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Korean Job Discussion Forums
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World Traveler
Joined: 29 May 2009
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neandergirl
Joined: 23 Jun 2005
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 Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 12:49 pm Post subject: |
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pants - 21$
tank top - 3$
sandals 199 baht
"foundation garments" 20$
So roughly 50-odd bux.
Jewellery would bring it up a bit but my engagement/wedding set cost a grand total of 95$ (white sapphires instead of diamonds; silver instead of gold and we got them 26 years ago) and my earring about 12$. |
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Caffeinated
Joined: 11 Feb 2010
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| Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 2:43 pm Post subject: |
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| Just another article trying to convince you that you're inadequate and need to spend more to keep up with everyone else. |
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peppermint
Joined: 13 May 2003
Location: traversing the minefields of caddishness.
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| Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 4:24 pm Post subject: |
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| Hmm. sounds a little off to me, though I'd i find it totally plausible that most ESLers carry about a thousand dollars worth of stuff around with them daily- cellphone, camera, MP3 player, and some cash. |
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.38 Special
Joined: 08 Jul 2009
Location: Pennsylvania
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| Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 7:26 pm Post subject: |
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There are essentially two reactions to this "article:"
1) I'm not a consumer *beep* and I'll inventory my outfit to prove it!
2) Don't judge me! Expenses for clothing is a display of status which is significant to the cultural modes of most advanced countries! Not to mention necessary for my professional life.
My shoes cost about 40 dollars. My pants about 40 as well. Shirt, socks, and skivvies probably 20. Then there is my 90 dollar rigid horseleather belt.
But, then again, I don't dress professionally -- I'm not employed. When I was working and when I will soon again be working the professional costume is pretty much the same -- I work in manufacturing at the moment.
In the end we spend the money that we think we need to in order to fit in. When I get around to teaching I will wear shiny shoes, an ironed blouse, and woolen slacks. While I will make an effort to get the professional costume at a reasonable price and no doubt will not exceed one-third the article's quoted amount, my change in social and professional context will increase the expense of my costume.
That's not to justify rampant consumerism and the obsession with status items of the professional class. Prada etc. are an unnecessary expense and a great contributor to the plague of debt that rests upon those who could live very comfortably on their income alone. |
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seonsengnimble
Joined: 02 Jun 2009
Location: taking a ride on the magic English bus
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| Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 11:11 pm Post subject: |
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pants: $40
undershirt: $4
socks/underwear: $10
shirt: $10
tie: $3.33
shoes: $160
So, about $230 mostly from shoes.
Oh wait, glasses :$60
watch: $30
belt: $5
So about $325 |
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Fox
Joined: 04 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 11:23 pm Post subject: |
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From the original article:
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A study has discovered the typical woman�s day-to-day outfit involves underwear worth �26.61, a skirt at �30.46, top �22.83, knitwear �38.85, coat �64.75, tights �3.90 and shoes �51.21.
She teams this with jewellery to the value of �378.82 and a �76.49 watch.
Finally, she carries a �106.58 handbag with a purse containing cash, tickets and passes worth a total �146.29 and a �106.06 mobile phone. |
I didn't realize cash, tickets, and phones were clothing. So we're all ready talking about more than outfits here, since about 250 pounds of the goods in question (25%) has nothing to do with clothing at all. The male average also included a briefcase, yet the overwhelming majority of men you see out and about do not carry briefcases with them everywhere they go, making the male figure even more suspect.
Second, what were the demographics of this study of 3000 people? Was it random? Did it match the population's demographics? Or did it zero in on a certain demographic to create the results they wanted?
Finally, the fact that it seems to have relied purely on wearer estimates of the average value of their clothing makes it suspect. Lots of people -- men especially -- would probably have a hard time telling you exactly how much the outfit they were wearing that day (much less their average outfit) was worth, and the tendency would probably be to estimate upwards.
In short, at a glance this study seems to be total rubbish. |
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BoholDiver
Joined: 03 Oct 2009
Location: Canada
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| Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2010 12:49 am Post subject: |
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Phone: free
Shorts: $10
Shirt $15
Underwear and socks: maybe $5-6
Shoes: $40
Wedding ring: $250
Prescription eyeglasses: $60 |
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Ralphie
Joined: 24 Mar 2010
Location: Beijing, PRC
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| Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2010 2:08 am Post subject: |
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| Buy the best quality that you can afford. When you divide the number of times that you wear the item, it will cost much less than if you were to buy a cheaper (and lower quality) product that you wear only a few times. I have clothing from as long as 10 years ago (still stylish and in fine shape). I've also given away clothes that have never been worn. Hence, these were expensive mistakes. |
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KoreanAmbition
Joined: 03 Feb 2008
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| Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2010 3:39 am Post subject: |
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I like women that go commando...
