Is there an alternative to the 'old' Jaeger for quality office clothes?

[HundredMilesAnHour]

I used to love Jaeger for work clothes about 7-8 years ago. Admittedly I always got them from the outlet or in the sale (or preferably in the outlet sale!) This was when they seemed to get a little bit more fashionable with their Jaeger London range running in parallel with their more classic range.

Everything was well cut. It might not look much/very exciting on a hanger but when you tried them on the clothes were transformed and looked very stylish. The fabrics were good quality and lasted well. Their clothes were an investment for me and I still have quite a few wool Jaeger jackets/coats in my wardrobe.

So where has it all gone wrong? There is literally nothing on their website that I would consider buying. They seem to have sank into utter frumpdom. When the clothes aren't even flattering to the models wearing them, you know there's a serious problem. They make M&S look cutting edge. I thought that was bad enough until I actually went in a physical Jaeger store this week. OMG. It was awful. From a distance it looks okay but on closer inspection, the fabrics are all manmade and cheap. I'd hate to imagine what would happen if you lit a match in there.

So Jaeger is no longer viable for work clothes - or any clothes really I think. So where can I go? I'm interviewing for new jobs and expecting to end back up in consulting so I need to look smart, fairly formal and chic. I've ordered some dresses from The Finery to try them (but they haven't arrived yet) as they get good reviews for fabric quality.

Any other suggestions? I hear good things about Margaret Howell but sounds a little too over budget (especially given I'm not working at present). I'm not a huge high street fan but I will go wherever has some decent quality. Does decent quality exist anywhere or has fast-fashion meant that everything is manmade and disposable now? (which I hate - I strongly believe in buy quality and look after it). Jigsaw seemed to go 'off' a few years ago but are they back? I will look at Cos as I've had a couple of dresses from them that are good for work and reasonably well made.

Any other bright ideas please stylistas? Many thanks in advance.

I have a couple of (gorgeous) coats from there but have never shopped for workwear. Friends who work in a more corporate environment than me use Hobbs, LKBennett and Karen Millen.

I have a people-facing, corporate job in London so need to be smart. I like to look professional but feminine - to me that means mainly dresses or nice separates.

My go-to places are LK Bennett, The Fold, Winser, DVF, Issa, Roksandr, and Nicole Fahri. I have some beautiful (second hand) pieces from Balenciaga, Chloe and Celine that lift it. Hugo Boss do lovely silk blouses, if that is your thing - also had a couple of nice ones from Boden. I spend quite a bit on clothes but buy clean lines that I can mix and match, great tailoring that suits me and will last, but almost always classics that will stand the test of time (even if I need to change accessories or liven the style).

I know what you mean. I did my last major office clothes shop a while ago and Hobbs and LK Bennet were closest to old Jaeger for me. Prefer Jaeger vanity sizing though and LK Bennet cut very narrow on the shoulders.

Margaret Howell is lovely, but even in the outlet I frequent, it's something stupid like £150 for a plain t-shirt. For workwear, I like Hobbs, Reiss, Ralph Lauren, and John Lewis' own brand range is surprisingly good. I used to get all my basics Next but last time I went in there it was wall-to-wall polyester and nasty prints.

If payday is a way off, I have also been surprised by how many decent things I have managed to find at H&M. Obviously you have to be selective and be prepared to pick through some cheap crap, but I have some good basic tops for wearing under jackets and some fit and flare style dresses which provide an alternative to the pencil/bodycon styles that a lot of workwear seems to favour.

Oh, just saw you mentioned Jigsaw - for me, it has never really come back from the weird turn it took a while back where everything seemed to be asymmetrical and oddly-patterned. It is significantly more expensive than it used to be, with no corresponding upturn in quality. Whistles is not far from how it used to be in its heyday though.

The Fold and Winser London

I have just had good luck with 2 pairs of trousers from Massimo Dutti and like the look of other things on their website but have never been to a store.

I buy second hand Margaret Howell whenever I can and I think it's better than new from pretty much anywhere else. What sets it apart for me is that it looks good all day long. I'm lucky in that a local dress agency gets it in sometimes but I'm thinking of diving into Ebay to find more (and I don't even like Ebay). Vestiaire too.

Toast isn't to everyone's taste but I think some of it has a similar vibe to MH and the quality is generally good-very good (one exception in nearly 10 years of shopping there which was dealt with promptly).

Me and Em might be worth a look. It's a bit more fashiony than Jaegar but still wearable I think and good quality (although I haven't bought for a while). They also have very sales - which are on at the moment.

The Fold keep sending me their catalogue. I have no call for anything that corporate but it does look good.

I’ve returned to Jigsaw in the last couple of years, I think it’s improved.

Also have a number of dresses from Whistles, but the quality has gone downhill sadly. Hobbs is similar to old Jaegar imo.

I’ve also bought a couple of plain dresses from Boden which are great for work.

