Buying less but better quality

[garfunkelthecat]

Has anybody here switched from fast fashion to more considered better quality purchases? Have you found you spend less now than you did? I'm trying to kick the habit of bulk buying fast fashion items but it's tough!

No to spending less, but I do find that if I make considered buys, I wear them for many years. For example, I have just spent £300 on a summer weight down jacket in navy. I feel the cold, so I expect to wear this until it falls into shreds or at least 10 years, so the cost per wear will be 200 days per year x 10 years, which makes it cheap.

I saw the jacket, tried it, liked it a lot, then walked away for a week before I bought it. I don't spend any less, but I do usually get very good wear out of the expensive clothes I buy.

Yes, stopped buying fast fashion on principle to be honest. I am spending slightkly less, maybe 70-80% of what I used to, but I find that I like my clothes much better and they last longer too.

It is a mental challenge though, to spend the amount once and get one item for it, rather than buy multiple items on many different occasions. But you end up putting much more thought and deliberation into your purchases.

Just an idea but if you buy only UK/EU made goods it narrows down your choices a lot. Can't say I'm spending less though, definitely not.

Unfortunately I make just as many errors in buying expensive clothes as I do with cheap ones. Maybe errors isn't quite the right word, but you have to wear clothes a bit before knowing how they fit into your life, if they're comfy or somehow wonky (if they chafe/pull/wrinkle/look like a rag after washing etc), and I frequently find an item I was convinced would slot in perfectly just doesn't work for me. And of course expensive clothes are just as prone to stains, wear and tear, going in the hot wash by accident or whatever.

I used to buy mostly used clothes on eBay and you often can afford higher-quality used clothes than you'd normally buy, but because they're almost always not returnable, you end up wasting money imo.

I'm considered in my purchases, but that's only because I get annoyed with myself when I 'waste' money on mistakes or poor quality items.

I like having a large ish wardrobe to choose from, so I don't think that spending more would make me buy less. Fashion changes quickly and I do get bored of items, after s few years. I don't think clothes are made to last anymore either m, even expensive brands.

Try hard to buy clothes made you n the country I live in. Or buy British made, Italian shoes ( although aware lots components Italian shoes made in Eastern block then put together in Italy).
End up buying less but not spending less.
Good second hand shops are my friend! Ebay too risky.
I have lots scarfs and accessories to change look.
Just bought Very Expensive Coat but hopefully will last 10 plus years.
Even if but expensive no guarantee you won’t get sick if them though!

I struggle with this. I don't like the ethics of fast fashion but I do like the silliness of it, plus I get bored with my clothes, which isn't my finest quality but hey that's me. I think high street clothing has gone to the dogs in the last 5-10 years but I also have to say that some of my worst ever buys have been so-called investment purchases. I also think that if I only ever bought quality I wouldn't experiment as much, which for me is part of the enjoyment.

My compromise is to buy second hand as much as possible. It means I can afford brands that would normally be out of my league and I then mix them up with bits and pieces from the likes of H&M and Uniqlo.

I have a lot of clothes but that's partly because I don't get rid of things just because I've not worn them for a while. I put them away and recycle them all the time. I'm wearing an ankle length denim skirt today that I haven't worn for about 20 years.

I just wanted to add, another point of consideration is the resale value if you end up selling anything. I had a rude shock about this when I was doing a clearout, and realized that my high street items are not worth much in the eyes of second hand buyers (nobody bought a high street coat on ebay for which I had asked for for less than 10% of the price I had paid), but my designer things went like hot cakes and I recovered 30%+ of the value without trying.

I have but it is Ebay/chazzer stuff (often new!) and i spend heaps more because i love a bargain .

No to spending less, but I definitely look better!

Fast fashion allowed me to indulge some truly bizarre notions of style without really thinking them through...

Not spending less, but getting things that look better and make me feel better, plus I have more space in the wardrobe. The not spending less is mostly due to the fact that I get bored of clothes and they go out of fashion. I can't imagine wearing the same winter coat for 3 years in a row, although it is still good for another 5 years.

Yes, this is me this year. I find I am overwhelmed by the level of choice on the high street so have decided to spend more on a few good quality more expensive items. So far I've found it much easier to coordinate outfits by being a bit more exclusive as to where I shop.

I have, I would rather have a few good quality pieces than loads of crap.I recently spent £90 on a denim Toast pinafore dress that looks great on me, the cut and fit so much better than cheaper dresses and feel good. Same with jeans. I have found True Religion curvey range, I spent £90 on a pair, they are the best head I have ever had. The material is soft and stretchy and they are comfortable ans flattering.

Im more deliberate and planned about my wardrobe now which gets me away from cheap fast fashion. I had my colours done about 5 years ago. Then spent a long time thinking about my style type and what suits me. I have a fairly pleasing wardrobe that works well together. But i find it hard to spend money on myself. And find more pricey mistakes harder to swallow. But this year i hsve given myself a monthly budget. Its what i must spend on me and wardrobe is getting more high end as a result. Ive just replaced an old primatk t-shirt with a whistles shirt. Both orange ' a colour i love wearing. The orange primark tshirt is the last of a bunch of tshirts i bought in my colours once i had colours done. It suited me so well it survived years of wardrobe culls. So I'm really hopeful the expensive replacement will be really useful and much loved. But its hard to know what investments pay off. My strategy now is to try to upgrade things i like or find useful. Later in tbe year i will try to fibd a high end replacement for my down coat. Its from tk maxx and nit the nicest but i wear it a lot because its just so damn useful.

