To think high quality clothes are not actually high quality?

[LadyDimpletonFrisby]

Been noticing a huge drop in quality over the years as I am sure many MNers are aware. It isn't just the high street though. In fact, considering some of the more expensive mistakes I have made, I might as well have gone to poundland.

So, in the last few years I have purchased some reputedly good stuff from the likes of Brora, Toast, Oska, Finisterre and various other ethical or well made brands. On the high street end I have bought knitwear from COS, John Lewis and NavyGrey. Most of these are strongly recommended online as an alternative to landfill tat.

Well, 2 of my Finisterre wool knits have formed holes, one a the neck and two on the back. My COS merino has also formed holes and has become thinner and badly fitting over a few months. My Toast stuff has bobbled to the point where it looks shabby as opposed to chic, no matter how carefully I wash by hand and dry appropriately. I follow instructions carefully and look after my clothes, and don't tend to pull them out of shape, etc.

I then tried Seasalt, but the tops were getting thinner and cheaper looking, whilst the prices remained the same. I have also noticed massive drops in quality when replacing an item that I love - Sweaty Betty took a drop in the space of one year with wildly different fabric thickness within a short time for the same item.
Even luxury nightwear has sunk, as a £75 set of pyjamas from White Company was noticeably thinner and badly finished compared to a year previous. I had purchased the new one as a gift for a family member and was able to see how awful they were next to my own - the price had also shot up to nearly £90 in this time too.

I am considering just quitting really, focusing on practical stuff as I am outdoors a lot, and just hoping things improve eventually. I can't see it though. I have tried the second hand route and for the most part, it isn't a perfect solution as many of the items are either smelly or visibly worn out on arrival.

I disagree to an extent - I've got knitwear from. COS that's 10yrs old and looks immaculate. And the cashmere I bought from them last year is in perfect condition. Ditto J Crew although that's a bit more niche as I buy when I'm in the US. but both are mid to high high St standard.

M&S merino went to holes after two months though, I think their quality is awful.

Well, despite my love for £600 asymmetric Danish frocks I cannot disagree with your basic assertion, @LadyDimpletonFrisby.

It’s simply COL combined with the Covid dip. I have 6 or 7 year old Studio Nicholson sweaters in beautiful thick soft 100 merino wool, that are as good as the day I bought them. They more than justify their price. Now, the same brand is selling a similar model that’s half wool, half cotton. Just to try to keep prices reasonable.

Community Clothing, who used to be able to sell impeccably sourced and produced garments at laughably low prices, have had to raise their prices by an astonishing percentage in order to continue selling the same quality.

I’m not yet finding a drop in the quality of things I’m actually buying - but I am having to be nimble about dropping brands that have lowered their standards. And cross checking the price of everything and waiting for inevitable reductions and haunting pre-owned sites I have confidence in. I don’t mind the expenditure of time - but I realise not everyone has either the time or the interest to do all that.

I've found holes in cotton stuff lately, I'm thinking moths though, seen a few lately - annoying gits. Could that explain the holes in the woolies? Do you use mothballs to store?
Currently wearing one of my favourite jumpers from last year, no Pilling, looks as good as new and so soft. Made of alpacca and fluffy. Not a posh one though, decent quality from H&M. You don't need posh makes. Sometimes the higher grade line of a standard high-street shop can be good.
I guess the answer is, shop at the shop, feel and test the merch before you buy rather that ordering online.

I agree with you totally
I'm on a low income, so I almost exclusively use Vinted now, as I think if it's been worn and still in decent condition it should be ok.
Gone are the days when M&S sold clothing made in Britain!
I hate the feel of polyester( now labelled recycled and eco friendly!) and viscose.. or Tencel which rips
T shirts are almost see through but the same price
I bought my DS some Cargo pants from Carhartt £100 but amazing quality, so worth spending on. German company though

Cost, being hung in an expensive rent shop, with a fancy label, does not denote quality. I have clothing made by the more expensive high street labels, now sadly long gone, that seriously outgun much that is in the stupidly high price range today. Made of wool and fabrics of weight and drape, darts, lined, beautifully, finished well inside and out, hangs well and does not look like a sack of potatoes after a few hours wear. I bought jumpers, pure new wool from M&S in the 80s and 90s, never needed to debobble them and the weight of the yarn was something you rarely see now. Leather shoes that walked the length of London and still looked good and could be repaired, a leather flying jacket. again from M&S, sheepskin lined, still in my wardrobe and still worn, bought in their factory shop (small fault for £40 / no fault item on sale in Marble Arch branch for £99) and is now 42 years old, honestly 42 years old! Don't get me started on pleather, plastic that degrades and is sold for stupid money, which I believe is the biggest marketing con of the last few years, especially as you've only a few years before it goes stickly and starts to fail! Some of the families / dynasties selling you this expensive fashion, do not become billonaires by selling quality, they become a billonaire by persuading people that the label is what matters! Bags are made of plastic coated leathers (Check out the chap on Instagram who tears them apart), which perish and are even rarely used by their owners because of their value, when they are simply well produced leather items no where near their ridiculous sales cost and surely the whole point of a bag is to stick stuff in it. My Russell and Bromley bag, from the late 90s, lasted years and I chucked anything and everything in it, in the end the handles failed, but that's because I overloaded it, not because it wasn't fit for purpose! Check out the issue of the Dior bags produced for 50 euros and selling for over 2000 to see what the real issue is with fashion and clothing.

