Where do people shop for good quality basics/Trousers?

[Grumpymiddleagedwoman43]

I have just been to EVERY SINGLE shop in my home town. I cannot find any decent basic long sleeve tops (not 3/4 length) with either a scoop/v-neck.
I am a cold soul, so always need long sleeves under everything to keep warm.
Also struggling with trousers, I am slim but straight (waist and hips almost same circumference)- high waisted look awful on me, and virtually all the wide leg trousers I try have inches flapping down!
I am flummoxed. I am 5'5, size 10 but athletic and I CANNOT find anything that looks half decent. Help me please :)
(FWIW can't stand Next, M & S, or most high street brands as I find the quality is very poor now and nothing looks good after the first wash)

Saint + Sofia do some really lovely quality trousers that are so comfortable and last well!

NinePine - good quality basics and leg length variations. Love their uncured joggers.Here

I buy lots of tops from Kettlewell now. All the basic styles in all the colours.

American Vintage for T shirts in scoop/v neck styles. M&S for trousers as a short-arse. I find the trousers wash really well without any issues.
Am I the only one who finds Community Clothing really depressing?
Our local Next is a sea of synthetic fibres. I've visited once in the last 3 years & walked out pretty quickly.

Interesting viewpoint, @Cantonet!

Do you mean the CC website, or the actual clothes?

(I know a few people who’ve said they find the site a bit unusual - no attempt to convey an impression of ‘glamour’. I love the fact I can ‘trust’ the quality of the clothes, and they take pride in the localities, craft and materials of garment making. It’s an awfully big jump from there to Margaret Howell, with not much I’d contemplate in between.)

I know you don't like High St brands but H M are my go to for everyday basics. If you want to shop high end Em & Em online have really nice high quality items but are obviously a premium brand.

Look at Arket and Cos, maybe Massimo Dutti. Definitely Sezane! if you are on a budget, then look for those brands on Vinted, bnwt will be at least 50% compared with the high street prices

one thing with Cos is that they tend to make clothes that fit tall Scandi-type people, so if you are 5'5 the trousers will drag on the floor. Arket tends to fit me better and I am 5'5 too

I have trousers from Sezane which are well made and a great fit but the black trousers faded quickly in the wash. I like the fit of Zara trousers on me and they used to wash well and cost around £30 but the last pair I bought haven't kept their colour and the side seams are fraying after very few washes and now ready for the bin. I do have trousers from Reiss and J Crew which are a good fit but they are dry clean only. Never tried Jigsaw trousers before but have ordered off the back of this thread.

For long sleeve t shirts I find primark hard to beat. Wash well, I tumble dry them and they survive. They do a few different materials so you need to feel out the thicker ones. I wear them every day under jumpers or whatevs

and yes, yes primark. I KNOW. But tbh I can’t care that much either. The £35 equivalents are also made in Bangladeshi sweatshops

I found this website recently called Newin.Style that's quite useful for this kind of thing. It basically finds all the nicest things from highstreet brands and pops them in one place. Might be worth trying out to make searching easier?

Jigsaw still make good quality t-shirts, although everything else is lower quality than it used to be.

Also Cos, Arket, and Rapanui.

Me and Em is expensive but very good quality in my opinion. They have a good range of trousers.

Used to be Boden for plain, long sleeved tops, but now more likely to be Gudrun Sjoden or Seasalt. Don't bother "going to the shops" - they're all grim - just stick to online.
Trousers are a bit more tricky, so in addition to the above I might drag myself into John Lewis, but more in hope than expectation.

Also, I agree with Saint+Sofia for plain black or navy work trousers. Dull, but comfy and wash well

@SeekingSomePeaceAndQuiet thank you for the link. Perfect.

What about Seasalt for plain jersey tops and possibly their trousers, quality is reasonable

May be 3/4 at the moment because of season

Tesco do basics brilliantly.

And so do very.

I recommend Saint and sofia apartment trousers (slightly flared). It's £59 but thick cotton mix with pockets!

Boden & Saint & Sofia for Ponte black trousers. Boden & Hobbs also do nice double fronted jersey tops.

WRAP are good, they have a shop in Notting Hill but also online

@SeekingSomePeaceAndQuiet

no sizing??????

@Grumpymiddleagedwoman43 Peacocks do scoop, V and round neck long sleeved tops in an assortment of colours and seem to last forever! Like you I always have an underlayer and these are great. Very cheap too which does make me feel guilty as they are obviously churned out in a factory overseas but I can't afford other stuff. The lidl thermal long sleeved tops are also very good if you can find them. I stock up when they are in! Will watch with interest to find out if you locate any decent shops for trousers!

M&S Heatgen in the lingerie dept are great.

I get the supima cotton tops from everlane.
Crew, scoop neck, henley. Lots of colours. I do wait for sales though.
Like this

I’ve just bought some brilliant pinstripe navy trousers from Uniqlo. They fit like a glove are not too wide in the leg and the fabric feels great next to the skin. I got a small and I am a size 10. It’s a very subtle pinstripe.