It doesn’t matter if you shop high end or high street, it’s the way that you put things together that is important?

[Britpopbaby]

I have been watching some street style videos on You Tube on the channel by someone called Double Vanilla where she asks people what are they wearing and where their items are from. It just struck me yesterday that wether people are wearing high street, high end or a mix of the two that it’s the way that they pop the pieces together that makes their outfit. This and the confidence that people have in their selection just adds the cherry on top.

I honestly wish I had a better understanding of what goes well and how to create an outfit particularly in relation to me being petite.

Well …

I’m not sure it’s quite as simple as that. I completely agree a clever mix of high and low will generally look more vibrant than a very literal rendering of any catwalk look. But it’s a matter of context and intent.

Sure, someone may put together an outfit of items entirely from Primark, with Hollywood level hair and make up and £20k of jewellery - and look a million dollars for an Instagram photo. But those same clothes may look like shit after a single month’s wear - which is no good to anyone, or the planet.

I prefer to pay for clothes that I’m confident will have a relatively long life and continue to look good without much effort on my part.

Visual awareness … Now that’s a different thing - and more easily developed over decades through time spent in art galleries, browsing magazines, taking an interest in music videos / interior design / evolving technology, plus plenty of youthful experimentation with clothes. And never being afraid to make mistakes.

I am sometimes baffled by why high end designers charge so much for what is essentially a voluminous cotton smock. I have plenty of those from M and S or Uniqlo or Thought which are just as good. Posters on here say it's the design and fabric, but I can't see any visible difference in the age of Amish core, when everybody is wearing identical sack like garments.

Anyway, I am not sure I have answered your question. Lately, I have been bemused by fashion, and I often can't see the difference between some high street garments and high end garments. Except that you can get more natural fibres if you avoid Primark and Shein. But it's still to be found on the high street, if you look about.

I agree but I think wearing cuts that suit your figure also makes a huge difference.

Yes, but those cuts can be found on the high street. I haven't found any jeans that suit me as well as M and S, and they have lasted forever for me ( though apparently not for others).

Where I think it is worth spending on is wool coats, jumpers and good leather boots. Polyester and acrylic coats and jumpers bobble for me and won't keep me warm.

There’s no doubt that some brands become extraordinarily greedy and impose obscene mark-ups on their goods. Sometimes in order to deliberately keep the brand exclusive.

There’s also no doubt that if you’re sourcing rare or complicated fabrics, paying highly skilled craftspeople, entertaining highly prized customers, etc, etc - it all costs shed loads of money. Which is why we see so many promising brands fold.

Some people are genuinely excited by design, cut and fabric and are as happy to pay a premium for fabulous clothes as others are for Caribbean holidays and expensive cars. Of course there’s often an element of buying into a particular narrative - but we live in an atomised world; we must find comfort where we can.

My mantra has always been "there is always a bargain in every store" regardless of that store not that I necessarily buy that bargain. I sometimes did when younger but now am comfortable enough to spend on what I want.

The things that always stand out though are bags and shoes. Cheap shoes and bags can ruin a really good outfit. As to building up visual awareness over decades, it's either something that you have or you haven't got. My Mum had it as do I. It's not just high end ( vastly over priced for the label) or the cheap end. There are many companies in-between who will provide a similar look of a very good standard.

I completely agree with you on this. I consider myself lacking these talents and am fascinated by people who always look well put together, studying them on the tube etc. I love clothes but have a very tight budget. One thing I have learned, though, is to pay close attention to compliments and try to buy more of any style/colour that attracts them.

This year and maybe the next, I am on a very tight budget, so it's charity shops for me! I love them for winter because all the good tweed and wool is there. I go to the posher ones.

I agree with all of this.
Buy the best quality coats, boots & knitwear you can afford. I don't care what denim I wear as long as it's in a cut that suits me. But my knitwear is always 100% Cashmere & my coats are all wool or Wool Cashmere mix. In contrast I'm happy to live in Cotton Muslin shirts from H&M/M&S plus M&S wide leg pants for Winter. And Zara for cotton summer dresses.
I love Silver kats style on Instagram.
She looks effortlessly cool in some pretty inexpensive brands.

