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Me + Em. £350 for something that is 62% polyester!!

295 replies

pomeglamate · 27/07/2026 21:39

I’ve been on the lookout for one of their oversized blazers in a colour/material I like and was foaming at the mouth when I clicked on this but then looked at the garment composition… 62% polyester! £350 for something that is 62% polyester!! Luxury heritage-inspired tweedy 62% polyester!! Deranged. Not sure what my point is with this thread really but I mean… wow.

www.meandem.com/intelligently-oversized-jacket-pecan-brown-multi

OP posts:
Thread gallery
6
Olivebranchtomorrow · 27/07/2026 23:03

Taking the piss - you can get a beautiful Walker Slater 100% wool blazer for practically the same price that will last a lifetime!

https://www.walkerslater.com/women/jackets/borders_tweed-cashmere-cashmere_wool

GarlicEverywhere · 27/07/2026 23:11

Floisme · 27/07/2026 22:14

I’m more relaxed than some posters about polyester but I was very cross the time I saw a ‘tweed’ jacket on their website that (from memory) was 13% wool.

Same here! I clicked on the thread expecting to find one of those expensive dresses made in such a way that only man-made fibres could do it justice, or at least a case of 'not all polyesters are equal'.

But nah. This is just fake wool pretending to be wool. And, while I'm at it, there's nothing heritage about leaving the interfacing exposed behind the collar. How disappointing.

Rainallnight · 27/07/2026 23:14

I hate this too, OP. Drives me absolutely mad. I’ve become obsessive about checking fabric composition.

Sezane is a culprit too.

trueredstart · 27/07/2026 23:16

Id just buy some Harris tweed and get the jacket made up by a local tailor.

It looks good but £350 is a joke!

Rainallnight · 27/07/2026 23:17

Also, this from the website, is deeply aggravating

”Crafted from an Italian melange puppytooth, this heritage-inspired tailoring fabric offers a refined texture and soft handfeel.”

Don’t treat your customers like we’re stupid, we can also read that it’s 62% petrol!

EleanorMc67 · 27/07/2026 23:45

Polyester is very resilient to wear & tear. And the polyester in the Me+Em jacket, & its lining, is at least 100% recycled polyester. The plain variants of the same jacket are in various fabrics, including pure wool, wool mixes, linen blends etc.

I do think there's usually a difference between cheap fast-fashion polyester, & that used by higher-end & designer brands.

I have loads of skirts (probably about ten!), & some dresses, tops & trousers too, from Jigsaw, that are polyester satin. It was originally called their Crocus range, & they're still doing some pieces but it's all now recycled polyester. Some of these I probably bought 15 or 20 years ago, others I've bought on eBay/Vinted. The fabric feels & looks like good-quality imitation silk (unlike many silk copies), washes brilliantly & needs zero ironing. All the pieces still look new (bar the culottes my kitten decided to knead!).

That's not to say it's my first choice as it's not - I generally try to avoid new non-recycled polyester. But it's not as straightforward as cotton = good, polyester = bad. Cotton is incredibly resource-hungry & uses lots of chemicals, so organic is much preferable. Same with choosing greener forms of viscose, non-mulesed wool etc. And, of course, buying less, & buying secondhand.

FeistyFrankie · 27/07/2026 23:55

Bunnycat101 · 27/07/2026 22:01

I think when the brands are trying to charge too much for polyester they are really risking putting themselves out of business. You might as well go to shein and be done for £10 for polyester or go on vinted for something old but decent quality. I’d expect decent material for £300.

Edited

You can get some really good quality items made from cotton, satin and linen on Shein. It's not all cheap fabric. Which, if anything, makes the high-end brands using polyester even worse.

UhOhRatPoo · 28/07/2026 00:08

I’m allergic to wool so can only buy woollen items that are fully-lined so it doesn't touch my skin. I have also lost several expensive wool garments to moths. So I tend to choose man-made fibres. That price is a bit bloody steep though!

PhaedraTwo · 28/07/2026 00:09

Floisme · 27/07/2026 22:14

I’m more relaxed than some posters about polyester but I was very cross the time I saw a ‘tweed’ jacket on their website that (from memory) was 13% wool.

I'm the same. I don't have much that's polyester - a jacquard Sister Jane dress, a cropped jacquard jacket from Baum und Pferdgarten, some Cabbages and Roses taffetta. I like all of them-there's polyester and there's polyester.

Calling that tweed" is unacceptable. It's up there with the tat sold as "Fair Isle"

For real tweed

https://colenimo.com/products/scottish-merino-wool-blazer-grey-herringbone

This one is the same price

https://colenimo.com/products/houndstooth-tweed-work-jacket-brown-made-in-uk

And this is from a tiny independent UK shop using fabric and products made in the UK.

Scottish Merino Wool Blazer Grey Herringbone | Made in UK Womens Wear

Unstructured women's blazer, soft shouldered and subtly fitted. Made in UK. 100% wool tweed, made from worsted, merino and fine cheviot woollen spun yarns. Woven at a small family owned Scottish mill 13/14 oz fabric with a beautifully soft handle and a...

https://colenimo.com/products/scottish-merino-wool-blazer-grey-herringbone

PhaedraTwo · 28/07/2026 00:23

I agree with Garlic Everywhere and EleanorMc67. There really are big differences in quality in polyester, including clothes that would be impossible to make with other materials Issey Miyake Pleats Please for starters, or just about anything made of jacquard.

