What brands to go to for good quality stylish clothes?

[CorporateBull]

I am at a loss. I have a decent budget for new clothes but want to buy good quality stuff that will last. I’m just emerging from a longish period of buying very little and living in the same clothes.
Many of the brands I used to buy from have disappeared or now seem to sell expensive polyester, and current trends just don’t suit me.
I have no idea which of the brands I see ads online for are real decent ones and which are dodgy resellers from China!
Please suggest some nice places to try for natural fibres and classic styles? I’m late forties and tend to be a jeans and jumper type - overweight and not very groomed!

I am not stylish. But I do only wear natural fibres. No polyester. For natural fibres I go to Thought, John Lewis especially the Anyday range, Woolovers and sometimes Uniqlo.

You could also try Theory, Baukjen and Poetry if you have a good budget.

Thanks. On thinking about what I’m looking for, it’s not fashionable but good quality and well cut, so I look the best I can in what I have. So I’m prepared to pay more for fewer things definitely!

People Tree has a good sale on at the moment, all natural fabrics.

I like Kin at John Lewis for good quality, nicely cut, items.

I used to wear a lot of Cos, but I feel like they're just being avante garde for the sake of it at the moment.

What sort of clothes do you like? Toast is good quality but tends toward the shipwrecked Amish widow which is not to everyone’s taste

I share your frustration with the higher end high street retailers. I honestly have given up after a few expensive disasters this year and have reverted to h&m and the like and am also doing a low buy year. Sick of wasting my money tbh and I'm not convinced you get what you pay for anymore. The only place I've had consistently good quality from is Lucy & Yak, which is only good for very casual things.

The Amish widow just doesn’t work for me, which is partly why so many shops are not great right now! I’ve had the odd thing from Toast in the past but the prices for its stuff don’t feel justified to me.

I suggest Baukjen as well

😁

Cos, Hush, Mint Velvet. You could book an appointment with a stylist at John Lewis as they have access to so many brands.

I’ve just bought the most gorgeous coat from Elemente Clemente which I’d never heard of. Linked in some way to Oska from what I can gather. Gorgeous quality boiled wool, well cut. I have some great pieces from Toast too, but agree about the Amish feel, you have to pick carefully to ensure you don’t end up sack like. Thought is also a good shout, I have a beautiful skirt from there that I picked up in John Lewis. Smaller boutiques might be worth a look rather than the usual suspects. Get thee to an affluent market town and have a look around.

Thanks, all. Some of these brands I’m familiar with and have found uninspiring in my recent online hunts. They seem to have gone quite mother of the bride or Amish. But I’ll keep looking. A bit of a challenge to get to a John Lewis in person right now but worth thinking about maybe - except I saw very very little that made me excited last time I walked around one.

I did buy a lovely jumper from Kin a few months ago.

@HamHand I do live near an affluent market town!

Some of the plainer Seasalt stuff can be nice. It's derided a bit on MN for being 'mumsey' but I've had some lovely knitwear off them. Try the Ebay store too they have some decent discounts. Got a checked dress off them for 1/2 the price the other day.

Community Clothing looks good for quality basics in classic cuts.
I like Finisterre for trousers and coats, Rapanui for t-shirts and vests.
Plainer Seasalt stuff as PP mentioned.

Hobbs and Jigsaw sales worth a go for conservative styles.

Margaret Howell is the ultimate ‘good quality’ , makes toast look like primark but you might was well sew fifty pound notes together and wear them in terms of value

LK Bennett is still pretty good, also Jaeger (now sold through M&S). The Fold are very spendy and more work-oriented but have some nice pieces. There are good things in COS and Arket, but it can be quite hit and miss. Likewise, Bimba y Lola, Ganni, Rixo have some good pieces at the more exuberant end of things. Uniqlo, Muji, and M&S are still very good for the plain basics.

Hobbs is wall to wall polyester these days . Jigsaw still good quality but the cuts and prints are a bit odd these days, wish they'd pare back a bit.

Mint Velvet, the John Lewis 'own brands', some Hush or Boden but tread carefully!

You are too young for a lot of brands on here IMO. I'm 56 and think Baukjen is frumpy 😅 Buy expensive jeans and coats and then buy funky cashmere (from future) cool trainers and get your hair done.

Oh yes Rapanui for good cotton.

Also vintage shops. They seem to be the only place you can find good wool these days.

I do veer towards the Amish widow (or Edwardian Librarian as DH calls it), but have had good recent success with Espirit.. They have a wide selection of styles, so worth a virtual rummage. I also really like Finisterre for rugged outdoorsy clothes in natural fabrics, (and recycled technical fibres).

Plumo too

See I don't really think about frumpy. I am menopausal with a large tummy and a very small bust, so many of the hipper brands don't suit my body shape especially the oversized trend. I have Seasalt Larissa shirts that do, and are in pure cotton. Don't much care if it's mumsy.

I like Kin, but again many of their oversized pieces make me look pregnant.