distracting for some people, (2) I make more money than most of the ladies I work with and don’t want to be provocative to them, (3) I never want the people up the chain to think I “don’t need the money”.
I will wear nice things without labels: high end shoes or dresses
I work in education and I just got back from a conference were almost every woman had a LV on her arm. I think wearing designer items at work, especially ones that have highly visible logos and are meant to be status symbols, is inappropriate when your office is a non-profit supported by taxpayer dollars. Wear it all you want on the weekend, but when you are begging for money and asking the legislature to raise taxes, you need to present a professional, fiscally conservative image. Part of working in education is being VERY aware of your image and having to constantly present yourself in a way to not offend your base.
We can agree to disagree. I am a teacher, and I wear my designer items to work. I drive a luxury car. I work hard for my stuff, and I want to enjoy it. If others don’t like it, too bad. I guess some of my co-workers feel the same way as I often see Louis Vuitton bags and a few luxury cars in the parking lot. I’m not going to buy things on things that I don’t like to portray a certain image. It’s wasteful and dishonest. Something I teach my students NOT to be or do.
I also work in education. I drive a luxury SUV and carry my Neverful everyday as my handbag–I don’t carry my Celines or Givenchys or Diors to school, but my Neverful is my everyday bag. I also wear my LV scarf from time to time. Makes a great conversation piece for the students.
I agree with you specifically because over the many years, I’ve allowed someone else’s feeling or perception to determine what I will wear out of my house. It’s exhausting and it made me feel slightly criminal. I enjoy designer bags & designer shoes. I’m not wealthy, I paid for the items I have and feel like I should be able to enjoy them without worrying about judgement.
Agreed. I do not own many luxury items, in spite of the fact that I enjoy this blog. But the few that I do own, especially any that are recognizable due to logos etc, don’t come with me to work. Part of my job includes interacting with people who have fallen on hard times, often financially, and it feels extremely inappropriate in that circumstance to be carrying something that denotes luxury-level spending on non-necessities. I guess my point is that it’s all about reading the room…
Yes for me…
I am an engineer who works in a small company mainly deals with constructions. In our office we have no dress code, people rock up in tattered t-shirt (believe me when i say they have holes in them) and sweatpants, no one bats an eyelash about it lol. I use my Antigona as a work bag because it fits A LOT (impromptu field work does sometimes requires you to carry a whole chemist with you lmfao) and again no one bats an eyelash about it. However once our bosses wife dropped by and saw the bag, then she complimented how nice the box is..that is probably the only encounter i had about my designer bags lol
I don’t wear anything obviously designer at work with the exception of my Goyard tote because no one recognizes that it is designer. I simply choose not to. For me, it’s a matter of privacy. I think it’s a very personal choice.
I do, I usually get complements on them! Never had an issue. I work in tech and theres just a bunch of straight nerds who don’t know anything about fashion haha!
Most days, yes. I buy things to use and enjoy them. If I’m going to be client-facing, however, I may not. It depends on the client.
I carry my designer bags to work, but not all of them. I rarely carry the ones which are monogrammed or have big logos (ex: LV and Gucci Disco Soho bag). The reason for this is that I feel it would discourage upper management from giving me my due salary increase, bonus or promotion because I seem to be doing okay financially. I know for a fact that the upper management in my company likes to gossip amongst themselves and the last thing I want is to have one of them be envious of my bag game.
I am a strategy consultant. I will almost always wear what I want. One day, I had to go to a very notorious federal prison to conduct focus groups with prison guards. Upon checking in, the main desk guard told me to go back outside and “put that damn Prada back in your car before you get slashed.” Good times.
This is hysterical! Thanks for sharing.
No, I don’t. I tread a fine line between looking professional and flaunting material possessions. Obvious logos and expensive bags send the wrong message to my manager and colleagues.
Again, it depends on the environment and the people in it.
I mainly carry my Coach or super old Balenciagas that no one recognizes to the office. I would never carry my Gucci or Chanel. I only recently started carrying my Speedy 30 and when people ask I say I bought it over 10 years ago second hand (true) so it didn’t cost a lot. I pick and choose. I would say half of my bag collection never makes it to the office. Kind of sad, but that’s what weekends are for I guess!
I went through a phase that I didn’t bring my designer bags to work with me but now I do. I work in an ER, so I don’t really want to bring a 1,600 bag with me at the nurses station. I thought to myself, I work 36 hrs a week so a lot of my time is at work. I ended up using a reuseable tj maxx bag for a while, then I found a Marc Jacobs tote for $59 and now I put my Burberry banner bag in that and whatever else I need for my 12hr shift. So far so good!
