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?

Read old threads; pay attention to new ones. When posters mention brands that are new to you, or that you’ve never tried - look them up. It’s easy enough to dismiss those that just don’t appeal. For the rest - look at the clothes, properly. Interrogate all the factors that determine quality. Read the brand’s stated ethos. Examine the provenance of everything. Enlarge photos and videos.

Look particularly at places above your price comfort zone - there’s never a need to buy anything full price these days if you expend a bit of time and energy.

Build a ‘library’ of brands you know meet your standards. And keep paying attention to fluctuations in quality. And browse, browse, browse everywhere online so you always have up to date knowledge of what’s available.

I agree with you. I mostly buy on Vinted now but tbh I already have more clothes than I need.

On Vinted I either stick to brands I know fit me (eg Hobbs), or ask for measurements. Occasionally I'll take a gamble if it's super cheap or I particularly love it. There was an amazing designer linen jumpsuit which wasn't cheap and I was concerned about the length, so I found an image of a celebrity wearing it and found out she's the same height as me!

I filter for brand, condition and material.

I bought a 100% silk blouse on Vinted which was originally Zara. I know they're poor and fast fashion, but I thought being silk might mean they took more care. I'm never going to buy anything that brand again because it was shockingly bad. The buttons broke in half, the seams fell apart, the label said not to wash or dry clean so who knows how you were supposed to clean it! I wore it twice before it was unwearable.

I walked round M&S - wanting a frying pan, in fact - and went through the women's clothes section without seeing one thing I liked. Last year I saw one dress I would have bought (but had bought similar already). I agree, most clothes now are poorly made. My wardrobe is full of things I bought years ago and still wear (when they still fit!).

I only buy second had designers that I like these days and very sparingly. Everything is so expensive these days anyway, the second hand clothes are usually about the same price. I also just wear the same clothes I’ve been wearing for the last 5 years on rotation. I really dislike the clothes in the shops these days!

The other thing that I think has been forgotten is how to look after clothes. We don't know how to alter them so that they fit properly. We don't know how to repair them. We stick them in the tumble drier. Half of S&B doesn't even iron them let alone own a decent clothes brush.

Sorry it's probably time I got off this thread, I'm not in the mood for moaning today.

You mentioned Boden. I have a few of their basic tops from years ago and they were such good quality. Thick, good length sleeves, I bought some new ones and they are awful! Think fabric and the sleeves go past my wrists! Actually made me angry and I decided to boycott Boden.

I thought it was just me being picky! I totally agree with everything you have said. I can’t find anything worth having in the shops, as, apart from the poor quality, the clothes are, to my mind, boring and ugly.
I thought it was my age because years ago, I loved clothes shopping and one day a month was dedicated to just that. I never had trouble finding something as there was so much choice.
Anyone got any idea why this is happening? Is it me?

Yes I won't risk buying Boden again. Their boat-neck, cap sleeve tshirts from 4/5 years ago are so thick and such good quality. I ordered a few recently and sent them all back. The fabric is thin and the sleeves were down to my elbows!

Yes it's not only that quality has gone down and prices have gone up, I find current trends so ugly.

I even think the early 20s girls who I work with look awful in the current fashions. Everything is a boxy, shapeless, oversized mess. I'm sounding my age now!

I do miss Warehouse - I had lovely silk tops and dresses from there, used to find some real gems if you had a wedding etc to go to. Know they are online but like other brands it’s not the same quality fabric as it used to be. Same for Topshop, they used to have some lovely fabrics & leather shoes / bags.

I don't get the love for Sezanne. Cos has one or two nice things, Arket stuff looks fab and I love the shop but I've never bought a thing in there. Not seen anything I liked in &Other Stories ever. Zara has the odd nice thing.

I miss Banana Republic, Gap before they went downhill, Topshop, Miss Selfridge, an the 1990s high street.

Uniqlo is great for basics. M& S is great but if you walk through the store, you won't fall in love with anything, you need to look for staples. Same for J L.

Best bet is the little boutique in a market town. They'll sell brands like Sahara, Eribe, Danish brands etc. The shops sometimes look a bit sedate but they're often great for picking out things you wouldn't have thought of.

