Your top gripe with buying clothes at the moment?

[Clotheswoe]

Mine is that often when trousers are described as 'high-waisted', they are not at all high waisted on me. They just aren't hipsters!

Everything being high waisted. Before buying a pair of trousers these days, you have to do the 'sit down' test to see whether there's a big bulge of excess fabric around the tummy. In 90% of cases there is. Not a flattering look!

I want normal waist bands back!

I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that you’ve never been to Durham.

No I haven't, is it a hovel? One down 2 right .

There's never been good clothes shops inn Durham, you'd troll up to Newcastle. Unless you're into shopping in Mugwump for the quirky patchouli librarian vibe.

Hovel is a bit harsh. It’s got lovely old bits around the cathedral. But those are surrounded by some fairly grim 60s bits, and it’s not affluent, on the whole. The contrast between town and gown is pretty stark.

I was thinking more of the demographics of the universities mentioned than the town itself. That's a shame for Durham they have a very posh student body at uni, wonder where they shop? anyway, it's meant to be a light-hearted comment. Still intrigued by uni students shopping at Hobbs though.

Never shopped at Hobbs as a student, only Jigsaw! 🤣

only Jigsaw!

Hilare!

Anyway, must go, a Rosemary and Thyme episode I’m finishing up.

Oh I’m so glad that there are others that are getting frustrated about the lack of quality clothing. I did an order for Saint and Sofia a few years ago and bought some trousers that were a perfect fit and washed really well (still look new). Anyway I bought some more trousers to find that the quality was awful. They replaced the thick fabric for a cheap and thin one. I complained and morons said they updated the fabric based on customer feedback. Seriously? Which customer says, can you please make cheap trousers that fall apart and bobble after one wash please. Bloody morons. I did suggest that if they were so concerned, they could have increased the price rather than reduce the quality. Sigh

Anyway most shops are like this one. Can someone name me one store that does smart work trousers in thicker fabrics? (Have tried most stores and not found anything) willing to pay more if I need to.

I loved the original Next! Everything on wooden hangers, with a small amount on the racks. Jumpers folded on glass tables. There was small capsule collections. I loved their hand knit jumpers that were very Joseph/Martin Kidman era style. I bought a few, only wish I still had them. It all went downhill from there.

Next moved down market in. 2006. Dd was born then, and l remember loads of good quality cotton stuff then. Then suddenly after she was born it was like ugh.

l had wool jumpers from Miss S and Warehouse in the early 90’s, In fact l bought loads of silk stuff from Warehouse in the late 90’s. Slip dresses.

Search M&S for 'supima cotton' - only men's shirts and socks come up! I actually took an issue with this and wrote their customer service to find out why they don't offer the same quality cotton in women's ranges (women's shirts are all 'cotton rich' you see. They responded back to say it's all 'due to customer demand' 🙄www.marksandspencer.com/search?searchTerm=supima%20cotton&intid=normal&langId=-24&storeId=10151&catalogId=10051&filter=Categories%3DSC_Level_1_586&searchType=categoryTypeAhead

About men’s clothes being made of better quality fabric - I presume they are cheaper to produce than women’s clothes because
1 A much smaller range of products with fewer seasonal drops
means
2 Each garment is made in a much larger production run so costs are kept down
3 Designs carry over from season to season so no need to factor in discounts to shift excess stock
4 I’m guessing here but I assume men tend to buy/order what they need and not several options to try or return. Costs of processing returns are lower.

I was listening to Patrick Grant of Community Clothing on Desert Island discs the other day. He said that because all the volume manufacturing was at the fast fashion polyester end of the market, it has become relatively more expensive to get higher quality clothing made as the big manufacturers are no longer doing it.

So I think for higher quality reasonably priced women’s clothing you need a company that keeps their designs the same year after year so the high volumes keep the prices lower. There’s Uniqlo and their jumpers that springs to mind here, but you may all know of others.

But one of the reasons men find buying clothes easier is that their sizing is standard and transparent, wish women's clothing was sized in inches or cm.

I'd also love it if women's ranges were streamlined - the "choice" of 800 pairs of lousy quality trousers is no choice at all. I suppose it saves me money as I have almost given up trying to find stuff.

Sizing is less complex for men because there is less variation among them. I've never seen a man, whatever his build and size, who didn't have shoulders wider than his hips. Women are much, much more varied. Men also buy clothes less frequently. It affects what becomes available.

Tiny MF gussets
Too few comfy thongs

and of course in general- nothing bloody LASTS anymore!

A lot of the shapes just now are either really boxy or cropped/too fitted. No happy middle.

Same for me, I don't really like anything

I don't think that's necessarily true about men being more standard in shape - and men quite often are wider on their stomachs or bottoms or thighs.

It should still be possible to sell women's clothes by reference to the key measurement for the garment, eg, chest measurement for tops, waist (and possibly hip?) for bottoms. It wouldn't really be rocket science to do this - some trousers are already sold as more suitable for pear or apple shapes. It's just inertia and laziness/cheaper not to.

I also agree with this. I dislike most neutral colours, and so many shops seem to be focusing on black, white, neutrals and sludge as their colour options, maybe with some acid green or faded-looking orangey "red". Alternatively, there are also (usually expensive) shops selling voluminous-all-over, bright, multicoloured, often frilled dresses. I wonder how long the current silhouettes will persist.

I don't think that's necessarily true about men being more standard in shape - and men quite often are wider on their stomachs or bottoms or thighs.

I agree, and I see many men in ill fitting clothes. Particularly trousers that are too big on the bum and falling down under a belly. My teen has the opposite problem and they are too big on the waist though they fit elsewhere.

That's on the men though, not accepting that their waist is not the area just above their pubes. They don't want to buy the massively larger size needed to accommodate the belly that's where their waist should be. Also causes trousers to fall down when they're shaped this way, like an egg, unless they're belted tight which I expect is uncomfortable or use braces which are unfashionable. So they buy them to fasten under the belly, allowing them to be comfortable, ignore the belly and continue to think they're a size 34" waist.

@NewJeans
If they bought a bigger size then they'd be even bigger on the bum and thighs. Some of these men have no bum to speak of, yet they don't do 'big belly no arse' jeans like the opposite of 'curve' jeans for women.

Had more success on vinted recently than any online purchases. More choice of what actually suits me than what’s on sale at mainstream stores these days. I’m asking for measurements and going by that rather than size and searching by fabric and excluding all polyester!

Thanks @narniabusiness for the Desert Island Disks recommendation for Patrick Grant of Community Clothing. Sounds interesting - will look it up.

It does seem that the fabrics in men's clothing shops are a lot better. Nice cool linen and 100% cottons. And thicker trousers for work, not the flimsy things we're all presented with (I have to wear tights under mine, otherwise I'd freeze in winter!)