When is hand stitching chic or couture and when is it cheap?

I was once watching something on the Discovery Ch. That had to do with cotton or silk use in the fashion industry. One part they were at a lingerie maker and the maker mentioned something about a high end silk bra that was hand stitched. When I use to get car magazines they often spoke of high end cars with hand stitched leather seats. If a kid went to high school in clothes his mother sewed at home no matter how well constructed I am guessing he would be seen as poor or from a cheap family that won’t buy label. What makes one hand sewing application ”custom” and couture while another hand sewn application seem cheap, shoddy or county bumpkinish?