to feel annoyed that clothes in shops are so crap

[soggydigestive]

Why is it such a struggle to buy decent clothes. I went in Gap today and everything was reduced but it was all awful. Just dreadful designs, fabrics, unflattering things.
I went on holiday in Italy recently and could have bought everything in a couple of clothes shops I visited - simple tops and t shirts in lovely fabrics and loads of great colours. Here I can't get anything similar to that, we just don't seem to have shops like that.
And yet with M & S going down the pan and the High street in general not doing well, why can't we just have clothes shops with some decent good quality good fabric not too expensive things in them?

"I've found Zara and Asos to be pretty decent quality and affordable too."

I got a hole in a Zara top very easily. I do still go there though. I wouldn't agree with someone above that the prices are similar to Oasis. Oasis and Warehouse are more expensive.

I know what you mean, I hate clothes shopping now

I wear a very small size, and usually end up buying things and children’s. I try and stock up on things when I am in Asia since I can find everything I need. Apart from uniglo, somethings up Zahra, except truck, finding nicer clothes for work is very very hard. Somebody the other day said I could find small fires is that next, but is the close more like Tien is going to a disco in science 4 or is it actually nice clothes?

Ah, a thread on one of my favourite subjects.

I buy only a few new clothes each year but the ones I do buy tend to last for a fairly long time. I also buy the same thing repeatedly and wear it a lot and then replace with the same again. I get jeans and chinos from Gap (exactly the same ones each time), cotton tshirts, lightweight long sleeve tops, leggings and vests from H&M and Uniqlo, work blouses from Mint Velvet, Phase Eight and Boden, work suit jackets and other jackets from Next, work trousers and winter coats from Kin at John Lewis. Shoes from Clarks and Adidas. Other labels I like - Hush, Fenn Wright Manson, Damsel In A Dress, Joules for shorts, occasionally the less frumpy Toast stuff.

I find that most labels have some decent quality stuff which lasts well, but you have to hunt it out because it’s buried under piles of hideous cheap tacky crap. Even the ‘naice’ labels are guilty of this, sadly. So I’m one of those people who orders shedloads online and then most of it goes back. I never ever ever go into an actual physical shop. Browsing is basically impossible on the high street now. It’s an awful experience and even if you are lucky enough to stumble across something you like, they never have the right size in anyway !

I tend to buy by having an idea of what I’m after and then going looking for it online (I find Shopstyle useful for this). So for example ‘I don’t have a short sleeved navy work blouse’ or ‘I like this current trend for stripy 90s style tops’ ...I am also totally unashamed about asking women with nice clothes where they came from !

Anyway, I’d love to spend more on my wardrobe by buying a lot more because I have always loved fashion BUT this way I preserve my sanity, look vaguely presentable and my bank account thanks me.

Oh and fuck M&S. You guys deserve to go bust, you’re so inept.

Those are my thoughts.

"work blouses from Mint Velvet, Phase Eight and Boden"

Can anyone suggest somewhere cheaper for work blouses?

I like ASOS too ...

Oh and I’ve found some nice tops in Joy, one of the very few places along with Oliver Bonas that I actually go into on foot. Lots of crappy materials in both stores though but the occasional decent thing.

Dresses that turn into trousers are doing my head in! That style was around in the 70s and I hated them then.

I hate summer clothes and most clothes in my price bracket are rubbish.

Those Toast clothes are HIDEOUS! (unless you want to look Amish) Fucking hell, I am all for simple dressing, but those are shapeless, sack cloth clothes that can’t possibly flatter ANYONE. Ye gods. I’d rather be stuck in the early 00s (which is about when I last went shopping) than buy from there!

I looked at John Lewis earlier. Not impressed tbh

Premium fabric ffs -cotton. Brora £100 really affordable

I just want one colour tops trousers and skirts that all go together.

I can’t be bothered with fashion I just want stuff to put on to keep me warm comfy and presentable.

