Which is better, expensive quality clothes, or cheaper and lots?

[helloitsme]

Well that it, that's my question. I am about to upgrade my wardrobe, and I'm really in two minds about whether to buy a few quality and lovely items, or whether to by cheaper things and be able to buy lots more.
And another thing, if you were going to buy some cheap and some expensive, which items would you go for being cheap and which expensive? For example, should the boring staples be cheap because there's not much to them, or should they be expensive because you wear them a lot?
[am confused now....]

I'd say a bit of both... Expensive staples and cheapie buts to dress them up that you can keep changing. I don't claim to know about these things though...

Boring staples are things you'll probably wear a lot, so I'd say those are worth spending money on. Then you know you've always got a good base to start from. You can spend less money on short-term seasonal things, and accessories.

ok, it's good to have direction - classic pieces which will last for seasons = expensive, very trendy in this year out next year = cheaper.
But would you take your 500 quid to Reiss and get 2 dresses or H&M and get countless everything? (I know it depends on budget, but still, this is what I am trying to figure out)

I have a really limited wardrobe (I've just had a shopping spree, so I now have something like 40 items of clothing in total, and have something for all imaginable occasions) and I am a complete convert to buying expensive staples and cheap fashion fixes.

Bear in mind, though, that your staples don't have to be boring black trousers/white shirt type things. I have two pairs of expensive j brand jeans that I wear a lot, one of them is dark orange (so definitely not boring!), and one pair of cheap pastel oasis jeans, because I am well aware I will probably pull them out next season and think WTF was I thinking?

Anyway, in short I am a firm believer in fewer, good quality (which doesn't always mean expensive, but usually does) items of clothing.

Oh, an getting a colour and style analysis with House of Colour was the most vital step in having a limited wardrobe, as absolutely everything in my wardrobe matches in terms of colour and style.

Hopefully - I'd love to see your list of 40 items!

I'm generally of the better quality and fewer items brigade - eg: I'd rather have one 70 pound White Company jersey dress than 8 H&M ones or 3 Dotty P's ones; or one 30 pounds t-shirt from Hobbs than 6 Primark ones (though actually don't shop at Primark at all).

However, I do rate H&M for cheapo blazers and for scarves and I rate M&S for cheap skinny jeans.

Overall, I tend to shop for 'fewer and better' but mostly stick to sales.

I'd spend money on:

Fantasie bras (big norks)
Vivienne Westwood sales
A decent coat and bag
A leather biker jacket
Comfortable sandals that can be worn for a couple of summers
Winter boots
Cashmere
Decent jersey dresses
Wolford tights (only in the sales though!)

I wouldn't spend much on:
scarves
jeans
ballet shoes
summer dresses/beach wear

Remus here's an extract from the message I sent to another interested MNer a while back about my capsule wardrobe (I have bought perhaps 10 items of clothing since writing this, but it really is my entire wardrobe, nothing hiding under the bed or in storage for other seasons):

Firstly, I'm a SAHM (well, WAHM too, but that requires the same clothes), so I can get away with probably 30-40% fewer clothes than someone with an actual job who needs to look smart every day.

• Skinny J Brand Agnes jeans (khaki jeans with zips on legs)
• Slim leg J Brand 811s in bright rust colour
• Dark olive Kettlewell maxi skirt
• Oasis stone coloured chino shorts
• Brora camel cashmere boyfriend cardigan
• Inhabit cream cashmere slash neck jumper
• 4 racer back vests (2 DP, 1 Splendid, 1 Kettlewell) in cream, mustard and two rust red ones
• Asos chestnut brown blazer
• Pure Collection cream silk shirt
• 2 Me & Em cowl neck dresses - one navy, one khaki (that I have dyed dark olive)
• Kettlewell square necked t-shirt
• H&M mustard coloured t-shirt
• TopShop dark green military style jumper
• Zara leather jacket
• Zara cream trench coat
• 2 DP linen bikers - I know I'll get loads of use from these, so bought two colours, navy and stone.

So that's 21 items of clothing

• 2 pairs camel suede ankle boots (one Aldo, one Asos)
• 1 pair grey suede slouchy biker type boots
• 1 pair Toms brown canvas shoes
• 1 pair nude high heels
• 1 pair very high blue patent peep toe heels
• I don't have, but will buy, 2 pairs of sandals soon
• 1 pair heavy winter country boots for walking etc (Dubarry type boots)
• 1 pair sneakers

Which comes to 10 pairs of shoes. So ignoring accessories, we're up to 31 items, excluding accessories and underwear. They take me up a bit more, but not loads:

• Lily & Lionel cashmere/silk scarf (warm winter scarf)
• Brown oversized linen/viscose mix scarf
• Leopard print scarf
• Dark olive zebra scarf
• Coral cashmere snood thing
• Mustard triangle scarf
• 4 bracelets for casual wear (wooden, antique gold, leather)
• 2 long necklaces
• Sophie Harley Algerian love knot necklace
• 1 really chunky belt
• Across body orange handbag (DP - I'm on the lookout for the perfect investment bag)
• small charcoal grey clutch.