I don’t own any other designer items besides bags and wallets. I do carry almost all of my bigger bags to work – most often I take my Hugo Boss Taylor but now it’s so snowy and slippery outside I carry something I don’t need to worry about. As in, a bag that doesn’t mind if I slip and fall on it.
I do, but I was once told that I was passed up on a promotion opportunity because of it. My boss felt that someone with the ability to afford top designer bags like i did didnt come off as someone who needs to hustle. Ever since that I think twice about what bag I take to work.
That’s so unfair for your boss to judge someone’s worthiness of a promotion on how they choose to spend their money. Promotions should be based on performance. What you spend your money on is none of your boss’ business. That said, smart move on not bringing your bags to work if you have a boss like that. ugh!
This is such an interesting subject. Mostly because I have been hyper aware of it since a situation a few months back. First, I work in the movie business and carry or wear anything I like. It’s pretty much accepted to be wearing some sort of designer item and nobody usually even cares or comments. That said, I was in a meeting a while back and one of the women had a nice LV monogram Artsy MM bag. It was a few years old and you could see it was well loved. I noticed it, of course (being a purse fan) and didn’t give it a second though. But after the meeting, just to me, one of my male coworkers commented on the bag and accused her of “showing off” and “trying to look important”. My first reaction to him was “wait, I wear designer bags all the time is that what you think of me?” and he said “No, you have a bigger job so it’s expected, but she was trying too hard”. I was sorta horrified by this level of judgment about a bag and wondered if this was a common response to designer bags at work? (I have to read the rest of the posts, but wanted to post this before the thread got too buried.)
That’s sad. Men don’t endure the same judgement. It’s ridiculous that women have to downplay personal style/taste to appear more relatable or compassionate. Or, apparently, to indicate that ambition.
I was able to purchase designer handbags only after putting my 3 children through college. However, I don’t wear them to work since as a S.W. I work with indigent, elderly and other clientele that I visit primarily in their homes. I feel that it is disrespectful and ill-mannered to carry designer bags into their homes when they don’t have money to buy food or pay their bills. My job is to assist them with resources that meet their needs which subsequently greatly improve their lives and I don’t need to “flaunt” my bags in their homes. I work very hard ensuring that everyone’s well cared for and since my children are grown and financially stable I have no guilt buying what I enjoy. I can and do enjoy my bags in other settings, but not at work.
Good for you! I think this is very tactful and sensitive of you..I’ll bet you are an amazing social worker. My Mom relies heavily on her social worker and I know firsthand how valuable your work is. It would indeed be a slap in the face to many if you were to carry such a major status signifier into these situations. Enjoy those bags!!
On the other hand my Mom’s health aides are crazy for LV..whether real or knock off, I don’t know and don’t care. That and Burberry. For these ladies, a luxury brand is something that helps them feel happier about a very difficult and low paying profession and it’s all about carrying the bag to work!
I absolutely use my designer handbags, jewelry, etc at work. I work in healthcare and save $ to have the small collection that I do and I’m going to enjoy it whenever and wherever I’m at!
I wear all of my designer shoes and bags to work including visible labels like Chanel, but it took me awhile to arrive at this. The fact that I’m 55, have raised 3 kids as a single parent, made a successful career for myself as an executive, and pursued many side hustles like real estate investing led me to the conclusion that I’ll whatever I damn please as a woman. For employers that judge this, I challenge them to address the wage gender gap before looking at my individual attire. However, I do understand areas where judgement is warranted like dealing with financially challenged clients and environments where flaunting labels seems very insensitive. As an example, I’ve been dealing with placing my mom in assisted living and have felt it appropriate to swap my Chanel bags with less obvious leather bags.
Definitely and without guilt. I strictly only buy and carry high end designer bags and don’t even own a normal/cheap bag to carry anywhere,let alone to work. I work hard to be able to buy my own designer bags and nice things and will never allow anyone to make me feel bad about it. I’ve seen many people at work carry designer bags,whether or not it’s real is another story,so I’m not the only one. I have a couple of bags where the logo is subtle for occassions that might require me to be on the down low but that’s very rare, and also everyone at work will know it’s still a designer bag anyway lol.
