Is there any quality left?

[Tsukiko]

I have been searching for a couple of new jumpers and trousers for 3 months and not having any joy because I don't much like current shapes and also due to quality concerns.
I have always avoided buying cheap turnover fashion items, so used to purchase from the middle ground, but in recent years I notice the quality of these items has also plummeted, whilst the pricetags keep increasing.

I am willing to buy one or two higher priced items if I can guarantee quality, but such stores are not within my area or would take a heck of a lot of time to visit.

Is there any truly good cashmere out there now? I used to trust John Lewis, Poetry, etc but something has definitely changed. Wool trousers are all crazy trend shapes with clown legs or voluminous crotches, and I can't find anything suitable.

It is the wool I am bothered about most. The mid range (£200-£300) bracket such as White Co, Reiss and Whistles are not what they used to be, regardless the cost.

I kind of want to give up, just buy utilitarian stuff from Carrier Company but I know such masculine shapes don't suit me. I wish they did.

Any advice or tips regarding where to look would be fantastic. There's so much choice out there now but so much crap. Buying clothes used to be really simple. Even when you get used to a brand now it will do a sudden lurch and the sizing and quality will fly off!

I too have the occasional charity shop shocker - a pair of beautiful 100% linen wide leg trousers, a nice weight to them, flat waist and zip, just perfect and unused. I was quite shocked to see they came from F&F at Tesco. You would never find anything like that in there now.

Yes @KirstenBlest it is exactly that, brands that I used to expect a decent experience with are falling short. And they are still expensive in my eyes. Jaeger dresses in polyester for the same price (or more!) than a silk one from 2010. I'm not sure how we can even excuse that one.

Charity isn't a great source for me locally, just ex primark and NewLook, etc. Most of them are out of shape and not in good condition. My only successes have been second hand online, which has produced some rare and wonderful items. Sadly it is once in a blue moon.

Recently bought some cotton cords from White Stuff, just straight leg, normal waist, lovely and simple. I was happy with the quality and colour but having sized up I still couldn't fasten them. I had to re order and return for the next size. I don't give a hoot about size labels but the impact this level of inconsistency must have on the environment is concerning. It isn't remotely sustainable.

M&S's 'trophy' tweed blazer this autumn, modelled by Sienna Miller, did not, as I recall, contain a single fibre of wool.

*@Floisme, ok, but I didn't buy it as I inherited an Edinburgh Woollen Tweed blazer a few years ago which is like new (but most definitely not).

Edinburgh Woollen Mill

what about YMC? Brora? I've bought fun jumpers, though admittedly chunky, from Peregrine, and a guernsey from sir plus (mens small, fits a size 12) which gets compliments from all sorts of people. Oh and Harley's of Scotland! House of Bruar...

I love tweed blazers, used to have one about 14 yrs ago from Toast, and then sold it like a total idiot and have been ebaying to get it back ever since

When I lived in Windermere I used to get my cashmere from Edinburgh Woollen Mill. I'm sure they shut the store since. They were very reasonable for some stuff.

@Tsukiko just looked on Vinted. There's a size 8 Ralph Lauren one on for £55.

I must rejoin Vinted, my sign up went wrong last year. Thanks for the tip!

@BodgerSparkins Wow I remember YMC, honestly didn't know they were still out there! Will take a look. For some reason, for the price, Brora rarely do colours I like. I wonder how much of their production is still in the UK.

Oh yes, YMC still going strong

Lora Gene

The Knotty Ones

Turns out I have a lot of knitwear brands in my head

Jamiesons (might be 'mens' only I think? but honestly I don't find mens crew necks cut any different from women's)

Johnstons of Elgin

If you rejoin vinted, Arket jumpers, particularly the alpaca mix jumpers, are 🙌

tweed blazers I would look at Katherine Hooker when on sale.

Fair enough Margaret Howell looks great but it's over 300 quid for a jumper.

Not sure how sustainable this is really

Wow. That's quite a lot.

I can handknit a good sweater in pure merino for around 35-40 pounds (I'm in Japan, so that is at current exchange rates, but still....)

Yes it is lot for a jumper, but comparing it to the price of yarn in Japan isn't a massively useful comparison. Knowledgeable knitters will know better than me, but I doubt you'd get a jumper's worth of merino in the UK for £40. Never mind the cost of making the garment, running a business etc.

Thing is, John Lewis were selling pure wool jumpers at £39 in the mid 80s. I remember saving up to buy one - it took a while because (from memory) I was earning around 9K a year.

How realistic is it to expect to pay the same price nearly 40 years later and get the same quality? I've still got the jumper.

Thinking about it some more, make that 8K a year.

I agree with you OP. I love vintage Scottish jumpers and cardis. So much of the woollens you see today are shoddy, blended with synthetics and made in China. Sadly most of the mills eg in Hawick have closed. I hunt for the brands I know and love on eBay. TBH they don’t come up very often and mostly they are in USA which rules them out due to duty charges.

To be fair, there was plenty of acrylic knitwear in the 80s for less than £39. It was pretty ghastly though - go to any weigh n' pay sale and you'll see it piled up.

True. Maybe the difference is you could also, and more easily, find the real eg Scottish stuff, admittedly at a much higher price.

You´re probably right about that. There´s a really nice knitwear shop in Elgin IIRC (random example, I know).

I unfortunately can´t recall its name right now... But it´s really good. They would probably have an online shop as well...

I used to buy Ballantyne cashmere sweaters from Portobello market for £25 back in the 1990's. They lasted 20 years. Quality was amazing.

@PumpkinsAndCoconuts , Johnstons
Cashmere Clothing & Fabrics | Scottish Cashmere | Johnstons of Elgin

Interesting and timely article here speculating whether Jigsaw might be about to move down market.

oh that's sad, and I don't think it's a good move if it is the case. They're fulfilling a niche that isn't otherwise swamped.

Quite often I go on websites and there's just too much to look at, and that, rather than anything else is what makes me give up.

Yeah although admittedly I've not bought from Jigsaw for years. In the noughties I used to ask for their vouchers for birthdays and Christmas, but then their prices seemed to go wild and I realised I could buy second hand Margaret Howell for less. Plus my workplace had turned much more casual so I really didn't need those lovely officey outfits any more.

And I was a bit at the suggestion that their selling suiting as separates was innovatory - surely M&S and Next were doing that years ago?

But that said, I can't think of many mid range retailers that try and go for both quality and design interest so, if true it would be a loss and I'm not sure it's as smart a move as they might think - they'd be moving into a very crowded market.

I mentioned earlier about the quality at Jigsaw having gone down. It's one of the nicer shops in my local high street, but I rarely go in nowadays because when I have, I'm disappointed by the quality.

Seasalt is good quality but might not be for everybody.

Finisterre is great.

Whenever I'm in Seasalt, I see things I like and I agree, it looks pretty well made for the price. But then I try it on...
It's not for lack of trying but nothing of theirs ever hangs properly on me. Or it's the wrong length. Or there's a load of surplus fabric where I don't want any. And I don't think my body's that unusual.