Blog: Premium Mediocre, Fashion Consciousness & Why I Will Always Love Kate Spade

Image: Tapestry

A term coined by blogger Venkatesh Rao in 2017, "premium mediocre" is the new way to describe anything that gives off the feeling of luxury without actually being luxury. Premium mediocre products and services are offered at higher price points than their "regular" counterparts but are not quite as exclusive or premium as they are made to sound. Examples of this include "General Admission Plus" tickets at certain music festivals, Gucci socks or any extremely entry-level accessory offered by a luxury brand, almost any and everything Michael Kors, and everyone's favorite: premium economy seats on flights. Premium mediocre is everywhere and we buy into it purposefully. 

Rao states that, "To live a premium mediocre life is to live this pattern of potential social mobility." You may not be able to buy Gucci shoes right now, but the socks will suffice. Purchasing goods and services that are as close as possible to luxury is reminiscent of Thorstein Veblen's theory of the leisure class. Essentially, it states that people are influenced by the social class immediately above them. Almost everything on Instagram portrays an "aspirational lifestyle" or luxury items and experiences most of us can't afford and this has an obvious influence on us. 

Though it seems as though premium mediocre is thoughtless consumption in order to appear wealthier, Rao points out what premium mediocre is not. "The consumers of premium mediocre things are generally strongly or acutely self-aware about what they are doing...you have to be living under a rock to harbor strong illusions about how what you consume is perceived by your more tasteful peers. Second, the distinguishing feature is that premium mediocrity only signals an appearance of striving upwards. Everybody in the premium mediocre world recognizes that it is not a reliable indicator of actual upward striving..." In other words, we're buying what we want while not crossing the line of affordability. 

In the case of fashion, buying a pair of sneakers that are below $250 or $300 is an easy spend if it means looking the way you want. How we interpret ourselves within the world is what Gestalt psychologist, Kurt Lewin calls our "self-curated reality." We curate ourselves with the way dress and the products we choose to consume. To explain this even further, Pak Lun Chiu of Hajinsky Magazine states that "those who are more fashion conscious (e.g. being aware of trends, style, and the inevitable hype) are also more conscious of their overall self-perception and participate more in self-monitoring behaviours, including fashion engagement and purchases, to confirm their self-identity." 

We purchase premium mediocre fashion because it allows us to portray ourselves the way we see ourselves for prices we can afford. It's rocking designer hats or socks or cardholders, or whatever we so desire, which leads me to Kate Spade. If we can rope Michael Kors into being a premium mediocre brand, Kate Spade should also have that title. However, this brand has a special place in my heart. The wild string of celebrity deaths in recent years has been hard for us all, but the loss of Kate Spade truly hurt. At one point I was convinced that I liked and wore nothing but dark colors, but Kate Spade made me realize I love color. Millennial pink, lilac, yellow and light green are only a few of their amazing colorways and despite the need for me to develop better shopping habits, I need at least one thing in each color option. Also, I do not fit the image of a typical Kate Spade customer. Most of my clothing is streetwear inspired, but when I rock Kate, I instantly become and see myself as a chicer, more polished version of myself. And thankfully, I can afford it. Regardless of social status, we should be able to consume what we want within reason. I'll be the first to admit that I've purchased premium mediocre products and I'll stop when Nicola Glass (who has, so far, been an amazing choice for creative director) stops dropping heat.