How well made things used to be!

[MintyAraminta]

And I have proof in my hands today!

My closest town is a bit miserable and the charity shops dire tbh, but had to wait for a prescription so pooped in to closest one to pass the time.

Found a pair of wide leg 100% linen trousers with a flat waistband, mid rise (perfect for me) and pockets. They are extremely good quality, not at all see-through and the perfect fit. The stitching is amazing as is the cut. I have only recently seen this level of quality at White Co or Poetry.

And they were from Tesco
I can only imagine they were purchased long ago and never worn, as they are like new. I could find nothing of this quality now almost anywhere on a high street so am a bit in awe for £5!

Certainly shows how different it used to be even in value stores.

pooped

I'm a big fan of my local charity shops.
They're full of shein and boohoo with the odd gem hidden away in between.

The quality of old St Michael and BHS looks amazing by today's standard.
I often find things like Poetry, Toast, Sezanne etc for less than £5.

What colour were they, @MintyAraminta ? I find Tesco ok for some things but not others.

Our Tesco is awful for clothes now, you'd never find tailored linen trousers there without an elastic high waistband now. They'd also most likely be transparently thin.

The colour is a pale beige, not everyone's cup of tea but great for me in summer. I had been looking for years and was happy to spend £100!

This is why I can’t declutter my wardrobe!
The stuff I have from years ago is so much better than most things these days. Luckily I was never very fashionable but tended to stick to classic styles, partly because of a strict work dress code. So I still have pure silk shirts, from M&S along with fine pure wool skirts, trousers. Pure wool, or mixed with cashmere overcoats, lambswool knitwear…all from the high street, I never bought designer. Even Tesco cashmere was good quality when they first started selling it, just as good as ones I’ve bought more recently from the factories in Scotland.
I find most high street shops depressing these days

I have a stretch jumper dress that’s worn regular and must be at least 15 years old. Zero bobbling or wear. Washes beautifully. I swear it’s also a supermarket brand. You just can’t buy this stuff now.

• regularly

Ah yes, see-through clothes. And underskirts are a rarity these days, so you can't even pair up a see-through skirt with an underskirt, unless you make your own.

My pet hate is clothes that aren't cut properly along the grain of the fabric, so after a few washes they start twisting. I now examine them carefully before purchase and reject a lot for this reason.

I still have a topshop dress from my late teens, the fabric weight and lining are definitely a thing of the past.
Even high end high street rarely bother to line anything.

Pale beige sounds perfectly fine to me, @MintyAraminta , but I'd call it 'natural' or 'string' or something

it's going towards the ecru/cream side so difficult to describe. The weight and way they hang is lovely!

Ecru it is.

Decent weight linen doesn't crease as badly as the lightweight stuff. I find Tu clothes to be pretty good. I hardly ever see Nutmeg but when I do, it looks decent quality. I've not bought any George clothes for decades, but it was good then. Tesco jeans look ok, as do Easy jeans, which I think is Matalan.
White Stuff seems OK too - nice cotton fabric and they line skirts.
There's been a noticeable drop in quality with many brands.

I think Due has nailed what I found about brands like H&M - the style and cut is good but there's something 'wrong' with the fabric.

definitely something wrong at H&M.
I remember making a post on here a few years ago asking why all the knitwear made me sneeze and felt like sponge.

I also remember George at Asda, haven't even been to one in a decade or so now as none close by. I used to buy my nightwear there and it was the best quality, just lovely. It felt like such a treat. Oh how it all changed!

I agree, even a lot of the pricier brands use questionable materials and are of variable quality. I remember topshop being affordable and the clothes being decent quality, I still have a few tee shirts and dresses that are in great condition and get a lot of wear.

@MintyAraminta , there is an Asda not far from me, but I never go there, but I think that the George clothing isn't what it used to be.
I've no been to H&M for years but I used to like them.

I'm not sure, I think that clothes of yesteryear were far more expensive (relatively) than they are today so they could afford to be quality. The quality is still there but the yesteryear's clothes of good quality would cost the equivalent of (say) £75 at least for a top - but people want £75 worth of quality for £30.

Re charity shops, I am always surprised at people buying all the branded items because I don't think I would love an item simply because it was from <insert brand>.

I bought the Hazel pinafore dress from White Stuff a few months ago and the quality is absolutely amazing. Dress was £80 and can be layered easily for different seasons and also is a classic cut, it won't date any time soon. This dress will last and last.

So true.

This annoys me so much too! I thought it was the way I was hanging them. How do you check this before you buy?

I got some really nice 100% linen wide leg trousers from m and s this year for £35. I think that's a decent price for the quality. They feel more expensive , I was pleasantly surprised.

I agree quality is generally poor these days unless you pay top dollar ( and even that is not a guarantee)

I agree. 30yrs ago I was often paying £35 for a top, unless I got it in a sale or from a market stall. This is from average high street stores eg Dorothy Perkins, Topshop, BHS, M&S etc.

For context, my full time wages were £60/week (minimum wage didn't exist). I was still paying £35 for a top 5yrs later when my earnings had doubled. Now it's 30urs later and I'm still paying the same from equivalent shops. It's hardly surprising the quality isn't there.

I've mostly switched. Mostly buying from either a discount store where quality is hit and miss, but even for the cheap rubbish the price is fair and I've got savvy with the pics and rarely get a total dud these days. Or from three other stores (two of which only exists online) where the quality and workmanship is better and the prices higher, but not unaffordable. I'm happy to accept that if I want that quality of fabric and workmanship for that price I'm not also going to get 💯 natural fibres.

I'm not a hot person, a bit of polyester in spring/autumn keeps me warm without having to wear bulky layers and I can get the linings, zips in sensible places so you don't need a second person to fasten it, nicely finished seams etc, without breaking the bank.

When I started shopping I was spending half a weeks wages on one item. For me to do the same today that equates to £125 an item. I'm very far from being rich, I just don't see the point of complaining about how much things cost or the quality. The options are there, from high end to total budget bargain and we're all free to choose

I think @IndianSummer78 that you are true in what you are saying about quality and budget. I think that many people, me included, have expectations in terms of shops that we associate with good value and good quality and when that is no longer the experience and quality is hot and miss then it makes shopping harder for quality at a certain price and expectations that it will last a long time.

Not all higher end of high street is good though, e.g. Ted Baker is terrible quality.

I like Claudie Pierlot but clothes from there are similar to what I used to be able to get from Warehouse and Oasis 15 years ago for a lot less money.

@Sequinsandfrills , I buy what I like in charity shops. It doesn't matter too much what the brand is - it's either good or not.

Re charity shops, I am always surprised at people buying all the branded items because I don't think I would love an item simply because it was from <insert brand>.

If I buy something to re-sell, the brand matters, because people are more likely to search for some brands.

Old brands probably did themselves out of business by making quality clothes that lasted.

I think that the quality from White Stuff, Fat Face, M&S is decent. Seasalt is very good. The fashion shops like Mango and Zara are not so good. None of those are particularly my 'go to' but I now buy from charity shops mostly, and some from ebay.