Where did you shop then vs where do you shop now?

[Whatsgoingonwithmyhead]

Where did you shop around 10 years ago (so let’s say roughly 2010-2015) and where do you shop now?

What inspired the change?

Then

Reiss
Whistles
Hobbs
Phase 8 (a bit)
TK Maxx
Baukjen
ebay for the above brands

Now

Vinted
Passenger
Rapha for leggings
Varley
Acai

Reasons

Change of lifestyle - now have a child & WFH, live semi-rurally not in London anymore

Got fed up with brands like Reiss & Whistles as the quality went downhill and no longer matched the price

Vinted makes buying & selling second hand sooo easy

Then:
Boden
Hobbs
Linea/House of Fraser
Laura Ashley (plain colour stuff, never a fan of anything with a floral print)

Now:
Vinted (Arket, Cos, Brora, Masai)
Uniqlo
Patagonia
Didriksons
Finisterre
John Lewis/Kin
Lucy & Yak

Mainly due to lifestyle changes, rise in income, more easily accessible second hand good quality items, getting a dog, becoming a daily 5 mile a day minimum walker, Boden quality and style gone downhill, feeling more confident in my own skin and developing more of my own style. I think I know what suits much more now than I did ten years ago and buy less but better quality and consciously try to pass on items I don't wear to friends/charity shops myself. I've also flipped from an expensive skin care habit and cheaper brands of make up to the other way around and use Superdrug range skin care and more expensive make up (but I'll still always look out for it BNIB on Vinted/eBay etc first!).

I spend most of my "disposable" income on travel/experiences now than stuff.

Then
Apricot
Primark

Now
Next

Then: Topshop, New Look, H&M, TK Maxx, Asos

Now: Tk Maxx, Yes Friends, Vinted.

Then:
Topshop
Miss Selfridge
Warehouse
French Connection
House of Fraser
Zara
H&M

Now:
Zara
Varley
Sezane
H&M
Mango
M&S
Matches for special occasions only
Vinted

Then:
Mostly H&M because I worked there for most of that time period until mid 2015, so easy to buy things alot and discount!
New look
ASOS
Primark
Boohoo
Zara (sometimes)

Now:
Dolly and Dotty 😍
Pretty Kitty Fashion
ASOS
H&M
Vinted
Charity shops (very rare due to WFH)
Happy mama (breastfeeding clothes)
Snag (for tights)
Primark (again rare)

Reason: I would still happily shop everywhere I used to buy but I guess I have definitely discovered my style since then? My fave thing to wear is 50s style midi dresses and just dresses in general really. Dd still breastfeeds (she's 3) so I have a lot of basic nursing dresses from happy mama that I wear a lot. I wish I knew how to dress nice casual for work but it's either dresses or a complete mess in my lazy clothes I have no in between 😂

Back then I had a lot of clothes, I earned less but more disposable income due to little responsibility (with parents/then cheapish rent and no kids) but now have higher income and more responsibility (marriage, house, and child), I would now rather treat myself occasionally and spend £50 on a dress every now and then that I absolutely love!

I agree re Whistles. M and S has actually got a lot better over the last 10 years. Jigsaw seems to have gone a bit weird. Monsoon used to be pretty good but less so now.

Then:
Jigsaw
Monsoon
Toast

Now:
M&S
Toast
Superdry

Then…

Marks and Spencer (undies & work wear)
Monsoon
Next
Debenhams
Gap
Oasis
Warehouse
Boux Avenue

Now…

Joules
Seasalt
Fatface
Superdry
Sometimes Monsoon (although there’s no store near me and it’s a pain ordering online, plus it’s suddenly gotten very expensive).
Marks and Spencer (undies)

Many of the shops that I used to shop in don’t have a high street presence any more. I did go through a period of shopping in Zara and Bershka when I lost weight after having my second child, but now I’m fat and 40 so can’t get away with the things that I wore then… I also lived in the city then and now I’m in the sticks…

Then:

Oasis
Warehouse
Joseph
Comptoir des Cottonniers
Gap

Now:

Zara (extended their size range vs 10y ago!)
Sezane
Uniqlo
John Lewis own brands

Then:

Warehouse
Whistles
Phase 8 (a bit)
TK Maxx
Oasis
Top Shop
&otherstories
All Saints
Ebay
Zara
H&M
Primark
Hush
Oliver Bonas

Now

M&S
local boutiques
Must be other places but mind gone blank
Oliver Bonas

I've just seen other places I liked then:

Jigsaw
Monsoon

I've stopped buying: Hush, Mint Velvet (both SO boring now), Monsoon (local shop closed), Debenhams (ditto), Hobbs (after the hem dropped and lining ripped on an expensive dress within one month of purchase).