Which brings us up to, what, 47 items including accessories? Underwear I have:

• 2 bras (one nude, one cream) by Panache (expensive, but perfect for my shape)
• about 15 pairs of pants in nude and cream from M&S and Triumph (they do good seam free ones)

So a little over 60 items if you include underwear, shoes and accessories

I say quality shoes, bags and coats. I try to avoid high street but love tk maxx. If I have good shoes and bag I feel I can put anything with them and it feels good.

Wow Hopefully i find that really inspiring. Did you chuck everything you had out and start from scratch? Or were you always minimalist?

Blimey! I wish I could call H&M, M&S etc CHEAP shops!!!! They're my treat shops now!

I'm Primark and New Look all the way as have naff all budget nowadays. :( (Saying that though I also love Punkyfish being rather young and a bit of a goth).
Must say though I do get M&S jeans and trousers a lot!

Definatly agree with the 'bit of both' sort of wardrobe though, even though I have about 3 wardrobes full of clothes!! (1 of them is just my collection of [mostly second hand] evening dresses and outfits for performing in though!)

I like the way this blogger mixes cheap and high end.

Yep. Shoes, coats, bags and I'd add jumpers (I used to think cashmere was a snooty luxury but it pays for itself...lasts much longer than ordinary wool counterparts that go bobbly after one season) and possibly jeans (if you have trouble finding them to fit your particular figure like moi). Save on things like t-shirts, accessories (Etsy is awesome for earrings!), trendy tops for going out.

Thanks Hopefully - love the sound of the cowl neck dresses and military jumper.

If I had to reduce my wardrobe I'd probably keep -

dark indigo skinnies M&S
black skinnies M&S
black and white long striped top - M&S
black and white wide striped top - Hobbs
black cropped blazer - M&S Limited
black dress - Vivienne Westwood
black skirt - Vivienne Westwood
grey skirt - Vivienne Westwood
purple silk top - Vivienne Westwood
black jersey dress - White Cmpany
grey jersey dress - White Company
navy jacket - Hobbs
beige jacket - H&M
red jacket - H&M
navy and grey breton style dress - M&S
black maxi skirt - Topshop
purple cowl neck top - M&S
purple low back top - M&S
grey cowl neck top - M&S
black cowl neck top - Hobbs
silk printed dress - Phase Eight
black silk tshirt - Ted Baker
grey striped vest - White Company
white vest - White Company
black vest - White Company
grey coat - Hobbs
brown biker jacket - Oasis
cropped trench - M&S
denim jacket - v v old Principles
denim shirt - M&S
cashmere jumper - M&S
black silk cashmere mix jumper - Hobbs

brown knee high ancient and battered cowboy-esque boots
tan heeled ankle boots - Dune
leopard print ballet flats - Clarks
red ballet flats - Clarks
sandals - Gabor
flip flops M&S
tan bag - Hobbs

cashmere scarf and wristwarmers - M&S
floral scarf - H&M
black and gold scarf - vintage
armful of bangles - Warehouse and others
leather cuff - Hobbs
another leather cuff - Topshop
silver gothic style cross necklace - v old
silver tree necklace

I'd just about cope with work and home with that lot, I think - and to be honest, most of the other stuff I have is rarely (if ever) worn.

I too would say shoes, bags and a decent coat are things to spend money on. I generally don't spend more than £40 ish on an item of clothing except trousers or something I would werlar alot. I like having lots to choose from but I also look after my clothes - careful washing and ironing etc. I have had a few 10 quid tshirts several years and they still look as good as new. Generally, if something feels decent quality when you buy it and then look after it, the price doesn't really matter.

This is the question I always ask myself and I can never decide!

I tend to find Topshop jeans are best, but around £40 so expensive in my eyes. I have a black straight leg pair and dark blue boot cut pair. All my other jeans don't fit at the moment!

I would buy cotton vest tops from Primark as they are £2 each and come in lots of different colours.

H&M tops seem to bobble very quickly, so although I like them I've given up on them as they're a false economy.

New Look or Zara are good for knitwear and wash well. A v-neck jumper is between £10-20 so medium price to me.

I'm fussy with bras and always end up getting mine in M&S, these are expensive to me but last for ages.

I tend to get cheap shoes from New Look and occasionally treat myself to Clarks shoes if I see them in the sale.

So I guess I spend my money on shoes, jeans and bras, and buy cheaper tops and jumpers.

Levantine I didn't exactly chuck everything out, but had so many weight fluctuations with two babies and BFing in quick succession, that I was basically left with no clothes once I lost the baby weight second time round.