And on the other hand there's also plenty of very poor quality cotton and silk.

utahsainthood · 28/07/2026 00:24

It’s overpriced yes but it is a nice jacket, good shape and will hang well IMO.

Im a fan of the brand but I never buy it full price, only in the sale and I have been wearing some of the pieces for years now and they’re some of my favourite items. Have had quality issues with some knitwear but generally everything has been good.

Franjipanl8r · 28/07/2026 00:40

£350 for plastic tat that’s bad for the environment - no thanks.

EleanorMc67 · 28/07/2026 00:56

PhaedraTwo · 28/07/2026 00:23

I agree with Garlic Everywhere and EleanorMc67. There really are big differences in quality in polyester, including clothes that would be impossible to make with other materials Issey Miyake Pleats Please for starters, or just about anything made of jacquard.

And on the other hand there's also plenty of very poor quality cotton and silk.

And fans of Pleats Please tend to wear them forever.

Shein might well use cotton or linen (though probably ramie), as well as synthetics, as mentioned by a PP. But it's the sheer volume of stuff produced - & the sheer volume we buy ... It is fast fashion itself that is the main issue by far, for numerous reasons.

EleanorMc67 · 28/07/2026 01:06

Franjipanl8r · 28/07/2026 00:40

£350 for plastic tat that’s bad for the environment - no thanks.

Yes, it wouldn't be my first choice - but what about recycled polyester? It has lots of pluses, & is made from recycled plastic waste (& also polyester fabric sometimes), not crude oil products.

There is of course still the microplastics issue - but the polyester clothing I have needs washed very rarely (& I try to use filter bags).

I think recycled polyester is not ideal - but it's better than plastic bottles (or polyester clothes) going to landfill - I think?

Franjipanl8r · 28/07/2026 01:14

EleanorMc67 · 28/07/2026 01:06

Yes, it wouldn't be my first choice - but what about recycled polyester? It has lots of pluses, & is made from recycled plastic waste (& also polyester fabric sometimes), not crude oil products.

There is of course still the microplastics issue - but the polyester clothing I have needs washed very rarely (& I try to use filter bags).

I think recycled polyester is not ideal - but it's better than plastic bottles (or polyester clothes) going to landfill - I think?

Recycled plastic fabrics can shed more than non-recycled. There are plenty of plant based synthetic fabrics around that don’t shed microplastics into the air we breathe and the water we drink.

Peakyblinder18 · 28/07/2026 01:20

You could probably get the same in Primark for £25
Or M&S or New Look
What a liberty

GinJarRogers · 28/07/2026 02:03

Olivebranchtomorrow · 27/07/2026 23:03

Taking the piss - you can get a beautiful Walker Slater 100% wool blazer for practically the same price that will last a lifetime!

https://www.walkerslater.com/women/jackets/borders_tweed-cashmere-cashmere_wool

These are beautiful. Thank you for the link. I’m adding a jacket to my wishlist!

EleanorMc67 · 28/07/2026 02:17

GinJarRogers · 28/07/2026 02:03

These are beautiful. Thank you for the link. I’m adding a jacket to my wishlist!

If you're in Edinburgh you should visit the shops in the Grassmarket/Victoria Street - nicer than buying it online!

EleanorMc67 · 28/07/2026 02:36

Franjipanl8r · 28/07/2026 01:14

Recycled plastic fabrics can shed more than non-recycled. There are plenty of plant based synthetic fabrics around that don’t shed microplastics into the air we breathe and the water we drink.

Yes, it's not ideal. Of course the best thing is not to produce so much clothing from polyester in the first place - I think I read somewhere that about 50% of new clothing is made from polyester, which is gobsmacking! And that some supposedly recycled synthetics are actually new. But I'm sure some greenwashing occurs in other areas of textile production too.

By plant-based synthetics I presume you mean those produced from pulp/cellulose like viscose & its variants. A lot of people are under-informed about those too - unless they are specific closed-loop types like EcoVero etc, from renewable resources, they are still processed using lots of chemicals & can damage natural habitats through over-extraction.

I see some people on Instagram now saying that they only wear natural fibres. That's fine if you're buying secondhand, but buying new cotton is also a very damaging & wasteful choice, environmentally speaking. Thankfully organic cotton is becoming much more common, even on the high street.

SoBoredOfSelfDoubtHowToGetOut · 28/07/2026 02:38

Hopefully consumers will start to act on this awful practice and simply refuse to buy.

OtterlyAstounding · 28/07/2026 03:23

That's $1,150 where I live 😨
I wouldn't pay that if it was made out of pure wool woven by virgins (mostly because there's no way in hell I could afford it), but to ask that price for polyester, and have the cheek to call it heritage? They might as well spit in your face.

momager22 · 28/07/2026 05:58

They’re all at it. It’s outrageous. I now search by cotton/ linen/ wool when I’m shopping online.

Betty91 · 28/07/2026 06:30

I have buyer's remorse for a me & em linen dress I got for work - I've worn a couple of times in the heat and it is not comfortable / cooling as I'd hoped. I used to like them but prices are beyond me and I'm not sure who they are aiming at? I have once been in the Battersea store and they felt actively dismissive so I assume not me.

RowsOfFlowers · 28/07/2026 06:32

Agree. I refuse to buy items with so much polyester… it’s even worse when high end brands are doing it. Similar with Reiss & Next. I hate polyester with a passion!