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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
knitnerd90 · 28/07/2026 08:05

Strictly speaking, while tweed is traditionally made from wool, the generic term describes a style of fabric and as such can be made from other fibres. If it were a specific type such as Harris tweed that would not be okay. They aren’t the first and won’t be the last to use tweed as a generic descriptor for that nubbly, flecked texture.

(I would always check fibre content and compare to price and use though.)

I knit and sew, and I love natural fibres. But if I want certain textures or cuts, like flowy wide legged trousers, my options are largely going to be either silk or some kind of synthetic. I do have wool blend knit dresses for winter that I like (you need some synthetic in there for stretch). But they still don’t have the drape of rayon.

pastadish · 28/07/2026 08:07

Oh I totally agree. Same with jewellery, why are these so expensive they are plated brass

https://www.dior.com/en_gb/fashion/products/E4978WOMMT_D300

TheRealGoose · 28/07/2026 08:08

Floisme · 28/07/2026 07:43

But I buy from them knowing the quality is very good and it’s cut properly. The fact that it’s polyester and £350 … I see your side of the argument, but…it’ll look amazing when you put it on, so that’s what I’m going for.

I think that's a fair point. I've not seen the jacket but, if I did, I bet I'd love the shape and the way it hangs and I bet it nails how to get the oversized-without-looking-too-big effect. Me and Em have clever PR and friends in the media and achingly minimalist boutiques but they also spend on design and clever cutting and, I think it's delusional to think you could get the same look and shape at M&S or wherever.

I like Walker Slater and, if I wanted a new, good quality classic, tweed jacket, I'd look there but, if I wanted a more modern cut, I'd look elsewhere. Horses for courses.

But what does annoy me about Me and Em is the way they throw around words like 'tweed' and 'heritage' for fabrics that are nothing of the sort. That's cheeky fuckery.

As said, polyester comes in a range of quality it isn’t all the same stuff, they use a much more luxurious microfiber blend, you know as soon as you see it it’s not the same low quality stuff you get in cheaper brands.

plus also the cut, the fit snd the design, means it hangs beautifully. Their clothes aren’t just expensive, they look high quality and expensive.

i was in markies at the weekend, and honestly the difference is night and day. Their website makes the clothes look lovely, when you see them in the flesh you can see it’s low quality materials.

i think people see the word polyester and think all polyester is the same, it isn’t. By a long way.

knitnerd90 · 28/07/2026 08:10

(I will say that I’m not impressed with those trousers that are half wool half polyester. I would bet folding money you could make those from a much higher wool content fabric and they’re cutting corners. You might want a small amount of synthetic as as well as drape and stretch it can actually increase durability; this is why merino sock yarn is 20% nylon. But I don’t think it needs to be half and the trousers look sufficiently structured that a lightweight suiting material would work.)

Ireolu · 28/07/2026 08:10

Ireolu · 28/07/2026 08:05

They are all at it though. Clothes that cost thousands 100% polyester. As I have aged I look more at fabric composition and walk away if not natural or made in China. My money to do as I please with.

https://www.mytheresa.com/gb/en/women/rebecca-vallance-sequined-strapless-gown-white-p01176857

This as an example.

Women's Luxury Fashion & Designer Shopping | Mytheresa

https://www.mytheresa.com/gb/en/women/rebecca-vallance-sequined-strapless-gown-white-p01176857

Tapoopoo · 28/07/2026 08:12

So is Me+Em genuingely worth the price then?
I've bought brands recommended on here before and they were nice enough but not twice the price as nice and they still had overlocked seams and tiny pockets etc.

Yetanothername3 · 28/07/2026 08:15

I recently bought a skirt and matching shirt online. Skirt was 100% cotton, so assumed shirt was the same. I was wrong. Shirt was polyester & viscose. Too late to cancel order, but both went straight back as the textures & colours did not match and the material quality was poor.
Was looking at Erdem dresses on the same site, over £1000 for polyester.

Switchnow · 28/07/2026 08:18

knitnerd90 · 28/07/2026 07:01

I wouldn’t buy polyester for a blazer, and I hate the cheaper blends some brands have been using, but there’s a vast range of quality in synthetics (and I have a fairly good background in textiles). In knits especially, synthetics and semi-synthetics can have desirable qualities that cannot be replicated in natural fibres. They can drape better, and there’s a wide variety of weights. Even the highest end designers will do this in knits. It’s why Tencel is so popular.

linings are usually synthetic. Some varieties of rayon, like cupro, are considered premium lining fabrics, especially Bemberg cupro from Japan. I hate when cupro is sold as “vegan silk” as it’s greenwashing, but it’s a lovely lining and not cheap.

Agree. This polyester is also recycled which does cost more. It’s very difficult to avoid nowadays but I wonder whether we should be trying to avoid it all, given how much clothing waste there is.

NCOneDayOnly · 28/07/2026 08:23

I hardly buy anything new these days except towels, bed linen and underwear!

A great tailor is worth their weight in gold imho. I’ve bought tons of stuff on eBay, Vinted and from charity shops that I’ve had re-tailored and it’s like having the whole thing made especially for me.

£350 for a jacket with even a tiny percentage of polyester would be a hard ‘no’ from me.

Whothought · 28/07/2026 08:30

When your fingernails catch on the fabric and it leaves little ‘pulls’ on the garment. Feels awful and looks awful.

