Quality of clothes which everyone kept on recommending but actually turned out to be a piece of c***???

[balkanscot]

After my initial enthusiasm about Hush (read loads of great recommendation here on Mumsnet and beyond) I bought a few pieces. Turned out that almost 4 months down the line the black leggings & harem trousers are tearing at the seams. Leggings were a bit meh after a few washes (colour started to fade, felt they were going a bit bobbly, too, blah, blah). I am washing them inside out, at 40 degrees or less, non-bio washing powder, etc.

Similar experience with ME and EM - man, oh, man, how enthusiastic I was (read lots of glowing reviews about quality, etc.) when I purchased 3 pairs of stripy Breton tops (ruched ones) - within a year I had to chuck one of them in the bin as it developed a number of small holes down the side seam - at first I thought it had been damaged by moths but it hadn't. Now my second top is about to develop a few small holes down the seam side, too!!!

Now Hush and ME and EM are not at the cheap end of the spectrum and that's why it is f me right off! I really expected them to last a bit longer than 4 months/1 year.

I am f off and giving myself my first ever because I need to calm down! What happened to quality items that would last for years and years - had a Jigsaw Breton top which sadly died after 7 years of constant wear/tear/washing. Have had a pair of cream Versace Sport jeans which are still as good as new 15 years down the line. I am talking about this kind of quality, 5+ years without the garment going down the pan.

Has anyone experienced similar - enthusiastic about the purchase, only to find out that the purchase turned out to have been pretty rubbish?

Rant over.

Yes. And annoyingly it seems completely random. Had some stuff from GAP last forever, others collapse after months. Same with Boden. In fact same with everywhere, but if it was £5 from H&M the rage is somehow less.

I read your title and immediately thought Hush. I bought two of their 'perfect' shape linen mix v-neck tshirts for £27 each () and both have developed those little holes at the front .
The Oasis tshirts I bought at the same time for half the price look good as new.

White Company jersey goes into holes too. Like Standout says, so do they all but if it's cheapo Gap/H&M it hurts less.

feel the same about White Company and have stopped buying there as a result

Yes, it's the randomness of it all that is SO annoying! I even have quite a sizeable hole under the armpit of one of Brora's cashmere cardigans - 7 years old - I should have patched it up when it first appeared about a year ago but I couldn't be arsed. Now it strictly for wearing around the home only. And I can't afford a new one (from Brora - the holey one was a birthday treat from my mum). Similar with one of the White Company's hooded cashmere cardigan from 4 years ago (bought in the sale but still expected it to last for at least another 4). Argh!

On the other hand I have a brilliant belted jacket from Reiss that is as good as new after 6 years of constant wear & tear & a few dry cleans thrown in. Judging by this it will easily last another 4-6 years.

And a Brora V-neck sweater bought in 2004 - apart from a tiny moth hole it is spotless, no bobbling, no holes in armpits or similar. So, not sure if Brora's quality has gone downhill since then or what but there you go, randomness indeed!

See I have had 2 pairs of hareem trousers from hush for over 3 years now and they are still like new. Has the quality gone down the pan recently??

It has with Boden. I have their plain tops and cashmere jumpers from years ago, still lovely. Bought 3 tops this year - holes all over the shop in 2 months! Have returned them with no fuss though. Great Cust account

I think quality varies from garment to garment with all brands ive had cheap £5 tops that i picked up while shopping in asda last for 10 years ive also had more expensive garments go tatty after a few washes , i have been known to take things back if they look crap after a couple of washes

All of my Boden cardigans split along the neck seam. Does anyone else have that problem? They cost loads, so it is bloody annoying.

White Company jumper split at the neck seam after literally 10 minutes of wear. The replacement did the same but lasted a month. Can't remember the price but typical WC price. I do like some of their clothes but that put me right off.

Hush has weird sizing. I like their vest tops for layering though.

I am on the verge of giving up on Phase 8. I used to buy a lot of their knitwear but the last few tops have laddered within weeks.

River island kids clothes are sucky
Bought a few items that were age appropriate which was a tall order in there. And the skirt and coat both fell apart

I don't expect amazing quality but the lining of a cost I bought in Great Plains literally disintegrated. Every single seam started to split after a couple of months. Really put me off.

Same happened to a Zara coat I bought but I took it back and they mended it for me (local seamstress I think) - been brilliant ever since despite a lot of wear.