Now use: Vinted, White Stuff, Seasalt as they all opened locally and I can try things on. One hundred stars for floating around the house in summer.

Still loyal to: M&S, will take a punt on end-of-sale Boden if I feel reckless 😂.

If I could afford Sezane I would buy the hell out of it too.

Then

Reiss
Hush
Boden
Banana Republic
Massimo Dutti
French Connection

Now

Whistles petite range
Me and Em
Baukjen
M&S
Independent shops

I feel a bit jaded with clothes. So even if I could afford Sezane not sure if I’d buy it.

Wow that takes me back

Used to be New Look, Primark, Peacocks, Asos, Debenhams, Ebay

Now
Poetry, Cos, Seasalt, Uniqlo, Boden, Toast

Don't like vinted and gave up on H&M and Zara for their ridiculous sizing

Then:

Whistles
Jigsaw
Wrap
Tk Maxx
Brand Alley
H&M for basics.

Now:

M&S
eBay for Cashmere/Jeans/pure cotton t shirts.
Very occasionally Vinted.
Tk Maxx mainly online.

I've cut right back in quantity but buy quality brands on eBay/Tk Maxx.

Then (was in my late teens/early twenties and 2 sizes smaller than now...also earnt crap money):

• Topshop
• H&M
• Primark for basics
• Jigsaw/Whistles (the odd piece bought by DM)
• Online only stores like PLT, Missguided (horrible quality!)

Now (pregnant, smart-casual office job in finance):

• M&S (love for basics, shoes)
• George/Tu (the only place I buy underwear, swear by it)
• Varley (lovely quality)
• Uniqlo
• I do splurge on the odd designer handbag or shoes, and get SO much wear out of them
• Reformation
• The White Company (although quality seems to be dipping)
• Toast

Then
Boden
Fatface
White Stuff
Monsoon
Gap
Jigsaw when feeling flush

Now
Sainsbury's
Crew Clothing
Vinted

Nowhere else consistently really. Nowhere is reliably good for style, quality and natural fibres.

Sainsbury's seem to be good for the money, certainly no worse than Next or Boden at several times the price, and fit well. I have a couple of really nice cotton shirts of theirs, and really like their jeans.

I still shop in exactly the same places/buy the same brands, although now am more likely to buy them from consignment sites and Vinted, rather than new. In fact, much of what I buy now are things I tried on/didn't buy ten years ago!

Then
asos
topshop
h&m
zara

Now
zara
arket
stories
ganni

I actually have less money now 😭 but I’m more selective and will only buy natural fibres (thanks mumsnet!)… unless it’s faux leather 🙈

Used to shop in lots of the above brands like warehouse, oasis, Topshop but stopped when they shut the shops etc.
Now next, m and s and charity shops
Jigsaw and whistles are now so expensive and quite a bit of polyester in them as well

Then
New Look
Uniqlo (best jeans)
Oliver Bonas
Warehouse

Now
M&S
Uniqlo, though not as often
Ted Baker as a treat

Then:
Next
Oasis
Warehouse
Debenhams
House of Fraser
French Connection
Great Plains
M&S
Ted Baker
Coast

Now:
Hush
Sezane
Jigsaw
Other Stories
Oliver Bonas
Boden
John Lewis
The White Company

Then:
Next
Primark
Peacocks
Tesco /Asda
People Tree
Nomads
Natural collection

Now :

Next including brands via Next (most purchases )
Wrap/poetry
Hush
M&S
Asda
Local boutique

Then
M&S
Jigsaw
Levis
Mint Velvet
Office (for shoes)

Now
M&S
Sezane
Dune (for shoes)

I do buy from other places, but I’ve bought just one thing from each shop