I wouldn’t wear my high-end luxury to work. For me, they are items that I like to enjoy in my own free time, and I like to keep the distinction between work and play. I also don’t want the attention at work on my designer items. I would consider bringing items from contemporary designers such as Coach and Kate Spade. However, each to their own. If you like to carry designer items to work, then I see nothing wrong with it.
I’ve carried my ancient LV bags and one of my Hermes to my work. Only one fella spotted the Hermes and the rest didn’t give a crap about LV. I’d worn my Gucci belt a few times but that was when I was going elsewhere afterwards. Again, no one seemed to notice or care.
If my coworkers feel uncomfortable with my designer bags (which fortunately they don’t) then tough luck. It’s my money and I do with it what I want. Others insecurities are not my problem.
I love wearing my nice clothes and bags to work, what I don’t like are the weird comments from people and the constant judgement about how people choose to live their lives and spend the money the earn! Wear your wonderful and beautiful luxury items to work & let them all stare!!!!!!!!!!
What aspect of designer bag do you “enjoy” when carrying it? Is it its functionality? Or is it the fact that it is known to be expensive and carries a recognizable brand. If it is the latter, then I would think twice. At a work place, what do you want to be “recognized” for?
i don’t work anymore, but i used to work in magazine publishing as an art director. the offices were frequently filled with designer samples to be photographed, so let’s just say the environment was very luxury item friendly. i never thought twice about buying two pairs of new gucci shoes, or wearing a fur, jewelry or whatever handbag was my favorite that week.
Yes, yes, yes! Might as well enjoy, that’s what it’s for:)
I work in a consultancy and take my handbags to work. Like you, I have found other purse lovers in the office and the banter is fun. I tend to tell people ALL my handbags are second hand just so they don’t think I paid full price (even though I have for some of them). If I don’t wear them to work when will I wear them? And on that point, I have turned my Fendi large Peekaboo into a diaper bag, and it’s freaking brilliant. I am on maternity leave so when else was I going to wear it?! It has two compartments. One side is for baby and the other side is for me. I’m a minimalist when it comes to taking things I ‘might’ need for the baby, so it’s literally 1 change of clothes, a nappy, a muslin cloth and some wipes!
Definitely. I see women carrying designer bags all the time here in Switzerland. If they take their Birkins to buy a loaf of bread, they’ll definitely take them to the office. I don’t see much Gucci though — at least not the heavily embellished bags, the totes and hobos do show up. The one thing you DON’T bring to work is a fake. Switzerland takes a very dim view of counterfeits and the reputation of anyone carrying a fake will nose dive.
Yes, I wear my designer items to the office – anything I can live in comfortably for 9 to 13 hours.
When I worked at a conservative engineering company, I carried designer bags…but I noticed early in my career that LV and monogrammed bags get way more negative attention and recognition that’s those without logos. I think being a woman, I could sadly get a little more leeway than a man. I had the nicest car in the lot and wore nice clothes, but the staff could assume my husband was very successful…instead of assuming I’m not spending my salary wisely or being paid too much.
I think it’s so rude to look at a possession and make an instant judgement. You never know what people’s hobbys are. My husband loves jeeps and hobby farm equipment and has spent waaay more than my bags. Women get snobby when someone has something they do not yet no one bats an eye that John has a $3k mountain bike, $5k road bike, and a slew of bike accessories. Nor do they judge another for eating out every single day and taking weekly trips to the movies. All passions and hobbies have costs.
I have a Birkin and a Kelly that I will pass to my daughter when she is 28-30ish if she is interested. I would hate that people automatically assume she is recklessly spending her salary because I chose to pass on classic handbags over jewelry and other heirlooms.
I think as long as it is not insensitive to your clients in their neighborhood (going onsite) vice them coming to you, you shouldn’t have to worry what they think of you. I don’t get bent out of shape that my physician has a nicer car/vacation home or my lawyer has a Rolex….just because I don’t.
I’m a younger employee working in a startup environment that’s made up of technical engineer types as well as some savvy marketing executives. At first I was nervous to bring in my Hermes bags to the office (the only other luxury bag I’ve seen in my office is a Neverfull), but once I realized most people can’t tell anything about my bags I stopped being so worried. In fact, the only person that noticed my Hermes was a former exec at a member-only online luxury shopping market – and he commented that his wife also loves luxury handbags. I do have a second-hand LV adorned with logos that I haven’t brought in yet… that’s the only bag I’m still concerned about because it’s LV’s monogram is so recognized.
No, I don’t. I don’t like people speculating how much I spend on myself or my private life.