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

296 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
BasiliskStare · 28/07/2026 17:15

@OtterlyAstounding "They might as well spit in your face."

I don't know why , but has absolutely set me off giggling. Maybe it's the heat - but thank you so much.

TheRealGoose · 28/07/2026 17:18

Cherrytree86 · 28/07/2026 16:28

I think if Me&Em put a turd on a clothes hanger and tried to sell it, @TheRealGoose would defend it and tell others they simply don’t understand it.

But what have I defended? I’ve correct it wasn’t tweed. Sid I liked their clothes, but not this jacket.

wny does it need defending, that says it sunder attack. I don’t get . If you don’t like something don’t buy it 😂

Sesma · 28/07/2026 17:19

That jacket looks like ones that Next sold a few years ago for about £50

PollysKenwood · 28/07/2026 17:20

Lifeomars · 28/07/2026 17:11

I can't afford them, must be part of some subset that is lower than the masses 😂

This is Hyacinth Bucket top trumps

wasieverreallyhere · 28/07/2026 17:49

pomeglamate · 27/07/2026 21:40

Really not sure what my point was in making this thread but damn. I mean I am so desperate to give them my money for one of those blazers but I just can’t. All the other colours have got 100% polyester linings too. Even the summer ones. Not even viscose. A niche problem I realise. A very, very niche, first world problem.

Don't buy it cheaper brands ard better than that stop buying into the snob value that's what you are charged for even the seams ard same as cheap stuff

EleanorMc67 · 28/07/2026 18:03

TheRealGoose · 28/07/2026 13:42

But the me and em one isn’t tweed nor does it claim to be, it’s Italian melange puppy tooth, Confused

this is an ai summary of what that is.

Italian mélange puppytooth material is a premium heritage-inspired textile featuring a miniature houndstooth check pattern, a heathered multi-colored yarn look, and fine Italian manufacturing. It blends classic tailoring with a softer, modern texture.
Key Characteristics

  • Mélange Effect: Yarns are spun from multiple dyed fibers blended together before weaving, creating a soft, heathered, multi-toned color depth instead of a flat solid shade.
  • Puppytooth Pattern: A scaled-down, subtle micro-version of the traditional houndstooth (or dogtooth) check, making the pattern understated and visible mostly from a close distance.
  • Italian Sourcing: Typically woven or finished in renowned Italian mills known for luxury tailoring cloths, often utilizing high-grade wool, wool-blends, or refined synthetic-natural mixes that offer a soft handfeel and graceful drape.
Common Uses
  • Tailored Outerwear: Structured blazers, cropped jackets, and overcoats.
  • Suiting and Separates: Sophisticated trousers, matching suit sets, and smart-casual skirts.

And that's where using AI doesn't work.

Italian (made) + melange + puppytooth are three separate things. It's not some renowned or commonly used fabric type, like Harris tweed or Indonesian batik or Thai silk, where they are very much of their place - the wool/silk/cotton is from there & the fabric made/woven/treated there.

So to say "it’s very clear it’s Italian melange puppy tooth" is a bit daft - I only know it's that because I've read the Me+Em description! (And I think I'm pretty darn good on my fabrics.)

Yes it's obviously puppytooth (mini dogtooth) to me - & I suppose I could add mélange at a push if asked about the colour blend (but mélange is simply French for a mixture, so means blended or mottled or shaded, in fabric terminology). But as to where it's from, I doubt very many people could tell it was made in Italy (except perhaps an Italian mill owner ...?!!!).

And I think people have commented on being tweed, as the OP mentioned it being "tweedy"-looking in her original post - which it looks like at first glance. Whether it's tweed or "mélange puppytooth" isn't really the point though - it's that both fabrics are usually 100% wool & this is largely polyester. Even AI only gives examples of "Italian mélange puppytooth" that are pure wool.

Me+Em (like lots of retailers) will stick the word "Italian" in front of a fabric type as a shorthand signifier of luxury & quality - &, often, of it being natural wool, silk etc (funny that they never seem to say Chinese-woven ... even though luxury fabrics such as Suzhou silks are also made there!!).

However, the reputation that Italian fabric factories have for producing high-quality cloth in ethical situations has been challenged a lot of late. And these "luxury" fabrics can just as easily be synthetic or contain a high percentage. It's not synonymous with 100% natural fibres.

pomeglamate · 28/07/2026 18:21

Whoops I accidentally had notifications turned off for this post and didn’t realise anyone had replied!!

Thanks for the all the thoughtful posts from those in the know about textiles, really interesting. I do understand that from a garment engineering perspective you can do some astonishing things with polyester (not just high end polyester either, I think tbh the brutal truth about fast fashion is that a lot of it looks absolutely great, it’s just environmentally terrible), and that lots of synthetic mixes are designed for specific properties that you couldn’t get from natural fabrics alone. But I’m really struggling to see how that would apply to this specific garment, which doesn’t need huge amounts of fluidity, is not going to go through a washing machine, and is designed to be worn as a layer in cooler weather so really could do with breathability. Like, 100% poly lining, there is just no way I would gamble £350 on that only to discover three weeks later on the tube that there is a smell coming from my fancy blazer armpits!! It just seems like a bizarre choice for this garment and like something that is probably done to cut costs rather than as some unimaginably sophisticated bit of fashion engineering 😅

Anyway I will keep looking for something similar but in a more tolerable fabric composition. Thanks for the links to the lovely wool jackets! I’m hunting for something in a more deliberately oversized cut but the textures and colours look so lovely.

