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.

Boots
miss selfridge
river island
sainsburys
m&s
Thornton’s
harrods
selfridges
Body shop

my mother thought kwik save was the only place to buy food and to this day only shops in home bargains,b&m and charity shops

Their partnership with Gucci is hilariously bad! They do still make some good technical kit, but you have to search through a sea of absolute tat to find it.

@AreOttersJustWetCats but there are more better alternatives now too.

Very true. The majority of my kit is not TNF, and the stuff I have of theirs tend to be older. My TNF winter climbing jacket has lasted well though!

Lands end. Bought a few items from them in an outlet shop in Hatfield.

I’ve only ever been to the one in Keswick. The supermarket is wonderful but their coffee shop was really disappointing.

Is it a bit like Whole Foods?
I live in the SE and never heard of Booths! I went to Whole Foods in London once and wished I had one near me

Centreparcs

Oh God yes. Massive expensive disappointment.

Agree about Habitat.
Also H&M, used to be Hennes in 1980s
Wallis was upmarket, lovely clothes.
Benetton was the label to wear.

@Cactusprick , southerners are delightfully ignorant of the splendour that is Booths. It's like a precious secret.

I feel very jealous and I’m not even quite sure of what 😂 but I know I need to go

We holiday in the Dales twice a year. The first thing we do is go to Booths in Ripon and it’s the last place we go when we leave. We take a cool box and fill the freezer.

In the 80's next sold really lovely stuff, they also had a next too. I also remember when Ted Baker had Blue Baker. I'm starting to sound like my Nana.

I used to go to Karen Millen before work and buy a new outfit when I was in my 20's and kipped on a friends couch

Habitat used to, and still do, sell excellent glassware in Sainsbury. I also like their diffusers.

Agree with Centre Parcs
Topshop
Gap
Whittards
Budgens
Bodyshop
Any department store (allders etc)

@user1964097 Ah, Hollister - I've a vague idea they found the light switch eventually but back when it was always dark DH was called "Madam" by a member of staff asking if s/he wanted help finding something. He's 6ft tall broad shouldered and had a beard at the time. It was considered "posh" among my set but the quality was so poor I couldn't bring myself to buy anything even then, in fact I wondered if the dim lighting was to hide how poorly made everything was!

I once sold a Hollister hoodie on eBay. When the buyer received it she complained that I hadn't made clear quite how well worn it was. I had a job to persuade her I'd bought it like that 😂

It was Kendals (now House of Fraser, owned by Mike Ashley with an awful bargain bin vibe) was posh for me growing up in Manchester. Lewis’s was posher then Debenhams but Kendals really was out of our league. We didn’t even go into browse.

@walnutmarzipan 😂I can believe it! 😂

I used to be taken to a department store in Sheffield by my grandparents, Walsh's, now that was posh.

After we'd shopped, we'd go to the restaurant for tea, silver service with ladies walking around modelling beautiful clothes.

I agree the clothes were fabulous and edgy

Next was amazing when it first launched. Now it’s like Matalan.

I remeber Wallis in the 70’s and 80’s. Really beautiful clothes. The Wallis brothers would buy the toiles from the toiles from the Parisian catwalks. And reproduce these in the shop. Now it’s just another version of Matalan

We thought Next was super-posh and so chic and expensive when it first started. I was at school and someone having a Next carrier bag for their sports kit was THE status symbol. 😂

A few years later and I had a part time job waitressing then bar work, and I spent pretty much my entire wage on clothes (and shoes) from the Next Directory (in the sales), They were so well made and so stylish. A visiting Parisian friend described me as "always so well dressed" and I give all credit to the Next Directory,

It saddens me greatly to see the shithole Next has become. It's unrecognisable. The downhill slide started when George Davis left but OMG the race to the bottom has accelerated so fast since then.

It is indeed a lovely Booths!

I've seen Booth's mentioned a few times on MN and it's always been very highly rated. I live in SE so no chance.

I agree with Next. They sold the very best knitwear in the 80s. I remember once discussing, with a colleague , about how more people were carrying Next carrier bags than St Michael ones and thinking that Marks' needed to be worried.
Sadly , both of those stores are shadows of their former selves.

I agree with pp re Hotel Chocolat , Thornton's and Habitat.

Joules was great but just relied on its former glory and its now where it is.

As to Cath Kidston , I'm not sure I need to comment on that.