Please suggest some places I should start getting clothes from!

[Wherediditgo]

I’m increasingly disappointed with the clothes I buy from the following places:

Next - don’t fit very well and can be a bit, dull. And have started to fall apart after a few washes
ASOS - too ‘trendy’
Top shop/river island - ditto
H&M/New Look et al - not well made and a bit on the cheap side for me.

Where can I get good quality clothing, that doesn’t make me look 20 years older than I am (I’m mid 30s) and also doesn’t make me look like I am trying to relive my youth??

Please help

@Orangeblossomscent I have some lovely Hobbs things - two jackets that fit beautifully before children and I am keeping them for my daughters, and a coat that is my go-to smart coat. I have a stunning vampish velvet gown from Laura Ashley (!) which is just Hollywood glamour - I wore it to an Oxford Law Soc ball one year, a long time ago (eek) - and will be passed to my girls. I don't bother looking at LA anymore, and Hobbs style and quality are too old now - used to be funky smart professional chic.
And I agree with your statement of affairs :(

“Priti Patel hell” 😂😂 There’s a certain shade of blue I don’t wear in case I look like Thatcher or tory 😂

The boots! The boots! What on earth? It's a joke surely?

DD wore a 1990’s Laura Ashley raw silk ball gown of mine to a school prom - again it was one with timeless Hollywood glamour.

To return to the topic, I love Jigsaw, always have, but I don’t think I’d trust them with my cash at the moment. I’d wait until the 12th April and buy in store from John Lewis. I agree that you probably need to make a deliberate effort get your head around the seriously increased prices for the mid-level high street - it does sound like it’s a psychological rather than a financial barrier for you? If you actually don’t have the money then Uniqlo can be extremely affordable and is great quality. Charity shops can be excellent depending on your area and whether it’s the sort of thing you enjoy. M&S can be great if you weed through the enormous range to find the gems - for some reason the selection in the tiny St Pancras branch is always calculated to suit my tastes.

Theresa May used to wear the odd Whistles piece to Prime Minister's Questions. Nail. In. Coffin .😂

I rarely but full price. I try on during their ‘new in’ season and buy in sales. Some prices for pieces of cloth are ridiculous. You do get what you pay for, but you don’t have to pay the full price.
Outlet villages can be quite good for basic items as long as you are strong enough to resist impulsive purchases rather than the item you’ve planned to buy.

I think comfort is also important. It goes alongside good fit. Pulling and tugging at uncomfortable clothing is rarely a good look. Decent underwear too - black lace whale tails riding above a half decent pair of trousers, a black bra showing through a pastel silk shirt or obvious lines cutting buttocks in half are not a timeless look

@PursuingProxemicExactitude

Snezcomb, you're surely the only person I will meet on MN who even knows about Avavav, let alone shops there! (I've just taken delivery of some wonderful wool trousers at the tail end of the AW sale. I too have scarcely shopped from the U.K. high street in a decade.)

OP there's a thread atm on good quality clothes, which might be worth a look, though you may find the suggestions too staid. My first thought - for you - would be Free People.

I've just looked Avavav. Wtaf?? Slimey feet? avavav.com/collections/oo-new-arrivals/products/slimy-feet

Theresa May, whatever her other faults, was never dressed as an identikit Female Tory Minister (aka Priti Patel Hell) but had a genuine interest in fashion and distinctive mid to high end clothes generally. I think it would be mean to hold it against the many brands she bought things from.

Joules
M and S and Tu very selectively.
EWM even more selectively- the odd thing from Country Rose part
Boden good for swimwear
Sea Salt

@ExcusesAndAccusations

Theresa May, whatever her other faults, was never dressed as an identikit Female Tory Minister (aka Priti Patel Hell) but had a genuine interest in fashion and distinctive mid to high end clothes generally. I think it would be mean to hold it against the many brands she bought things from.

Whistles had already gone downhill Theresa did not help improve their brand image.

I’ve just had a really nice cotton jersey blazer from Whistles. But I agree in general it’s gone downhill. Whistles, Reiss, Hobbs... all still have the odd nice piece but in general have gone over to polyester, or viscose if you’re lucky. Even places like Winser London are charging nearly £400 for a viscose blazer.

Seasalt are really good for casual basics the stuff is very good quality and I also like Hobbs and Joules

@Maireas

Those boots They'd certainly help with social distancing! Apart from that, there are some quite nice things.

You mean you managed to get past the boots to look at the rest of the website? I'm impressed!

I mainly buy from monsoon in the sales, I'm quite impressed by &otherstories. I have a lovely black dress from there. I'm seriously tempted by this dress. It's my birthday soon so I'm thinking about spoiling myself.www.grass-fields.com , Anele dress

EmmaGrundy I did!
I saw a really nice long ruffled white shirt!!

I love &Other Stories for different clothes and my new fave brand in lockdown in ACAI Outdoorwear. Their skinny jeans are life changing x

ACAI Outdoorwear their jeans are insane
&Other Stories - really cool pieces
Oasis - good sale things at the min
Monsoon - these also have an amazing sale right now x

At mid 30s you’re still in your youth, surely, not past it

I hesitate to advice as you’re still so young and I a fair bit older (50)

But I like Baukjen for work or “classy” clothes and Hush for weekend/laid back stuff (ie every day since lockdown), imo Hush are starting to compromise a bit on quality, victim of their own success maybe. I like Forgotten Tribes when I feel a bit boho, quite original stuff. And Uniqlo for good basics. Unexciting though.

These brands suit my shape, I guess it depends how tall you are but both Baukjen and Hush suit me despite being 6ft with curvy hips (both come up generous and cut for women who go in and out a bit)

I agree Next, HM and New Look too poor quality (occasional gem though), Boden and Joules too country-wife (also Boden is cut for women with no hips), Hobbs too Priti Patel, Jigsaw ... who knows what’s happening, white stuff (auto correct changed it to shite stuff that’s enough)

Not many brands I like anymore

Try Land's End if you like casual. You can get everything from outdoor to stylish to classic preppy.

And with your size you'll be able to get a lot at a reduced price.

@SmudgeButt

Try Land's End if you like casual. You can get everything from outdoor to stylish to classic preppy.

And with your size you'll be able to get a lot at a reduced price.

I'm in my 50s and think I'm still too young for Land's End!

Interesting that Baukjen is cut for people with hips these days. I remember buying from the maternity line 15 years ago (gulp) and the main label all seemed very much designed for the very tall and pencil-slim. I've avoided it as a result. (I'm very tall and very hourglass, though middle age has made me somewhat less wasp waisted than I used to be...)

Personally I am waiting patiently for someone to sell some waisted blouses. You know, with a fitted empire section beneath the bust and a forgiving bit of princess-seamed cloth beneath. I bought a cheap poly blouse in H&M with that style years ago and have grimly hung onto it because it's so rare and so flattering.

I'm in my 50s and think I'm still too young for Land's End!

I’m nearing the end of my seventh decade and think the same!

Forever unique is an interesting one. Their website makes me gasp in horror and yet, a friend buys loads from there and the clothes are always good quality and she always looks fantastic.

I like a bit of Superdry and Holland & Cooper too. Oh and Oliver Bonas.

*@linerforlife *

Imagine a crowd of those people with those boots chasing you down the high street. Happy nightmares!!