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Have you fallen out of “love” with a shop you previously loved?

468 replies

Britpopbaby · 29/07/2026 22:31

For me it’s &Other Stories. Granted I looked in yesterday and did try something in but there’s been a change of direction and Inam not liking it.

OP posts:
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Hillwalker · 30/07/2026 21:44

venus7 · 30/07/2026 13:38

I do! I think you had to pay for them.....£2.00, perhaps?
Worth it.
I remember when they started selling home and garden items, including beautiful rose plants.

I think it was £3. When Next started it was so different to and so much better than everything else.

ChillWith · 30/07/2026 21:58

Puppylucky · 30/07/2026 19:55

Going through a storage unit we have had for a shamefully long time I unearthed a suitcase of old clothes from the 80s and 90s that I kept for sentimental reasons. The fabric quality is amazing even though I was young and poor and shopped exclusively from high street stores like Miss Selfridge. So much so that I have selected a few pieces to be turned into a memory quilt.

Love this idea. Also found a bunch of things from the 90s and wondered what to do with them but memory quilt sounds a great idea!

EleanorMc67 · 30/07/2026 23:11

Although there are far fewer skirts/dresses/trousers I like in Jigsaw these days (they were such a pioneer back in the day, with slightly different colour palettes & pieces that coordinated beautifully), I do still really like their coats & shoes/bags. They're probably my first stop for those - when I need decently-priced, well-made, classic but modern pieces. I have great boots, sandals, belts, handbags - & several great wool coats that I wear a lot, in really lovely shades of green, rust, burgundy ... (bought in sales or eBay/Vinted).

I also still rate Whistles for their shoes & bags. I loved their clothing in the 80s/90s/early 2000s (?) but then the fabrics became really crap & cheap-looking - it was a really marked difference. They had a bit of a resurgence under Jane Shepherdson - but it's the same owners as Hobbs & Phase 8 now ... there have been some things of late on their website that have looked much better though, so I do hope they return to what they did best, with more silks & decent wool/cashmere, & better-quality fabrics.

What I do miss is interesting collaborations. Roksanda at Jigsaw was probably the last one. I still have & wear lots of silk tops & a dress or two from Jigsaw that are like abstract art (I can't remember the artist they worked with). And Whistles bags by Ally Cappellino.

However, I think that there has of late been a renewed interest in better-quality clothing - at least I see that coming via quite a few small, newer labels, or collectives of designers such as Fabrique. I hope so! But we have fewer department stores now, let alone those stocking anything of interest, in which to discover small labels. Boutiques, another source, find it tough with ever-rising rates. And shopping online is never going to disappear. I'm now often finding out about new labels on Instagram (whereas it used to be Vogue/Elle/Red/Marie Claire etc - God I loved my magazines! Finally dropped the last ones this year). But it's a changed retail landscape compared to that in my 20s/30s/40s ...

Sandytoesies · 31/07/2026 07:00

Wolffie17 · 30/07/2026 21:23

Jigsaw, Hobbs and Karen Mullen used to be my mainstays but have all gone off the boil.

On the subject of knickers, any recommendations for everyday knickers please? I daren’t go back to M&S after seeing the comments about a garrotted muff!

Wiripa from Amazon. Cotton, comfortable and good coverage. A bit pricey but well worth it, I am gradually replacing all my knickers.

LoveLabradors · 31/07/2026 08:00

@Anjo2011 That is my bugbear too, I am increasingly noting companies that lavish things on influencers and avoiding them accordingly. I am not influenced by them having freebies and it puts me off buying - I don’t want to spend my hard earned money propping up freebies for the vacuous.

Pringlebeak · 31/07/2026 08:03

I really miss John Rocha at Debenhams.

pinkpony88 · 31/07/2026 08:13

@Any1ForTennis

Local Baguette shop - bought over, now run by young guys who touch food with their bare hands, handle money, poke their phones and never seem to wash their hands in between.

🤮

DonaldWheresMaTweezers · 31/07/2026 08:22

Alwayswonderedwhy · 30/07/2026 21:02

When? I'm in my 50's & never know Next to quirky or aspirational.

It used to be my go-to for work clothes in the 90s. They did great suits and blouses.

I was idly thinking last spring that I wouldn't mind a new skirt suit - don't often wear one these days but it would be nice to have - I couldn't find anything at all on the high street,

CoraPirbright · 31/07/2026 08:30

Wolffie17 · 30/07/2026 21:23

Jigsaw, Hobbs and Karen Mullen used to be my mainstays but have all gone off the boil.

