I quit clothes shopping!

[PoppyBaxter]

Has anyone else given up on clothes shopping because of how god awful everything is in the shops?

I have 'fast fashion' items in my wardrobe from 15 years ago from shops like Warehouse, H&M and New Look, which I still wear because they were so thick and decently made.

I've tried on clothes from numerous shops over the last couple of years - both fast fashion and more expensive - trying to find a few nice bits worth wearing. Everything is utter shite. Fabric is so thin. There are loose threads. Buttons come off during the first wear. Everything is so oversized and shapeless with hideous tiers. I ordered an M&S cashmere jumper dress (£120) and when it arrived it looked like a crumbled old rag so I sent it back. I treated myself to a couple of cashmere jumpers from JL (£89 each) and they're severely bobbled after only 2 months. The thinnest, see-through, poorly fitting tshirt, with twisted seams is £45 from any half-decent brand.

I SO want a few new bits for my spring and summer wardrobe, but just can't find anything worth buying. I'm thinking about how I can mix up and restyle what I already own and making do. Anyone else?

This is also me 😆

Just annoyed that my nearest Uniqlo is Manchester and I'm in Leeds!

I actually just ordered this shirt from Sezanne as, like I say up thread, it's one of the very few brands I've been impressed with in recent years: https://www.sezane.com/en/product/max-shirt/very-light-denim#size-4
I also bought an incredibly good quality coat from Max Marra last year, but for £600 it ought to be! I'm sure it would have cost £300 2 years ago!
I'm wearing my old Boden tshirts from a few years back, because the same style for sale now are half the thickness of fabric.
I've got a lovely £100 skirt from Whistles, but a button came off on the first wear. I'm not convinced it's any better quality than New Look.
So I do shop around, but I'm generally underwhelmed.

I have very very few clothes. I wear uniform all week and around the house Uniqlo ribbed joggers and various long sleeve tops. I have 4 pairs of Beyond Nine trousers in different styles and only buy Cos these days. The high street is a no no so it is all online these days. I have a certain style and I stick to is I save a fortune.

It's gone the same way as TV. Loads of choice, race to the bottom in quality/price. Online shopping means we are out of touch with choosing and trying on items as part of the selection process, instead it's a lottery as to what you might get sent and often you settle rather than bothering with a return. All materials look the same on screen so there is no incentive to use quality fabrics or have things well made.

Now this sounds up my street. I hate ironing lol will have a mooch

Yep. I rarely buy from vinted but I mostly try to wear what I already have. You can't find high quality clothes at all any more, all factories seem to be sweatshops, and fashion is destroying the plant. Not too long ago in the 1940s you'd have had about 3 outfits and that was it. I'm sticking with that philosophy because in my opinion "fashion" as a concept is unsustainable and incompatible with environmental sustainability.

All materials look the same on screen

This is patently untrue! I have no difficulty whatsoever in discerning decent fabric on screen.

Firstly you go by the tenor of the website and any claims they make about sourcing and manufacturing of fabrics.

Then you read the specific fabric description for each item. And its specific provenance.

Then you enlarge any photos / video, and look at how the fabric is woven, the stitching, weight or transparency. How the garment falls and moves in the video. I don’t particularly trust most reviews or wearers’ photos - but I’ll probably look at them if they’re there.

But really it is mostly about knowing the brand, or if they’re new to me, being able to ‘place’ them in a vague hierarchy and assessing what they appear to pride themselves on and what their USP is.

I'm with you. I think the Internet promises you the earth but doesn't always deliver. There is too much choice, too many lines, too much newness all the time. I am starting to look at my existing pieces and wonder if I can actually find modern equivalents. I can find a whole load of polyester one season wonders.

If you are looking at what would have been on the high street if everything hadn't shut, the prices are too low and so it shows in the quality. I don't doubt you can find some good quality stuff online for £250 but that's not the equivalent. That's going the other way, where are the mid prices staples. M&S's revival is I think because they are plugging that gap and have actual stores too.

Uniqlo is good but some of the stuff is synthetic.

Same here - but I suspect it's knowledge built up from many years spending more money on, and perhaps more importantly, time thinking about, clothes than is considered acceptable.

For cashmere - www.nearlynewcashmere.co.uk You have to check regularly as it is all one off stuff, but every now and then something will pop up that's just perfect. Also, they get end of season new stuff from one of the big Scottish mills every few months.

Honestly, in the whole history of the world there has never been so much to choose from. Too much, in fact. I guess that’s why people seem to be clinging helplessly to what they already know

There has never been so much to choose from, true. The trouble is, there has never been so much utter rubbish. The quality of fabric has gone down, down, down and the prices have gone up, up, up.

So for me I always imagined that when I made it in life I could branch out of Primark and buy well made clothes from slightly pricier brands. I now can't afford those brands, find it hard to justify the prices for the fabric, and peri means I sweat in crap fabrics. I also really struggle with what to wear - I don't want to stand out at work fashion wise as I hate receiving comments. Workwear is a nightmare. I don't like short sleeve dresses anymore, happy with 3/4 sleeve but hard to find, midi length looks frumpy- I need some magic shift dresses that are knee length and not frumpy but can't find them. I also have a desire for everything to work together in a cohesive style. Atm I am wearing wide leg black trousers but black isn't really me either. Oh and I don't want to have to make choices of what to wear - I just want a work 'uniform'.