Please can somebody set up a shop to cater for us - let’s call it ‘Uniform’ as that’s essentially what we’re looking for.

It would have a high street presence, North, Midlands & South of England but would also have a great online store too with next day delivery and free returns (credited this century).

It would have a broad range of sizes, only 1” difference between them so you could achieve a really good fit, and various fittings like petite, tall etc..

The clothes would be stylish and modern, following general (not bonkers) trends and made of good quality cotton, wool and silk mixes (bit of lycra permissable for comfort. No Dry Clean Only rubbish. They’d have V-necks, square necks and scoop necks for those of us big of nork & broad of shoulder and they’d be fitted and skim the body oh, and theyd have sleeves and pockets too and decent seams like men’s clothes. Theyd be cut & finushed well and wouldnt need ironing.

There’d also be a good range of basic colours to suit most people, so all the neutrals (white, black, ivory, beige, navy, light & dark grey, plus khaki and dark brown). No prints! We’ve got print overkill already.

So you’d have T-shirts, shirts, trousers, skirts, dresses, jackets and coats.

To be fair, Kettlewell do a lot of this already but everything seems to be jersey which isnt flattering to most people and the styles are a bit dated (waterfall cardigans!) Bejaukin come close too as do Hush but they both seem obsessed with black which looks bad on most people over 40 with northern european colouring.

Loving your business model maudlin if M&S listened to you and put it into practice they would be opening more stores and not closing them. I am utterly baffled that this huge gap in the market has not been filled, it would be a licence to print money.

Lol thank you because the Toast thing made me laugh. It's like they've tried to make them as unattractive as possible. Even the models look depressed at wearing them.

Funnily enough the items I have that have stood the test of time are all sportswear. The fabrics seem to stay the same - hold their shape, hold the colours, look very similar to new even years on. So it can be done.

Tk max is hit and miss but they have loads of strippy jaegar tops in at the moment so I've stocked up. Agree regarding quality of jeans these days, they last me a year.

@Bossbabysapprentice - Since I learnt something new from you, you could drop the angry attitude and learn something new from me

That's entirely fair. Thanks for the information, and sorry for my angry tone.

I reckon the launch of Per Una was the start of M&S's fashion woes. Yes it was quite well received initially but soon the over bold designs morphed into something less appealing (possibly as soon as George Davies stopped being involved?).

Toast coats can be very nice in the way that Brora can but the print dresses are hideous.
Still, if you’re careful, you can get a wearable dress. I gave a navy jersey dress with an empire line and pleats from Toast. You can dress it up or down. The quality is excellent.

...have a navy

Uniglo gets a mention a lot here, granted they have the basics as well as some erm, rather striking designs, but just like many others the clothes are not that well made.

I lived in Japan and bought a lot from Uniglo, and although I still have a few bits the others are shapeless, as in washed out of shape, seams coming away, colour faded. But the lightweight down coats are well worth the money, if in the sale

Uniqlo merino knitwear is brilliant. It never bobbles - merino is not supposed to. However, I also have merino from Cos and one cardigan does bobble.

I tend to buy from the Uniqlo Collections. The last JW Anderson was was fantastic. The Ines De La Fressange collaborations are always great, too.

I went into New Look last week. Everything looked like stuff from a jumble sale, all creased and cheap fabric. Looks like stuff you would throw away.

I think you have to search now to find the two or three good items in each shop now, buried as they are amongst the absolute crap of horrible colours/designs. I went shopping last Sunday (birthday money!) and bought one top and some undies in Primark; jeans and a black & white patterned t-shirt in M&S; and then two tops from the depths of New Look (the range I like is way down the back of the store).

What’s Uniqlo like for sizing? I’m very tempted by some of their basics.

I find Uniqlo a bit on the large size now. It used to be perfect and well made but not so much now.

Completely agree re Per Una. When it first came out it was fine but then shortly afterwards they went bonkers and just seemed to make stuff, cover it in glue and then throw a load of sequins, beads and ruffles at everything.