I'd like to invest in quality clothes

[zebedeehadapoint]

But I don't know where to start?

I'm looking for clothes that are simple and clean lines but good quality. Bit like a good quality Uniqlo I suppose.

Any recommendation?

Also, where do I start for good quality shoes?

I buy both cheap and midrange clothing but I take care of them quite well, ie only washing in cold water and using washing bags. Cheap clothes can look fine, it’s more about focusing on fit and the accessories

I’m going to suggest Sahara. The style is not really the same as many of the shops already mentioned so it might not be your thing, op. The colours tend to be brighter. But the quality is very good. Many things are made in the UK or Portugal. The linen is good quality and they regularly have sales.

Have you considered a personal shopper appointment at John Lewis? Might help you pick a style and they have a lot of 'good' brands in there.

You can find really good quality on the high street if you read the labels carefully e.g. H&M Premium have good quality cotton, merino, linen etc. and heavier weight fabrics. Always buy very slightly over rather than undersized too. Even the supermarkets and collections like Primark's Edit have items which will look great and last years. The Tesco trench in this article was a great buy: https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/fashion/article/fashion-supermarket-adsa-george-tu-sainsburys-advice-2024-9vbw78d7p

You need to build up a collection over years too... but also many items will just date and it is hard to know ahead of time which. Anna Murphy writes about the challenges of 'investment' dressing here: https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/fashion/article/fashion-mistakes-style-women-ageing-9ll97zjnm

Claudie Pierlot
Maje
Sandro
Elisabetta Franchi

I also need help, but mainly because I am the weirdest fit.
I have found that good quality basics purchased out of season ie the cashmere in the summer sales, T shirts in the winter, coats/ blazers in the summer saves a lot of money.

OP, you need to go and try things on. Spend a day in the west end trying on brands. Different fashion houses cut for different shapes. I'm 5'8" so places that cut for 5'4" don't work for me.

I have a reasonable wardrobe of clothes that are good quality & last - mostly because I seldom have time for shopping so shop twice a year..

Maxmara, Celtic &Co for sweaters, Emporio Armani ( two 10yo dresses). Levi jeans, Margaret Howell. Are there any small boutiques locally that you like. Try things on. Talk to the owner and get to know their stock.

You may need to approach it as a gradual process rather than something that can be done in one go .

I find the autumn/winter collections to be be better than summer for quality.

Good quality shoes ( especially) and bags can elevate low quality pieces.

Clothes that fit you well
Search for a local alterations service who can modify things for you. Perhaps update the buttons on a high street jacket .

I second pp who advised taking good care of your items .

I think you can get good quality clothes from all over the place. But one key to making clothes look and hang better is laundering and ironing them correctly so they don't look out of shape. Similarly with shoes, cleaning and polishing them makes a world of difference.

I was amazed at YouTuber influencers sending boots and shoes off for a 'service' when apart from rehealing all that was done was to give them a really good clean and polish. Really, they were pleased with the result but most of it could've been achieved at home.

Oooh, how exciting, OP! I can tell you what works well for me in terms of quality and lasting impact in my wardrobe.

1. Jumpers, cashmere: Eric Bompard. These come in loads of colours, styles and weights. I personally keep returning to the fairly fitted, V necked cashmere and silk mix. This winter I will be replacing my black polo-necked one with a heavier weight similar one. I won't get much change out of £300 but the jumpers last me a good decade or more and I wear them constantly.
2. Shirts, silk. Used to be Jaeger (I have two, again about 12 years old or more) but their quality isn't what it used to be. So Everlane is now my go-to for silk. About £150 - £170.
3. Shirts, cotton/linen: COS, Massimo Dutti.
4. Trousers, wool: COS, Gerard Darel, MaxMara. £100 - £250.
5. Trousers, linen/cotton/lyocell: Massimo Dutti. £100/Mother of Pearl £300.
6. Jackets/blazers: Gerard Darel, MaxMara - can't remember all prices, but I think one of them was around £400, which is a lot for me, but again, longevity.
7. Coats: Hobbes, Jaeger, Marimekko. I am missing really good 'weatherproof' coats and have to splash some money there this year - like Drijekson (spelling?)
8. Shoes/boots: Russell & Bromley; Marni; O'Keefe.

Brands I keep an eye on: Studio Nicolson (boots, coats, but am waiting for them to produce trousers/skirsts that don't include polyester); Sezanne (cardigans); Wiggy Kit, Roxane Baines (dresses); John Lewis AnyDay

Don't care about expensive handbags or belts, just something that works with what I have. Etsy is pretty good, as is COS and The Tannery. Can add in shirts/jeans/layering items/fancy socks/scarves/trainers from all over, as and when I see something that will go with my basics. I find targeting one or two 'new' items a year (a really good skirt, a coat, an excellent pair of sandals or boots) helps build your wardrobe so that you always have what you need.

I don't actually have a massive budget for clothes, and manage to spend quite big on not too much money by using Paypal 0% credit for bigger items and being very disciplined about repaying it, and having no shame about asking nearest and dearest for money for clothes if they want to buy me something for my birthday/Christmas.

But were they portraying it as as an astonishing result? It just sounds like the standard 'outsourcing of labour/activities you don't want to do' and in that instance, thinking the money spent and time and labour saved works out well. I'd pay for people to clean and shine my shoes if I saw a place offering that at a price I considered reasonable.

With coats I would say you need a Rain Sisters coat! I've had mine (purple) for a while and it still looks immaculate. I get compliments on it every time I wear it and it's light enough for summer as well as being a Godsend in torrential rain. Best clothing purchase ever.