I'm in exactly the same place, OP. Last year I had 3 new cardigans which cost around £100, and they were a bobbly mess before they'd ever been washed. I'm utterly sick of it. I've actually ground to a halt on purchasing knitwear, because where the hell to buy it?

None of my Sézane knitwear has bobbled. I've had some of my sezane knits for 4 or 5 years, worn lots but still great condition. Overall I feel Sézane quality does vary but knitwear generally good.

For cashmere I really rate N Peal or Johnstons of Elgin - the former has a shop at Bicester Village. I wear their rollnecks loads and no bobbling.

CuratedbyAnnaArronova on Instagram is good. She reviews the quality of clothes on the UK high street.

Agreed. I'm looking for a good black wool coat for winter and everything, everywhere is polyester with a poor quality slithery lining. I've had better luck with charity shops in recent times. 'Old' clothes were simply better quality.

Today I’ve seen men’s 100% lambswool jumpers (crew or V neck) in M&S for £40 or maybe £45.

A lot of 'high-end' clothes are also made Vietnam or China.

Any pattern recommendations? Especially trousers

Sorry not read all the thread so I apologise if she has already been mentioned but I started following Andrea Cheong after an interview with her in the Guardian.
She reviews high end high street fashion and compares it to more high fashion or fast fashion stuff.
It has really made me consider checking the quality of things before buying and left me a bit depressed it's mostly crap.

www.instagram.com/andreacheong_?igsh=MThwOW5yNnpoeXFuZA==

www.theguardian.com/fashion/article/2024/aug/15/the-care-label-queen-how-andrea-cheong-will-stop-you-buying-bad-clothes

@YYURYYUCICYYUR4ME I agree with everything you say. I have a Dorothy Perkins coat at the moment, from the 90's and it is lined and wears well and is wool. Back in the day Dorothy Perkins was not a pricey shop!

I'm still Vinteding for this reason, I prefer things that are lined and in natural fibres and that's where I can find them. OP- I wonder if I sold you that tweet coat, as I had a gorgeous one but it was too big for me so I resold it. If it was that one, it was stunning!

I got sucked into the company that does “ zero waste”, unfolded I think it’s called. The dress was awful quality,cheap horrid rough cotton and badly made ( uneven seams , puckering etc)
Ive sort of given up the idea of “ good quality and buy less” and gone back to a few new items from George, matalan, Next etc each season and if they last 2 /3 years it was good value. The cashmere jumpers I was paying a lot for were not wearing well at all.
Ive always made some clothes myself but in recent years the cost of a pattern ( unless you plan to use it again), the fabric, the interfacing, the zip, even buttons and threads, are astronomical. I also knit some jumpers and cardigans myself but again the cost of “ real” wool makes it about £5o-60 for a basic plain jumper so not a cheaper option.

Totally agree. Laura Ashley had a few great years where they were in a collaboration with British Wool. I still have a couple of the suits though it tends to be wear the jackets with jeans now.

@DrNo007 https://x.com/cock_ofthewalk/status/1845713796981043452
https://www.cockofthewalkbespoke.co.uk/7300380-gentlewomen
They are in London regularly.

I have four Seasalt linen dresses and a top and I think the quality is excellent, they should last me for years.

I live in NZ, where we wear a lot of merino. Most of it lasts, and wears, well - whether cheap or expensive - I get the ocassional small hole, which is easy to mend, and most of it doesn't pill. The holes are generally caused by my cats 😄

Nonsense. I only buy clothing in natural fabrics, they aren't hard to find.

I recently bought some lovely Italian wool blend trousers from Hobbs, £129.00. Tried them on, not even lined and material quite scratchy. I kept them as I loved them but very disappointing they were not even partly lined for £129.

I've got M&S cashmere from 20 years ago that's washed and worn better than its recent equivalents, JL versions and Zadig & Voltaire. I only wish I'd bought more at the time. So silky soft, not a hint of prickle or itch, substantial but not cardboardy or thick.

YANBU - the whole "fast fashion" label really annoys me, as price is no indication of quality. No one wants to spend their money (be it big money, medium money, or modest budget) on utter shite that falls apart after a few months.

I have a Chanel trouser suit that I bought for £150 in Paris 20 years ago and must have been at least 5-10 years old when I bought it.

I swear it will outlive me.

I agree which is why I buy 90% from Vinted or charity shops. That way I never pay more than £10 ish so don’t get too upset if it doesn’t last

I noticed a hole in a cotton jersey Jaegar top that I purchased from M&S in January - they took the brand over when it folded, but clearly not retained the quality.