OP posts:
OneSunnyGoldDreamer · 28/07/2026 18:21

I think fancier brands have cottoned on (mind the pun) to the fact we are so used to crappy fast fashion we don’t know what good quality is anymore.

i certainly wouldn’t know without some research (stitching, fabrics , composition etc)

I saw a balenciaga dress on tiktok someone was complaining about which was basically 100% plastic polyester with AWFUL stitching falling apart

i only buy now cotton etc from Vinted

all this polyester and plastics is not just bad for the environment (check out the beaches on Ghana for clothes - horrific) but also for us.

pomeglamate · 28/07/2026 18:24

PollysKenwood · 28/07/2026 17:20

This is Hyacinth Bucket top trumps

Ha ha spot on @PollysKenwood !!

I have enjoyed scrolling through all the “how sad for you that you are too poor and stupid to appreciate Me+Em’s high quality tailoring” posts so thanks for the laugh

OP posts:
Betty91 · 28/07/2026 18:35

Came back to this thread because just saw a Insta post by [handsome] Patrick Grant telling us all to stop buying clothes made like this. I need to read his book - could probably save me a fortune too.

Floisme · 28/07/2026 18:39

I might have added to the Tweed confusion because I posted about how the thread reminded me of another Me and Em jacket I'd seen a couple of years ago that was described as tweed but contained about 13% wool. That was a different jacket entirely though so sorry for that.

And yes, as a previous poster pointed out, I understand that tweeds (aside from the likes of Harris Tweed that are legally protected) aren't required to be wool. But I think they're using that word quite deliberately because they know it's normally associated with wool. That's what pisses me off.

I do like the cut of Me and Em clothes and I do think the tailoring is good. I really disagree with anyone saying a £50 jacket from somewhere like Next would look just the same. But I object to the sleight of hand. Even if they're not out and out lying, I think it's sly and it puts me off them.

(Typo edit)

YearoftheHorse60 · 28/07/2026 18:56

TheRealGoose · 28/07/2026 09:16

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.

I agree. I adore their clothes and could happily spend an absolute fortune. They stand the test of time, which is crucial for me, and totally my style of modern classic. I buy to keep, so I select carefully and it is worth it to me.

Focusispower · 28/07/2026 19:08

MidnightMeltdown · 27/07/2026 22:38

This is what happened to Whistles. Years ago it used to be good quality. Then they started charging wool prices for acrylic.

Whistles came to mind as soon as soon as I saw this thread. Hugely overpriced for synthetic stuff.

Floisme · 28/07/2026 19:13

I persevered with Whistles for a long time because I liked their style and the way their clothes hung on me, so yes, similarities for me with Me and Em. I only gave up on them (Whistles) when one of their jumpers bobbled on the first wash.

EleanorMc67 · 28/07/2026 19:37

Floisme · 28/07/2026 18:39

I might have added to the Tweed confusion because I posted about how the thread reminded me of another Me and Em jacket I'd seen a couple of years ago that was described as tweed but contained about 13% wool. That was a different jacket entirely though so sorry for that.

And yes, as a previous poster pointed out, I understand that tweeds (aside from the likes of Harris Tweed that are legally protected) aren't required to be wool. But I think they're using that word quite deliberately because they know it's normally associated with wool. That's what pisses me off.

I do like the cut of Me and Em clothes and I do think the tailoring is good. I really disagree with anyone saying a £50 jacket from somewhere like Next would look just the same. But I object to the sleight of hand. Even if they're not out and out lying, I think it's sly and it puts me off them.

(Typo edit)

Edited

I agree that it's misrepresentation by implication: Italian = luxury; tweed (in the case of the Me+Em dress rather than this jacket) = pure wool. It does require thorough reading of all the info (if it's provided, & even some higher-end retailers are guilty of not always doing so).

It's so common though ... not just with Me+Em, unfortunately!!

pastadish · 28/07/2026 19:37

Thebigarsedbitch · 28/07/2026 13:12

I'm not sure that people realize that there are many different grades of polyester just as there are with cotton, wool, linen and silk. The highest grade of polyester will, to the uninitiated, be virtually indistinguishable from a natural fabric with the same appearance characteristics. It's all to do with the width and fineness of the yarn and the weave. And since the advances in digital printing, most clothing manufacturers now select fabrics that contain either a percentage of polyester, or have a polyester coating,so that they can use dye sublimation inks, which enable them to cut out several steps in the printing process. I think your Me & Em jacket will look and feel just as you would expect a fine wool tweed to look and feel, but will offer the added advantage of being more hard wearing and far less creasing.
I do get really tired of people bleating about only wearing 'natural fabrics' like some middle class bage of honour. In truth, cotton, silk and linen are all bastard fabrics to wear, as they crease terribly and are often a costly nightmare to launder.
IMO no one wearing a linen dress or trousers can ever afford to sit down, if they want to remain neat and fresh looking. And if you are in any way a sweaty person, linen in particular, becomes horribly damp and makes a point of creasing around any area of female fat in a most unattractive way.
I used to travel a lot and my expensive business suits were invariably polyester mixed with a natural fabric. This meant they came out of my suitcase looking as good as they went into it and ensured that I always looked smart and professional. And, as someone who is what a friend unkindly described as 'swarthy' I always felt very cool and dry regardless of the temperature.

