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

[Britpopbaby]

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.

This. And pretty much all the places mentioned on this thread!

In the 90s I bought lots of clothing from Next but stopped shopping there a lpng time ago.

Went into one a few weeks ago with a friend who wanted something specific, there wasn't anything that didn't look cheap and shoddily made or was in hideous colours and styles.

M&S am still struggling to find something to spend a Christmas gift card on, absolutely nothing worth buying.

The lack of tailoring on the tops is awful too

no bust darts on tops and horrible short boxy styles especially in WS

did buy a nice top from ethical catalogue recently in sale however

Try this instead of Sweaty Betty

https://burnt.co/?srsltid=AfmBOoqKOCXxmiEo4B17PubWDf19PcxWO4qK0UbMI3SwfEW4A7-UN5Ho

It's the physical version of enshittification. Everything is worse quality now, even the expensive shops are polyester central. I don't know what we are going to do when Vinted runs out of decent quality second-hand/vintage.

So many that I have gone off shopping completely

used to love Body Shop and later Jo Malone, now both are bleh

Next, Gap and M&S in the 90s had such nice quality items, thick quality cotton t shirts, modern wearable quality clothes…. now all crap and mostly shapeless and polyester

also gave up on Jigsaw, Baukjen, me and em, phase 8, Hobbs (dowdy and boring and too expensive and just not clothes I’d wear)

still like some Anthropologie but most is unwearable due to weird cut out portions (waist cut out, back cut out, belly revealing dress, whatever nonsense)

oliver Bonas was nice for a while but now quality has nosedived

white company was nice for a while but has become so boring I never even go in anymore

TOAST used to be amazing but it is now all very baggy and deliberately unflattering in every way and twice the price. Quality still good but style is such harsh soviet librarian…

it seems I am back at H&M but actually I buy almost nothing now

i give up

I bought a Pomegranate perfume from Home Bargains for £4.49 and it’s a brilliant alternative to Jo Malone.

They all sell too many things. They start off with an eye, a look, that you can really understand as a collection and then they just dilute it year after year with more stuff until it collapses into a sea of polyester.

I remember when Hush was so good. The quality of the flannel pyjamas was incredible, so soft and thick. I've still got some of the bags so I know I'm not imagining it. I had this jersey blazer (it was the 2010s!) I wore to death with my skinny jeans and my breton. And harem pants and a cool oversized boat necked star jumper I wore over my skinny band tees. Hahah.

I'm not suggesting they bring that back, but what is it now? A hundred random tops that could be from anywhere? It has no brand.

Agree with Seasalt. Their sizing, along with many brands, has got bigger and bigger so even their smallest sizes swamp average sized bodies.

I used to really like them but haven't bought anything recently despite trying things on. I think you are right in the sense that now for some reason what I'm looking for doesn't match their aesthetic. But I will have another look at their autumn/winter. Big cosy jumpers 🙂

So what we want is a shop that will sell good basics, in non weird colours, in good quality natural fabrics, well cut. We don't mind if they don't change styles season to season. Same cut, same fabric for say trousers, skirts, jackets no sales necessary if classics. I know I would keep going back for the same trousers when mine wore out.
Just some changes in colours for tops and blouses. Oh and real wool jumpers that will last for years.
Probably expensive but you'd just buy one or two things a year as you change your wardrobe over.
I'm fed up with most of the high street, I used to buy Jigsaw but their fabric is now no better than Primark. I have a very shapeless bobbled jumper to prove it, compared to one bought 10 years from Jigsaw ago which is beautiful and I still wear, and another that's approaching 20 years old which is still good and wearable.
Also White stuff is awful compared to early on, Boden is just not as nice, and I can't find decent navy linen trousers anywhere now that aren't flappy or mixed fabric.
Where should I be shopping for decent natural fabrics?

"harsh Soviet librarian" so true 😂

Another ex-Toast fan

Urban Outfitters. I remember shopping there 10-15 years ago - it was always a bit hippy but there were always nice pieces, classy and edgy. Now its just tiny strappy clothes for fairies or huge ugly jumpers and cargo pants. Ewgh.

Body Shop went tits up when it was sold to Loreal (I think). It was never good after that.

Zara collections are always up and down, sometimes shit, sometimes good. It was always like that.

My biggest disappointment is Habitat. Used to be my favourite shop for homewhare. Now its just a cheap brand at Argos...

Boden and Hobbs

they aged faster than I did!

Marks and Spencer have been my go to for 40yrs. The latest changes to the Sparks rewards system is making me reconsider.
Moving to me + em and others for better quality purchases.

Completely agree. I ordered quite a lot earlier this year because it looked lovely, thought they'd made a return to what I loved about them. But it was all thin fabric, poor quality, and didn't fit well. Might have been reasonable at Next prices, but not at Boden ones.

Agree with Zara - just awful, it’s worse than Shein. H&M also - all very cheap, see through and clingy fabrics. I do laugh when these brands try and do campaigns around sustainability. There was a point a couple of years ago H&M were entirely focused on it - have noticed they’ve stopped talking about it!

Im surprised by the M&S comments though, they have vastly improved over the past 2 years, not just in clothing but food, home and beauty too. Their shops near me are a lifesaver as everything else is so crap.

i started a new job recently and wanted to have a little splurge on new work clothes and found the high street so disappointing. Everything is polyester and awful quality.

I loved Noa Noa! There was one in my home town when I was in my late teens/early 20s. I coveted everything but couldn't afford it. Then by the time I was earning decent money, it had gone to shite 😭

Yes - actively look elsewhere now, anywhere but Lush... And they were my go since I was a teenager

Agree with everything especially Jigsaw. No more well tailored classics just lots of extra long flappy trousers and expensive weird shapes. Levi has also dropped in quality. Cheaply made shirts still at £££ cost. I dont know where to shop anymore that is good.

I do still like Muji and some Uniqlo.

JIgsaw. In the 80s and 90s it had current trends, classics and to die for prints. I still have some dresses from the early 90s. Now it’s sludgy dowdy stuff that even at 55 is too middle-aged for me.

Whistles - in the 90s and early 2000s had beautiful clothes, now it’s drab poorly fitting yet expensive nonsense.

The most sad I was to abandon was Lush. Used to have really unusual and complex fragrances, but they discontinued those and now it's all citrus and gourmand cheapo bollocks. Lots of greenwashing and terrible treatment of staff. I actively boycott them now.

Clothes-wise I used to love Monsoon and Joe Browns. Now they only seem to make boring ill-fitting, cheap-looking and unflattering clothes that I can't imagine even a granny wearing. I still love my old clothes from them though

Their winter jumpers are brilliant, the cashmere ones have lasted years. I agree with you though on the summer stuff right now it’s so so drab and looks like you need to be tall and thin to pull it off

Thanks but I don't want to buy anymore polyester, going to wear the Sweaty Betty until it fades and start using more natural fibers.