I bought boden leggings (with a voucher they sent) last year and they are really thin and bobbled straight away. They're always suggested on legging threads

If you're getting holes at the front, it may not be due to the t-shirt quality, it may well be your jeans button.
Side seam holes can be due to friction against jeans rivets or shoulder bags. That's can, not always.

And yes, I've had the Boden cardi neck seam issue, my alterations lady can fix them, but she shouldn't need to!

I bought two hush jumpers. Both bobbled really quickly. Returning them was a pita so I gave up.

I bought two hush jumpers. Both bobbled really quickly. Returning them was a pita so I gave up.

Hush.... Harem trousers went baggy at the knees after wearing for 2 hours. (Returned, no problem.). I bought Amie joggers instead as I really like the style but they go really baggy quickly too. Haven't been arsed to return them but should have.

I find Boden cashmere pretty good... The only Boden stuff I buy for myself though as i find it all a bit too 'fun' and shapeless. Keep trying bits but the cut always looks a bit frumpy on me. Apart from the Ravello cream top! (Good for work!)

I find the same with clothes for my DDs. H&M is not worth bothering with even for their prices, nothing lasts longer than a month or so. Next tops and leggings holey within a few weeks. Same for M&S. Boden fares a little better.

I don't buy viscose anymore as it lasts terribly and looks like a rag after a couple of washes. Cotton tops seem to be very thin these days and develop the holes in after a few wears.

I also love all things Vivienne Westwood. I have been a fan since the nineties. 2 Christmases ago I bought a handbag With money the whole family gave me.... So it was a big deal.

I chose one which was £350 instead of £550.
I owned it for 10 months and the print on the handle wore off revealing white straps. I tried taking the bag back and they said they had to send it back to the manufacturer in Italy as the bags were made by a different company.

It took 5 months to send it off and I recieved a parcel one day with the bag.....unfixed and no note.
I asked the VW shop to ring the suppliers and they claimed the handle was down to wear and tear.
As they had not made the bag the VW shop said the most they could offer was £120 as a credit note to spend in store. I took that because I saw loads more on line had even gone to small claims and had been unsuccessful.

The bag has now gone in the bag cover it came in and has been condemned to the back of my wardrobe. It's unusable as it looks bloody awful.

It was like the picture shown but a stunning violet lilac colour

Oh no I was one of those posters raving about Me and Em quality a few years ago. I haven't bought from them recently. Sorry op.

I guess the randomness is because even high end retailers now outsource to such an extent that they've lost control of quality. Pretty dodgy ethically too. And yet they don't seem to try it on so much with menswear. When my son and husband buy Ts they just take it for granted they'll be cotton. Funny that

I disagree with pp about H&M though. Yes they're unpredictable but so are most stores now. I find their basics (not so much their fast fashion) can wear as well as anything high end. You can still get cotton there and at least, if something does fall apart, I don't feel cheated.

I think it's the item rather than the brand tbh.

I have 2 Me & Em dresses and they are going strong after some hard wearing.

Jigsaw, I have some items which are 10+ years old, other items have been binned after relatively little wear.

White Company I bought 2 cardigans - one went bobbly immediately and split at the seam, but the other is still great after a lot of wearing and washing (a little shrunken but that's my fault for washing it at too high a temp). Different fabrics.

Tummy holes in T shirts - yes. From all brands. Unless the T shirt is thick cotton.

I'm guessing quality has gone down as most clothing is made in sweat shops in near slave labour conditions, with highest possible turnover and lowest possible quality, from fabrics used to cheap labour. I've noticed in last few years off the roll cotton fabrics are not as decent quality as they used to be, but pricing hasn't changed.

That's funny, I find all my white company tops, sweaters and jersey wear really well and last years. Same with most Boden.
But I've found Phase Eight bobbles really quickly. Never tried Hush but will heed all your advice!

Totally agree about Hush - I think it used to be better quality and you'd only get the odd item that was rubbish - now I would say 70% is poor quality for the price. Plus they are one of those annoying companies that you have to chase under the Consumer Contract Regs to refund original postage for returns. Their pjs used to be lovely material, I really hope they still are as the ones I bought a few years back are still going strong!

Other places I agree it is totally hit and miss - I have a lovely cashmere jumper I got from The White Company last year - it has washed and worn beautifully and I am so pleased with it. The year before I bought a wool cardigan that was honestly only fit to line the dog's basket after 3 months. Jigsaw is the same - some bits are great, some only last a few months.