Clothes gone crazy!

[WeirderandWeirder]

Everything is as thin as a piece of tissue paper. Huge floppy proportions and saggy crotches. See through tops and tshirts and elasticated everything...

I haven't been shopping for a long time. A couple of years. I loved clothes but something has really changed. Even spending more guarantees nothing. I can't be arsed with the touted, trending eco brands either, as I have witnessed their corner cutting and cheapening over time, too. I used to have a ton of fave shops and now there isn't even one.

I have just gone back to wearing outdoor stuff. Like a man, kind of. They never seem to have to deal with this crap. I spent a good while searching for a decent tshirt that didn't have a choking high neckline and actually covered my arse. Spent £40 on two organic cotton tees from Seasalt and both produced holes in two washes.

It can go the hell for me, now. It used to be exciting, and I do love the re-emergence of 90's styles. But the cargo's ain't what they were back then. They're floppy, thin and formless with randomly placed pockets and gussets as long as the Gaza Strip. I just can't anymore. Fuck em all. Greed got the better of them I guess.

I ain't paying for a £400 fancy sheep wool, artisanal brick shaped jumper this winter. And I won't be paying £200 to avoid polyester this summer either. I'm just going with what I already have and hoping to god it lasts.

Second hand is definitely the way to go. I do all my shopping at car.Boot sales on a sunday. I buy for the entire family. Anything that doesn't fit properly or that people don't like I put it on vinted.

Everything is either a big, baggy tent or a crop top. I want nice, decent, fitted tops and trousers that aren't only suitable for tall people or are badly sized.

I buy a 14, in one shop they're huge on the waist and in another were cutting me in half. Surely they should be the same inch sized across the board!

@WeirderandWeirder

It can go the hell for me, now. It used to be exciting, and I do love the re-emergence of 90's styles. But the cargo's ain't what they were back then. They're floppy, thin and formless with randomly placed pockets and gussets

I agree about a lot of high street stuff, but I think the 90’s style stuff was just as crap in the 90’s!

DS is into crop tops and cargo pants etc and looking at the ones I’ve bought him from primark and the like they are exactly like I used to wear from Tammy Girl and Bay Trading- that sort of stuff has always been thin and shit.

The trouble is making your own clothes is very expensive as well. Decent quality fabric is also difficult to get hold of if you have to rely on online shops - you need to be able to to feel what you're getting. Although, at least the fit of the end garment will be better.

I feel like I've bought nothing recently except from Vinted, Uniqlo and a few bits my mum got me from M&S that actually were pretty good.

Vinted is best though as even the cheaper older stuff is better quality than what's in stores now. I've had really good luck with items and sellers (though seldom spend more than £10 so I don't mind if it's a dud).

https://x.com/DLVermeer/status/1772720590031384722?t=x9sKUiQz7ajvwbj_I4kcgA&s=19

This is a good thread about what's happening to clothing in the mass market.

I think part of the problem is that clothing has to cover a huge range of sizes, all of which are priced the same. Recently someone remarked that the Sienna Miller range in M&S ‘only’ went up to size 20.

The cost of clothing needs to stay competitive so the quality goes down to absorb the increased costs involved with using double the amount of fabric to manufacture large sizes.

Apparently one shop tried to introduce pricing to reflect this (ie larger sizes costing more) but unsurprisingly it didn’t go down well and they abandoned it.

I did an emergency clothes shop at Morrison's last year (went for a few days away, forgot holdall!) Everything was decent quality, fabrics with a good handle, and has survived a year of washing & wearing very well.

Agree about Bon Marche, too. I've also bought a lot of stuff from Roman. Their denim's a bargain. Their dresses & tops are mostly viscose but they're well made, not flimsy and hang nicely - on me, anyway.

We expect cheap clothing. So we get it. But the only way to keep prices low is by cutting corners, literally in some cases. It’s increasingly common now to offer things in S,M,L etc only, not 8,10,12 etc. But also cheap fabrics and cheap finishes. And as pp said spending more isn’t necessarily the answer. It’s utterly horrendous really, all those mountains of clothes shipped off to India or Africa just so we can have a new top, worn once or twice, for something or other. Shein are the ultimate example of how lost we’ve got but most people don’t seem to care.

The trick is to be picky. All shops will have decent things tucked away but it takes time and you cannot shop online as you need to check the quality of the material and the finish.

It is the growth of the use of man made fibres that makes things look cheap, I find they often hang bady and dyes look brash. Even just having a small percentage of linen or silk in the mix makes all the difference to the way a garment hangs and looks.

Other tricks are - always wear a close fit cotton cami under manmade fibres - it helps the garment sit better. Replace buttons with better quality ones Re stitch hems.

