I'm starting to absolutely loathe clothes shopping

[Lottapianos]

I thought of you lot yesterday. Very hot weather forecast here in London and i don't have enough suitable clothes for work. So off to the shops, looking for some cotton tops and skirts, maybe trousers too

Dear lord. Something that should be fun or at least straightforward was torturous. I must have checked the labels on 40 t-shirts only 4 or 5 of which were cotton. Nearly everything else was at least 50 percent polyester. I prefer not to spend the day basting in my own swear so no thanks.

Ditto nearly all the skirts and trousers I looked at. I could almost feel the heat crackling off them. And needless to say, none of this stuff was cheap

I enjoy clothes and I have money to spend. I'm so sick of spending hours trawling through tons of crap in RIDICULOUS sizing just to find one or two half decent things.

Are there any shops that are usually a good bet for well cut clothes in non shitty fabrics that don't cost a total fortune?

[thedevilinablackdress]

Cos would be my go-to for work friendly cotton stuff. Not super cheap but reasonable value for money.

[Lottapianos]

I have one jumper from Cos. I think I need to visit again and do loads of trying stuff on. I'm almost tempted to write off my summer wardrobe and start all over again in the Autumn!

[Floisme]

Have you seen the 'women over 35' thread? It's still around somewhere. It's not really age specific - a lot of it's about where to find natural fabrics and there are some good suggestions.

[Squashit]

The White Company and Poetry are my suggestions with a bit of Toast thrown in although Toast is a bit lacking this year.

[Squashit]

Forgot to add that I saw some nice stuff in Jigsaw with silk fronts and breathable materials. They looked a lot better in reality than online too.

[Squashit]

The darker one wasn't so dark but a deep blue toned grey.

[Lottapianos]

Have never heard of Poetry, will check it out. Thanks!

[Intransige]

Also try Wrap London, it's Poetry's little sister

[Floisme]

It's not everyone's taste but, for fabrics and quality, I look first at Cos and (in the sales)Toast. After that I have to rummage but I can still find things at Uniqlo, M&S and TK Maxx. Also H&M but it's getting harder.
I've been pleasantly surprised recently by some Seasalt and Landsend. And I wish People Tree was more my style and fitted me better as they use a lot of natural fabrics and it's ethically produced.
But the main thing I'm doing is going back to the shopping habits of my youth and buying more and more second hand.

[Itsnothingoriginal]

Marking place for suggestions!! I love clothes shopping but this year it's been nothing but frustrating

I know it's been said before but it's just a bad combination of retailers using ever cheaper materials and trying to keep profit levels up and prices high. Also the range of styles seems ever smaller and I'm not a fan of the cold shoulder look which is everywhere this summer!

TK Maxx has been the only place I've found some interesting clothing in natural fibres and not outrageously priced. Also been using Ebay and charity shops much more this year.

[Nettletheelf]

I got a lovely sleeveless cotton top in Topshop yesterday. I wouldn't normally go in because I'm 45 and their styles tend to be for younger women.

It was £32 for not much, but I was so pleased to have found the holy grail of cotton that I didn't mind.

This was after trawling French Connection. What a disaster. No wonder they are struggling: most of their tops were limp, super-cheap polyester that no high street store would have dared to try to fob you off with until relatively recently. I only found two cotton items: one was a jumper and the other was a shirt.

[Tanaqui]

Sea salt, joules and crew tend to have cotton but don't have a lot of "work" stuff- and for me is cut rather boxy. Boden has quite a lot of cotton, Hobbs had some. It's so boring having to check all the time though!

[FinallyHere]

My go-to online retailers are hush-uk.co.uk, winser london and wrap. Not all, but most of their tops are Cotten or linen. A godsend in hot weather.

[Polichinelle]

I found some t-shirts yesterday in River Island which were 100%. I almost bought 10 of each in my excitement

[Deathraystare]

Yes Lottapianos - I don't much enjoy shopping now. I cannot wear viscose. It makes me sweat like a pig! My eyesight is not what it was but I have to look at every label for size and material. Everytime I find something half decent it turns out to be viscose or the wrong size to what it says on the hanger. Also I am "can I help you" to death as often the label is near the security tag, so I look very suspect!

Don't mind a few cut out sleeves but not a whole wardrobe and no jeans with holes in I am not a street urchin. No bloody frills either it makes me look like a rotund Edwardian cook.

[Mrsmartell08]

I've given up tbh
Apart from some linen trousers from next and a top from h&m there is NOTHING I like in the shops atm!
M&s looked like a jumble sale yesterday. Lots of pink and orange 😕
Everything is polyester or viscose and feels nasty
I've resorted to buying from boden and Hobbs as they seem to be the only places that make simple, well cut clothes in natural fabric!

[QueenLaBeefah]

Haven't bought any new clothes since last October. I have money to spend but nothing to spend it on.
I can't stand polyester/viscose, frills, wonky shapes, florals, cut out shoulders. Basically pretty much everything in the shops at the moment. Xx

[Mrsmartell08]

God, if i had seen one more over 50 woman in cut out shoulder tops....
Awful
Tbh they are also awful on svelte 18 year olds to....

[AnyFucker]

I went for a browse the other night

It was horrific

[Bitchfromhell]

Yep, you are quite right. I've taken to buying 2/3 dresses for each season for work and wearing them to death. In the Winter I got woollen wrap dresses from Yumi.com, they were cheap and shit quality but flattering with tights and I got a few months out of them. This spring I got two dresses and a jacket from H&M that are holey already.
I've completely given up trying to get anything decent and have resorted to just getting something to wear now. It takes all of the hassle and expense out of it.
Will be back to H&M in a few weeks for a couple of replacements.

[Oly5]

I second the White Company. V expensive but I find their stuff lasts if washed gently and the tops are all lovely cotton and linen

[user1486076969]

I hate shopping at the best of time but all the frilly and baggy sleeves are the final straw......but I really need some work clothes!

[Lottapianos]

See, I love pink and orange but not in hideous frilly synthetic horror show form! Every season I have plans to 'buy less, buy better' but I can rarely find anything but crap.

Will definitely check out The White Company - DP's very stylish aunt is a fan of theirs!

[Mrsmartell08]

I have a peculiar horror of the colour pink
Don't mind orange so much
But the polyester and viscose!
Argh

[TheGirlOnTheLanding]

John Lewis let you filter by 100% cotton/linen/silk which helps a bit but yes, it's a nightmare of overpriced tat in shitty fabrics in the main. I've tried shopping several times lately with no success. eBay is where I've been shopping, but that only works for brands you know have consistent sizing.