Poor quality of clothes

[Thecatsmum]

This is my first post so please be gentle! Can anyone recommend decent quality clothes, mid priced and preferably made in Europe. I'm fed up with buying something which falls apart after a couple of washes. I'm currently wearing a £75 skirt which has lost two buttons and a £20 top worn twice which has 2 holes in the arm. I'm not sure if I can name and shame the shops so I won't but I boycott one high street store as I was so sick of the quality of the clothes and now it seems two others are about to follow suit!
I'm really careful to follow washing instructions, I don't buy really cheap clothes yet I look like a scruff. Having taken things back only to have them replaced with goods of exactly the same quality is frustrating so I know it's foolish but I just don't bother.
Help please!!

I personally would take the top back, I had a top from White stuff which got a hole in it after two washes I took it back and they replaced it.

I am with you OP having bought two dresses from Jigsaw in the last 6 months, both of which have holes in (one is going back as have had it literally 3 weeks and worn it about 3 times) and a cardigan from jigsaw again less than 6 months old with a hole in. I am not planning to shop in Jigsaw again in the near future as a belt I bought there also fell apart and had to be replaced recently.

That's terrible news about Jigsaw! I was going to suggest them as decent quality. I havent bought anything there in the last year but before that I bought from there a lot and have only ever had one item which disappointed in terms of quality. In fact I have several items I've had for many years that are still going strong.

Thanks for replies. Actually my £75 was from Jigsaw and it's not the first thing I've had where the buttons have fallen off after one wash. Next is the shop I'm don't bother with anymore after the seam split on the first wearing of a pair of trousers, I was at work with half my leg on show! Plus the hems came down on two pairs of trousers bought for my son on the first wear. The white top is from Fatface, who I did love, but I bought the top to go under a Fatface blouse with buttons which won't stay done up!!!
I did read that Next have bucked the recession by not putting their prices up however they've skimped on quality, I don't think they are alone.

interesting about jigsaw Thecatsmum I was wondering if it was just me...!

i have been so unimpressed recently with Jigsaw, years ago I used to get all my suits there and they lasted literally ages and I have only really been shopping from there again in the last year and have had nothing but problems...

I was going to mention next also. I really cannot bear wasting my money in there as i also bought a pair of work trousers that were a 14 yet hung off me (usually i just get in them), i washed them once, put them on again and found the inside leg seem had worn away in the wash and the hem had also frayed where it had fallen down.

I stick to curtains only from next now, and h&m are going the same way, had a pair of trousers for £35, worn them once and washed them and they now have a hole in the knee where the fabric just disintegrated away, taking them back tomorrow. Ive started shopping in charity shops for older clothes of about 3-4 years ago when the fabric was much better quality, i got a lovely karen millen dress for £10 and have had it for about 3 years its still perfect.

I bought a karen millen top at xmas from the store itself and the hem fell down within 2 wears of it!

Hi, I know exactly how you feel, I gave up with the high street after I broke my knee in October and put on weight. I couldn't find anything nice with sleeves or certain lengths and teamed up with a my aunt a dressmaker to work on a line of dresses with sleeves and skirt lengths that don't make you cringe, if you want to have a look here's my link www.facebook.com/pages/CEE-Chic/110521819036748 I only use top quality fabrics that I would be happy to buy, maybe I can help you out you never know.

iI find it really difficult to find clothes of decent quality. The equation of "pay more = better quality" just isn't true anymore.

I have some stuff that has worn and washed fantastically and some that is fit for the bin in less than a month. And it doesn't seem to matter where I bought it/how much I paid for it, it just seems to be entirely random.

Either you lot treat your clothes really roughly or higher price doesn't equal higher quality.

I buy most of my everyday clothes from budget shops - Primark, New Look, Peacocks, Sainsbury's, Tesco etc., and very rarely get problems with holes, buttons coming off etc. I don't think I'm exceptionally careful either!

I've just had a blitz of sending back clothes that gave worn/washed badly.
Main Culprits: bravissimo (aka pepperbury) and French connection.
To their credit they gave refunded me without question even though I've had the stuff several months.

Recently the only shop I've been impressed with is Gap.

I buy my clothes from the high street and I very rarely have to mend things. I don't know why some people are having problems and others aren't. My dd gets most of her clothes from New Look and they seem very well made too. Not sure what the answer is, just saying I don't find clothes to be poor quality.

daisy - I have PMed you about your dresses

Zara - the buttons ALWAYS fall off

Olivetti reply sent, let me know if there's anything else you'd like to know

Recent good buys: Escada Sport, DAY Birger Mikkelsen, Malene Birger, Vila.
I'm not ever bothering any more with: Zara, Mango, H&M.
High street ranges that have decent quality: GAP, Banana Republic, J Crew. Many German and Danish high street chains are also a bit above the average.

Higher price does not automatically guarantee higher quality. Especially sister brands of expensive labels can use really terrible synthetic materials. I always feel the cloth very carefully before deciding to buy. Mixed fibers and synthetics and viscose are generally a bad idea.

Daisy, what colours do your dresses come in ? They look really nice. I am fed up with not being to find clothes that dont cost a fortune and wear well. My dd has had to throw away a good few tops as they have all holed, granted she did not spend hundreds on them but still....

woops ... able to find clothes

Hi Homeaway, so pleased you like my lovely dresses, I have an ever expanding range of colours if there is something you would like I can find a match, just let me know and I will get back to you. This is the link where I am selling them you can send me a message there or on here and I will get back to you as soon as possible folksy.com/shops/CEEChic or my link to the facebook page www.facebook.com/pages/CEE-Chic/110521819036748 to save you searching through again.

Still on my quality clothes quest! Seasalt have been recommended but reading stuff on here I'm not so sure. I'm going to have a look at Whistles and Hobbs. I'm a 40 odd year old mainly wearing tee shirts, casual shirts, jeans and knee length skirts. I'd be grateful for any recommendations, thanks.