So buy your jacket OP and enjoy wearing it because I can guarantee that no one will ever know that it's made from polyester unless you show them the label!

Edited

I like this post and agree with it. I just don’t buy pure linen, cotton, silk or wool for these reasons. No one likes Shein style polyester clothing but there’s a happy medium for a variety of reasons.

hahabahbag · 28/07/2026 19:50

For that money you can buy 100% wool from a proper tweed tailor! Mine comes from a place in Edinburgh (happen to know owner so was tailored to fit too!)

CinderellaParker · 28/07/2026 20:35

hahabahbag · 28/07/2026 19:50

For that money you can buy 100% wool from a proper tweed tailor! Mine comes from a place in Edinburgh (happen to know owner so was tailored to fit too!)

Sounds fantastic - I’m in Edinburgh and in need of a tailor so I’ve dropped you a DM!

CortieTat · 28/07/2026 20:43

It’s a shame that people’s memories are so short and they easily forget that for thousands of years humanity used to produce long-lasting, durable, high quality, beautiful and often extremely expensive fabrics before plastics were invented.

I don’t buy the narrative about luxurious plastic - it was introduced into textile production precisely because it’s so much cheaper than any alternative! It’s vile for the environment and human health, it sheds microplastics with every washing cycle. Microplastics are more likely accumulate in organs such as liver and brain so paying high prices for polyester and excusing its use with some vague talk about its amazing properties reads like sheep paying for their own slaughter…

I am really unhappy with the EU ecodesign directive allowing producers to market recycled polyester as a better, greener alternative. It’s false. Recycled polyester sheds more microplastic than virgin polyester and uses bottles that end up as discarded clothing on landfills in the Global South, and leaking into the global water supply instead of being recycled into new plastic bottles.

Where your lovely ME+Em clothes end up (popular science version) : https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-human-brain-may-contain-as-much-as-a-spoons-worth-of-microplastics-new-research-suggests-180985995/

Original study: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-024-03453-1

Bioaccumulation of microplastics in decedent human brains - Nature Medicine

Pyrolysis gas chromatography–mass spectrometry reveals the presence of microplastics and nanoplastics in human kidney, liver and brain tissue samples from 2016 and 2024, with higher proportions found in the brain.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-024-03453-1?error=cookies_not_supported&code=1db7d2a9-bcba-4bc4-b5fe-7bc4e49c7937

knitnerd90 · 28/07/2026 20:58

I will agree that this particular jacket, and the dress, don't seem to me to be really worth the price. Wool fabric is expensive (and I can be confident about this because I sew) but I don't really see the blend as providing an obvious technical advantage. It's not like a high-wool-content blend where it's clear the synthetic content is for a special effect or for additional stretch. It's probably somewhat lighter weight for how it feels. On the other hand, were I buying a pair of palazzo pants, unless I wished to spend hundreds of pounds on silk (and as I recall, Me + Em had a gorgeous pair of bright blue silk enormously wide legged trousers last year that I would have purchased had I anywhere to wear them), I would expect a synthetic or semisynthetic. Possibly some version of viscose or lyocell, but more likely polyester. You would want both drape and not too heavy a weight. As much as the high polyester content of some of the trousers annoyed me, I can see even from the photos that the tailoring is better than average.

I also think a lot of boasts about recycled material may be greenwashing that don't stand up to scrutiny, but I don't have full lifecycle analyses to confirm my suspicions.

(on evening wear, since someone posted one: if there's embroidery, beading, sequins, it's easier to work with a polyester fabric. Silk that's heavy enough to hold it will put you in wedding dress territory both in terms of cost and labour.)

QueenietheGreat · 28/07/2026 21:29

@pomeglamate
I'm sure I've seen something similar on the ASOS website
And try River Island too
Not sure of their material content if they're still in stock though

BognorRegenia · 28/07/2026 21:29

Here here OP. It is incredibly cheeky. I've found H&M excellent for fabrics / fashion / value

RowsOfFlowers · 28/07/2026 21:42

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.

Such a shame - I really like M&S

CatLady476 · 28/07/2026 22:14

If you like good quality tweed, can. I suggest you check out Walker Slater (online or in Edinburgh).

ElleintheWoods · 28/07/2026 22:23

I raise you... Self-Portrait.

Higher prices, more polyester. Shame as I love some the designs