Defunct/forgotten brands to buy secondhand

[flaks]

Most of my clothes and bags are thrifted and I recently discovered vinted. I wonder if there are brands that are particularly high quality that I am missing out on because I don't know what I am looking for. In particular I was thinking of brands that are gone (UK or abroad) that may not have been on my radar. I used to find obscure brands in charity shops but for online it would be nice to know to what search for.

C&A is still around - branches in Spain.

I look out for the more niche brands I used to buy in the basement of Topshop in Oxford Circus. Tara Starlet is a good one for vintage style.

I still wear a BHS wool pea coat I bought in 2004. Absolutely love it and never been able to find one better

@flaks Racing Green was popular in the late 80s/early 90s. They had a mail order brochure, which like the Toast and Boden ones were pored over.
The quality was excellent.
There was a big store on Regent Street.
They disappeared, then came back decades later but nothing the same.
Racing Green | Debenhams

Two Danes (it's not trading now) was sold through Plümo, and a bit 'middle-aged quirky' IMO. Two Danes – Jessie Juniper. (The dress in the Plumo link is a bit like Two Danes)

thank you @UpMyself Racing Green and Two Danes would have been right up my street (at least to covet). I will look out for them secondhand.

The RG ones will date back to the late 90s, and the waists tended to be tiny. I think the waist on a size 8 might be about 23".
Back then, even M&S skirts had small waists compared to now.

The TDs looser styles are generously cut. I have a few of the cocoon dresses in needlecord as they are easy to wear and suit most of the year.

Brands that were good in the 1990s include Jigsaw, Viyella, Austin Reed and Jaeger, but the quality went downhill a bit towards the end of the brands.
The same is true of most brands I think.

Kew. It was the same group as Jigsaw.

Good strategy. I recommend defunct The Linen Press for linen and Artigiano for wool. Also older items from Peruvian Connections for wonderful patterns in supima cotton or alpaca.

Yes I will have to pay attention to measurements if I am buying older brands online. Thank you @grownup2 I'll check those out.

Planet; I have a wool coat that I bought c. 2000 and it still looks amazing.

Agree with a PP re FennWrightManson; I've had a pair of grey flannel trousers for at least 15 years and they are still going.

Mexx was good. Highlights were a pair of sort of wrap around, cropped summer trousers which I wore out and a suede blazer which I gave away.

When my Mum died last year I found some lovely NEXT clothes from the late 80's in her wardrobe. She had worn them but they were still in great condition and very classic styles

I had some halter neck wide leg dungarees in fine blue wool from Next in the early 90’s. The bob and top of the trousers were all lined. They were gorgeous.

Dd had never forgiven me for not keeping them.

I used to wear a fair bit of Ms Selfridge. Still remember cotton dresses and tops. All with nice buttons and pockets. I had a lambswool jumper from there and an amazing proper velvet coat. Not shitty velour which seems to masquerade as velvet these days.

I would say, Austin Reed, Benetton, Kew, OuiSet, Racing Green and old Monsoon and East. Then French Connection, Agnes B and Country Casuals for sweaters… I still miss you dotty sweater!

We have C&A in France. It's really decent quality. Their premium range is lovely. Big store in Westfield in Paris.

Mansfield - God I had a couple of fabulous coats in the 80s.

Country Casuals, Alexon, Jaeger, old Laura Ashley, Bally shoes and Boots, Bruno Magli shoes, others will come to me when I revert from a silver to a blonde moment.

Talbots (90s) and Terrence Nolder.
I had a yellowy jumpsuit in the mid 80s that was to die for. It was a well known make, lineny, expensive and high quality - I had a few other bits from that maker too but I can't for the life of me remember the name.

Oasis, Warehouse. French Connection. Topshop.
I’ve got some lovely clothes, still, from the 90s / Noughties.

Episode was nice, too expensive for me at the time

Karen millen, just like all the brands mentioned, the old stuff not the new stuff with awful materials

Warehouse. Oasis. Even Jayne Norman and Kookai when they first started were good, Whistles. It’s painful how crap most of the stuff on the high street and online is now.

I used to get all my clothes from Pilot and Bay trading.

Jack wills for 100% merino wool jumpers.

Betty Barclay was my go to in the late 1980s. For special occasion stuff Frank Usher.
I recently resurrected a Betty Barclay jumper from the early 1990s that I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of. I hardly wore it because DH didn’t like it. However he actually complemented me when I wore it recently. I don’t think it was because it was old lady style back then but I suspect the colours were a bit “out there” for the 90s but pretty subdued now.

Wallis was reasonable quality back then. Also Jane Norman.

I’m actually going up into the loft this weekend, we want it boarded out so I need to empty it. I’m hoping that there are a couple of suitcases up there with my long forgotten 80s and 90s gems. My nieces will get first dibs but I may try selling some bits on Vinted.

My DS wears all my DH’s old Addidas and others sports clothing. He wore a vintage
Umbro top to Oasis concert and had many complements. One person commented that they didn’t do dark pink back then, he replied that it started off burgundy but had been washed so many times it was now stone washed. He has also appropriated most of DHs vintage Ben Sherman stash.

I'm thinking back to when I started teaching in 2000. I had 2 cashmere cardigans from Next, a shift dress from Planet.

Richards, Principles and Laura Ashley were all good buys as well. Per Una was amazing when it first came out.

DD20 and all her mates buy Jane Norman tops from Vinted to wear with their baggy jeans