So which clothing brands ARE good quality?

[wellwisher]

We have had a couple of threads recently bewailing the decline in quality of many clothing and shoe brands - e.g. M&S, Zara, Hobbs shoes... personally, I am starting to feel that EVERYTHING is Not What It Used To Be.

But I still need clothes.

Style-wise, my favourite high-street shops are Zara and H&M, but their clothes are now such poor quality that they aren't worth buying any more. The fabrics they use are cheap, thin, shiny and generally horrid, and the finishing is rubbish - I'm sick of having to resew loose buttons and wonky seams before I can wear things. I want clothes that are natural fabrics (cotton, not weird synthetic things), and made nicely so that they last well and survive washing (tops that go twisty in the wash are a particular issue for me). I would also like some flat ballet pumps that are made of leather and have proper soles and some sort of structure to them so that they are comfy to wear and support my feet.

Can anyone suggest some brands? I also like the style of Whistles and Reiss, but only shop there at sale time as I don't trust that the quality is superior enough to Zara etc to warrant the high prices... thoughts?

Whistles knitwear is a disaster. Always ladders after a couple of wears and washes like a rag.

Boden tailoring lasts forever.

Jigsaw I find good quality but not much fun.

Hush is good apart from the t-shirts.

People Tree have lovely fabrics.

Ted and Muffy and Fly boots just don't die.

Superdry is good quality.

Gap too.

Great Plains my things from there lasted years.

My most durable items have been from:
Joules
Barbour
Musto
Superdry
Crew
and M&S

Uniqlo
French connection
Gap - hit and miss
Sainsbury's - for children's basics

Cos t shirts are very good quality.

Jigsaw. I love Jigsaw.

White company.

Some M and S. Their midi skirts are really lovely, good quality matetial and could pass for Jigsaw. I also bought some jersey dresses that were £35 and really well cut. Lots of the stuff is not good quality though.

I know this is an old thread but it's interesting to see what's changed. At the time I'd have said H&M was pretty good quality for the price and that Whistles was great whenever I could afford it. I may even be on here saying so. Six years on, I've sacked Whistles and H&M are in the last chance saloon.

It seems to me that pretty much anywhere sells good quality occasionally. What we don't have is consistency, which I assume is because stores don't keep proper checks on their suppliers. Maybe they don't want to look too closely because they're scared at what else they might see...

These days, the only brand I can think of where I've bought a fair amount and never been disappointed is Toast.
Cos and Pure Collection might make it the grade too but I haven't bought enough to form an opinion.

My solution has been to go back to buying second hand wherever possible. The difference in quality is palpable. I've even started picking up H&M knitwear in charity shops because 3 or 4 years ago they still sold jumpers that were 80% cotton.

Actually it's not an old thread is it? Sorry I thought it said 2011 Ignore first paragraph - the rest still stands.

No I was right the first time - it does say 2011!

I need coffee.

Humpf. Trotted over to People Tree as I remember them from years back...no size 18s.

Sea salt and toast are generally good across the board. Joules lasts a very long time (except the wellies) but it's quite hard to find anything that doesn't look like it was meant for a 12 year old. Bertie shoes last a long time.

I think Oasis and M&S are good value for money. My Oasis jeans appear to be indestructible, unlike my Gap pairs which go through at the knees and stretch alarmingly. They are quite reasonable price wise, too. Marks and Spencer shoes/boots are particularly good value — I’ve got £50 boots from there which are 3 years old and will do another year or two if I get them resoled.

The things I have in my wardrobe which are years old are mainly from Boden and Jigsaw – dresses and skirts last particularly well. T shirts, tops and knitwear are my bêtes noires, as even if I spend £££ they don’t always last. Honourable mention to some Gap and Monsoon merino wool which has lasted well though.

Not been particularly impressed with Modern Rarity’s quality though - if I am spending £100 on a dress I don’t expect to have it rehemmed after two washes.

I think because companies have so many different suppliers these days consistency across a brand is nigh on impossible.

I don't see why consistency shouldn't be possible with multiple suppliers but you need to set your standards and adhere to them. I think it's more that, for whatever reason, they choose not to try.

