Sunday, April 03, 2011

Q: Tacky or Status Symbol? A: Tacky

My friend Heidi posted this question on my FB page and I thought it was worth an answer in my blog. Some people may not know this unless they are specifically told. Thanks, Heidi!
Question: saw a woman the other night who had a Calvin Klein tag sewn onto the sleeve of her coat at the wrist; shouldn't one remove such tags after purchase?
Yes, you're right. It absolutely it should have been removed. Either she did not realize this or she thinks it's a status symbol, much like someone who buys a new car and leaves the sticker price in the window for much longer than they should. (Hey look, I spent X dollars on my sweet new ride! Aren't you impressed?" Um, no.)

The only time I have seen anyone unclear about leaving the tag on a jacket was when I was working in men's apparel and a lot of young men - who had never owned a suit before - were confused about what that label was for and whether or not it stayed on the jacket cuff. (The tailor always removed it for them.)

2 comments:

Mel said...

Ooh, ooh! I have additional question(s) about jackets/coats/blazers.

It seems that the pockets are ALWAYS sewn together, and I have to grab my seam ripper to pull them apart for use: a) why do the manufacturers do this; and b) were they meant to be kept shut?

Secondary question, sometimes I see a light-colored "X" sewn into the back of jackets (and a few times in the back of skirts, on the slits) -- I've always removed them; they're also meant to be removed, right?

hH said...

That's what I thought, but then had the idea that it was the 'new' thing to do. Still, it's weird, and distracting because you know it shouldn't be there; sort of like the thread that holds coat-tails together at the store.

Long ago I had a friend that collected name brand tags and decorated a vest with them. It was a cute way to show off her 'status'!