Why are the shops SO disappointing?

[JanisMoplin]

I went to Oxford Street for the first time in 2 years hoping to buy a couple of nice simple tops to go with black or grey trousers. It was like the 7th circle of sartorial hell. I am 50, 5"7 and a size 12 so not Alexa Chung but not massive either. Went to
& Other Stories
Zara
Massimo Dutti
M and S
John Lewis

Hated everything. Everything was recycled polyester, frilly great yokes, oversized, too cropped, see through or with principal boy sleeves. Even Uniqlo has succumbed to huge poufy sleeves and it used to be great for basics. Baukjen and Hush in John Lewis were no better.

There were some nice coats but I wasn't looking for coats. The dresses were horrible too; completely sister wife territory
I returned with a boring black knit top from M and S which was £12. Returning to my athleisure!

Thanks looks a good site😀

Nor everyone wants utilitarian, blockish designs, even if they are good quality. And many of us, especially if we are slight and on the thinner side don't suit mens tops or t's as the shoulders and arms are mammoth.

I used to love APC but every damn thing either buried me or made me look like a cardboard cutout boarding school girl

Oh the sea of hideous polyester tat in shops is so depressing. Its the awful trend for quantity over quality.

I've been sorting out piles of boxes in my attic - clothes that don't fit me any more and some stuff of MILs. My god its wonderful! My old clothes were so nice, and all great fabrics, styles and from normal shops... it has inspired me to lose weight so I can wear them again.

MILs stuff was something else! Loads of Jaeger, DAKS, Aquascutum, Ralph Lauren... everything wool, cotton, silk and quite a bit of cashmere (including two full length 100% cashmere coats!)
Her casual stuff was all Lauren, Hilfiger, Hollister that she bought when she made her annual trips to the US. My DDs have snaffled all the best stuff, not that it would fit me!

I get most of my stuff 2nd hand from ebay now.

@FlyingGeeseAgain
I recently ordered some cotton T-shirts from Warehouse online. They had a cutaway asymmetric neckline which I liked. Very small sizing - go up one - or if you prefer looser - two sizes but delighted to say lovely thick cotton.

So much to look forward to … Cecilie Bahnsen’s fall 2022 runway presentation:

[quote EvelynBeatrice]@FlyingGeeseAgain
I recently ordered some cotton T-shirts from Warehouse online. They had a cutaway asymmetric neckline which I liked. Very small sizing - go up one - or if you prefer looser - two sizes but delighted to say lovely thick cotton. [/quote]
Thanks for that tip! Ive just ordered some.

You can see it on this thread: posters complaining that £20 is too expensive for a cotton T shirt but they still want thick cotton and an ethically-sourced garment that lasts, please. Or they have seen decent trousers in Seasalt but still wait for the sale to buy them. If you are a retailer you would very quickly get the message about what’s going to sell in quantity and which garments you are probably going to have to take a hit on. Then, if you want to stay in business then you follow the money.

Yep. 2 years ago, this week in fact, I was made redundant from a women's footwear brand and I have ditched the industry completely. As @Floisme says, it was starting to suck balls working in fashion when your cost price was what people anecdotally wanted to pay. You cannot buy proper leather boots, made in Europe, from Italian leather, for £70 any more.

I had exactly the same experience going shopping recently - was looking forward to it but just came back with a pair of boring navy trousers for work. Such a shame as I was looking forward to getting some new clothes to update my wardrobe. It’s was depressing, the shops seemed so dull with no nice colours.

Those who shop on EBay or Vinted - what happens if the item doesn’t fit / doesn’t suit you? I know from my usual shopping experience that a lot of things that look nice in the pictures look awful on me, I end up returning quite a lot of it.

The nicest clothes I have bought recently have been secondhand but it’s so hit and miss - you often find things you don’t need but not the things you do need!

It is possible to buy beautiful clothes. It's also possible to buy exactly what you want. It's been a long time since I've bought anything from an actual bricks and mortar shop though.

I've been shopping primarily online for 20 years now. I can buy exactly what I'm looking for and want every season. It's not cheap or fast fashion. The majority of the clothes I buy are made in Italy.

There are so many sites now, and I don't think high-end fashion has ever been so accessible.

I haven't shopped on the 'high street' for years. I don't think you'll find much joy there.

@Pangolin44

It is possible to buy beautiful clothes. It's also possible to buy exactly what you want. It's been a long time since I've bought anything from an actual bricks and mortar shop though.

I've been shopping primarily online for 20 years now. I can buy exactly what I'm looking for and want every season. It's not cheap or fast fashion. The majority of the clothes I buy are made in Italy.

There are so many sites now, and I don't think high-end fashion has ever been so accessible.

I haven't shopped on the 'high street' for years. I don't think you'll find much joy there.

Where do you shop?

Cos and Arket are the better H&M brands for tailoring. &otherstories is more marantesque and flouncy. Also check menswear for t-shirts. I’m 47 and 5.8 and have loads of tailored, high neck stuff in cotton. Though oversize is definitely in at the moment.

@FlyingGeeseAgain, mainly Matches, Farfetch, Net a Porter, I can always find what I want.

Then upper high-street; Me&Em, Joseph, Russell and Bromley, Weekend MaxMara.

High Street retailers; Cos, Arket & H&M Premium.

You'll find everything you desire at a combination of the above!

