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?

Seasalt is currently awful. Used to be lovely quality.
I've had to return umpteen items to them recently after ordering online.

I think they may be going the same way as Joules and Frugi. Down the shitter.

Levi's jeans are great if the cotton content is high enough. Calvin Klein bras last forever.

Thought, fat face, seasalt and anthropologie are my go to's

Sherpa are great too but can't buy locally (only in wales it seems)

Poetry

I think Poetry do good woven items.

But all their t shirts and sweatshirts shrink.

I’ve got a couple of lovely knitted dresses from Hobbs that are cut beautifully for hourglasses (in a 50s wiggle dress shape) so not sure I recognise the comments about them being for Miss Trunchball/prepubescent figures. They’re about 5-10 years old though so not sure if they’ve had anything like that recently.

I think for a lot of things you have to look to smaller/less accessible shops - Rain Sisters for coats, Deadly is the Female (Claudia Dress in thick jersey), the more traditionally mens shoe shops (Loake, Cheaney). Appreciate these are quite expensive and rely on shopping online which I know has it’s own drawbacks. I’m trying to only buy second hand at the minute and like brands like Luisa Spagnoli, Brora via Vinted (but again, that can be a gamble if you’re not sure on sizes and it’s luck of what’s on sale). I also buy a lot of vintage and I think the stuff that’s survived 60/70+ years to get to me naturally skews to the better quality end of the spectrum (and again, this relies on knowing a good supplier, knowing your measurements and it fitting your lifestyle). That says I’ve had some bizarre plastic fabrics from the 50s-70s so there’s no dodging man made fibres. Pretty much all of this avoids the actual high street though which I suppose illustrates the problem!

I am surprised to see Lands End mentioned a few times here. Everything - bar one coat - I have ever bought from there has been dreadful. Looks nice when you put it on but ruined after a couple of washes. All the colours faded. The coat probably still looks nice because I haven’t washed it yet.

I got a beautiful fair Isle jumper in a blue/teal from woolovers. 100% merino. Very light but warm.
I would love for cos to suit me but the oversized style makes me look massive.
I keep my eye on hobbs. But find things can be cut for a shorter person so have to pick and choose. Lovely shoes in hobbs too.

How do people rate brands such as Maje, Sandro, Sezane, Claude Peirlot, BA&SH, The Kooples, Zadig & Voltaire?
I have clothes from each of these brands, mostly bought in sales or outlets but I have found them to be excellent overall, again by avoiding the polyester / synthetic as much as possible.
I have silk shirts, suits including a fantastic tuxedo trousers suit from The Kooples
A coat from Sandro which is wool and cashmere and is very luxurious to wear.
I have a sweatshirt from zadig which is a perfect cut and fit and fabulous heavy fabric and it has worn and washed beautifully.

I wasn’t impressed by The Kooples because the range seemed to be very polyester heavy for £££, but maybe they do some better fabrics and I didn’t notice.

I am sixty, but I like to keep fairly up to date, and think my style is quite contemporary (for my age). I find the following good quality

Brora - lovely cashmere. I also like their clothing, have quite a few dresses, tops and skirts. Usually buy in the sale as prices £££

Hobbs - some of it is nice. I find they are good for skirts and trousers, some dresses. They do use a lot of polyester though, but also have lovely 100% wool skirts.

Baukjen - B Corporation and most of their stuff is made in Europe. I stay clear of the fussy dresses, but they had the occasional nice piece.

ME&EM - lovely quality, but lots of polyester (albeit recycled). Again, usually buy in the sale, but if I see something I love would snap it up as they seem to do quite small runs.

Russell and Bromley - I usually buy my boot and loafers there. They are mainly made in Italy and Spain. Can pick up good bargains in sale.

Didrikson - can't beat their coats IMO. I am currently wearing a long parka which is waterproof, and a puffer type long coat which is fab. I have lots of other coats but tend to wear the Didrikson.

I also get the odd thing from Whistles, Jigsaw, Seasalt, M&S, John Lewis and Toast.

For lingerie I mainly buy Fantasie and or Panache. Both brands fit me nicely, wash well, and last for ages. I almost always get at least 20% off from somewhere.

Someone mentioned Johnston's of Elgin up thread. I've never bought knitwear, but their gloves and scarves are fabulous. I've been wearing my cashmere gloves for quite a few years now and they are toasty. I bought a pair from TKMaxx this year, thinking they would be as warm, but they are not.

I find jigsaw excellent. I also really like Me and Em, but I check that things are natural fibres before I order them. I am willing to pay a lot for a silk blouse, but won't buy one made with polyester, which you sometimes find even in more expensive brands.

My biggest tip, beyond looking for natural fibres, is just to order things and touch the fabric. I just ordered an adorable cardigan from Kate Spade. It was expensive - $300 (I am in the US), but a really nice design and 100% cotton. But, when it arrived, the fabric felt so thin. I knew from just touching it that it wouldn't wear well and wouldn't look smart for very long. Back it went.
I also bought a pair of trousers, far more cheaply, from Target (sort of like Asda's George brand). The cut was lovely, and they were 100% cotton, but the minute I put them on, I realized that the fabric wasn't good. Even after 5 minutes, my knees had made the legs bag. Again, I sent them straight back.
Look at how the buttons are sown on, how the seams are finished, whether the fabric creases when you crumple it in your hand. And, if it does, send it back.

For work clothes, I really recommend The Fold. Again, the fabric and construction are amazing.

I posted upthread about sezane winter knitwear, which is so soft and warm! I love the jewel colours, which suit me. One of my jumpers is so toasty I can’t wear it out to some places as I will roast. They have blends of angora and mohair and a commitment to ethical treatment of animals.

Went to the High street today and the clothes were awful

Especially Fatface and Oliver Bonas

Just dull and uninspiring and horrid fabrics

Hobbs was on but very expensive as was Phase 8

The high street is always a bit dull at this time of year, left over sale stuff and the new seasons bits aren't fully launched yet, March is a good time to go shopping.

I honestly think buying gently worn second hand clothes off ebay, of the brands that were good in times of yore, is the way forward.

The high Street is just a disappointment now and i don't have megabucks to spend on quality fabrics.

Decent wool, leather suede etc has pretty much disappeared from any clothes you can buy as a non wealthy person/at a reasonable price.