On the subject of knickers, any recommendations for everyday knickers please? I daren’t go back to M&S after seeing the comments about a garrotted muff!

For knickers, have a look at Stripe and Stare. The fabric is sustainable (made from beech trees or something) but the best bit is they are super soft and the gusset is really wide, thereby avoiding what in my family is called the “one buttock knicker problem”.

DonaldWheresMaTweezers · 31/07/2026 08:32

venus7 · 30/07/2026 21:38

TKMaxx has gone downhill too......used to have Gold Label in my local branch, everything from Marni to Pucci via Alberta Ferretti. Now it's just low grade high st. copies. Possibly it's difficult to import the good Italian and French labels now.

TK Maxx clothing seems to be all 'made up' labels these days, they're supposed to sound high-end but they're just silly labels stuck onto the same crap you would get from Shein etc. Occasionally they have decent leather bags in amongst the rubbish. Rarely see any decent shoes in ours - all plastic rubbish.

They have a few good hair and skincare products if you can be bothered to search amongst the dross.

I still quite like their costume jewellery, which doesn't pretend to be high-end - if I want cheap but pretty earrings to match an outfit it's a good place to go. I got some small gold-plated silver hoops with really pretty flower embellishments for £12 that I've worn a lot this year. I don't really do 'bling' but they have a good 'bling' choice if that is your style!

Doaraindance · 31/07/2026 08:35

Schoffel, lots of items now made in China and Vietnam but still charging big money, ordered a £180 item, arrived was just OK, made in China, sent back on principle.

Why are brands doing this but still charging £££ for a inferior product, usually when the company has been sold or a younger member of the company has taken over, same with Birkenstock.

Gingernaut · 31/07/2026 08:43

Boots - Used to go in for their supplements, but they're only slightly less expensive than the branded products now and their different ranges are confusing - HABI, Ingredients, Wellthy all supposedly different but with massive overlaps

Marks & Spencer - Used to rely on them for basics and 'nice' outerwear, but they've shut down so many stores, I can't 'try before I buy'

ElleintheWoods · 31/07/2026 08:59

Tootingbec · 29/07/2026 23:27

Reiss.

Used to be my go to shop for slightly edgier workwear that looked and felt expensive. Fabrics were high end and tailoring great. Now just same old synthetic tat with extortionate prices.

Same! It used to feel a little aspirational, I used to always get bits from their sale too.

The shop staff are still lovely, but everything is polyester at £200+ now. I do not want polyester, nevermind spending anything more than coffee money on it

They did have a lovely cashmere sweater last season, but I was thinking, other brands do cashmere sweaters a lot better. I guess it caught my eye because it wasn’t polyester!

If they upgraded their materials and ethical practices, I’d go back as I do like many designs, as you say, they are great for work but not boring

ElleintheWoods · 31/07/2026 09:01

Gingernaut · 31/07/2026 08:43

Boots - Used to go in for their supplements, but they're only slightly less expensive than the branded products now and their different ranges are confusing - HABI, Ingredients, Wellthy all supposedly different but with massive overlaps

Marks & Spencer - Used to rely on them for basics and 'nice' outerwear, but they've shut down so many stores, I can't 'try before I buy'

What’s the deal with some M&S clothing stores not having changing rooms? 🧐

PetulaGordeno · 31/07/2026 09:02

ElleintheWoods · 31/07/2026 08:59

Same! It used to feel a little aspirational, I used to always get bits from their sale too.

The shop staff are still lovely, but everything is polyester at £200+ now. I do not want polyester, nevermind spending anything more than coffee money on it

They did have a lovely cashmere sweater last season, but I was thinking, other brands do cashmere sweaters a lot better. I guess it caught my eye because it wasn’t polyester!

If they upgraded their materials and ethical practices, I’d go back as I do like many designs, as you say, they are great for work but not boring

I have a beautiful Reiss wool coat I got 20 years ago and people still comment on it.

surprisepack · 31/07/2026 10:17

thenightsky · 30/07/2026 13:34

This thread is truly depressing. What most of the brands that are being commented negatively on have in common is private equity deals that cream off all the profit, squeeze quality and then eventually collapse. LK Bennett and Russell & Bromley being two recent examples of what were very good high street retailers going bust after the vultures feasted on the carcass

DD works as a textile technologist and has moved out of clothing into homeware as a lot of fashion chains are making their tech teams redundant to cut costs after being taken over by private equity. This means there's little to no quality checking going on. She says you can spot when the tech teams have been let go as the sizing and fabric quality is the first to go. Interestingly, Sainsburys Tu still have a full team of techs.

