Low-Cost Luxury: Men’s Entry-Level Designer Fashion Pieces

High-fashion houses are the labels at the top of the fashion food chain. They employ the best creative minds in the world to drive fashion forward season after season, dictating what the rest of the world wears as runway trends trickle down into the mainstream.

These labels are also at the top of the food chain when it comes to prices. Brands like Gucci, Dior, Burberry, Louis Vuitton and Prada are notoriously expensive, with price tags on big-ticket items like suits, outerwear and bags often running well into the thousands. So, where does that leave you if you’re strapped for cash but still want to buy into the labels that set the trends?

What you might not know is that these top-tier labels aren’t making their money from haute couture or high-end handbags. In fact, it’s the low-hanging fruit that pays the bills. This means it’s in the designer brands’ best interests to ensure a good spread of ‘affordable’ entry-level products that people don’t necessarily have to be filthy rich to own.

Sure, these garments and accessories are still expensive, but they’re accessible relative to the designer labels’ general output, and if you’re going to be using them a lot, the cost-per-wear might stack up.

So, what are these entry-level designer pieces? Below, we’ll look at some of the most popular options that allow you to buy into your favourite fashion labels without bankrupting yourself. From fragrances to phone cases, here are the items to consider.

Wallets And Cardholders

In terms of cost per use, wallets and cardholders are some of the best accessories you can buy. It’s not uncommon to use the same one for upwards of a decade, which given their relatively low price point (yes, even designer ones), makes it easy to justify parting with the cash.

Most designer brands offer a range of leather accessories, usually between £100 and £400. And while that might seem like a lot for a little flap of cowhide, when you consider you’ll be using it potentially every day for a decade, that will only cost you ~0.10p a day, even if you go with the most expensive option.

Fragrances

Perfumes and colognes are some of the most accessible designer purchases you can make. Brands that routinely sell suits and coats for multiple thousands will often flog their fragrances for £50-£200, which means many people can afford a slice of the action without completely breaking the bank.

Run-of-the-mill high street stores often carry fragrances from the likes of Dior, Chanel, Versace, Tom Ford and Giorgio Armani, making buying a designer fragrance a realistic prospect for pretty much anyone. Plus, given how long fragrances last when used correctly, it’s easy to justify making the investment.

T-Shirts

We’re firm believers in getting the most for your money when it comes to quality, which makes designer tees hard to justify. However, if you really want to telegraph your love for a specific label, having their name plastered across your chest is probably the most effective way to do so.

Sadly, designer T-shirts are not good value for money. These pieces are often made for very little and sold to the end consumer at huge markups. Still, the brands price them so that the average person can still, at a push, afford them if they want to. But we’re talking up to £500 for a piece of cotton here. If you really want to own a Gucci or LV logo tee without paying full price, your best bet is to wait until last season’s stuff hits the sales.

Belts

Like the aforementioned wallets and cardholders, belts are leather accessories that last well and see lots of action. This makes them easy to justify from a spending standpoint – even the expensive designer ones.

Brands like Burberry, Celine Homme, Gucci, Valentino and Versace all make quality leather belts for less than £300 that’ll last a lifetime, provided they’re looked after well and you don’t pile on too many pounds.

Hats

Whether it’s a baseball cap, a beanie, a bucket hat or a traditional brimmed fedora, designer headwear tends to be priced far lower than things such as tailoring, shirts and coats.

If you want to own a piece from a high-end label but can’t quite stretch to the more expensive pieces, a hat is a good option, as it’s something you can wear with multiple outfits.

Check out Gucci’s iconic monogrammed caps, Prada’s stealthy black bucket hats and Brunello Cucinelli’s beautiful cashmere beanies.

Scarves

A scarf is something relatively inexpensive that you can wear with anything and everything. You could even go cashmere to add a little touch of luxury to your cold-weather outfits.

Whatever you choose, a scarf is unlikely to set you back more than a few hundred pounds, even for a designer one. This makes it a smart purchase if you’re looking for a well-priced designer piece you can get the maximum amount of wear from.

Phone Cases

A phone case is going to see a lot of action. Probably far more than even a wallet or a belt. When you consider this, and the fact that even designer phone cases don’t usually cost more than £150-£300, this is probably one of the best high-end purchases you can make to get maximum bang for your buck.

Brands including Gucci, Off-White, Prada, Balenciaga and Burberry make their own interesting spins on the phone case, often featuring logo designs and unusual or premium materials.

Eyewear

Whether sunglasses or specs, designer brands’ eyewear is often priced much lower than its clothing output. For between £150-£400, you can kit yourself out with a pair of shades or high-end spectacles that you can wear daily with any outfit.

Buying a pair of designer glasses isn’t even more expensive than buying a good-quality pair from a specialist brand. So, if you’re the kind of guy who prefers his Maison Margiela to his Moscot, this could be the way to go.

Jewellery

When you think jewellery, you probably think expensive, but that’s not necessarily the case when it comes to high-fashion brands. Sure, a diamond-encrusted Gucci watch isn’t going to be easy on the credit card, but most designer labels make rings, necklaces and bracelets that are far more reasonably priced.

Consider also the fact that you can wear jewellery every day with any outfit, and the purchase becomes much more justifiable.