Brands you loved which went horribly wrong

[WeDidntHaveWaterBottlesInThe80s]

I was just mourning the demise of the original iteration of Finery, when it was quirky and had great prints and interesting shapes at reasonable prices. Then it became weirdly expensive and Hobbs-esque, then cheap and dull. Any other sad losses? We can weep together.

Gap. Amazing quality basics that lasted forever. Wonderful knitwear and then the beautiful jewel coloured velvets and cashmeres they had in at Christmas.

Then they tried to do too much fashion. It was badly made with colours that ran and looked like a permanent discount outlet. Then it was gone forever. Banished to online.

oh I love Andrea in insta she is my go to now for stories. was in marks recently and was like hmm some nice bits there. then saw her story on isnta and she gave them some hammering-including that yellow jumper sienna is wearing in their campaign. so disappointed.
over all thoigh I do think as us as consumers has driven the fact that clothing quality has gone down. the pressure to keep costs down especially now that other costs are rising is immense. however bad quality clothing is now it's still being bought

It’s sad to see the demise. I used to love Saturday afternoon up the town going to the various shops.

Next was so aspirational when I was a student, patiently waiting for their sales as that was the only way I could afford anything from there.

I do wonder if we will go back to it slightly when people get bored of their massive hauls from Shein/Boohoo/wherever, getting more conscious of the impact this is having on the environment.

But I have to admit that I would be shocked if pricing went back to how it was as I and probably many others have a set value for buying something which will be very much in line with 10 years ago or further.

Me too!!

I still wear a size 12 top bought from them. I'm currently a size 16 so that top flies in the face of the whole 'vanity sizing' thing.

I actually think clothes were bigger 30 years ago

When I was 14 (2000!) I got a Saturday job in a local café. I spent my first paycheque on a top from Miss Selfridge that I'd been coveting for weeks. It was a 1970s style knitted blue and white striped jumper with bell sleeves. I LOVED it. It cost £24.99, which is £45 nowadays, apparently.

@Judellie - me too- all my favourite bits that fit well in nice stretchy fabric are Bravissimo or Pepperberry

@Sidebeforeself I had several beautiful Richards shops dresses !

Another thing I am sick of, and sorry (rant), this isn’t do with with the op, is the constant sales and promotions.
I was a loyal boden customer for years, before they forgot their customer base. They are constantly emailing me. 25% off for the next two days, then 15%, etc. Stop it! We all know that it will be 50% off in the next couple of months. Just price things realistically. I don’t mind paying a premium price for a quality, well made item, but I’m not going to do that when I know the item will be in clearance in two months time.

I actually miss shoe shops too. Remember Dolcis and Stead and Simpson and Freeman Hardy Willis? It was a full day's project going round them all, trying on and weighing up.

OMG you've just reminded me about Pied a Terre shoes. Anyone else remember them? I LOVED that shoe shop SO much. Fabulous shoes!!! I was gutted when they disappeared.

Just bought my daughter a couple of bits from Monsoon. Looked lovely online, arrived and quality is absolute shite. Never again

Of course! Literally all my shoes came from there - I still have some of them.

Nothing has ever replaced it.

Thinking about it - it makes me sad that my erstwhile go to shops - Jigsaw, Whistles and Pied a Terre - are just gone - Jigsaw and Whistles exist in name only - but the style has completely gone. And there’s nothing that has replaced them other than LK Bennett which is more expensive and more middle-aged. (I am middle-aged now). Hobbs is still there doing the same thing it’s always done, but again very middle-aged.

I am tired of fast fashion and tired of wearing over priced badly made clothes. I made a promise to myself not to buy a single garment for a year. 3 months in and I’m managing just fine. I would love to see something really special to make me spend…I don’t think I will sadly! 🙃

Trueform, Lilly and Skinner, Nine West, Guess, Bay Trading, Tammy Girl, Mark One, oh the good ole days when the high street ruled!

Another vote for Monday being mostly shite these days.

Sacha shoes in the 1970s were great. Classier than Dolcis and the like, but not completely unaffordable.

Joe Browns were different, quirky, and you knew it would stand out from the crowd. Then, it decided to go more mainstream. You get a few stand-out pieces each season, but it's not the same anymore. Everyone I know who loved Joe Browns says the same. The only person happy about it is my bank manager 😏

My wedding dress was from Monsoon 22 years ago.

May have been mentioned before, but Ghost. I used to absolutely love it all during the Tanya Sarne and Andrea Sargeant era and coveted everything, I’ve got an impressive collection of vintage Ghost. But now it’s just appalling, they kept the prices but none of the style.

I feel like shopping has become such hard work these days. I end up trawling through websites trying to figure out fit, quality etc then order a few bits, they arrive, are no good and then they have to be returned. 20 years ago I could just head into town and find something decent no problem.

Also I remember as a student being able to afford Oasis, River Island etc and getting great quality clothes. Nowadays I'd be spending hundreds and still not getting the same quality ( why is everything unlined these days??)

My first Saturday job was at Pied a Terre! Sadly, it over-expanded both in terms of three sub brands and too many stores, then was bought by the now defunct Nine West.

I remember buying a couple of skirts from M&S for my first “proper job” in 2000. They cost £35 - which I remember thinking was expensive but possibly worth it.

They currently have a very similar skirt online. It costs… £35. And that’s the problem, isn’t it?

I miss Evans for plus size clothes as well. They actually used to have clothes cut to flatter the people who shopped there, then they went to cheap fashion.

Too many stores and they also branched out into clothes as well. But I actually found the sub brands useful - the Basics range always did comfortable casual and then Rouge was more expensive.

Another favourite was Agnès B - how could I forget. They had a branch in Fulham Road and one in Notting Hill. It’s still going online and in France. Such a good source of Parisian style. I still have clothing from years ago too.