Best quality high street clothing brands

[MrsResponder]

What are you finding is the best quality on the high street for women's clothing?

Until about 5 years ago I was in the sort of H&M/New Look price bracket. Fortunes have looked up since then and I've been trying higher price point clothing with varying results. I find it very annoying to spend what would've been the budget for a season's wardrobe back then on one item only for it to be poor quality or wash badly.

Style wise I like Sezane although I've not yet bought from there. I love natural fabrics. I've tried Cos for merino tops which were so-so for the price, raw edges on sleeve which doesn't bode well in the long term. Shape wise (classic hourglass size 10/12) their dresses wouldn't suit. Any recommendations?

I shop from Cos and Sezane quite regularly. I like their quick both. Another high street brand I really like is Uniqlo. For jeans I discovered a new organic jeans brand called Bell St. good quality jeans and Sezane like feel.

I like Hollister for jeans and trousers. I know it’s a ‘young’ shop but the ‘Livvy’ trousers are ridiculously flattering.

That said, it’s almost impossible to find really good quality these days. Places like Crew are charging £60 for a polyester jumper. I have almost every brand of a plain white tshirt and every one of them looks shrunk/stretched/wonky after a few washes.

The most reliable quality I know at a fair price is Community Clothing. It's a utilitarian vibe that's not to everyone's taste but I'd check to see if it's for you. Everything is made in the UK and, as far as I'm aware, they only use natural fabrics. I'm wearing their combat trousers as I write.
https://communityclothing.co.uk/

I've not bought from Rise and Fall but their basic premise is using the best fabrics and manufacturers while undercutting designer prices.
https://riseandfall.co/collections/womens

Sunspel are often said to make the best T shirts. The styles and colours don't work for me so I can't confirm that but worth a look.

I still like Cos and think they're worth persevering with although I'm told the quality isn't as good as it was.
The same goes for Toast although if you don't like Cos you might not like them either.

Generally I think you have to rummage and be picky (or buy higher end brands second hand but I assume you know that already). E.g. I find Uniqlo can be ok but the quality isn't consistent.
This was in the Guardian the other day - a quick guide to what to look for when you're trying to gauge quality.
www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/mar/01/antidote-to-fast-fashion-eight-ways-to-spot-durable-garments

Roman are pretty good for the price.

I like the look of Sézane clothes but don’t think their quality is that good for the prices they charge. Me & Em is a bit more money but better quality. I’d keep popping into Uniqlo if you have one near you. A lot of the time their stuff is good quality but dull but sometimes they have a cracker. I second Cos for quality if you like the look - Arket is a more classic look but still good quality for the money, with the same owners I believe.

They all seem very inconsistent to me, and also some seem very overpriced and trading on their name of having previously been much better. (Jigsaw, Whistles, Hobbs) I'm looking at you.) Dresses getting into the £150+ range with dodgy seams, wrinkly materials and inconsistent sizing even within the same dress!

I think shopping around and actually feeling the different fabrics is key. Uniqlo had some lovely basic pieces in - their satin skirts even come with an under slip - and some of their t-shirts are a decent cotton. Trousers more variable but some of their heavier pleated front ones sit really well. But their cashmere and merino knitwear seems to shrink or bobble or just wear quickly in my experience.

&OtherStories is quite expensive but at least interesting in terms of fashion/shapes. Again I think overpriced initially but not too bad in the sales. They also do nice accessories - especially their earrings.

Cos/Arket have good basics - but sometimes H&M and Monki have similar stuff at lower prices.

Going to John Lewis and browsing the different concessions will give you a wider choice and a better feeling for what's available. The John Lewis anyday range sometimes has some really good stuff at a reasonable price.

Anthropologie has interesting stuff at different price points and again good sales bargains to be had.

But generally I think previously higher end high street brands have become vastly overpriced with the quality the same as the more budget brands - so better off spending time in places like Uniqlo, Zara etc and rooting out the things there that look more high end but with a more wallet friendly budget.

And even the supermarkets have 'copies' of some of the higher end brands and the over quality isn't really that different! I have had some great stuff from the TU range at Sainsbury's - that have far outlasted and been worn more than some of my more expensive purchases from other high street places. Like their jeans or quite well cut shirts or summer dresses.

I think what I'm saying is shop around with a wish list - and be open to taking some time to find the gems that work best for you

h&M, cos, Arket and Monki all owned by the same group! Hence the similarity - marketed at different groups - but still some cross over between them I find - despite the different price points.

M&S have some good stuff, but they're renowned for being patchy. I buy their thermal tights and leggings.

I’m 60 and surprisingly I find Hollister jeans a great fit and good quality.
Their plain T shirts are good too
i buy a lot from Brakeburn.
I’ve had some of their tops for years and still look perfect.
it’s frustrating as price does not necessarily guarantee better quality now.
i used to wear Joules harbour tops, but the most recent ones were thin and shapeless
Tu at Sainsbury’s sell some great quality bits

I totally agree with @NeoName.
The quality is totally variable right across the board. I've picked up beautiful muslin pjs from Sainsbury's & some wonderful cashmere brands from Tk Maxx. I just did a big try on at M&S yesterday & the quality on some things were fantastic - others were dire & the sizing was highly inconsistent. Likewise you can buy some real gems in H&M. Whistles & Jigsaw are nowhere as good as they used to be & Hobbs has strayed into mother of the bride territory. I've even found some decent items in Primark The Edit. A khaki trench & the plain cream cashmere mix v neck jumpers. Also Uniqlo is definitely having a moment, but the online styling is absolutely dire.

