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 like some Cos things

Yes, I hear you. I too prefer natural fibres, but I’m happy to wear viscose. Better clothing companies are moving to more responsible viscose (better wages in the industry, fewer toxins etc). We can’t always find what we want in organic cotton, responsibly sourced wool, alpaca, cashmere etc. Cheaper, non-organic and poorly sourced (in terms of animal welfare) versions involve some hideous practice. I don’t buy cheap fashion. Fabric is a minefield. We can all just do our best.

Me+Em wanted hundreds of pounds for polyester suit trousers - give them a swerve. A shame as if they had made the same thing in wool I would have thrown money at them!

Thanks to this thread I have just ordered a white T-shirt from massimo dutti and another from Uniqlo. I am determined to finally find one that is a good weight, drapes nicely and has a decent length sleeve (I prefer just above the elbow, none of this cap sleeve nonsense). I have also bought the merino turtleneck from Uniqlo to try. I shall be forever grateful if I can crack these two basics, so thank you.

Shall continue to follow with interest. I have made a promising start towards wardrobe quality and curation in 2022 and hope to continue in 2023.

Tencel is a good fibre if you see clothes made from it.

Sometimes I find it is better to look for a shop that suits your style than look for the brand. Let their buyer do the work.

This is one that works for me, on-line and in store mazeclothing.co.uk/collections/womens-knits-sweats

If you can find one near you, you are sorted.

Viscose is horrible imho. It looks tatty very quickly.

Hi, @IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads. The blouse has been delivered today and it looks and feels good. I haven’t tried it yet but I think it will be ok.

Place-marking for future reference - some great ideas on here. Have fallen in love with the Navygrey funnel neck jumper but sadly sold out - will need to check for next winter.

Cheap viscose looks really cheap, but you can get good stuff. I have a viscose dress from Agnès B and it looks great and is lasting really well

I also have a polyester dress from Agnès B that I've had (and worn regularly) for years, and it still looks good and washes well. She usually sells natural fibres, but uses good quality synthetics when it makes sense.

I only scanned replies, but I'm a fan of Sezane, Wyse, Me+Em, Massimo Dutti and Oysho

Totally agree @PoppySeedBagelRedux
There's decent viscose out there and even polyester, though rarer.
Just as there can be terrible flimsy, badly sewn cotton garments.

I'm curious - and interested - to see the positives re: viscose. I've only ever had bad experiences of it shrinking, bobbling and being unbearably hot to wear.

I did but a viscose dress from Espirit a job interview recently, which as been OK on the two occasions I have worn it so far.

Yes @IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads My M&S viscose leopard print dress shrank despite following washing instructions. I only wore it once. Scared to go near viscose now.

lol

I think the question isn't about which shops or brands to favour as such (unless you go for the really expensive high-end retailer which only specialise in one thing, like knitwear or denim) but what you buy from those brands. Before I look at anything else, I flip the garment over and look at the composition and care. I look at the stitching and seams. I have bought amazing silk/wool turtlemecks on sale from Jigsaw which wash well and keep shape. But I wouldn't necessarily recommend their whole range. Ditto I bought a pair of linen shorts from h&m which look great and have washed well, considering the £10 price point. I don't particularly oppose to polyester, particularly in trousers because I wear through them so fast, but the price has to match.

Fir basics, I found Muji and uniqlo, when 100% cotton, are heavyweight and wash well. I like a lot of COS and Arket but I make sure I try everything on critically because the drape can depend hugely from garment to garment. I also love Levi's for jeans.

I also don't get the MN love for mint velvet. They look nice but they are crafted horribly poorly.