My best white cotton shirt is from John Lewis Anyday. To me, at least, it is indistingushable from high end shirts. It's quite plain without much design, but I generally like plain simple stuff. I don't suit overdesigned items.

I love Silver Kat. Though sometimes I wonder if she looks good in everything because she is so attractive. I like that she is very minimalist though.

Silver Kat looks so good in everything because she is tall and slim. That always helps.

What’s the end point of your argument, @CharlotteRumpling? Are you saying all the couture / high fashion houses should be shut down and the designers reassigned to jobs as couriers and litter pickers? Your John Lewis shirt looks the way it does because fashion has evolved through the imagination of designers - filtered down to mass produced High St level. If we kill design then we will by force all be wearing exactly the same shirt in 10 years time. Is that actually what you want?

Eh, that is not what I am saying. I think you are taking this way more seriously than I am. I am saying it is possible to look good in mid-price brands. For me, at least.

Is there any argument here? That suggests winners and losers . I thought this was a general discussion. I have to say though that I have noticed this aspect in a couple of other threads too.

Silver Kat is not tall 😂 She’s tiny, certainly no taller than average.
The fact that she looks it in photos though shows a good outfit, I guess.

Ok but she looks tall. Again it is because she is so slender.

I choose every garment individually and mostly budget is last on the list of my considerations.
I only have favourites in my wardrobe and they are a mix of high end, designer, boutiques, high street, charity shop and eBay.

Cheaper things can still be well made and expensive things made from polyester for example.
It's definitely how you put together things and what accessories, jewellery you wear etc
Wearing colours, materials and styles that aren't cohesive won't look right whatever they cost.

I dunno. There was definitely a time, not so long ago, when I'd have agreed 100% with the op, but I think the high street is in an absolutely dreadful state at the moment, and that goes for pretty much any price point.

Take my go-to everyday outfit which is normally jeans, T shirt and then some kind of tailored jacket/blazer in wool, tweed, linen etc - it can be mannish and oversize or vintage and fitted, I like both. So I agree about high street jeans. My current favourites are from the last Uniqlo / Jil Sander collab. M&S ones have also been ok. High street T shirts I'm less impressed with. I buy them there because I'm fussy about style, neckline and colour and prioritise that over quality, but it shows.

But the worst is tailoring. As soon as I pick up a high street blazer I can tell by the weight that it's going to be crap. So I only buy second hand designer (Margaret Howell, Joseph, Max Mara ) or vintage (any decade up to the 90s) and yes, it's miles, miles better, even if you might be pushed to spot the difference on Instagram with the right lighting.

Something has gone badly wrong. We used to be good at this. It was our bread and butter.

As to whether dress sense is innate, I'd say it clearly is for some people but I disagree that it can't be learned. In most areas of life I don't have great visual sense but I'd say I've acquired a reasonably good eye for putting clothes together, purely by watching other people, both in real life and on screen and in magazines, and by trial and a hell of a lot of error.

It doesn't come naturally to me at all! I've found a dress I love recently after coming across Kate Hutchins's youtube channel (while searching for capsule wardrobe inspo). It helps seeing clothes on someone your height and build:

https://www.youtube.com/c/KateHutchins

I agree OP. If you're trying to learn to get your eye in, start with cheap things because you will inevitably make mistakes. Agree with whoever said to watch others and look at magazines etc. If you're looking, in person, for an item to match another or to complete an outfit then wear the things it's to go with on the shopping trip.

There was a fashion item on This Morning about coats costing less than £100 - tbh you could tell they were cheap. I think there are some items where you really do have to spend a bit of money. If you want a warm, well cut wool coat that doesn't bobble and sits well, I think you can't easily get that for under £100. I think it's the same with shoes. Cheap jeans can be okay because that's about how they fit you, as an individual and so many people can get away with spending less.

I think cheaper high street look more expensive if you stick to plain colours and simple designs - it's the patterns which don't match up at the seams and the colours which are just a bit 'off' that makes high street clothes look cheap.