Remember when Next used to sell good quality clothes?

[peaceanddove]

I was browsing eBay and looking at vintage 90s Next & Laura Ashley clothes. On a whim I bought a cream, knitted cotton jumper with a roll neck, from Next. It's just arrived. OMG it is such good quality. It's really heavy but soft and just looks like a very good quality sweater. Love it.

Also, was thrilled to spot a candy floss pink, fluffy sweater from Laura Ashley circa 1995. Thrilled because DH bought me the said same sweater Xmas '95, and I loved it so much. Until I shrunk it Again, the quality is just amazing, so heavy, soft, seams properly finished.

It's made me so nostalgic for when the high street sold good quality clothes.

I find clothes shopping now so frustrating. Have bought cheap clothes but when I've spent a bit more on a more expensive brand the quality is the same as the cheap shops. Does anyone know of any labels that actually make quality clothes these days without going absolute high end?

MrsGrindah I still buy loads from Next, their knitwear is lovely, last winter I bought several of their jumpers, all have washed well, kept their shape & not shrunk, including the cashmere ones. I always buy their Jeans, they always fit well & are a perfect length for me, as are their leggings & jeggings, I have quite a few pairs of their linen trousers for the summer as well, some are five or six years old & still look like new, I always buy a couple of pairs a year to add to my collection. The only thing I find that has gone downhill are their shoes, I used to be able to buy beautiful leather ones that lasted & lasted but they now make mainly synthetic ones that are badly fitting & look cheap. The baby & children's wear are always good value, I bought most of ds baby & toddler stuff from Next & even now as he is a teenager can get him stuff that I know he will like, fits well, is made to last & isn't too expensive. Their homeware has always been good, I have towels & bedding that I bought ten years ago that still looks like new & curtains that I bought from their clearance shop when I was moving in to my first house as a single parent that have lasted longer than much more expensive ones from other shops.

@JaceLancs

Anyone remember Richard shops I bought my first interview suit there in the early 80s Pure wool grey pinstripe - really well cut

Richard Shops are filled with all the pretty things...

I bought a couple of RS v-necked sweaters in a charity shop years ago. I don't wear them now but I swear they will outlive cockroaches come Armageddon.

Should also add I had a pair of patent black courts from Dolcis which cost me the then heart-stopping amount of £20 in the mid to late 80's. They've been re-heeled, re-soled, worn to the hellmouth and back and the uppers still look pristine. I haven't worn (or come to think of it even seen) them now for years so may have finally donated but those bad boys will live for ever in my heart.

@ShadowKitty - I know what you mean. I'm tired of the cheap tat from Next, Wallis, Dorothy Perkins etc. Is everything polyester? I bought a few things from Jigsaw which I would recommend in terms of quality. Proper wool and cotton, good colours and designs.

Fucking hate fucking polyester. Just saying!

Why oh why is EVERYTHING polyester??

Jigsaw’s autumn winter 20 stuff is made of better quality fabric than usual. I was very pleasantly surprised.

The decline in the quality (and price) of high street stuff is a tragedy but shoppers decided that they preferred loads of cheap replaceable clothes to decent stuff. Whilst there is a place for cheap clothes (supermarket stuff and Primark etc allow people with not much money to look fairly smart and well turned out, which is a good thing), not enough people wanted to buy the well-made stuff in good fabrics. It was a massive mindset change.

It was noticeable right though the nineties. Next’s share price plunged in the mid-nineties, and they had to move away from quality and style and towards cheap, synthetic stuff that wasn’t designed to last. Their stock is terrible now.

M&S carried on a bit longer (I was interested to read a post upthread referencing the Italian wool suits: I had one in the late nineties and it was fabulous) but inevitably they had to move away from quality UK manufactured clothes and towards imports at the prices most people wanted to pay. At least they had the Autograph range, and tried the Best of British range (which in theory was great but they got the designs a bit wrong: lovely wool crepe skirts two inches too short for the age 35+ women who could afford to buy them, for example).

Primark’s expansion in the 2000s really was the last nail in the coffin.

You really do have to seek out good fabrics now.. I keep hoping that the pendulum will swing back and that enough people will want to buy quality stuff that retailers will start offering it again.

Next was wonderful, had work suits from there, also River Island!! Seems funny to think.
Agree exactly with iamthewombat’s analysis above

@JaceLancs

Anyone remember Richard shops I bought my first interview suit there in the early 80s Pure wool grey pinstripe - really well cut

I remember the TV ad and the song :)

I bought almost all my first babies clothes in Next, 22 years ago. Those clothes then went to four friends with newborns in succession, then came back to me ten years later for my second son, THEN went on to the charity shop. You can’t buy kids clothes like that any more.

I still miss the Monsoon of the 00s. Merino and silk and cotton and clothes that actually fitted boobs.
YES! Clothes these days are not designed for those of us who are large of boob. I mean high necks? Who wears high necks when you have boobs?

Who wears high necks when you have boobs?

I definitely don’t have that problem but when shopping I regularly wonder what the more voluptuous woman is supposed to buy. I imagine that straight up and down clothes are cheaper to manufacture, fewer pieces of pattern maybe?

You are so right about the Monsoon of about 10 years ago. Even five years ago. I still have a pleat back pale grey merino jumper from about then which is still one f my favourite things.

I went to Next on Wednesday and it was so depressing. New Look/Asda quality and styling. Very boxy, poor finish and just a lack of style and very poor fabric choice. There really are no budget high street clothing shops worth visiting now.

I just bought a great pair of black leather chelsea boots from Whistles and a grey cashmere jumper - total cost £359, but they’ll last me for years. Jigsaw are good too but not as good as they were.

Everyone seems to be producing clown clothes.

Can we see what the clothes you bought look like?

My mum used to buy all my clothes from next and Laura Ashley growing up. She always talks about what great quality they were.

I remember when Next started in (?) 1982, their publicists said that they would bridge the gap between M&S and Jaeger. As a student in the mid 80s, I saved for months to buy a Next Italian leather bag. It cost £50 and the quality was incredible; I had it for years.

Next appeared around the same time as Body Shop and Laura Ashley branched out to clothing. Benetton was great. There's others too.
Sadly production was mainly moved to sweatshops in poor countries, to be mass produced and standards dropped.
There was born disposable clothing.

I know I'm missing the point here but this thread is just making me nostalgic for smart workwear. I am mostly wearing leggings for this on going wfh situation.

Even when I was in the office it had definitely become less corporate and smart. I fear I've forever lost my ability to walk 10,000 steps around London in heels.

Agree the quality has really gone down. Recently I found a denim jacket I bought in next in 1995 and I can still wear it, looks and feels great. But anything from there now lasts the year I buy it really. M and S is the same in most things although some of their coats are OK. You have to pay a lot more now.

I still buy a lot from Next, but I view it as “every day” stuff, not “special” or “quality” items. I remember Next was quite high-end, back in the day!

I also buy a lot from Next Tall but it’s much cheaper now and for general wear, for better quality I buy from Seasalt but Next and M&S used to be similar quality to Seasalt but not any more.

Me and dh loved Next, we felt so grown up. I had a black blazer and red pencil skirt which was my go to interview and looking smart out fit. I still have a Chanel style suit in black ribbed fabric that has a half ruffled peplum at the back. Dd wears it sometimes. I bought so much on trend baby wear from there, when baby wear was strictly gendered. I longed for a navy striped outfit with a matching hat for my son. It was always out of stock.
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