Are expensive clothes worth it?

[strawberrydonuts]

On the back of another thread, I've been browsing some online clothes stores.

I tend to like places like FatFace, Weird Fish, Sea Salt, Boden occasionally... just decent quality, casual stuff. I usually buy stuff in the sale but I might splurge £40-50 for a really good quality top or shirt which will last me years. I have some clothes from these places that have lasted me 10 years.

But looking at some of the online stores people suggested on another thread, I am seeing cotton tops/ shirts costing £100+ that look no different in quality to what you can get at FatFace for half the price.

Things like:
www.toa.st/collections/womens-tops-tees/products/seed-check-boxy-shirt-french-blue

AIBU to ask what's the difference? Are they really worth it? If you would pay £100+ for a casual top/ shirt, why? (Not in a judgemental way... I'm just genuinely wondering if I'm missing something!)

It can't be just about quality because the clothes I buy are good quality. Is it design/ fit? Is it about the materials and where they are sourced?

Expensive branded items have huge marketing budgets. That's why you pay more.

Well it's definitely not ethics because Toast gets worse ratings than ASOS

@FannyBrice

Wow *@TempleofZoom*, I'm impressed, you are very talented !

Thanks 😁 My female relatives were also clothes obsessed and so I was taught to knit and sew.

Mending/ repairing and altering were just skills everyone had in those days.

Interesting about organic cotton but I do disagree slightly purple
Traditional fast methods of cotton production were lethal to workers and completely unethical.
Cotton is also bidegradable in the long term and also when laundering you dont fill the eco system with synthetic fibres.
Those acrylic jumpers arent going anywhere and they dont keep you warm either !

Biodegradable

I dont think its so clear cut anymore, you can find clothes on lower price end range thinking £30 -£50 that have quality fabric, cut and seams etc just as much as you can on the higher end.

Some brands on the higher end dont have that quality just like some on the very cheap end £30 or less

But what is true and seems general consensus is that buying quality means you end up buying less unless your following trends. So whilst that quality item whether it cost £50 or £200, becuae it lasts for many years over time tou get your money worth even if the initial outlay is high. But with lower quality you end up buying more as you have to replace often so over that same time period you may end up spending more or less the same

I agree temple cotton itself is a great fabric and most of my family's clothes are cotton for that reason.
but I no longer look exclusevely for organic, as you say worker wellfare is mord important.

I just don't go for fast fashion, mainly plain-ish basic pieces that wash well and wear them for a good number of years until they fall apart
I have had some great sheap tshirts that cost around a fiver that lasted a ling time and some absolute money wasters that were expensive but lost shape after the first wash.

@purplesequins

I agree temple cotton itself is a great fabric and most of my family's clothes are cotton for that reason. but I no longer look exclusevely for organic, as you say worker wellfare is mord important.

I just don't go for fast fashion, mainly plain-ish basic pieces that wash well and wear them for a good number of years until they fall apart
I have had some great sheap tshirts that cost around a fiver that lasted a ling time and some absolute money wasters that were expensive but lost shape after the first wash.

This is the thing-I love a bargain just like anyone else. I always scout the CS first. Cheap, synthetic clothes are not a bargain. They wont ever enter my house! There are brands that I like but as you say there is way more to consider than the name and I dont just shell out my hard earned cash on a whim.

It varies, sometimes you're just paying for the label. Sometimes not.

I have clothes, some dresses, and an ankle length skirt that are all more than 20 years old. Very well made, silk, heavy linen or cotton/linen fabric and all still look like new.

Also a pure wool skirt and a Irish wool sweater that seem to be indestructible.

Nothing knitted has lasted, and tops tended to stain eventually around the neck or with deodorant.

Some more expensive high street are mainly synthetic and you pay for the name. Phase eight comes to mind.

I bought a schoffel shooting jacket in 2005 and had worn it every winter since. It was on it's second zip but still like new and the warmest thing ever. Then last year someone stole it while I was gardening . Clearly the thief didn't think it was so old.
A new one is £££

I dislike anything that has the name/brand showing on the outside
That really annoys me

For me it depends on the needs for each piece.

Ie...

I used to buy leggings and trackie bottoms from sports brands for £60-£80 a pop. During the pandemic I went to Primark to do a job lot on casual wear. I have to say the £10 trackies and leggings I got there have lasted just as well if not more if you do a price vs wear analysis.

I also found the sweat jumpers good quality for the price - especially white/ light ones which have a shorter life due to inevitable staining.

So I have decided I am not spending on these things anymore. Although the recent article about the boy who survived a gas explosion purely down to his new Calvin Klein tracksuit did make me double think.

Things I will never NOT spend money on again - waterproof outers, waterproof, trousers, waterproof walking boots. I spent many a day as a youth cold, wet, and miserable. I genuinely did not understand until the age of 25 that actually waterproof things existed. Curse you regatta, curse you! I nearly exclusively buy North Face now and its worth every penny! For durability the Drytex range is best.

They are worth it

I Recently went shopping for clothes , it was the first time in almost a year! I was after a long flannel wool or cashmere blazer in Navy, tried the Ralph Laurens ones they were around £2600 and by far the worst fit and quality, another place had a lovely wool jersey about a grand cheaper and looked so much better made, the fit was stunning. Still debating as I want to try a third one < also cheaper than the Ralph Lauren one > from a third place and just see how to goes.

So yes, Not all expensive designer clothes are made equal, I believe that there is a price range and if a shirt or jacket goes above it, doesn’t mean it’s better made or anything.

I bought a parka from primark in 2012, only retired it last year. I wore it more than any other item of clothing! It got an absolute battering, served as a pillow/blanket on many long overnight buses. Wore it three seasons of the year. It cost £15.

An £80 coat would have to last over 40 years in order for it to be as good value for money as that primark coat (feel free to correct my maths lol, not my strong suit).

Of course people can buy what they like and can afford, more power to someone who is really into fashion and gets pleasure from buying pieces that cost more. But there just isn’t the noticeable difference these days between expensive and more affordable clothing.

DS’ first walking shoes at 14m cost £48 (I know, I know... lack of choice, all shops closed, was the only shop that did doorstep fittings and the only range they had in stock that suited our requirements) and within two weeks they were shot to pieces, we asked for a replacement and they didn’t fare much better, absolutely no chance of selling them on once he’s done with them. We bought an £8 pair from Tesco once we knew his shoe size and felt like we had a better idea of fit and they’ve outlasted them by a long while. Definitely won’t be spending on expensive kid shoes again, I felt very pressured into it with the whole ‘their feet bones are so delicate’ stuff which, while accurate, doesn’t mean affordable shoes can’t be just as appropriately supportive and comfortable.