Where did you shop as a teenager and where do you shop now?

[IWantToHibernate]

I loved New Look, River Island and Jane Norman as a teenager. Also Tammy Girl (remember that?) I couldn’t afford Topshop and never found anything that appealed to me.

I wouldn’t shop in New Look or River Island now, more due to the quality than anything else. These days most of my clothes are from M&S, and the odd thing from Uniqlo.

Chelsea Girl, BHS, c&A, Top Shop, Miss Selferidge…..now ….Next, Pull & Bear, Uniqlo, Asda, Zara

Then, Chelsea Girl, C&A, Flip

Now, Seasalt, Fatface, M&S, Next

Topshop, Miss Selfridge, Warehouse, Morgan, Kookai, Jane Norman, Pilot, River Island

Now,
M&S
River Island for jeans!
Boden
Next
Mint Velvet

As teenager: River Island, Topshop, Etam, M&S, Morgan.

Now: M&S, Hobbs, White Stuff, Fat Face, Phase 8, Uniqlo.

Yes this is definitely true about the old sizing! Loved French Connection but my budget as a teen was Miss Selfridge or Chelsea Girl, and coveting Benetton!
Then I graduated to Oasis, Warehouse and Kookai. TopShop, until they hit their stride in the Kate Moss era, was often a bit cheap looking.
We had loads of independents in our local shopping centre for cheap jeans, leggings or stretch jersey minis. And Bankrupt clothing for Levi’s or Joe Bloggs (remember them?!)…

Same places!

Then
Oasis, Warehouse, French Connection, Karen Millen, Next

Now:
Reiss, French Connection, Phase 8, Mint Velvet, Hush, zara

Miss Selfridge, Topshop, and wee indie boutiques for hippy-dippy stuff, second hand jeans (Levi’s) from Flip, big mouldy old coats from Oxfam.

Now - Cos, Arket, &OtherStories, Urban Outfitters, still Levi’s. Odd things from H&M and Marks.

As a teen, C&A, Bay Trading (did it go from being Bay Trading Company to just Bay Trading at some point?), Miss Selfridge, Top Shop, Internationale, Pilot, New Look, vintage shops in Glasgow.

Nowadays, The White Company, Anthropologie, White Stuff, Oliver Bonas, M&S. But I don't enjoy clothes shopping any longer as I feel fat, achy and frumpy.

Miss Selfridge, Topshop, River Island. I loved maxi skirts, striped trousers, kilts, floppy little dresses, grandad cardis, DM’s

I now shop in Joseph, Max Mara, Poetry, Me and Em, Reiss. Basically, all the posh places on the high street but I still looked a hundred times better in Miss Selfridge because I was sixteen and nineties fashion was fun.

Teenager: New Look, MK One, Dorothy Perkins, Topshop, Miss Selfridge.

Now (at 36): Margaret Howell, Toast, Sandro, Reformation, Maje, Zimmerman (rare splurge), Levi’s, Ganni.

So quite different!

Edit to add: same as PP, I looked MUCH better back then. Dress very ‘practically’ now.

Miss Selfridge Top Shop Next Chelsea Girl Wrygges and an independant shop in home town.
Now M&S Boden Mint Velvet Reiss John Lewis Whistles Hobbs and a lot of charity shops & eBay . Really miss well made clothes so Jaeger etc from charity shops !

Teen- Topshop, Gap, Cult, Jean scene

Now- Gap, Pull and Bear, Stradivarius

I’ve always been a charity shop person, out of necessity as a child, by choice now. As a teen I used to go to the nice parts of town and get some great deals, some of which I still have 10 years later. My style has always been kind of hippieish because my mum is a bit of a hippie. I did/ do sometimes get stuff for urban outfitters in the sale because they have some really nice dresses in greens and patterns that I love, but only in the sale! I also used to DIY some of my stuff with bleach. I made an off the shoulder jumper with fairy wings painted on the back when I was 15 and I loved it so much, it was my go to jumper for 10 years! I still have it but it’s too raggy to wear out and about now. I got a lot of people asking me where it was from back in the day and made some similar ones which I sold to girls I knew. Little entrepreneur, I thought I was the next Vivian Westwood.

Around 1977, I used to buy clothes from Dorothy Perkins, the Freemans and Grattan catalogues and C & A. Once I’d saved up for a few months, I would go a bit upmarket and would buy from Laura Ashley, Cresta, Talbots (Rhyl) and Country Cauals. I loved to buy shoes, I would buy them from Alec Edwards (Rhyl) and Palmers (also Rhyl).
I’m 66 now and buy most of my stuff from Vinted or EBay, with an occasional splurge at Oska.
Most fabrics seem to look and feel cheap these days at whichever price point. I miss the different personalities of the old shops. I find shopping for clothes a bit boring now.

Miss Selfridge, Primark, Tammy girl as younger teen, Dorothy Perkins, Pilot and Bay Trading. Dolcis for shoes.

Now M&S, John Lewis, Uniqlo, Primark, Next, Costco sometimes and shoes online (FitFlop, Addidas etc). Also quite like Weird Fish (you can buy in seaside and outdoor shops).

Indy shops - was a bit of a goth

now SHEIN & Matalan

C&A / Clockhouse, Topshop, Jane Norman, Dorothy Perkins

Now I buy from anywhere as I buy off vinted so tend to not go into shops

Then - Top Shop, Oasis, Warehouse and Vintage shops like Flip
Now - All Saints, Religion, Zara and M&S

Then C&A, New Look, Miss Selfridge, River Island etc

Now, Primark, Matalan, online shops: M&M direct, Pixie Girl and Charity Shops, plus M&S for bras.

I cant justify spending much on clothes these days. So only if I have a very formal event to go to(which is rare), would I splash out on anything that costs much.

Teenager: Miss Selfridge, Top Shop, River Island, New Look, Pilot, Primark, occasional Dorothy Perkins. Dolcis for shoes.

Now: Almost exclusively online- Me and Em, Mikuta, Amundsen, Moo Bou ( new find), Nobody’s Child, sometimes Hush but they’ve gone off a bit, jeans from Gstar, Urban Outfitters.

Gosh, that's going back a bit, but to answer your question it was Marks & Spencer Penny Bazaar.

Miss Selfridge, H&M, Topshop, Jane norman, new look and Zara. Occasionally River Island. Aflecks palace and Quiggins in Liverpool.

I moved to Next, Primark (wasn't around when I was a teen) Fat face and White Stuff.

In the past couple of years I have gone back to New Look, (quality is actually good overall) and M&S with supermarket and Primark things thrown in. I've bought a few things from online alternative shops Disturbia and Killstar but I'm not in love with the quality for the price.

Ooh I forgot about Benetton ( strictly sale rail only though) but that was THE cool shop on my town.

Teen- Top Shop, miss sixty, kookaburra, warehouse and french connection.

Now- Whistles, & other stories, mango