I love high quality basics, OP. Most of my wardrobe is made up of very simple things that cost more than people think they should. Not The Row money, but definitely more. I think need to have a really clear idea of what you like before you start spending though. A list of the brands that other people like isn’t going to help you much. You need to know the style that you like.

I buy the odd piece full price, but I do a lot of shopping on Vinted, EBay (for brands that are aimed at a more mature market), TK Maxx and charity shops. If you spend time on Vinted setting up searches for brands and styles that you like it will get to know you really well - my Vinted ‘for you’ list is often bang on with what it recommends. I’ve found some lovely things just browsing through what the algorithm thinks I’ll like.

Once you start wearing higher quality clothes you get a bit of a radar for good construction and fabric and I’d focus on that rather than on brands. Personally I’m not averse to a bit of man made fibre because I like my clothes soft and drapy but not wafty - pure cotton or linen isn’t really my thing but a bit of high quality lyocell/rayon/poly/challis or a decent mix is a-ok with me if it feels good and hangs well on my frame. Apart from coats and knitwear, where I want wool and cashmere.

It takes a bit of time and energy to find quality, especially in the last few years. I spent 2 hours in TK Maxx today going through every rack and came away with one T-shirt. But it’s a high quality brand, beautiful shape and was £20 instead of £100 odd so I’m delighted.

I only buy high quality for my basics and am quite rigid about the details and style, but unleash my inner magpie with bags, scarves, sunglasses, belts, jewellery etc. I have a few grown up things but most of it is cheap and fun.

A list of the brands that other people like isn’t going to help you much. You need to know the style that you like.

But at the moment the OP says she doesn’t know where to start. It isn’t a matter of other people saying ‘I like X, so you must too.’ But if a hundred posters respond on her thread, each offering a handful of suggestions (sure to be some overlap) she can look them all up and gradually form an impression of what’s available and what sort of clothes excite her. Having built up some awareness of a range of brands, she’s free to pursue more in depth research. But she clearly does need some idea of where she might find brands / sources she might not have heard of.

I always have a look through the Sainsburys clothes when I’m there because it’s clothes and I am powerless to resist a poke through.

There’s a lot of very poor quality fabric and shapes and patterns I wouldn’t choose, but in the last couple of months I have found a couple of really great things. Particularly pleased with a summer jacket that’s a similar style to the Toast kantha coats I always lust after. Of course it’s not hand stitched and it’s cheap cotton but it’s a great simple shape, with a bit of thoughtful detail in the stitching and a well chosen plain colour. I also picked up two drop shoulder T-shirts in a cotton mix (might be poly, not sure, but heavy and drapy). There were racks and racks of shapeless thin T-shirts and then randomly a couple of styles were great. They look almost indistinguishable from the ones I paid a lot more money for in the spring and were about £10. The quality is there but it seems to be sprinkled at random amongst a lot of tiers and ruffles and tie belts.

Thanks for suggesting Sahara...love those clothes, if only I were younger..not now unfortunately

Try:

Hugo boss
REISS
abercrombie & fitch
Hollister
Ted Baker
Whistles
Tommy Hilfiger
All Saints
Guess
Karl Lagerfeld
The Kooples
Calvin Klein

Congratulations on getting to be able feel this!

How about starting with some fun, which will introduce you to different brands, and more importantly get your eye in:

www.collagerie.com

They do a weekly email.

I buy good quality clothes because if I choose carefully not only will they look good now, they will last me and can still be worn in many years time. My style is eclectic, and I don't really follow fashion very much. Brands I like which I think give good value looking at price vs quality, in no particular order are:

Max Mara
Joseph
Margaret Howell
Agnès B
Sandro
Paul Smith
Hugo Boss
Uniqlo
Cos
Arket

Individual boutiques can be a good place to start - there are very few left in central London, but ones that I like elsewhere are below - they sell some more unusual and interesting designers' clothes. Epitome in Edinburgh is a bit more edgy than I generally go for, but it sells high quality things, including fine Italian wool trousers, which almost never crease. I can't remember the name but a friend has some and it's amazing material and looks fabulous.

Cambridge
www.bownscambridge.com

Harrogate
www.morganclare.co.uk/designers/

Edinburgh

www.epitomeofedinburgh.com/#

dicks-edinburgh.co.uk/collections/womens-just-arrived

Newcastle (not a boutique, a department store)
Fenwicks

Mind, quality isn't everything, always. I went out with the same friend, she in her beautiful Prada silver slingbacks, me in my M&$ embellished velvet slingbacks that had cost £15 in a sale (but do look much much better than that, hence my recommendation that you 'get your eye in' so you know when something looks good quality). My friend's feet were sliding about in her all-leather Prada shoes so she couldn't walk that well, but my M&S cheapies, not having leather anywhere near them stuck to my feet so I could walk fine in them.

@Precipice

It just sounds like the standard 'outsourcing of labour/activities you don't want to do' and in that instance, thinking the money spent and time and labour saved works out well. I'd pay for people to clean and shine my shoes if I saw a place offering that at a price I considered reasonable.

I appreciate that and that it can give someone a welcome break. However, the flip side of this is that what were previously seen as everyday and ordinary skills are becoming lost to the general public and the preserve of 'experts'. (So much so people are surprised at the difference cleaning and polishing shoes or ironing clothes can make.) This de-skilling results in the product of these skills being only really available to those who can afford to pay for the expertise.

I am thankful that I, at least, possess the skills to do these things for myself should I choose to.