Which brands still make good quality clothes?

[TwoMagnificentLabradors]

We’ve heard loads on here about the decrease in quality of many brands (Boden, FatFace, Hush). Which brands (old or new) still produce decent quality clothing that lasts and lasts, and represents decent value?

The three items I’ve been most impressed with this year are my Hobbs Tilda coat (rich colour, softest wool, gorgeous lining), my Toast pyjamas ( make my feel like Anna Madrigal, if anyone gets the reference) and a Brora sweater I picked up second hand in a charity shop. DMIL buys lovely stuff at Poetry, but it’s not really my style or my price bracket for regular purchases.

Any ideas for brands worth a try?

At the cheap and cheerful end of the spectrum I’ve been impressed with Tu at Sainsburys for kids stuff and recently picked up a dress that’s looks far more expensive than it actually cost.

I buy at lot of Whistles as their sizing is really good for me & overall I think their quality is good.
Over Christmas I bought some beautiful things in the Zara Limited Edition range though I am not a big fan of Zara normally. I bought a silk blend velvet blazer & it's really beautifully cut & lined & the colour is just beautiful. I wore it to a fairly sophisticated drinks party & received several compliments.

In 2021 I bought lots of things from Sezane. Some things fared better than others bit overall quality was good & some very beautiful fabrics.

My friend buys a lot of Wyse London & their quality seems very good too.

Noa Noa have very good quality clothes too & I still lament the fact that they closed down in my city.

I bought some really nice Summer clothes in Mint Velvet last summer & the dresses & trousers all washed & wore v well but the t-shirts didn't do so well once washed which is a pity as they were v nice (though expensive for what they are) overall I would place the quality of Mint Velvet far below Whistles

I've always preferred to buy 1 or 2 beautiful things at a higher value than 10 cheaper things & I've always been like that.

Forgot to say I think ME+EM have very nice quality clothes but are v expensive. I buy in sales there. But I've loved anything I got there

I've just binned a load of hush t shirts that I've only worn a few times. So baggy and holey that they weren't fit for the charity shop.

I rate Thought for quality clothing, and Toast if you like that look. Agree with Superdry too, I have charity shop cashmere from there, have worn it loads and it's still lovely.

Whistles are shocking quality, in my experience. Jumpers that bobble as soon as you look at them. No. And it’s awash with polyester.

Jigsaw - been buying since late 80s! Second Baukjen - their black tops wash v well and don’t fade. Also have two hush skirts that have been going for years.

That's not my experience of Whistles at all I have to say (& no,.I don't work for them)
I guess it depends what you buy? I bought 4 jumpers there in 2021& they are all still in perfect condition! This is my 3rd winter to wear them!

I disagree with Cos. It washes and wears worse than h&m despite being the same brand and twice the price. Lots of items aren't even dry cleanable and every single item I've bought I've had the hem come down. The fabric is really nice when new but it looks tired within a few wears even without washing.

My favourite quality purchase this year has been a Barbour jacket. Ugly as sin, but wind & rain proof, indestructible and fully reparable.

Following with interest! Agree that Whistles is mostly cheap, thin fabrics these days. However if you can find something there made from natural fibres it's usually decent - I have a linen dress that has lasted quite well. Would avoid their silk though. In general I find them overpriced for what they are.

Sézane is pretty good quality in my experience but I do struggle with their typical cut (very wide and a bit short for me as a tall person with a long torso).

The last thing I bought from Boden (dress made of Lenzing/Ecovero) was a few months ago and the quality is maybe just slightly better than H&M in my opinion. Very disappointing. Again, perhaps their natural fibre pieces are better.

In general I think it's really hard to find a company that offers consistently good quality. I always check the composition, care instructions etc. and often send things back if ordered online. Cos, & Other Stories and Arket are pretty ok but not perfect. Massimo Dutti is often cited on here but I find their quality to be pretty average.

Andrea Cheong on Instagram is great to follow on this topic and really highlights the inconsistency within brands.

Oh and to add a more positive contribution, items I've recently bought that were decent quality were some wool skirts from Marc O'Polo (not sure of availability in the UK), a winter jacket from Didriksons and some boots from Flattered.

gandys do good stuff. Agree with thought.

And other stories is still good quality, as is sea salt. I like crag hoppers for outdoor jackets. Boden still do 100% cotton T-shirts which I rate though the sizing isn't great if you're petite. And I think Mango have upped their game quite a bit recently.

Almost every other brand now leans heavily to polyester mixes for the same prices which pisses me off. Sézane used to do beautiful silk, cotton and wool clothing but its now all a polyester mix made in China. Same with the Gap and Uniqlo.

All brands do still have some items of good quality but you need to check the fabric composition closely.

I think the biggest difference is consistency. I still believe there are some good buys to be found at the cheap end (although not as many as there used to be) but there's a lot of rummaging and trial and error involved. Also to have a serious chance of winkling them out, I think you need access to a good branch of a real shop. As a general rule (and please note I said 'general') I've found that duff buys exist everywhere but the higher up the chain I go, the less likely I am to be unlucky.

I agree with you @Floisme & would be v interested in which brands you feel are on the higher end of the chain?

I also agree that having access to a real shop makes a huge difference!

Boden still do 100% cotton T-shirts which I rate though the sizing isn't great if you're petite.

Or if you are tall or booby

l find Poetry has real issues with shrinkage.

Uniqlo.
Other than that, I try to spot the hidden gems, guided by fabric and feel. In the summer I found two lovely quality, 100% thick cotton tops in New Look, which have washed amazingly well.

Almost all of my wardrobe is Cos and i find it fabulous quality. Washes really well.
I don't find Other Stories good quality, nor Whistles.
I do like Benetton though.
Passenger is good too.

Uniqlo

Agree, I love Cos for the style and fit but the quality is not always great. Hems that unravel, shrinking jumpers etc. Also agree with Barbour being worth the money. Have a coat on the go for years and washes like new.

Arket is good. I’ve never had any problems with quality from Cos.

I find these thread so fascinating as it just shows how subjective our judgement of these things is - I find Whistles good quality, for the things I buy there, which is not everything.

On the other hand I think the quality in & Other Stories to be on a par with Top Shop or H&M yet grossly overpriced. I bought a silk shirt there, it was cream with small burgundy all over patterns. Washing instructions said delicate cycle which I used and all the burgundy ran into the cream!

I think for the price the quality at COS is great but the cut doesn't always flatter my shape so I don't buy a lot there. The things I have bought (knitwear and a fab coat a few years ago) were excellent.

I am also a fan of Jigsaw but there's none near me which is a pity. I have been wearing their clothes since the 90's!

You’re really touchy about Whistles, aren’t you? Try not to take other posters’ opinions so personally.

I think Jigsaw are all online now. Didn't they go under during Covid? They may have a couple of shops left, but their website isn't up to date about that (I know for a fact that one of their stores still showing as open, and giving times etc isn't)

@Iamthewombat I'm not actually taking this very seriously at all, it was an entertaining discussion for me on a wet, dreary Tuesday morning. I didn't realise I was coming across as tetchy. I am actually feeling pretty relaxed and am sitting here (in my whistles trouser and boots 😏having a coffee as I've just had a meeting cancelled!