What good quality style or beauty buys would you prioritise?

[Uniquenpeek]

I have a budget of £100 per month to buy a good quality item of clothing, face or hair product. What would you buy? Obviously, I can wait 3 months then spend £300 on something for example. I am mid 50s. I have realised my wardrobe is full of flowery tat that does me no favours. I've already started to buy more neutrals that are easier to co-ordinate but haven't a clue what are good quality places to shop having always just grabbed stuff from Next or Tesco in the past!

Size, height, lifestyle?

I could write a list a screen long of places and brands I rely on, but they might not be your style.

Stop the tat buying. Maybe try some better brands via Vinted?

Oops. Sorry. 5 foot 5. Size 10 top but quite booby. Size 12 bottoms, bit of meno apron belly. 😔 smart casual. Currently wearing wide leg linen trousers and sleeveless boden top if that helps. Can't cope with heels anymore. I like dresses but they need to be at least midaxi length. Thanks!

Yes, that's why I'm asking.

If you’re quick …

https://www.margarethowell.co.uk/collections/women-sale

(Particularly MHL.)

And or:

https://www.studionicholson.com/collections/womens-sale

Also invaluable at sale time:

https://www.net-a-porter.com/en-gb/

As is The Outnet at any time - if you have the patience to wade through vast quantities of stuff.

£100 a month is £1, 200 per year. Absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t be able to gather a few decent things across a year of careful shopping. Even more if you can navigate the pre-owned market. I’ve had a few great buys from Vestiaire, but I know some people find it problematic.

Sites that I find great for inspiration include:

Collagerie (multi brand curation)
MoukiMou
Petar Petrov
Rendez-vous Store
Rohe
The Frankie Shop

(Cos is a decent, affordable fallback for most things.)

Always mix the more expensive pieces with ephemeral cheap stuff - gives more pizzazz.😄

Wow, great recommendations! Thank you so much. 😊 I will start to trawl soon.

I'm 5'4 size 10/12. I love Nobody's child. The tulip shaped maxi dresses skim in all the right places. I'm a D cup but if you are more booby you might want to do a try on in their M and S concession first to see if the under-bust shaping works for you. Lots on Vinted. I've just bought 2 for £10 each.

As for prioritisation, I would be looking now - at the tail end of the sales - for a decent coat and boots if you don’t already have them.

If you don’t need those, the next thing might be very good knitwear. Decent quality merino or Shetland wool, rather than cheap cashmere.

Community Clothing knitwear

seems to far outperform its prices, so is worth looking at if you don’t mind the plainness. (They don’t do sales.)

https://thatsnotmyage.com/ Alyson Walsh is good for inspiration for this sort of style.

My go-to at the minute is anything Holland Copper, the quality is lovely and lots of lovely classy jumpers, belts, bags etc, the coats are out of this world (saving for one myself)❤️

A great fragrance from Perfumer H.

For me it’s a great pair of jeans. I wear them constantly throughout the year. What do you wear most and does it need an upgrade?

I think this is really good advice. I bought a pair of Citizens of Humanity wide leg slouchy jeans back in April which were ££ but I absolutely love them and have worn them loads. But if you hate jeans that’s no use to you!

Things I prioritise investment-wise tend to be more autumn/winter purchases, because I live in Scotland and I’m never sure summer things will be worn. This summer I’ve bought a couple of basic tees and a white embroidered blouse. I tend to spend bigger on knitwear (higher end high street, like Cos and Arket), jeans (usually Levi’s and Abercrombie), and coats. I wear mostly trainers, generally Adidas, and am happy to pay full price for those. I’m a lecturer in a creative subject, so I don’t need formal work clothes, and go out to casual places so don’t need fancy dresses or “going out tops”.

Beauty-wise I buy higher end face makeup (Lisa Eldridge foundation, Chanel skin tint, Fenty powder, Rhode blush/bronzer) but always “drugstore” mascara. Skincare is mainly Cerave and Inkey List. Things like body lotion, shampoo, gradual tan I just pick up off the shelf in Boots. I collect perfume so shell out big on that as well as asking for it for birthday/Christmas.

How would that list look for you and your lifestyle? I’d gladly drop £100 on a bottle of fragrance but I have friends who would rather buy 20 items from Primark with that money, or a really posh face cream.

Lk bennet, Boden,Me&EM are high street mid market and average quality. If you really want to invest in a few very good quality pieces look at max Mara, marella, Ralph Laurent. John Lewis has a very good selection of brands

Rise&Fall for good quality basics without the mark-up. Shop one great piece in the sales, twice a year, and I don't mean High Street. (This is providing you don't mind wearing the same quality classic stuff for 10-20 years. I have a cashmere poncho knit by The Row that takes me to posh restaurants and on aeroplanes, and I picked it up for £300, which if you know The Row prices is a steal. Impeccable quality, endlessly versatile, wear per cost it must be my best item). Try The Outnet if you don't do net-a-porter. I want to try Dilling and Navy Grey for various knits. Strathberry for a good bag, (in the sales or big b/d presents). You could try BeautyPie for the make-up etc. side of things. I don't do them because I have my own favoured brands (RMS and Lisa Eldridge) but there's no doubt they're cheaper. Most importantly, find the shapes that flatter your body and stick to them.