Have clothes shot up in price?

[LillythePinky]

I was looking at some basic T shirts etc and they all seem so expensive.

I don't shop at H&M or Primark, because I don't have them nearby.

I'm in the older age group and don't want throw-away fashion, but basics that last at least 2-3 seasons.

But I'm still surprised to find a long sleeved cotton T shirt is close to £30 now compared to £19.99 a couple of years ago.

May I recommend Rapanui? They are on sale at the moment and mine have lasted 3 years. Long sleeve tee for £16. Don't always like their colours though.

I buy coats and jumpers second hand, but for tees I like new.

I have a lot of clothes and had been planning to get rid of the excess, but even basics from about 6/7 years ago are starting to look like haute couture!

Exactly this. I daren’t throw anything out because it would cost a fortune to buy something at the same level of quality to replace it. So I’m ’shopping my stash’ and trying to work with existing clothes.

I agree with PP, part of the reason vintage is so popular now is because people know they’re going to get superior quality. Unfortunately sellers have cottoned on to this and prices are creeping up for second hand clothes.

Please don’t opt for cheap, fast fashion alternatives like Shein. There’s millions of ethical reasons why not to.

I get all of mine and my children’s clothes second hand now, if you have time, have a browse of charity shops, if not Vinted is fab or eBay. You can still shop the brands you like then but at a fraction of the price or just get a huge bundle and be sorted for that age group.

Charity shops all the way for me now

It’s not just the price, I’ve sent whole orders back because the quality is simply awful.

Think a £150 dress and it’s a near see through rag made of “ecovero”. I bought a summer dress last year that pilled on the first wear then the colour ran and it came out misshapen after the first wash.

Feels like brands are competing in a race to the bottom.

Quite.

It’s the trash that’s going up in price. Hopefully it means the children in poor countries who make it are being paid more, but I doubt it.

I think the massive drop in quality, especially in women's clothes, is a huge part of the issue here - more expensive but longer lasting would be fine but it isn't, it's more expensive and far worse quality. If I want t-shirts made of decent material that don't shrink in the wash I buy men's now, same with shoes. I'm on the verge of learning to make my own clothes just so that I can have some form of affordable quality with decent fit!

Arket t-shirts are great. £17, although strangely not many sizes available online right now. I love how they're cut. Also Uniqlo.

Edit, sorry, £17 for short sleeve.

Where on earth are you shopping? I've just bought t-shirts in M&S for £8 short sleeved -£15 Long sleeved!

Yes and the quality is going down.

That said, I'm in Ireland and I miss buying from so many UK websites since Brexit because not only have the prices gone up but delivery charges have too and then there's customer charges on top of it which just makes it not worth it.

Any chance you could rejoin the EU for the sake of my wardrobe? Not even joking. It's like a break up, I never wanted. 😀

You need to go to asda.

I buy mens t shirts. Funny they are still good quality and cheap.

I buy men's jumpers. They are often pure wool when the women's are acrylic. I prefer dark colours to baby pink and baby blue too.

We have enough clothes, accessories and shoes for 3 generations in full...

I buy a LOT from vinted - some absolute bargains from there

@ThirtyThrillionThreeTrees totally agree. I am like wtf with brexit and customs. uk have fab second hand sites and feckkin customs make everything so expensive. I think an post is making it up the charges
on a more serious note clothing production had got way to cheap. manufactures found cheap materials made from fossil fuels to create cheaper clothes so you buy more and clothes become disposable. now the cost of everything has gone up so there the price of shite quality has gone up. Good quality has gone out of the market as the cosuenr wasn't willing to pay for it. there is enough clothes produced currently to also about 50 years. buy less buy more second hand learn to repair etc and educate yourselves about quality of clothes how to shop and but only what's needed

Vinted all the way.

you can set your search criteria to only show you ‘new with tags’ or ‘new no tags’ so it’s basically just like year round sale shopping.

Also the algorithm is pretty good so once you searched and ‘liked’ a few things it starts suggesting things for you that are actually exactly what you’re looking for!

the app is easy to use - not at all like eBay.

I am worried for some of my favourite brands - I think they have priced too high and are now going to do an LK Bennet.

I’m a high-end high street, low end designer - places like Toast, Sandro, the Kooples, Max Mara, Brora. They seem to have come adrift from the reality of their customers having a lot less disposable income. Prices have rocketed, as if it was still cash-rich pandemic. They’ve completely misunderstood.

£30 for a cotton top? Not sure where youre shopping. Matalan, Asda, Sainsburys are cheap enough. Vinted is also great

I buy everything from Vinted. Good chance you'll find what you want or similar in a new or near new condition.

Why don’t you order online?
I like H&M quality.

I also order a lot of clothes from Shein.com, but you should always read reviews about every item you order because some items run small and others run large. They offer free returns so it’s not a problem to send clothes back. Have a look.

These vests have excellent quality, I have 2 myself

http://api-shein.shein.com/h5/sharejump/appjump?link=V97tE6ULtau&localcountry=GB&url_from=GM7479907628950175744

Also these long sleeves are only £7, quality is just like H&M. I have grey and black, they both made from cotton, but some other colors are made from polyester so better to read description.

http://api-shein.shein.com/h5/sharejump/appjump?link=V97tfNuqgRL&localcountry=GB&url_from=GM7479907836760666112