What about J Crew or Arket? I’ve not bought anything from either but I really liked the look of Arket when I discovered them a couple of months back. I also like John Lewis own brands like Kin but they are not as traditional as Jaeger. Cos is a bit marmite I think - some people really love the cut ( me included) but I don’t look good in lots of it because I need a fitted waist.

Oh yes Hobbs - I buy mine 2nd hand on eBay.

The Fold and Winser London

I’d never heard of either of these but they are both full of gorgeous work things, very similar to the stuff the ladies on Suits wear

Margaret Howell on the other hand - it all looks so shapeless and crumpled!

Hugo Boss, J Crew, LK Bennett and DVF are all good options. Occasionally Hobbs comes up trumps.

I have a few pieces (a couple of dresses, a brilliant 3/4 sleeve jacket, a blouse) from Joseph Ribkoff that are smart, and wash and hang well. Their website is awful for finding things though! You have to be a bit selective, because some of their stuff is more casual. I'm lucky that a local department store has a concession so I can have a proper look through.

Hobbs is good too, but expensive! I bought two nice Gant blouses recently for with skirts, but some of those have become a bit fashion-y.

This is fabulous! Thank you all so much for this. You've no idea how happy you've made me. .

I'm totally new to The Fold and Winser so looking forward to checking them out online very shortly. I'd forgotten about Hobbs although I do have a few jackets from their outlet years ago that still look good and are great for work. How could I have forgotten?!

I'm not really a LK Bennett fan. It's a little bit girlie / Kate Middleton for me (both shoes and clothes) but I'll give them another try. I always though Reiss was massively overpriced but I'll have another look.

I have some amazing Diane Von Furstenberg trousers that I bought years ago at Woodbury Common and I recently re-discovered them in my wardrobe (for the last few years I've either been too fat or too slim to fit them but luckily, right now they fit me just right....until I hopefully lose the last stone that I'm trying to). I also have a Farhi jacket lurking. I need to look at Farhi and DVF I think! Whistles has never worked for me as they seem to design their clothes for people who are 'willowy' whereas I do quite a lot of weights in the gym so I have lats that Whistles tops/jackets just won't accommodate and everything is stretched across my boobs.

I loved Massimo Dutti many years ago when they were just in Spain but back then all their clothes were designed to fit Spanish people i.e. much shorter arms and legs than me so nothing worked for me. But I'll try again now they're in the UK. I'd forgotten about J. Crew too although I used to find them a bit casual and a bit safe.

Boden? No no and thrice no. I'll leave it there.

I need to have a look at Me and Em as well as Arket as they're both also new to me. In my defence, I've lived overseas for 4 of the last few years - as well as having a pathological hatred of high street shopping - hence me being rather out of touch. In my most recent role, it was business casual all the time so I didn't have to dress 'corporate'. Back to dresses and jackets time! My taste is actually quite edgy and I'm quite comfortable wearing a few things to work that are pretty 'out there' but if I get this new job, I will need to tone it down as some of their clients are quite conservative. Looks like I'll be back to expressing myself through my shoes and jewellery. Although I should probably leave the "bite me" earrings at home.

You've all given me some great material to go on so thank you all so very much. I have hope again!

I used to shop at jaeger in my early 20s but think it's got too frumpy in the last 10-15 years.
I would recommend LK Bennet like many PP
I shop on the Outnet a lot now to buy Joseph and DVF. I would recommend looking at those brands and ideally finding them in outlet villages. Hugo Boss is another good one too

Arket is part of the Cos family ( as is & Other Stories) and if you’re interested in checking out the stores in person you’ll find them all on Regent Street just around the corner from Liberty

and if you’re interested in checking out the stores in person you’ll find them all on Regent Street

Argh!!! No! Not the West End. Tourist hell!! (Like many Londoners, I have to be dragged kicking and screaming into the West End and I complain the entire time).

Talking about outlet shopping has reminded me that I should have a walk up to the Hackney outlets for Burberry and Aquascutum as I've got some good workwear from them in the past. Actually I got a fabulous 100% cashmere jumper dress from Burberry (for £149!) in December and I'm wearing it to death as it looks great.

Oh yeah Joseph - I'd forgotten about them.

I can see why some people might find Margaret Howell shapeless but I'm a bit flummoxed by 'crumpled'. The things I have look sharp all day long.

They’re laid out all crumpled on the website

I've had some success with finding some nice trousers/blazers in Mango recently- the trousers especially seem decent quality to me. Might be worth a look?

Ah right yeah, I hardly ever look on the website (far too dangerous)!
All I can say I have a couple of pairs of tailored trousers, a wool coat and a flannel jacket and they're all pristine and stay that way no matter how I treat them. I could probably leave them on the floor overnight (although I wouldn't), give them a shake and wear them the next day.

Soz cross post. That was in reply to Shirley.

But I get the 'shapeless'. Some of it can be a bit Extreme Cos.