I cannot stand the little boutique in a market town! There used to be a good one in Bath about thirty years ago, but I haven’t found anything exciting since then. (Not in England, anyway.) The stuff is always either droopy and twee, or stiff and over embellished.

Give me a reliable ‘designer’ site with a single discernible character to the clothes, or a huge multi-brand platform where I can browse an ever refreshed curation of newness 24 hours a day (and stalk the sales).

Feel free to recommend some sites @BeetledBrow .
I'm in London, and like browsing in proper shops, but am always open to suggestions.

Vinted, charity and/or made in England is the way to go... I find shops depressing, rows of shoddy, landfill crappage!
Today I found some navy cotton trousers, cut for men, ankle grazers £3.50. Just knew they were good quality, googled, still available on line £129.00!!!

I’m loving Vinted, good old eBay and for something designer, Vestiaire Collective. Can’t be bothered buying new anymore.

They're worth looking at especially in the sale.

I bought merino wool roll necks x 5 at £29.90 in October and they're my staple and still looking good. Plus a cord jacket in the sale at £19.90 which is lovely and a great basic chore jacket.

Toast (I know some people hate it) have great indigo denim (max s18/20) and lovely shapes as does Cos but max s16.
Toast trousers are lovely and v well made, but I'm less keen on their tops/sweaters though.

Edited to add: I'm also a huge vinted fan.

I used to pay £23 for Levis in the late 70s. With inflation is £111.

For £89 I wouldn't be expecting great cashmere. It will be the short fibre scrag ends. Of course it will bobble. Should have been made in the first place

Yes I used to browse a lot too. Then we had things like store credit cards and credit cards in the 00s so whether you could afford it or not became less relevant. Fortunately I think I was scared of store cards. But I did have one for Warehouse and Topshop before they stopped doing them.

Nothing to do with age. I quite like the boxy, shapeless, oversized mess look and I'm 65 😂

The quality definitely seems to have gone downhill, and has been declining over decades.
i started work in the late 1980s and store cards were taking off.
I didn't have any, and my salary was low, but I maxed out my credit card, got scared, and cut back my overspending until it was paid off.

I don't mind loose clothes but the boxy or wide shapes are not for me.

Quality has gone down because clothes are much cheaper. In the mid 80s to around early 90s I bought work suits from the likes of Alexon, Planet, Windsmoor, Liz Claibourne- pure wool, fully lined suits. They were eye wateringly expensive. I occasionally had stuff from Jaeger and Austen Reed which was even more so.

Even Hobbs 90s suits if adjusted for inflation would be far more expensive than their current iterations. I still have a pure silk brocade musketeer style jacket from Hobbs from mid/ late 90s where I remember agonising about the price (and I earned enough to be in a higher tax bracket). Hobbs has nothing like it now.

M and S is selling "Jaeger" cheaper now than what proper Jaeger was- and that's ignoring what inflation would do to proper Jaeger prices.

In 1990 after maternity leave I splashed out on a grey flannel wool suit from Paddy Campbell. Can't remember the exact price -but in the range £500-£700. It was fantastic. The jacket was still immaculate when I passed it on to son's girlfriend a year ago. That suit would be between £1200 to £1700 now.

And not taking care of clothes of course.

There was a thread about how to put pleats back in a pleated skirt which had been put in the washing machine. Why would you machine wash a pleated skirt?

MN clothes care seems to be machine wash everything after every wear. I machine wash underwear and pyjamas on delicates cycle and line or clothes horse dry them. Only bedding and towels go in the tumble drier. Everything else is aired, spot cleaned when needed and washed or dry cleaned when needed.

The idea of wearing a slip or a vest/ camisole underneath to reduce skin contact to reduce need for washing is laughed at as something old fashioned which posters have never heard of or something quaint which their grandmothers might do.

Everything else is aired, spot cleaned when needed and hand washed or dry cleaned when needed

Yes I totally agree with you. Price is not a guarantee of quality and cotton has largely been replaced by synthetic fabrics( which make me itch)
I buy almost entirely from Vinted now, filtering for cotton, or linen for summer.
One of my favourite brands is Brakeburn, which use mostly cotton and are decently made. Not to everyone's taste as I love florals!