Tu has some great clothes, I'm not surprised. DH has shirts that are great quality and DD has a summer school dress that's beautifully made. If you have a Sainsbury's without clothing or Argos close, you can order online and pick up for free. It's false economy in the end for shops not to have textile technologists because the quality nosedives and we'll stop shopping there, unfortunately their private equity owners don't care as they are long gone. I mainly shop Vinted now because everything is shite.

Next - garish polyester nightmare now compared to 20/30 years ago. Large amount looks like it's been picked for a drunken summer holiday. Unfortunately most of us are not living on a beach for the other 51 weeks of the year so it's useless. The only thing that's decent is the jeans, they can be great.

hairbearbunches · 31/07/2026 11:06

Pringlebeak · 31/07/2026 08:03

I really miss John Rocha at Debenhams.

How dare you! It was 'Rocha. John Rocha'.

Me too. The homeware range was also superb.

CrushingOnRubies · 31/07/2026 11:07

hopspot · 29/07/2026 23:58

Fat Face and White Stuff. All expensive, frumpy and poorly made.

I went into Fat Face the other day just to see if there was anything for an upcoming holiday and nice summer tops. £48 for a flimsy vest top blouse thing.

MixedFeelingsNoFeelings · 31/07/2026 11:43

NorthboundEcho · 30/07/2026 17:20

Because of online shopping, things only have to look good in photographs of models over 5'10 tall, not on the rail in the shop

I agree, the key word here being models. For ordinary women of 5'10" and over, high street clothes really are not designed to fit us! As well as garments generally not being long enough, waistbands are too high, bodices and trouser rises too short, and shoulders too narrow.

If you have the unusual dimensions of a model, ie extremely slim for height - and benefit from the dark arts of stylists and Photoshop - you can make most clothes look good. For ordinary tall women it's quite the opposite. How I envy my shorter friends who can buy clothes confident that seams and lengths will be in roughly the right place for their frame.

Allthesmallthings182 · 31/07/2026 12:23

elm26 · 30/07/2026 20:16

Where are you seeing those prices?!

I swear by H&M for my 3 year olds and 11 month old, summer dresses £4 each, multipack of princess knickers 8 pairs for £11, T-shirts £2-4. I got all of their summer wardrobe from there.

OK so my 12 year old son has size 7 feet: https://www2.hm.com/en_gb/productpage.1346811001.html
And knickers:
https://www2.hm.com/en_gb/productpage.1214429029.html

I ended up buying from Next which was cheaper and could click and collect so no delivery.

Gowlett · 31/07/2026 12:32

& Other Stories. Have a couple of nice dresses from Seasalt, wouldn’t see them now though. Benetton has become too $$$.

TK Maxx, wouldn’t find the gems anymore as the brands supplying to it have gone to shite. I go for toys, homewares, toiletries now.

I want to love Arket. But I just… don’t. I still have some old 90s / early 00s clothes. The quality went after the financial crash in 2008.

Gowlett · 31/07/2026 12:35

Marks & Spencer is filling the gap for me.
There’s nothing exciting out there, anymore. I do miss a good shopping spree. As others have said, you’d come home from a good day on the high street with an arm full of bags including outfits, accessories, shoes, handbags (leather) for not a huge amount of money. All good stuff, too.

Dontfencemein · 31/07/2026 12:50

Kettlewell Colours. I love the concept and for years, some but not all of their stock was great. Now it’s awful. It looks dated even on the models. Hideous prints. I’d never post this if it was still a family business but it’s another private equity takeover. So disappointing.

suburburban · 31/07/2026 15:50

hairbearbunches · 31/07/2026 11:06

How dare you! It was 'Rocha. John Rocha'.

Me too. The homeware range was also superb.

I quite liked Mantaray as well and Principles when it was a concession rather than taken over by Debenhams and Indigo in M&S

PetulaGordeno · 31/07/2026 15:52

suburburban · 31/07/2026 15:50

I quite liked Mantaray as well and Principles when it was a concession rather than taken over by Debenhams and Indigo in M&S

I can remember when our first Principles store opened - about 1984? - and it felt so
posh. It had proper changing cubicles with swishy curtains. Like a lovely boutique.