Who's That Girl?: There's Something About Poshy
Hi, I'm "Teh Posh," as Roflwaffle has rechristened me. First, thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone that's been cool and thanks for all the really nice PMs. I just thought I'd finally clear the air on what I'm all about and finally answering the question on how I know what I know about luxury goods and services. I actually got this question by PM twice in the past week and a couple of times prior and decided to just put it all down in one spot and point to it. Besides, I am tired of being confused with a 40 year-old British chick who wears Panerais, not that there's anything wrong with being that or doing that. I didn't come by all my bag/watch/clothing/etcetera knowledge by thumbing through the pages of Vogue although sometimes you can get quite a bit of info out of that thick @ss magazine. :rolleyes:
While I provide some marketing support for a friend's commercial mortgage brokerage and some freelance fashion editing for two Baltimore area publications, my career is as a luxury goods sector analyst for a global asset management firm based in Baltimore, something I'm not quick to point out especially to people I first meet due to stereotypes held of women in business. I came into the field quite by accident and, after discovering it, found that I liked it more than I really should have. No . . . like is not the word; I LOVE it. My job mainly consists of studying the numbers, sales, competitors, profits, trends, management and products of the industry as whole; in other words, I spend a LOT of time reading, comparing data, writing reports and making decisions on one thing or another related to luxury items and services. It's sometimes tedious but also can be extremely exciting and usually, for me anyway, easy and fun.
I have to know a tremendous amount of information about homes, builders, apparel (everything associated with that like accessories), cars, art, furniture, vacation cities, jewelry, textiles and even food. In addition to knowing it, I have to be able to articulate greatly and communicate exactly WHY one company or company's item is better than another's, simply because a wrong or under-investigated choice could be the difference between an investor making a lot of money or losing a lot of money. And if a client loses money, it won't be because Posh didn't pour over every bit of data available, publicly and privately. I take my career and the industry I analyze VERY seriously. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on who you are, it is fairly male-dominated and one tends to find that many women in the business world often have to work TWICE as hard to be considered HALF as good. So, many of the women I have met in the industry aren't just good but GREAT at what they do, as there really is NO middle ground.
The great parts of my jobs are that a lot of times I can work from home and have physical access to many, many of the goods I scrutinize (after signing confidentiality agreements). A lot of things masquerading as "luxury" sometimes really aren't, which is how I came to be a part of the replica world. I noticed that for almost $5,000, a Rolex Explorer I wasn't nearly special enough to constitute that price, but this wasn't or isn't to say it's not a nice watch, because it is really. Rolex does sell watches that are without a doubt worth their price tags but I don't think the Explorer I is that watch, however inflation and rising production cost in Switzerland say otherwise. Years and years ago, it was a $500 watch which I think it should still be today. In any event, I buy the replica and get THE SAME feeling. And I don't worry about the movement; sometimes when genuine Rolex Explorer I's break, for whatever reason, jewelers sold people ETAs to put in them anyway because they were cheaper than repairing the Rolex calibre. Besides, you couldn't really see the movement and no one would know. Finding and liking RepGeek after getting my Explorer I was great; writing for RepGeek is even better because it's a great outlet for my humor, which can't be used easily in a business report, and my creativity.
I really believe that a person can have the lux life for less. There's buying new, buying pre-owned and buying rep, with each one having a time and a place and a merit. Why spend more money on the genuine article when the replica or used item will give you the EXACT same performance and look for so much less? Just so you can say you bought XYZ and it's genuine? That's dumb because the money saved could be better spent elsewhere, like on a vacation or college for your crumb snatchers. For the ultra-wealthy, buying replica or used makes NO real sense, but for most of us here on the lower rungs of financial status, it is the simply the best and sometimes only choice. While I would never advocate buying replicas of things like, say, golf clubs and medication, I do think a replica watch or replica purse is not just the right choice, but a choice for freedom.
If we pay retail, haven't the terrorists won?:D