Topshop. Clothes made how they should be even if i don't like the look of most
Of the

I love the idea of buying things that are good quality and made to last, so I Googled a couple of the brands mentioned on this thread... £350 for a jumper? I don't think so!

It seems to me that you get what you pay for with cheap brands (i.e. poor quality), but you only sometimes get what you pay for with expensive brands (some are good quality, but some are just relying on you believing that expensive means good quality!)

Besides, if I were walking around in £350 jumpers, I'd be so pissed off if the dog snagged them or someone spilt coffee on me!

One brand I've recently discovered and really like the look of (so much so, I've just been talking about them on another thread) is Celtic & Co here

I bought one of their jumpers in a second hand shop in the new year and it quickly became my favourite jumper. So I've now bought this one too and it's fab. They also say they manufacture in the UK, wherever possible ( jumper has a 'Made in Scotland' label). I really like the look of them and while they're not cheap, they're not in the Brora league either.

I totally agree, Eolian. I think it's knitwear that's really the hardest thing. I bought a long Hush cardigan two years ago - £95 and bobbled after two wears. I bought a couple of Jigsaw ones (£89 each) - they also bobbled after a couple of wears and ended up being used as a dog blanket.

The thing is that I work at home and most of my socialising is fairly casual so I'm loath to spend £350 on a jumper, although I am willing to spend £100. But £100 is very far from disposable fashion and I'd be expecting to get a couple of seasons' hard wear out of it, not 10 minutes. I'm now thinking there is no point spending more than £25 on a jumper and then at least when it goes bobbly and has to be binned fairly rapidly, then at least it hasn't cost so much.

lurking My new Celtic & Co jumper cost £89 so within your £100 budget. I won't pretend that's cheap and of course it may not be to your taste but I really do feel I've paid for good quality, home grown crafting and decent ethics (as opposed to some marketeer's consultancy fee).

I think it's very easy to shrug and think, what's the point, they're all liars and charlatans. I've done it myself many a time. But it really cheers me up when I come across what appears to be a decent company, trying to do things the right way.

Ooh yes, Cetic and Co v good quality. Also Pure.

Thank you floisme. You're right, it still isn't cheap, but I think better if possible to pay £100 for one lovely piece of knitwear that will last and last and is supporting local craftspeople. I'm off now to have a look at their website, thanks for the tip.

Another thing I've started doing recently is persuading my husband he'd enjoy a day trip to some country market town and then diving into the 'country outfitters'. No listen, listen ... hear me out. I've seen the most beautifully cut tweed jackets and overcoats - 100% wool. Now admittedly I'm unashamedly fond of a bit of tweediness but if that's not your cup of tea, I've also found pure wool and cotton jumpers and all the labels say 'Made in England' - by companies I've never heard of.

If you live in these towns then you'll know this already but for a city gal like me, it's been a real eye opener. There is stuff out there.

I've found Abercrombie and fitch to be well made/long lasting

For shoes, I use whatever old-lady establishment I can find in whichever town I happen to be in. They stock loads of really well-made European brands, and if you are prepared to wade through a few horrors tend to have decent plain shoes as well. Brands like Ecco, Gabor, Hogl, Paul Green Munchen, Hispanitas, Wonders, HG Espana, Think!, Mephistopheles, Luca Grossi, Josef Seibel - that kind of thing.

John Smedley do excellent machine-washable knitwear and have a fab outlet site.
I generally find Hobbs good quality, but their fabric compositions need checking these days. £140-ish for a 100% polyester dress? I don't think so.

Floisme, how does Celtic & Co sizing come up?

Where is good which is also not hugely expensive? Like others there is no way I'd spend £350 on a jumper. People recommend stuff like Whistles and Toast all the time but they seem really expensive!! Uniqlo seems good for basics e.g. plain t-shirts/jumpers but there isn't a huge range of colours...

Riva ballerina for ballet shoes with proper soles are fab. Barbour jackets (still have my 25 year old bedale). M&S cashmere and jeans. For workwear M&S trousers and Ralph Lauren shirts. But it all depends on your size and what fits - no point in looking like a bag lady or a bisto kid just because the label was expensive!!