I've never bought clothes from Rise & Fall. I have some sheets from there that are the best sheets I have - really crisp. Has anyone bought clothes from them? What is the fabric and cut like?

Can anyone suggest a South East town where many if these shops are situated together. Cambridge springs to mind.

I'm not sure what's happened with consistency but I can only assume they're all cutting costs in quality control.

Seasalt get a hard time on here and some of it is richly deserved but I think some of their linen and their T shirts are decent - I don't like the way they're cut but that's about style not quality.

Are Agnes b still going? I'm not sure whether she counts as designer or the very top of the high street but the quality used to be great and I hardly ever see it second hand, which suggests that people hang on to it.

But yeah, Jigsaw, Whistles, Hobbs - when you can buy second hand designer for a similar price or less it makes you wonder what the point is of them, and how much longer they're going to last.

It’s very difficult and I find you just have to try to find things from different brands

When this topic has come up before on mumsnet, there is often a response that “well, what do you expect - you just need to increase you budget to designer brands to get quality”. But paying more does not guarantee quality, and also 20 years ago I used to be able to find great quality on the high street. Brands like Hobbs and Whistles had interesting, well made clothes from natural fibres. Not anymore.

i have the added challenge of being petite so brands like Community Clothing are of no use to me.

Because I do enjoy clothes, I feel like I spend a lot of time trying to hunt things down that will fit me, make me feel good and don’t look like something that cost 50 pence to make.

I don’t think the brand makes a huge amount of difference provided we’re talking mid-to - upper range. You can get lousy quality in even high end brands and sometimes beautiful pima cotton etc on lower end. That does mean I need to see the items and read the fabric label before buying.

I recently acquired two merino wool ( but look like cotton) slightly cropped jumpers from Autograph at M & S. Hang reallly nicely.
I also accompanied middle daughter to River Island recently and was impressed at several pure cotton items and many of the designs.

In the US, Quince is basically this market. They just do plain clothes in good fabric at a reasonable price. It's not edgy or particularly interesting, but it is decent and the fabric is natural and the seams are competently finished and they don't seem to fall apart in the wash. Everything I have from there feels good to wear.

I am definitely be on the lookout for a UK version of this store, if anyone can advise?

Thanks for the tips so far.

I tend to buy online as have a busy household and not much time for irl shopping these days, unfortunately. Also the problem is also not always having time to send back. So, shockingly (especially when I think of my previous budget) some things are never worn and languish in the wardrobe.

I do agree with the general patchiness of most brands, which makes online shopping really difficult. I've had things from lower end shops that's have been great and really lasted. However, with an increased budget I felt sure I could be dressing amazingly with a few items from some of the more expensive stores. Unfortunately not so, so far.

Some of the more popular seeming shops on MN, as much as I might admire the clothes, would just look awful on me. COS seems very much for the smaller chested woman, my FF cup bazookas just wouldn't fit in those styles at all. I need more fitted styles, wrap tops and dresses, waist hitting jumpers and cardis etc. I want nice things, goddammit, but they elude me!

The search goes on.

I like a mixture of Cos, Arket, Uniqlo, John Lewis - And/Or, some H&M denim, Me+Emi, Ganni. But find no brand consistently always good quality and value. I hate polyester and they all sell this for huge prices!

I've had some great pyjamas from there in recent times. With young kids pyjamas have been a mainstay of my wardrobe, but finally having lost the baby weight and getting to the end of the preschool years, I'd like to up my game! Will see what else they have, seem to be getting good reviews in the last year after some not so good years.

I think that 'price alone doesn't guarantee quality' often morphs into 'there's no point in ever paying higher prices'. I agree with the first statement but not with the second.

In addition to what I've said already, I rate John Smedley knitwear. I believe Vivienne Westwood and Margaret Howell have both used it. Yes it's expensive - I buy it second hand.

Also for wool knitwear, Harley of Scotland. Same caveat - not cheap.

If you like tweed, tailored linen and fitted knitwear then Walker Slater might be worth a look - never bought it but saw it and tried a couple of things on a few months ago and it looked and felt good. .

It's harder than it used to be and I'm not a huge fan of online shopping although I've come to appreciate the advantages recently. But I'm not interested in another rehashing of 'Why can't we have the 90's/noughties high street back?' We weren't paying realistic prices then and those days are over. (I'm not suggesting you're doing that op but these kind of threads invariably go that way.)

Omg, yes they are wonderful.

I bought a skirt last year and I was impressed enough to keep it 80%+ of my clothes shopping is second hand, so new items really have to be good). The length and shape was exactly what I was looking for and the fabric was a weighty tencel iirc. I was disappointed that it didn't have a zip, only stretch waistband access, but the pros outweighed this

I love YMC, but often buy it second hand. The sizing is a bit bonkers (e.g. XXS seems to equate to a size 8) but I love the designs and fabrics. Arket has a good vibe but the quality is very inconsistent. Cos is much more expensive than it used to be, which I can't help resenting - jumpers which used to sell for £70 are now £110, and often inferior mixes.

Whistles seems so bland and dull these days!

Which Livvy trousers do you have?

Never bought anything from there - they have a shop near me but I’ve never even went in as assumed it wouldn’t be my style - I’m almost 60 😀