What I'm 100% on board with is spending more on everyday clothes that will get hammered and washed to buggery. But for 'occasion' clothes that are rarely worn, where the lighting will be shit and half the people pissed - it's cheap and cheerful all the way for me.

I've never done fast fashion but my mother taught me to scrunch a fabric to check for creasing, about cut and bias, lining and feeling the swish (which is when something fits and hangs perfectly). A navy crepe dress for £35 does it, a Basler dress reduced from £279 to £20 does it and would have been worth £279. So plain, so simple and gets a compliment every time. A Jigsaw 3/4 length coat does it at £299 as does a simple M&S pink one for £80. The best coat I ever had was by Mansfield, dark grey trimmed with black velvet in a Kossack style. It was £250 in 1986 and made me feel a million dollars. It "died" 10 years later and was worth every penny. And my Burberry trench coat £175 in 1984 but I still wear it 10 times a year rather than the 100 i did for 10 years.

I wear navy in the summer and black in the winter for work; dresses and trousers mainly and have some simple tops and good cardigans (Debenhams have v good jackety cardigans).

Weekends cotton dresses in summer, black jeans and goid tops in winter.

And good shoes. Good shoes, bag and scarves are my friends.

Nothing beats a really good coat.

I love the feel of nice fitting clothes, I do have cheap clothes too, but they just don't feel or wear the same. If your on a tight budget you buy within your means, I am in no way flush, I look at sale items, e bay the brand to see if I can get it at a fraction of the price, save for a piece.

I do spend less this way, but I also like having a fairly restricted wardrobe. I agree with pp that buying second hand is a good way to get better quality stuff. I use eBay for brands I know fit me, or duplicates of things I already have. I don't make many mistakes but when I do I just sell them again.

I still buy cheap t-shirts from Primark etc because I like to wear white ones and they just don't stay white no matter what brand they are.

I think expensive coats are well worth the money, but also well worth trawling second-hand/vintage shops for - and having altered.

I think the best thing about my approach, for me, is that it keeps me out of the high street shops on the whole, and I don't make so many impulse purchases - but if you like to have a bigger wardrobe and to keep up with trends I think it would be harder!

@NiteFlights have you tried bamboo for white tshirts? They're the only optic white item in my wardrobe that I've been able to keep that way. I suspect it's the tight fibre that resists picking up the lint, soap residue and stray colour that clings to cotton. Even the armpits (urgh, sorry) haven't gone off.

Ive been doing this for years, in the beginning you do spend more but with time you find yourself buying less and spending less.

have started buying in my 20s and now in my mid thirties I have a good selection of investment pieces that I still wear and see myself wearing for years to come.

Thanks @arousingcheer, I will investigate.

I have tried this but unfortunately it just taught me that a) most things are worth spending on and just buying the thing I want rather than a similar thing in a sale and b) I like variety. I work in a fashion company and I don't want to wear the same thing each day. So now I have lots of nice shoes, coats and bags and definitely don't spend less.

I decided last year that as I wfh and don’t have a work wardrobe I was going to start investing in more expensive pieces - i don’t wear fashion very much I’m more into classic items.
So far it’s going ok but I’m waiting for the sales to buy things so what I bought at the end of summer last year are now being worn this summer. It’s going to take a long while to build up a decent wardrobe though!

I try to avoid shopping on the high street because everything is so seductive but it seems like nothing really works, if you see what I mean. The majority of my Zara stuff, for example, winds up an epic disappointment - although I have an amazing pair of navy/gold button sailor trousers from last year that are quite possibly the crown jewel of my wardrobe.

I have easy access to the US market - I'm able to bring over up to 2 suitcases of clothes a year by way of various trips. I buy probably half my wardrobe second-hand on ebay.com, I rely upon the same brands over and over so that I can predict size. Mostly Theory, Ralph Lauren, J.Crew, Sandro, TSE.

I'm 44 so I try very much to keep my head out of trends. 90% of the time I'm in skinny jeans, a cashmere jumper and boots - so I spent a major chunk of my clothing budget on cashmere jumpers (all ebay.com) and an investment pair of boots every 3 or 4 years.

ohtheroses you sound so much like me.. check the lining and hem finish 😀
Never done fast fashion..imo the high street lower end clothes new look dp etc are tat. And don't even say primark 😯

I’ve tried to spend more on coats, boots, bags etc. My current coat has just done it’s 6th winter and I still love it.

Occasion clothing I tend to get off eBay - the last few weddings I’ve been to I have worn a great Reiss dress £30 via eBay. I can’t justify £150 for something I’ll wear once or twice. Then I can sell it on afterwards. Also get occasion stuff from TK Maxx.

For work I like jersey dresses as they don’t need ironing and travel well (travel for work) but I try and buy Baukjen, Phase 8 etc in the sales. I find the armpits get manky after one too many sweaty tube commutes so I don’t buy full priced as they have a limited lifespan however much I pay. Same with t-shirts so I just get H&M.

I buy a lot from charity shops too and have picked up some great bargains - Whistles, Cos, Baukjen, All Saints etc.

I love the style of brands such as Whistles but have found the quality of several Whistles items disappointing for the price so I only buy second hand / very end of sales when heavily reduced.

Don’t assume because something is expensive it’s great quality!