Seriously, where are all the mid-range clothes at?

[Raisedbed]

Looking to boost my autumn/winter wardrobe a bit with some smart casual knitwear. Need natural fibres, so high % of wool and cotton. No acrylic SHEIN shite, and no £300 Jigsaw jumpers either.

Does what I'm looking for exist for around £50-£60 an item? I'd like it to last, and have found some nice bits in & Other Stories and French Connection before, but they're a bit bland and colourless I find. I love bright block colours and classic slim fit stuff, so find the trendier shops pretty hopeless.

My new favourite jumper is from Hollister (cotton)

m&s men’s jumpers are 100x better than their women’s

Yes I was also going to suggest Woolovers (although I don’t think their clothes are as good as they used to be).

Yes!

Also Brakeburn
And possibly Hush. I bought a pair of smartish joggers from then that I love but returned most of my order
Also l love my corduroy boiler suit from Lucy and Yak

Passenger jumpers are lovely. They’re not just online but can be available from John Lewis.

Poetry also has nice natural cotton knits but generally need to look at sale stuff as it can be pricey. Look past the middle class mum on a beach vibe.

I’ve not tried the Sezane alternatives yet: Maje and Rouje, but Instagram is pushing them hard to me!

Dont completely dismiss M&S - can be some good options there, but there’s so much stuff on the website that it’s easier to filter through by wandering through in store if you can get to a decent big one.

For a treat, keep an eye on Maxmara Weekend sales….

Whistles are now rubbish.

I miss Topshop…

Try Community Clothing. New-ish company and designed by Patrick Grant from the Sewing Bee. All natural fibres and made in the UK.

I can’t believe no one has mentioned TKMaxx yet - honestly, give it a go! I’ve got fabulous 100% merino wool, cashmere, cotton etc knitwear from there. You can search by material on their website to avoid having to look through all the acrylic rubbish. It’s great - every year I pick up a couple of pieces of knitwear from them.

I think posters have to realise that wool in particular is an expensive fabric. Pure wool clothes such as trousers and coats are going to cost more. It’s inevitable. Shops have decided to keep prices in check by using cheaper fabrics but some charge around the same for lesser quality fabrics. M&S barely do any wool trousers except via Jaeger. Some other fabrics are good and should not necessarily be dismissed. Often adding a man made fabric as well as wool helps with longevity and shape. I don’t mind wool mix but I am happy with polyester at times - it’s price driven.

I had a look. That Joules Heritage range looks like someone raided the props and costume cupboard for Guy Ritchie’s The Gentleman series or fell through a wormhole to Princess Diana’s 1984 accessories drawer. Awful.

White Stuff have some nice jumpers in this season .

Joules now owned by Next I think. Blame them!

I would take a look at Fat Face.

I also find Boden’s knitwear doesn’t last that well, even with handwashing. I adore Sezane knitwear and you can often find it on Vinted BNWT for your price range.

Woolovers has turned really frumpy.
Jo Browns is mostly acrylic
For £50-60 if you can knit , you could make something really stylish for yourself in natural fibre….

following for inspo

You won’t find a lot of natural fibres there anymore.

Whoever mentioned Community Clothing - thank you!

T K Maxx and Vinted. Also I've had some amazing buys from Oxfam online. If you restrict yourself to wool, cashmere, silk, linen and cotton then you can't go far wrong. With Vinted, because of the prices, if something isn't quite right then I either give it to a charity shop or to my daughter who sells on Vinted. I've had so many beautiful things that I couldn't possibly justify buying new. It just takes a bit of time, using filters and sleuthing!

My Vinted best buys ever were two silk and cashmere double faced cashmere knee length heavy hooded cardigan coats - brand new. They're reversible - one in denim blue/grey and one in mint green/cream. Apparently they were gifted to the vendor from her friend's London shop that was closing down. They're the most versatile and useful things in my wardrobe! £8 each which included postage! Oxfam best buy is a Valentino dark green/navy herringbone wool jacket with silk lining - £60, but you'd pay that for a very average jacket in the High Street.

So many bargains to be had.

Cos has great merino

Could you stretch to Sezane? They are more like £100 than £300.

Temu amazing quality

White Stuff have some lovely stuff at the moment! Plainer things away from their usual patterns (which I don't love)

Uniqlo for wool jumpers.

Uniqlo

M&S has lots of plastic knitwear but they do have 100% cotton dresses if you look. Their buyer used to be Topshop’s and so they are becoming a bit younger/more directional in their approach.

I’d echo the people saying Uniqlo.

I’m in my 30s and still love a bit of Monki. I get all my Cos, Sezane, Rixo, Kitri etc off Vinted. I also get higher end stuff off Vinted. Have a look at Isabel Marant/Sandro/Maje on there. A few years ago I took the view that a £60 secondhand silk Dolce and Gabbana blouse is a better investment than some polyester tat from Zara for the same price. I hardly shop high street anymore unless it’s H&M for linen in summer.

https://www.uniqlo.com/uk/en/products/E480026-000/00?gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=18136600030&gbraid=0AAAAADM0H6i683YDpZbbJlGnMhpb8Nf-t&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIiNrtvKnpjwMVGppQBh3KfQtWEAQYASABEgKrqPD_BwE&colorDisplayCode=15&sizeDisplayCode=003 Lambswool jumpers

I'm not too young for M&S, I'm bang in the middle of their age range. And spent an hour in there a week ago, looking specifically for a jewel coloured, non old-lady cardigan/jumper.

Nothing. There were only 2 brightly coloured ones and the styles screamed 'granny'.

I did get a nice teal coloured weird twin-set style jumper/cardigan hybrid from Next. But really, I'd just like a couple of bright cardigans. Not coatigans or long cardis which is all that seems to be out there.