Things that have helped -
Getting my colours done - saves so much time - I know which beige makes me look 10 years older and meh, and which grey won't work etc.
Dressing for my body shape - I am an hourglass leaning pear - Melissa Murrell is quite good on this. Knowing what works and focusing on that - for me that's things like sleeve lengths, sleeve types, texture, neck types, emphasis of the T silhouette, if an outfit is plain wear cooler shoes or statement earrings etc.
Neutrals and basics- I'm forcing myself to buy pretty much neutrals only this year. Its the easiest way to dress. I used to be more boho but have moved more minimalist- question is how to retain femininity - not sure of answer yet.
Natural fibres and fabrics - looking at fabric content
Buying for practicality - the lifestyle I mainly have- this meant buying warm cashmere roll neck jumpers as my office is cold. I also bought the JL cashmere jumper- only washed it once but will debobble with my debobbler. The cobalt blue one is perfect and suits me really well. It's crew neck also also just got a uniqlo cashmere roll neck. Prefer it as its not fuzzy/fluffy, but still soft. I was quite impressed with what they have in store - defo worth an explore. Will be buying more merino and cashmere from there when I see my colours crop up.

I second this. It's so difficult to find nice fabric and also for the sizing to be the actual sizing also. I used to love clothes shopping. Not so much anymore.

What do you mean by “I miss the high street” @PoppyBaxter ?

@Bimblebombzle places like fat face and seasalt are crammed to the rafters with shift dresses. I know this because I can’t wear them! 😅

I think what I personally mean by this is Oasis, Warehouse, Topshop...all those shops that existed in the 2010s but then went into administration around Covjd times. It felt like those shops had a good balance of style but quality. I've actually never thought Zara or H&M was any good for quality although of course they do still exist.
But equally there's no guarantee that I could or would shop in Oasis etc. now having had two kids and heading towards 40. I think it's just that those shops closing has coincided with me entering a new era in my style life anyway (post kids etc) but it's just made the transition much more abrupt and I feel very lost to know where to buy decent stuff that suits me!

But there are other shops on the high street now. Or there are on my high street. There’s always been a churn of shops. And you can’t expect the shops that were there in your 20s still to be either there or right for you in your eg 40s. I personally don’t think I’d be shopping in top shop now even if it still existed. As a PP said you’ve got to move on, try new things.

All of this is exactly why I learned to sew. I had a look around my local Next today and it was as the op describes , awful fabrics and generally underwhelming. I don't mind paying a good price for something good quality , but not much is well made these days.

My wardrobe a mix of second hand and hand made now. I only buy leggings and underwear new.

Oasis used to be my favourite shop , it's not been the same since it changed hands. The designs are awful and the fabrics used are inappropriate for the season.

I'm not in the UK but will agree that the quality has gone downhill in recent years - and not just clothing, most things are flimsy in comparison to how they used to be. I also find that expensive clothes are no more sturdy than some of the cheaper ones.

I have done a lot of online shopping over the years (I live in a small town), but am cutting back. Mainly due to the hassle of returning clothes, but also because of the difficulty I'm currently having with getting a refund from a very well known, world wide, clothing seller.

I miss the days of wandering into shops and choosing clothes, as I did in the 70s and 80s. Everything looks much the same these days and it's all crammed onto the racks.

I’ve stopped buying things from the high st too - I would buy if the quality was half decent, but it’s getting worse and worse. I also keenly miss the ‘80’s and 90’s high st. Top shop in Oxford Circus was fantastic with their premium ranges, Oasis was decent, French Connection, even Next had good stuff and M&S was quality. Now when I shop I’m horrified by all the polyester and shoddily made items. John Lewis has gone downhill too which I never thought would happen. Uniqlo is ok but going to synthetic route. Whistles and All Saints are now cheap and synthetic in the main. Jigsaw is ok but a bit boring. East is good but my high ST one closed.
Its been great for my bank balance as I now shop secondhand or just don’t buy anything anymore, but I despair at the mountains of synthetic tat now in the world and where it will all end up - choking the world.

I went through a period of despair at the shops - my old favourite high street had gone, I didn’t know where to shop, and I’d pretty much lost my fashion mojo.

i started following a few influencers on Instagram, recommended here and elsewhere, and that helped me loads. Yes, I know that they earn their living promoting businesses and products, but I can still decide what I do and don’t like. My wardrobe has been completely revitalised. Over the last year I’ve shopped from Sezanne, M&S (seems much better these days), Zara, me&Em, Mango, Jigsaw, Hush, Oliver Bonas and an independent store in my city that has a range of smaller brands. Mixed price points, I try to be careful what I buy in terms of quality and make sure I look after my purchases (don’t wash more than is needed, de-bobble jumpers, wash at the right temperature, that kind of thing).

Honestly, my wardrobe is revitalised, and I’ve rediscovered my love for clothes shopping and pulling outfits together. Which is hard on my purse… 😬

I haven't been clothes shopping in over a decade. I buy everything from charity shops and vinted for me and my 2 DD's. I don't even buy new school uniform (they are 8 and 10). My youngest is going to middle school in September and as soon as she was allocated a place on the 1st March I bought uniform from the school 2nd hand uniform sale. I pick it up today.

Have you tried Jack Wills? I noticed how thick the hoodies are and haven't bobbled at all after years. Same goes for Hollister the t shirts are great quality compared to cheaper ones. I also buy supermarket clothes which are surprisingly nice, wash and wear really well. I have bought gorgeous maxi dresses, coats and casual wear including jeans. They look much more expensive than what I paid which is usually the reduced price. I agree that Prinark has gone downhill compared to how it used to be which wasn't all that anyway.

Yes I know but it's haaarrd lol.
Which shops do you go into on your highstreet? I live in a wealthy midlands town and there's not much. Work in Birmingham and since John Lewis shut I have no idea where to go anymore

The clothes in the shops right now are awful. I’m thinking of getting all my Spring/ Summer stuff out and then ruthlessly just culling it along with my winter gear and sending it to charity shops or Vinted.

TBH I don’t need lots of clothes, I’m either in work gear, in workout gear or doing chores. I don’t wear 90% of my clothes.