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.

Ooh didn’t know about the London outlets!

Love Hobbs - some girly stuff but lots of easy A-line dresses, and good thick coats and trench coats. LK Bennett great IMO for
when you have to go to a dreaded summer party and look like a corporate Stepford Wife, have two really gorgeous dresses from there that have people asking where they’re from.

Arket looks so expensive - did go to the Regent St shop and was a pricey version of And Other Stories (all in the same group?).

Wish more places did an older preppy look! Not too girly, simple and tailored...

Ah just seen Spirited’s post!

Cos looks great but sort of place where your whole wardrobe needs to be from there for the pieces to work.

Bought a dress online from Whistles and massively regret it - made from silk but with a heavy back zip which drags the whole thing down :( poor design

Notmyrealname85

Ummmm I’m not sure that it is but it’s certainly a specific look. I’m quite selective in there now since loose cuts look crap with my shape ( as much as I love the look) and I do mix them up with other brands . I think it’s more minimalist than & Other Stories which looks more “ trendy” to me. ( 70s boho etc) although I like their sunglasses and bags. Arket looks more clean cut than Stories and more fitted on the waist than Cos - a bit like Banana Republic maybe.?? I haven’t looked at the quality of the fabric though. Price wise they’re not more expensive than Jaeger.

I haven’t bought from Whistles in ages but I’m surprised they’re still doing those big zips up the back.

Ooh didn’t know about the London outlets!

With the exception of Burberry (which has been there for ages as it used to be a Burberry factory so in the old days, it was a genuine factory shop - although it's a huge modern retail outlet targeting coachloads of Chinese customers), the rest of the outlets opened in 2017. They call it Hackney Walk:

www.hackneywalk.com/

It's not on the tube (so use bus/train/Uber) but I'm lucky enough that it's (longish) walking distance from me. I nearly walked up there today actually but was on my way home from the gym and couldn't face the humilation of wandering round Burberry wearing sweaty gym kit and no make-up.

OP, I’ve just had a look at the LK Bennett website and I think it has changed a fair bit since I shopped there. They had a particular style of dress (Marina? Davina?) when they first became popular which was, for me, a very flattering office style. Not much in that vein now though - bit too flowery and flowy - but keep an open mind because I never used to shop at Hobbs until I walked in their one day, met a very good sales assistant who directed me to things I wouldn’t have chosen for myself, and then walked out with a massive hole in my wallet and a full office wardrobe.

Another shout-out for Arket here. You may have to venture into the West End to see what its like in reality (they also have a shop in Covent Garden if that's any better than Regent Street, and also Westfield), but once you get your eye in on sizes you can buy online.

Useful thread, thanks OP!
I tend to buy quite a bit in the Reiss sale (it is overpriced but the fit really works in me and I like their silk blouses).
I like some Hobbs things (a fab trench coat recently), but some of it’s a bit ‘Tory MP’ somehow which isn’t the look I’m going for, and cut very short on the waist.

I like Jigsaw for knitwear, LK Bennett for tweed blazers and invested about 2 years ago in 3 pairs of White Company Cambridge trousers - slim fit, side zip, go with everything and machine washable- perfect!

Ha the 'a bit Tory MP' comment about Hobbs really made me laugh! Very true though as well.

It's hard finding a balance between formal business wear and too boring / dull. For me, The Fold crosses over into the dull side but Winser looks promisinh. I will brave Westfield Stratford and go and have a look at Arket after so many recommendations. I'll also look at Reiss again. I won't buy manmade fabrics for suits / coats / jackets and that seems to be extra-limiting these days.