What shops or brands did you think were posh, but now doubt yourself

[DashingWhiteSergeant]

For me it is Habitat. As a teen I thought it was the epitome of home styling the shops looks so expensive. I only had a paper round for income then so it WAS expensive!

but now it is just a brand you buy in Sainburys. They make my big standard - but very much liked - tea lights.

Waitrose. I used to love it, but now I see it as pretentious, full of Daily Mail reading red-trousered types with more money than sense.

I was a Waitrose virgin till about five years ago then visited one in Scotland that is housed in an old supermarket building like a FineFayre back in the day, and it completely coloured my view of it. Cannot see it as posh in any way.

Booths knocks Waitrose into a cocked hat.

Bayliss and Harding, simply because of their packaging! It’s overpriced shite.

Habitat for me too!

Habitat was pretty upmarket in its heyday. Now it's just a brand owned by Sainsbury's (I think).

I agree that it smells awful, but is B+H stuff overpriced? They sell it in the pound/bargain shops round here!

Habitat was expensive but it was really good.

l now think it’s really expensive for what it is.

l used to think Boden was posh. Now it’s not.

Back in the 90’s I used to love Karen Millen, the brand is now part of Boohoo.
Also used to love Betsy Johnson.
Even though I would only wear them once, both brands used to be fairly well made and lasted. I kept them, as they were reminders of the very exciting 90’s, when I was working in the music industry, and attending lots of Britoop parties and after shows.
A fair few number of years ago my niece wrangled my old stuff, proudly wore them as “vintage 90’s originals”. Her friends would be in awe as she would always tell them what event I had worn it at. I would just look on in awe thinking, was I ever really that slim….. 😂

Do you mean Molton Brown or Jo Malone or some other make as Baylis and Harding is cheap?

Hmmm I thought it was pricey from memory, but I bought it many years ago from Boots

Baylis and Harding is very cheap. It’s like a pound for soap or four quid for a gift set. I’m also confused by that post.

Yeah Waitrose too. OK, there are some fancy options, but in general, you're just paying 25% extra for most standard name-brand products. If that floats your boat, you're welcome to it!

Habitat used to be good but now it's utter junk. Poundland sells better quality products.

Iams cat food. Nutritionally it's very poor apparently. No better than supermarket stuff.

@Tickledpickle oh I see. In Waitrose they sell them in some marble effect bottle for £3.25 but yes they are cheap stuff and were sold for a pound in the pound shop. Now I think you just pay for the packaging with some slime in it.

I've never thought it was posh but I thought Jack Wills was expensive. It still is for what it is but I didn't realise it was part of sports direct.

When I was a kid, I remember thorntons chocolates used to be quite fancy but they aren't at all now and I would rather eat the box than the actual chocolates

I don’t find Waitrose posh, it’s a supermarket. No music and free coffee but you get a complete cross section of people in there just doing their shopping. 🤷‍♀️
Never seen a pair of red trousers maybe that’s a regional thing.

When I was a child I thought that Laura Ashley, Thorntons, The Sweater Shop and (really bizarrely) Sainsburys, were the height of luxury

There were loads of shops that started off upmarket and then reduced their quality
Next - used to be amazing - I bought so many lovely clothes and shoes - they were exquisite, Laura Ashley, Thortons, Hotel Chocolate, M&S.

Lily's Kitchen Dog food

Habitat in the 1960s-70s-80s was posh, when it was still owned by Terence Conran. My parents had some acrylic folding Habitat chairs that I remember them buying c. 1978 - they are now a sought after design classic! DM was offered several £100 for them recentjy.

It's been bought and sold so many times in the last 20 years of so that it's essence and exclusivity has been massively diluted. They were very cutting edge in their time - when quality furniture was largely big, chunky, dark wood family hand me downs., G Plan, Parker Knoll or high end designer-mid- century/moderniser. Ikea and Next didn't exist. Supermarkets only sold food. M&S didn't do furniture.

Habitat offered furniture that was modern, that you could live with, and was just about affordable, or at least aspirationally acheivable. They also offered housewares for those who didn't want/need/could not afford the furniture, but wanted a modern touch. They are also credited with bringing duvets to the UK. They started in the late 60s - only 20 years or so after the end of WW2. Some people were desperate for their forward look. My parents loved them (married 1968); my grandparents hated them!

And Sir Terrance's wife -Shirley Conran - wrote a book called Superwoman" about how to manage a house, a family and a job. They were really quite celeby.

If you wanted really posh Habitat, they'd The Conran Shop.

I've never seen Waitrose as "posh" or any other terms associated with it. When I was a student, the only shops that were within walking distance were Iceland or Waitrose (which were opposite each other ) Was nothing special about it. Just another supermarket to me, so was baffled when I learned on here that it is apparently a MC option

I don’t get the hype about M&S food, and the knickers have massively reduced in quality.

Clark's kids shoes.