Sweet...from now on I can just argue that it's a way to save money.  |
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NYC_Gal
Joined: 08 Dec 2009
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| Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2010 7:37 am Post subject: |
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Dress: $150
Cardigan: $50
Sandals: $70
Underwear: $60
Jewelry: no idea (gifts from fiance and my grandma's hand-made-by-my-grandpa wedding ring)
Bag: $300
Shades: $300
I guess it's about right. I do wear a lot of those 10,000 won tops in the summer, but they tend to fall apart after a few wearings. Quality always trumps quantity.
To each their own, I guess. |
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Seoulio
Joined: 02 Jan 2010
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| Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2010 7:50 am Post subject: |
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| NYC_Gal wrote: |
Dress: $150
Cardigan: $50
Sandals: $70
Underwear: $60
Jewelry: no idea (gifts from fiance and my grandma's hand-made-by-my-grandpa wedding ring)
Bag: $300
Shades: $300
I guess it's about right. I do wear a lot of those 10,000 won tops in the summer, but they tend to fall apart after a few wearings. Quality always trumps quantity.
To each their own, I guess. |
I have always had a problem with expensive brand name clothing.
To me ( no offense NYC) anyone who spends 300 bucks on either a bag or a pair of sunglasses, or virtually eny article of clothing is a bit off.
Many of us will buy overpriced crap simply because it has a Dolce, Dior, Gucci, Klein, etc label ( I don't know all of the designers and proud of it  )
Wearing the latest designer and the newest fashion is often more important than simply having a sensible wardrobe. Some women will wear an article of clothing once and then can't be seen in it again because its no longer the "current style"
Then there are the "Carrie Bradshaw's" of the world who will not only spend thousands of dollars on shoes, but buy hundreds of pairs of them that need their own room.
The fact that many free first wrold countries think that crap like this is okay while mahy of our own citizens starve in the streets, or scrape by after being laid off because American companies want to make their producst for half the cost down in Mexixo is rather disturbing.
That being said if you exclude my 600 dollar glasses or the 300 dollar watch I bought as it was a limited edition heres my breakdown.
As a side not the glasses were designer frames, BUT they were entirely free. One of my jobs told me that I had a 500 dollar spending allowance for vision so I grabbed the best frames and paid extra for the different scratch coatings.
Shoes - 50
Sock/Undies - 7
Undershirt - 5
Shirt - Average is about 12
Pants - 20
Belt - 30
So there you go, about 130 bucks.
250 if I wear my sunglasses |
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shapeshifter
Joined: 29 Nov 2005
Location: Paris
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| Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2010 7:57 am Post subject: |
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| Seoulio wrote: |
| NYC_Gal wrote: |
Dress: $150
Cardigan: $50
Sandals: $70
Underwear: $60
Jewelry: no idea (gifts from fiance and my grandma's hand-made-by-my-grandpa wedding ring)
Bag: $300
Shades: $300
I guess it's about right. I do wear a lot of those 10,000 won tops in the summer, but they tend to fall apart after a few wearings. Quality always trumps quantity.
To each their own, I guess. |
I have always had a problem with expensive brand name clothing.
To me ( no offense NYC) anyone who spends 300 bucks on either a bag or a pair of sunglasses, or virtually eny article of clothing is a bit off.
Many of us will buy overpriced crap simply because it has a Dolce, Dior, Gucci, Klein, etc label ( I don't know all of the designers and proud of it )
Wearing the latest designer and the newest fashion is often more important than simply having a sensible wardrobe. Some women will wear an article of clothing once and then can't be seen in it again because its no longer the "current style"
Then there are the "Carrie Bradshaw's" of the world who will not only spend thousands of dollars on shoes, but buy hundreds of pairs of them that need their own room.
The fact that many free first wrold countries think that crap like this is okay while mahy of our own citizens starve in the streets, or scrape by after being laid off because American companies want to make their producst for half the cost down in Mexixo is rather disturbing.
That being said if you exclude my 600 dollar glasses or the 300 dollar watch I bought as it was a limited edition heres my breakdown.
As a side not the glasses were designer frames, BUT they were entirely free. One of my jobs told me that I had a 500 dollar spending allowance for vision so I grabbed the best frames and paid extra for the different scratch coatings.
Shoes - 50
Sock/Undies - 7
Undershirt - 5
Shirt - Average is about 12
Pants - 20
Belt - 30
So there you go, about 130 bucks.
250 if I wear my sunglasses |
With respect, I'm not clear on the origin of your moral authority here. Why is it ok for you to have 120 dollar sunglasses but somehow outrageous for someone else to spend 300?