I find the whole wardrobe thing fascinating, I just cannot get my head around the concept of having wardrobes full of clothes that I don't wear. I know women who have hundreds of clothes that they do wear, which seems a lot less awful, but lots of thin/fat/special/expensive clothes that never see the light of day seems pointless.

I find dressing so much easier since limiting my wardrobe to a colour palette and style that suits me, and I know that I always look reasonably pulled together. Doesn't bother me that I wear the same 2-3 pairs of jeans in rotation most of the time unless it's particularly hot or cold, because they are lovely, flattering pairs of jeans.

I think it's better to buy quality where possible. Especially the foundations of your wardrobe, so I would definitely spend on premium denim. I also really recommend J Brand, very flattering and great quality. I have about 8 pairs (not exactly capsule wardrobe territory) but have picked most of them up in sales. My favourite pair were £50 in the Donna Ida sale.

Make the most of sale season, which is coming up very soon. I had to have a big wardrobe refresh after losing weight post DC2 at the beginning of the year. I spent 4 figures, but that bought me triple what it would have full price.

Either/both - it just depends on a few things. For very high fashion that is 'this season' it's not really worth spending too much. Also it has a lot to do with your age and weight. Skinny young flipperygibbets can look good in a polyester dishrag but the rest of us need some decent tailoring and a capsule wardbrobe of reliable classics darling.

I think it's better to this:

Start with the bulk of your wardrobe being a good selection of mid-priced decent quality items that you can rely on to fit well, hang well and wash well, be versatile, and from a fairly narrow, co-ordinating range of colours that suits you.

Then splashout on a small selection of more expensive classics - things that you know will last you years and not date - a decent jacket/coat, nice boots, a lovely classic LBD that will take you anywhere, a couple of nice quality jumpers/cardigans etc.

Then save the cheap and cheerful for splash of occasional fun - just one or two 'must have' items for that season, then don't feel bad if you ditch it after a year. Things like sparkly/floaty tops to wear with jeans on casual evenings out etc.

The trick is to learn to mix them up so that everything looks expensive.

It's called mixing Cheap and Cheerful with Steep and Fearful.

I agree with everyone. My shoes, bags, underwear and coats are always expensive (designer) as people subsconciously notice those (incl underwear because good ones give you good shape). I always go for cheap with summer fashions are because they're a fad. Year round staples are from the high end of the high street eg gap jeans and cheap end (eg I have about 6 sweaters from Primark that I wore for the last 6 months (and now 6 t-shirts) while my baby has been weaning and now attempting to feed himself! When its all mixed up you can't tell the difference. My brother (a very sharp dresser who only wears designer) was really surprised a while ago when he complimented me on my sweater and asked me who the designer was. I said it was £3 from Primark .

I also agree with everyone.

One thing to think about is the season -- I think cheap summer clothes (even if you are not young/ tall & thin) can be fine.

Cheap winter clothes I have more problems with -- I want wool/ cashmere (non acrylic jumpers); boots must be leather; coats of a decent quality.

Summer time I look at H&M/ Primark -- etc. In the winter those stores are off my list (except for tights) as acrylic/wool mixes don't look after being washed.

I usually go for quality and sales.

So buy at beginning of season for stuff I really like. Then in the sales at the end.

Summer stuff is easier for cheaper things. Cotton dresses etc

I am not sure I could get any more clothes in my wardrobe but most of it I either don't look or looks cheap - even stuff from M&S, or maybe I am just getting old and fussy.

When I have asked for help in shops and said I have no idea what suits me I have got nowhere so mayb paying someone is the way to go .

id go for better quality if you can. That doesnt always mean expensive, but there are certain places i want to avoid now. I love the look of H&M clothes but im giving them up as they shrink so much after one wash, theyre a false economy. New look do the same thing but not quite as much.
Topshop and dorothy perkins are much better quality. Even peacocks are better made than h&m

I think you need a basic wardrobe of staple pieces (which vary from person to person) and it is worth spending as much as you need to buy fairly good quality things as you will wash and wear them a lot (probably to death). For the pieces that will liven up your look, you need to be prepared to spend across the spectrum.

Cos is good for quite plain but not dull staples.

I buy really cheaply for the summer, as it is so short in the UK. I wouldnt splurge on clothes at this time of year. My summer purchases this year have been a couple of cheap capri pants from Dotty P, some plain tops & a couple of cheap dresses from Hennes and Zara, sandals from New Look.

For the rest of the year, I invest in good quality shoes / boots, a good coat and nice lighter jacket, a couple of blazers, nice cashmere cardis, Rigby & Peller bras.

I used to buy expensive jeans, but in all honesty, my Topshop Baxters fit as well as my 7s and have lasted as long.

I buy lots of dresses of all price ranges - totally depends on if I love it or not.

If I were you I would spend a day window shopping or a few hours online browsing and think about what you need, then match it against your budget.

Also the sales are usually early enough to coincide with better weather.

I haven't seen anything that good for a while but theoutnet can be really useful.