Good shout @Pangolin44 for H&M premium. And if I had the budget I’d completely love to shop from your upper end! Totally my style

@Wandamakesporridge You asked about eBay / Vinted. Most of what I buy is from those sites now because I want good quality clothes but am not willing to spend loads on fashion. There's obviously an element of risk that something might not suit me but for me it's worth it and most decent branded items hold their value if you decide to sell them on. I bought a Laura Ashley dress for £10 recently and it wasn't a massive gamble because I knew if it wasn't right for me, I'd be able to sell it on.

It definitely helps if you know what works for your body shape and colours. I used styled by susie for this although I know a lot of people on here haven't had great experiences, but for me it was a handy way to know what's likely to look good on me.

Sometimes I'll try things on in the shops then end up looking at similar things online. For example I want to wear a jumpsuit to a wedding this summer that's totally outside of my usual style so I'm going to try a few on in the shops without paying much attention to the fabric or quality, just to get an idea of which styles feel good on me.

It's a lot of fun, I set myself a little monthly budget to play with and I definitely experiment more with clothes now than I would if I was paying full price.

Vintage shops are the way forward. There is a large selection in Bristol with fabulous, exciting garments. Not as cheap as charity shops but better selection and sustainable.
I also go for clothes made in India...amazing fabric...silks and brocades etc.

Recycled polyester is not a bad thing really but polyester is a bit naff. I quite like Zara but i find it expensive for what it is.

I'm sorry that happened to you BulletTrain and I hope you've had better fortune outside of the industry.
I know you don't work there any more but could you - or any other industry insiders - talk us through what's happened to the supply chain since the start of the pandemic? I remember reading in 2020 about billions of £s worth of cancelled orders, along with widespread factory closures and I'm guessing we're seeing the impact of that now on the high street but I don't know enough about it.

Honestly I think our expectations on price and style need to change with the times.

So many people complain about quality and fabrics - but want to pay tiny prices. There are loads of good quality clothes out there, you just need to pay for them.

Also, times change. Fashions change. There’s plenty of shops that offer good quality basics but if you’re looking at fast-fashion and high street shops then yeah, they’ll be selling what’s in fashion.

In our case winter orders went in in February to be delivered to us May onwards, then went on sale in August. Basically the pandemic meant that winter 2020 was a no - I'm pretty sure the factories would have been closed down for 3 months minimum. Our business ended up closing - I should imagine places like Debenhams missed a season of deliveries but had signed contracts to pay for the goods. I'm not sure who would have won in the battle between "We have made the items you asked for, and paid for the leather/fabric" and "But they are 6 months late"!

Anybody buy from Earth Wardrobe? I like some of their basic tees and they come in lovely deep colours, not the horrible pastels so popular now. earthwardrobe.com/

@Amelion

Honestly I think our expectations on price and style need to change with the times.

So many people complain about quality and fabrics - but want to pay tiny prices. There are loads of good quality clothes out there, you just need to pay for them.

Also, times change. Fashions change. There’s plenty of shops that offer good quality basics but if you’re looking at fast-fashion and high street shops then yeah, they’ll be selling what’s in fashion.

Agree with this, I can always find high quality clothes in natural fabrics but I have to pay for them. I just buy less

What are Benetton t shirts like? They look good.

I will admit that I am very particular about fabric and won't wear much synthetic unless hiking.
I only wear tees for lounging or sleep, and have three that I cycle around. One was £60 from Toast, and the other two were organic cotton vnecks from Fatface at £25.
It may be a high price for basically PJ's, but they wash perfectly, last for a long, long time and I like them.
Anything cheaper really does look it, it will be thinner, more transparent and wash itself out of shape. I could even torture these in a 60 degree wash for hours and they come out crisp and perfect.

I agree that clothes and processed foods never followed inflation over the years unlike nearly everything else. Why is that, you need to ask? I don't think manufacturers want to risk hiking up the price of clothing or frankenburgers. I once heard that the likes of Primark were 'democratising' fashion, this is absolute bollocks with bells on.
I think it was the result of competition and a race to the bottom with cheaper, outsourced manufacture, which most brands, even those that tried to resist the changes (M&S) had to give in to to remain viable.

Cheap clothing is a fallacy. But it will keep one covered in an apocalypse, so I try not to become too anal about it.

I was wondering about the war, and everything that is happening recently, and what happen with China, etc. And I thought what if all of this affects the future of the economy to the extent that various sanctions mean having to bring textile manufacture back to the west.
We've no idea how such things may pan out. If textiles came back to the UK and the workers had good wages (lol, dream moment) we would HAVE to pay higher prices even for knickers and socks.

I wish I had learned to sew and knit, but that wouldn't help me make a pair of good boots!

@Floisme - have you looked at Colorful Standard? They’re rated ‘Good’ by Good on You and have loads of colours of different basics like tees. Stock is a bit hit and miss but I’ve got a few things from them and been happy with quality. They ship from Denmark, where they’re based but I’ve received orders within a couple of days and they sort the duty etc.

colorfulstandard.co.uk/

Has anyone heard of Wikstenmade?

www.instagram.com/shopwiksten/?hl=en

Her patterns and designs for adults and children are gorgeous. She is in the US, definitely worth a look.

If anyone knows where I could source stuff like this in the UK I would be extremely grateful

I buy all my tops pre worn from eBay these days for many reasons but one is the quality of the fabrics, at least If it's pre worn, the fabric has had to survive previous washes
I don't like anything in the shops anymore