Whistles - why did it turn boring?

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I really miss Whistles! A few years ago it was my go-to place for stylish stuff that you could wear to the office that was just a little twist, a little bit different. Quality was good too.

But now, it’s rubbish. Boring. Quite unremarkable items that look like you could’ve got them from Tu or Next. I’m guessing it was a change of womenswear head or something? Anyone have the goss?

i mean, look at this – taking the pi** for a mumsy blouse, 90 quid and it’s made of plastic.
https://www.whistles.com/product/frill-sleeve-tie-front-blouse-39834.html#cgid=NewIn_WW&is=false&sz=60&start=0&isSecondPage=false&pid=frill-sleeve-tie-front-blouse-39834&pos=13

I went to a big M& S yesterday and was thinking how much good stuff they had any good prices and how much better it was than Whistles and Jigsaw, my previous favourites.

I totally agree! Whistles was my go-to shop for many years. Along with Jigsaw until it shut down in my city.

From my 20s to my 40s they were 'my' brands! I still have a cashmere Whistles wrap/ cardigan with the old pink label.

I also remember when Jigsaw was full of pared back elegant clothes with fabulous fabrics & a cool edge to the cut. And their packaging was exquisite when you bought something- tissue paper & properly folded.

Back then Whistles clothes had more embellishment. Remember fabulous embellishments like embroidery / sequins but nicely done.

Then something happened & the style aspect fell off the radar. I bought a small cross body bag & a cashmere polo neck jumper from Whistles for a trip to Berlin in 2022 & that's the last thing I've bought from there. The bag is great & the jumper wasn't a patch on that cardigan I have about 17 years now.

I now buy mainly from French brands with a good sprinkling of me+em which sort of reminds me of the glory days of Jigsaw & Whistles.

I moan about the loss of the high street & our great fashion in general. Everything is very homogeneous now, whereas shops used to have their own handwriting & identity.

It's also much harder to have good quality at cheap prices.

Not Whistles-specific, but most brands seem to be merging into generic 'safe design and it will sell' boringness. Once upon a time, even brands aimed at teens had a bit of a USP. Nowadays there is very little difference between them, unless you can afford clothes beyond most people's budgets.

That you can find Whistles clothes sold in TK Maxx now is surely not a positive thing for the brand...

Would love brand recommendations! I feel stuck in a classic post mat-leave style rut and - yep - went browsing the Whistles website the other day in an attempt to recapture how I felt about clothes a few years ago. As per the rest of this thread - nope!

@LouisCatorze agree & the same stuff is worn by all ages.

I used to find some gems on Matches, smaller brands but then Matches went 😢

I buy a lot from ba&sh. I love their stuff & buy in the sales mostly.

I also love Sezane, Maje, Sandro & some things from The Kooples

For work wear i have lambswool jumpers& several pairs of trousers from Benetton. Hadn't bought anything from them in many years ! Also lots of workwear from m&s

I have quite a few things from me+em too. Dresses, blouses, trousers & footwear. Again only buy in sales.

Also bought Isabel Marant on vinted!

Reading this thread has made me identify that the classic boiled wool peacoat that I had from Whistles, that I LOVED and wore to death, is the same silhouette and vibe as an older one I loved from Topshop. I think they're both from the Jane Shepardson eras. Does anyone know where she works now?

I also loved Jigsaw in my 20s. Exquisite details and materials. Now it’s a lot of polyester for £100+

Some of the knitwear is ok but it’s not like it used to be.

Whistles was quirky and fun. Very well tailored too.

Even French Connection was good. I feel like I used to be able to tell “oh that jumper is from Jigsaw, that’s from Whistles, and more recently that’s from Hush”.

Now I don’t know anymore. They’ve sort of merged into a oneness.

I do miss those days of more individual styling.

Boden, Seasalt have kept theirs but many other brands not so much.

Jane is at one of those rental places I think

That blouse might be nice in proper cheesecloth but it looks awful in polyester. I agree they seem to have lost their way. Most of Whistles petite trousers/jeans are barrel-legged or cropped, neither of which tend to actually suit short people. I too struggle to think of a clothing brand now where the clothes are of good quality and stylish but still relatively affordable. Will watch this thread for suggestions.

@Angelofmycoins yes! And really good cashmere at Zara.

I genuinely don't know where to shop these days without spending a fortune. My lifestyle is very casual and I work in smart casual clothes.

I see people suggesting brands here but seriously, I'm not going to spend £200 on trousers, or a polyester dress, or jumper.

I used to love Jigsaw, 25 years ago and had loads from them and Kew before it closed. I do have some Whistles, including a couple of smartish dresses but bought in the sales.

I recently browsed &OtherStories (nice) and Me&Em ( too £££ unless for a special occasion.)

I'm a very 'classic' dresser and prefer the look of The White Company so I do buy tops etc in their sales.

The rest is plain 'basics' from Boden, a few bits from J Lewis, a couple things from Mint Velvet (silly prices there too), and it doesn't help being a size 8-ish and 5ft 3. Everything is too long nowadays.

H&M have a lot of gems but you have to really search hard online. Same with River Island.

I always find something in M&S , Arket, COS and Massimo Dutti and for more ‘special’ pieces Bash, Zadig, kooples, marant are great but pricey. It’s really hard to get decent quality, age appropriate clothes

😂 at the models looking embarrassed.

I agree that high street fashion just isn’t very inspiring anymore. I thought peri menopause was making me dislike everything, but there’s just nothing new.

I think the problem is that creative, unusual stock is far riskier and less profitable for these stores. And once they are bought out by a large conglomerate, they just try to stick to the best sellers, which means they lose the unique stuff that attracted people to the stores in ten first place.

I can still find stuff in Jigsaw, there is still lots of wool and cotton if you look. Whistles is much more synthetic but I do still find the odd thing. It is quite safe and full though

Oh gosh agree with you. I finally treated myself to hush trousers and cashmere, it was awful. Cashmere pilled in seconds and the trousers went all patchy and tatty when washed. Total waste of money realy really bad.

That blouse in the OP is so bad. And I buy from charity shops!

You can get a similar blue polyester blouse at h&m.

I am finding searching for items I want on random newer sites more successful than the older once reliable brands.

I’ve recently bought some wool barrel work trousers in a fabulous camel colour from M&S and I was blown away by the quality. They are beautiful.

I also have some whistles viscose trousers which cannot be washed or dry cleaned (so disposable), and the quality is shite.

M&S was £50 cheaper 🙄

I absolutely agree with that. The way the clothes are presented online are absolutely hiddious. those wide trousers with oversized coats and jackets are just so ugly. thats for teenagers I'd say, not for women in their 30' or 40's.. or a party dress with hiddious oversized boots. Such a shame, I hope they turn this around. No wonder they have constantly Sales as no one wants these clothes. Plus, the models online look so moody and very very skinny.

Make that blouse a bit longer and it could be a nighty for your granny!

It has no redeeming features at all

The only thing still in my wardrobe from Whistles is that double layered jersey skirt everyone had around 10 years ago.