Is the difference all that significant? And who are you to draw the line between reasonable and excessive? How will you respond to the next poster when he/she announces that anyone who spends more than 20 dollars on sunglasses is "a bit off"? |
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Seoulio
Joined: 02 Jan 2010
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| Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2010 8:12 am Post subject: |
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| shapeshifter wrote: |
| Seoulio wrote: |
| NYC_Gal wrote: |
Dress: $150
Cardigan: $50
Sandals: $70
Underwear: $60
Jewelry: no idea (gifts from fiance and my grandma's hand-made-by-my-grandpa wedding ring)
Bag: $300
Shades: $300
I guess it's about right. I do wear a lot of those 10,000 won tops in the summer, but they tend to fall apart after a few wearings. Quality always trumps quantity.
To each their own, I guess. |
I have always had a problem with expensive brand name clothing.
To me ( no offense NYC) anyone who spends 300 bucks on either a bag or a pair of sunglasses, or virtually eny article of clothing is a bit off.
Many of us will buy overpriced crap simply because it has a Dolce, Dior, Gucci, Klein, etc label ( I don't know all of the designers and proud of it )
Wearing the latest designer and the newest fashion is often more important than simply having a sensible wardrobe. Some women will wear an article of clothing once and then can't be seen in it again because its no longer the "current style"
Then there are the "Carrie Bradshaw's" of the world who will not only spend thousands of dollars on shoes, but buy hundreds of pairs of them that need their own room.
The fact that many free first wrold countries think that crap like this is okay while mahy of our own citizens starve in the streets, or scrape by after being laid off because American companies want to make their producst for half the cost down in Mexixo is rather disturbing.
That being said if you exclude my 600 dollar glasses or the 300 dollar watch I bought as it was a limited edition heres my breakdown.
As a side not the glasses were designer frames, BUT they were entirely free. One of my jobs told me that I had a 500 dollar spending allowance for vision so I grabbed the best frames and paid extra for the different scratch coatings.
Shoes - 50
Sock/Undies - 7
Undershirt - 5
Shirt - Average is about 12
Pants - 20
Belt - 30
So there you go, about 130 bucks.
250 if I wear my sunglasses |
With respect, I'm not clear on the origin of your moral authority here. Why is it ok for you to have 120 dollar sunglasses but somehow outrageous for someone else to spend 300?
Is the difference all that significant? And who are you to draw the line between reasonable and excessive? How will you respond to the next poster when he/she announces that anyone who spends more than 20 dollars on sunglasses is "a bit off"? |
Fair enough
I am not saying that I am a moral Authority, but my comment is simply that spending more than is needed simply because of brand name is silly, butI guess I may come off as a tad hypocritical.
Although Sunglasses are a bit of a different case basically u can get the 10 dollar cheap ones that have no quality protection of any kind, or you can spend around a hundred and get the proven coatings etc and the polarised lenses that offer ACTUAL protection.
BUt as I said, you can get these for 100, there is no need to spend 300 plus for these when all you are paying for is a BRAND NAME.
Also, not that it really matters, I DID NOT spend 100 on my glasses, I won a radio contest and got a 100 dollar gift certificate for a glasses shop. So I bought the best pair that the certificate could buy. But they are NOT DOlce or Gucci or some other fashion name, they are called SUn DOg and the price is that high because the lenses are polarised.
Before this pair i had NEVER bought more than a 20 dollar pair of sunglasses.
So it kind of makes your next point a bit moot, I have shown that the sunglasses I won offer a protection to the eyes that you can not get from a cheap pair, you can not say this of a handbag or a shirt, or a pair of shoes.
So I feel quite comfortable in my comment, with a tad bit of judgmental superiority, but not a huge amount |
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NYC_Gal
Joined: 08 Dec 2009
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| Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2010 8:19 am Post subject: |
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I don't go around getting the latest bag. I like quality leather goods. I also like smaller companies. Often, they have to charge more, as they can't afford to advertise like the big names. I had some sandals made 10 years ago. The woman molded my feet, and I got to choose the color leather, as well as the type of sole (I chose one with a good tread). They ran $250, but I've had them for a decade and they're still in fantastic condition. I wear $70 Birkenstocks most of the time now, though, because I prefer slip ons in Korea.
As for my shades: they're rimless titanium with polarized lenses. They have no logos on them, but are of the highest quality. I like to protect my eyes. I've got junky ones for camping and mud festivals, but I like to wear the ones that were custom fit.
Women use their bags every day. If I get a nice bag, it pays for itself after a year. I don't run out for what the hags in Sex and the City wear. I buy quality items that are timeless, that will last for years. |
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