The best clothes I've bought this year have been from charity shops, lightly worn more expensive brands.
Agree totally on the difference between quality of men's v womens. I wouldn't bother with women's socks, or pyjamas, mens are much better made.

It is the race to the bottom, but charging the most they can get in many instances. Agree, quality is not the same. I'm 62 and can remember buying Pure New Wool items from M&S, Virgin Wool from labels long gone, jumpers that never pilled, trousers and skirts that didn't look like sacks of potatoes after 10 minutes, and I could go on. Now, I have found that often supermarkets challenge much higher end retailers and perhaps because they can buy the volume to cover the costs and make less per item (thinking here a couple of dresses from the ASDA exclusive range). I've also, since day one of buying clothes, bought menswear items and that's because they get far more detailing, heavier weight fabric and for less money, so the oversize style currently fits that perfectly, but so too do socks, tshirts, depending on your body shape jackets etc. As for construction, I can't remember the last time I saw front panels on a dress, inverted pleats, darts, design details other than a pocket (which are always off centre and just don't sit right on my bust), let alone recognition that my waist does not sit 2 inches from my bust. Linings, well they really are a rarity, but often men have half lined trousers, so why not women!!! I have vintage items in my wardrobe, some bought by me new, that show how clothing can last and still be relevant to wear, but the number of retailers I purchase from today is tiny. I didn't ask to buy more for less and have never done that, but now you get less for more, so imo those that chose to race to the bottom for quality are killing the market place for all.

Completely agree. I was in the market for a smart midi dress to wear to a couple of summer weddings recently. Most of them looked really frumpy on - odd patterns, frills and puffs instead of proper fitting, thin matetial with no lining - fine if you are 18, not so much if you are 46!

Someone up thread referenced Sainsbury's, some of their stuff is great, be picky though.

I don't feel the same at all.
I'm wearing super tshirts from new look, not see through (colleague checked for me against the window!) they are cropped which is far more flattering too. Also a lovely pair of wide leg linen trousers.

I often buy tshirts and long sleeve tops from COS which are all cotton.

I bought a super navy 100% wool jumper from uniqlo last autumn for £29.90 and I've worn and washed it countless times, worn it most days for work for months. I wash it on the wool cycle on my machine.

I like to wear feminine styles rather than male type clothing though so it might be easier for me?

Lots of wide leg trousers/culottes in cotton this summer with the tshirts or I buy dresses/blouses off ebay from brands like me&em.

I spend very little on my wardrobe and feel great!

You can find cotton/wool in normal shops if you look.

It's just so hit and miss, isn't it? And it takes ages to find anything decent. I keep thinking H&M is going to ban me because I send so much back.

Meanwhile, I have some Primark pieces from 10+ years ago that still wash and wear perfectly.

Hate tops that are too short in length. They could easily make them just 3cm longer and won’t look silly on someone who is 5ft 2.

I agree, and oversized!! Ffs I hate oversized. It makes petite women look utterly haggard and clumsy and larger women look even larger! And the balloon sleeves on everything! Again makes women look awful.

That's not my experience at all and I don't buy anything expensive - most of my clothes are from supermarkets or Amazon and they're all good quality and don't seem to fade or wear out.

My favourite jeans are from ASDA and I've had them at least four years. Leggings off Amazon last forever too.

If you can get to a Uniqlo, they are one of the only retailers selling reasonable quality now. That probabky wont be forever as they'll probably follow the others and cut costs. They're a bit plain but good for basics.

I buy men’s socks for work. Longer and thicker material for £1 less for a pack of 5

Sorry for bringing up this term up this time of year - Xmas jumpers. Most of mine (I wear them for work in Dec) are men’s. As they are thicker, longer (sleeve and body), higher neckline and much cheaper. Though some men’s ones are geared to men- get the more unisex ones.

Read Less by Patrick Grant from sewing bee. It's really illuminating about the whole industry and want versus need.

Seasalt used to do good quality cotton- it goes shabby really quickly now. I have stopped buying it. Same with M and S.

I bought a quilted denim jacket in M and S yesterday. I never buy myself anything new (my thing is second hand clothes to help the environment and not waste money because clothing is so wasteful). The shape is hideous on- the shoulders are way too wide and the quilting makes them stiff. It is too short. It is actually two inches narrower on the hips than the chest so makes the shoulders look even broader. The fabric is meant to look aged- but the top 'denim' layer is so thin and distressed it will be in holes within a couple of months.
£45. It's going back.

Meanwhile a denim jacket I saw on ebay arrived- from Joules- it looks brand new, faded dark pink, is really nicely made, much better quality, heavy cotton, and a much better style. Paid £8 including postage.

Me too.

I make my own, buy second hand or from a few trusted retailers.