Upgrading basics

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

Considering I wear pretty much the same things most of the time, I've decided it's time to upgrade some of these. I'm going to be looking for:

• nice quality scoop or v neck black tops, which keep their shape and don't go saggy on the neck
• slouchy v neck black and grey jumpers
• a black leather pencil skirt
• a black silk dress, with a waist and (ideally) short sleeves, ideally wrap or fit and flare
• a black silk 'going out' top, that isn't a shirt
• some sort of fabric or knitted biker jacket, in either black or a tweedy type of thing, or boucle, possibly dark navy or grey if not black

Any ideas for where to look, especially for the first item, would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Fatface colours don't very often work for me, although I do like the fact that they still offer cotton when many places don't. Very few black ones and the other colours are all a bit faded for me, generally.

I'll have a look at JL jumpers. Thanks.

Rapanui is just online, I think?

Cos and Arket great quality for t-shirts, but often too high necked.

I am convinced there is a huge market opportunity for decent quality tops and t-shirts, in high quality fabrics, that are v-necked. I simply do not understand why shops don't do more of them. I assume there is some cost/risk/reward issue that's well known in the fashion industry but I've yet to figure it out. A v neck can look great on women of all shapes and sizes and is certainly flexible. If and when someone figures that out, they'll make money.

I have a memory of reading that M+em do good basic t-shirts. But haven't checked myself.

Kettlewell tops and t shirts are excellent quality and come in a range of sleeve lengths and necklines.

They also do some soft biker type jackets

www.kettlewellcolours.co.uk/colours/black

I agree re v necks. I went to JL for t shirts a few weeks back and there wasn’t one single v neck in their cotton t shirt own brand range - all crews which look shocking on me (I swear they give me a double chin and a Uni boob!)

Check out the Cos one I linked to below. Nice cotton, a v that is deep but not too deep. Hugely over-sized though, so size down unless you want it very big.

Thanks @Defiantlynot41 I want a real shop though. And the bikers are faux-suede, which I'm not a fan of. Sorry to be awkward!

Slouchy t shirt - Hush Avalon.
V neck t shirt M&S - a drapey style & a fitted one.
Slouchy jumper - M&S Merino.
Scott & Scott Cashmere - Brand Alley.
Silk top - M&S.
Leather skirt + M&S.

H&M did v neck linen t shirts this year & some long sleeved ones too.
American Vintage always do v neck styles but returns are a pain if you buy directly from them.

Thank you.

I've got some of the M&S v necks but the quality isn't great. I've never found a leather skirt in there that's right - they've all been too long or too A line or too pouffy for me.

Will check out their merino, although the one I tried last year was so thin that it was see through!

Yes I agree with you regarding the t-shirts. They're either a horrible fabric or a terrible shape. But the new Autumn stock coming in of other things is great.
I've actually bought quite a few items recently.
Reiss is well worth a look for silk items.
Or maybe try somewhere like Brand Alley. The White Company also for tops & T shirts.

The merino jumpers look nice online. I'll definitely check them out.

I can't shop at the WC anymore, because they donate to the Tory party. Boden too.

I second this, all my Baukjen tops have worn brilliantly and keep their intense colour. I tend to buy in the sales though as their prices are insane.

Do Massimo Dutti still have real shops?

I've never seen one, but will investigate. :)

I’m sure there’s a Massimo Dutti on Regent Street. Mango might be worth a look too.

Thanks.

I don't like Mango. Rarely see anything in there that doesn't look like a rag.

Yes! I don’t understand this either. It’s so hard to find decent v-neck t-shirts!

J crew do a deep scoop neck but they don't sell directly within the UK any more.
American vintage long sleeved v necks are now ~£60.00 - a bit pricy ! Making Hush look very reasonable, even though the quality can be very variable there.

Thank you! I have a few from JCrew, but this year they all seem to be cropped. Do you buy the American Vintage ones online?

£60!!! I don't mind paying up to £40 for really great ones, but 60 seems ridiculous. I think I'll get a couple more of the Cos ones I linked to below.

Can I add some more things to my list?

A white shirt, no pockets, with three quarter length sleeves (long sleeves are always too long!)

A wrap top in a black/white print of some sort.

A black midi length jersey tube skirt, like Whistles used to do so well.

Yes @Missmoon there's lots of Jacksonville ones online at The Dressing Room. I have several J Crew from years ago & they've lasted really well - in vintage cotton. But they're too pricey for me now. I've bought the new Hush Avalon seconds from ebay this year.

I bought a couple of T-shirts from the Reiss outlet at Bicester and have been surprisingly pleased with them - they somehow hang really nicely and are flattering over boobs Reiss t-shirt - it looks as if they have a v-neck version which might suit? I can’t wear v-necks as am very short-bodied and the ‘v’ always ends up too low and shows most of my bra 🙄

I haven't RTFT so it may have been mentioned already, but Baukjen may really work for you.

I have about 10 of their cotton jersey tops and they are unbelievable quality compared to, say, The White Company which is similarly priced.

They're mainly online but John Lewis stock a selection if you want to try them on first.

Thanks for these. Will check them out.