Boden appeal vanishes in credit crunch zeitgeist

I'm fascinated by brands and Boden childrenswear is one that appeals to me. I certainly am not Boden woman frolicking on the beach in a shapeless purple sweater and flat pumps. However, the children's catalogue appeals and I usually buy my daughters something from it each season. The new catalogue arrives, they peruse it at huge length ticking off things they like and I pay for one or two items that usually total about £100. The catalogue arrived today but the magic has been broken. It went straight in the bin. It's not as if I have dramatically less money than usual but I've been swept up in the credit crunch zeitgeist that is making me question aquisition of material possessions. I thought about the Boden items I had bought and realised that they weren't actually nicer than much cheaper items from H&M. I was merely buying into the back-story brand psychology of happy children frolicking around in middle-class clothes. Well at the moment Johnnie Boden, I'm sorry but I don't want it and I don't need it. The catalogue is bin fodder and I'm making do with the clothes we have already. Although, come to think of it I did spend £100 on children's clothes in designer store Desigual in Amsterdam last week. Hmmm...