ClaudiaCasswell · 28/07/2026 08:30

Love all those posters falling over themselves to say the rest of us are too thick/poor/uncultured to recognise high quality polyester 🙄

YellowSpade · 28/07/2026 08:33

ClaudiaCasswell · 28/07/2026 08:30

Love all those posters falling over themselves to say the rest of us are too thick/poor/uncultured to recognise high quality polyester 🙄

Quite. I have been reading Patrick Grant’s book and he seems knowledgeable. He does not recommend recycled polyester at all. He speaks about the microplastics being released and how uneconomically viable it is.

ClippyMuldoon · 28/07/2026 08:37

I agree there is better quality polyester, I had a dress that I loved that cost a small fortune made from 100% polyester. It hung beautifully, was machine washable and no ironing needed.

But - it was still polyester and was still sweaty where fitted - under the armpits in particular was unpleasant after a full day.

I have a pair of Ba&sh trousers made of proper wool tweed, the lining is polyester, I had it replaced. Same problem, it does not breathe no matter how 'high end' itis.

hashisucks · 28/07/2026 08:43

@YellowSpade yes I went to see Patrick Grant speaking and he was saying that recycled Polyester is particularly heinous because once it's been recycled once it can't be recycled again - so from that point on it's landfill. So "recycled polyester" is definitely greenwashing.

friedaklein · 28/07/2026 08:44

I don't wear polyester because I take the Tube, and it's sweaty in the hellscape that is now our climate. It makes me itch terribly too.

I would rather wear 100% cotton from Seasalt even if it's deeply unfashionable.

Moveoverdarlin · 28/07/2026 08:48

Me+Em has got steadily more expensive in the last couple of years. It was always at the higher price point, which was fine for special occasions. I used to buy a lot of dresses from there. But £375 for a little summer cotton dress to wear on holiday is too much in my opinion.

Drivingmissrangey · 28/07/2026 08:49

I have some lovely light weight blouses from there that are a cotton silk blend and so cool to wear for work in the summer.

circleheart · 28/07/2026 08:53

There are some lovely Harris Tweed blazers on Vinted for a fraction of the price. I have a Me & Em blazer which I love, and get lots of compliments, but again a Vinted bargain.

YellowSpade · 28/07/2026 08:54

I have a few cotton skirts from Uniqlo that have a nasty static-y polyester lining. I like them because they do petite sizing.I don’t want to waste them and throw them away, but I also can’t afford a replacement lining. Do you think I can just cut out the lining and buy a cotton slip to wear under the skirts?

LatteLady · 28/07/2026 08:56

Sadly, M&S are getting into this, big time, with phrases such as "with wool" - 10% yarn, or "Air yarn"... with an alarming 4% wool.

The temptation to run through the shop with a flame thrower to leave a wet mess after the burn test is sometimes overwhelming!

Read those labels, everyone.

SapphireSeptember · 28/07/2026 09:11

ClippyMuldoon · 27/07/2026 22:53

Reiss too. A trouser suit at 700 euro made of a wool-poly mix, emphasis on the poly. My husband bought one from the men's section - beautiful lightweight soft 100% wool for the SAME price. This is not okay.

Men's clothing seems to be made of better materials than women's and it pisses me off! I find going for less mainstream brands (or even supermarket) gets me more natural fabrics. I've got some 100% cotton dresses I got from F&F (Tesco) last year. Lovely silky lightweight cotton, although the puffed sleeves make me look like I've just stepped out of the 1830s. 😁

SpringSunshines · 28/07/2026 09:14

Ooh takes me back to being 16 in 1986 when we all bought old, men’s suit jackets from Oxfam. Loved it.

Is it the lining that’s polyester? 🤔

TheRealGoose · 28/07/2026 09:16

Tapoopoo · 28/07/2026 08:12

So is Me+Em genuingely worth the price then?
I've bought brands recommended on here before and they were nice enough but not twice the price as nice and they still had overlocked seams and tiny pockets etc.

I think it depends on whay is your personal criteria.

as you can see for some, people don’t understand different variations of material. Some feel only natural fibres is acceptable. Some don’t understand why certain materials are used and want more natural fibres, some the cut and finish isn’t relevant. For many it is simply outside their budget, and they can’t afford it, some don’t understand it. Others just actually don’t know their clothes, never seen them in real life. The comments on cutting corners validated that.

for me, yes it’s worth it, this is the brand I wear the most of the clothes look excellent quality material, the finish is fabulous. The cut, the way the material hangs, even simple things, like I have a pair of cream trousers from them, the pockets are one continual pouch right across the front inside , with just the pocket areas lightly sewn, done in a wavy curved edging for the whole thing , meaning when wearing the trousers there is no way to see the pockets outline as you do often in cheaper trouers.

another example is a dress where it’s a slight puff short sleeve, inside there is a sort of little fan of material, which ensures the sleeve always sits as it should. But like the pocket completely hidden.

they aren’t cutting corners, yes the price has gone up. Most things have right now.

everyone has their own criteria, for me yes absolutely worth it. For the quality, the cut, the finish, the very beautiful materials, even the polyester looks and feels like Silk or wool , but performs and hangs much better, due to the quality of the raw material

so one persons worth it, is another persons no. And that’s ok. They are growing hugely but will never be mass market like primark or markies.