High Street Yes / No game.

[misshardbroom]

Since discovering S & B (and thank you for your warm welcome, it has been a wonderful discovery although I doubt my bank manager agrees), I have had a few surprises about where people do / don't shop.

So I wondered if you would cast your eye over the following list of clothing stores on my high street and tell me whether it's worth shopping in them: yes / no / other succinct reply.

M&S
Next
H&M
Miss Selfridge
Warehouse
Dorothy Perkins
Debenhams
TopShop
Linea @ HoF
Oasis
Monsoon

(not the best array in the world, is it? Do you see why I shop online?)

This is all very interesting. I thought it was just me who was unable to find anything on the high street, but given that this is the sum total of our shops, it's hardly surprising, is it?

Oh, and Primark (ethical objections, also I'm not very good with the jumble-sale aspect of it) and New Look (suspect I am too old).

The next town has good stuff e.g. White Stuff, a boutique that sells Great Plains, and a shop called Mistral that has some quite nice looking things but I've never actually bought anything.

What drives me crazy is that I live in a really quite big town just with rubbish shops, so every 30-something woman I see is wearing exactly the same things.

M&S NOOOOOO

Next fake-o cheapo aspirational tacky bollocks (don't hold back now fa..sorry )

H&M is for teenagers, but occasionally I get a few long sleeved t shirts as they have good length and are cheap.

Miss Selfridge no, it is very flimsy and transient, also too frilly, not practical enough etc etc etc

Warehouse no, dullsville and awful website too
Dorothy Perkins ? are you joking

Debenhams No, usually avoid as again it is fakey plastic-woman shop (apologies - hate the ambience more than the customers, it is AIMED at fakey plastic woman tho and you can't get yer buggy in)

TopShop YES occasionally in the sale. About one or two items per year.
Linea @ HoF - never tried it, no HOF here.
Oasis again not got one.
Monsoon - it has turned as tacky as a tacky thing in Las Vegas. Sorry - used to be a firm favourite.

I can't think of a single good high street clothes shop tbh. not ONE.

Even online I struggle.

M&S - y - Ltd Coll & tights, etc.
Next - n
H&M - n
Miss Selfridge - n
Warehouse - n
Dorothy Perkins - would have said no but have bought shoes recently.
Debenhams - Designers at ... Which I sort of disapprove of but ... esp. like the bags.
TopShop - y, y, y.
Linea @ HoF - n
Oasis - n
Monsoon - n

I like Muji, Gap, and Kew (skirts). And Comptoir de Cotonniers (in the Sale!)

But I am buying nothing at the moment - our mortgage has just been hoiked up - harumph.

M&S..............underwear only
Next................no too expensive
H&M..................yes
Miss Selfridge..no. tiny sizes.
Warehouse...no
Dorothy Perkins...sometimes
Debenhams........no
TopShop.....no too tiny sizing
Linea @ HoF....never heard of.
Oasis.....no
Monsoon.bloody hell no!

M&S - yes autograph,ltd collection,undies
Next -No mumsville
H&M - Yes good for cheap on trend things
Miss Selfridge - No tacky
Warehouse - yes
Dorothy Perkins - no
Debenhams - no
TopShop - no
Linea @ HoF - no
Oasis - no
Monsoon - yes recently - used to think v.frumpy but think has changed

Looking at that can't think where I do buy everything??

Hi sweetheart. I do shop, but tend to stick to Uniqlo, Joseph, small independent boutiques, Whistles (but not the past season), Comptoir des Cottonniers, and Massimo Dutti. I'm limited on where I can shop due to my pipsqueak proportions.

I'm darned if I can think what S&B stands for

M&S Yes especially the end of the sale
Next Only sale time
H&M no
Miss Selfridge not since I was sixteen
Warehouse Not since I was 21
Dorothy Perkins shoes
Debenhams No hate the shop
TopShop Wish I could like stuff in there
Linea @ HoF no
Oasis no
Monsoon I wish I had the money to shop more often

I'm 35.

Style & Beauty, Grimma

duh... atop M&S and H&M I thought it was some shop I'd failed to notice. Which would be entirely possible, given that I rarely shop for myself in the high street.

I'm 26 and size 12 - tallish

M&S- underwear - have some lovley sets in cherish collection
Next- no plain,boring
H&M - no- like a jumble sale- no order
Miss Selfridge - no,
Warehouse - occasionally
Dorothy Perkins - I have rediscovered have some nice dresses- but only shop in the trafford centre one as small ones are crud
Debenhams - benefit make-up counter only
TopShop - always look round- always dissapointed
Linea @ HoF - I don't understand ???
Oasis - sometimes
Monsoon - no

M&S - undies, tights & cheap costume jeweller
Next - never - crap fit for me, and dull
H&M - yes, cheap way to update
Miss Selfridge - rarely - feel too old when i walk in ;-)
Warehouse - rarely
Dorothy Perkins - no
Debenhams - yes, esp Red Herring, again, for cheap basics/current trend stuff
TopShop - no
Linea @ HoF - no, too old lady
Oasis - rarely
Monsoon - weddings only

Also use Joe Brown (online - cheap fatface/surf stuff); Kew for workwear/knits/jersey; GAP for jeans/basics, MEXX, Zara

M&S - food only
Next - kids clothes only
H&M - yes
Miss Selfridge - no
Warehouse - no
Dorothy Perkins - no
Debenhams - yes, certain sections
TopShop - no
Linea @ HoF - no, but there is another bit in HoF that I like. Can't rememebr the name.
Oasis - no
Monsoon - for weddings, christenings, maybe an evening dress

M&S - underwear and kids uniform / occasionally clothes for DC
Next - rarely something for DD
H&M - clothes for DC
Miss Selfridge - I'm too old, DD too young
Warehouse - rarely clothes for me
Dorothy Perkins - rarely clothes for me
Debenhams - sometimes clothes for me / household
TopShop -rarely clothes for me
Linea @ HoF no, but I have bought from other concessions in there
Oasis - rarely clothes for me
Monsoon - rarely clothes for me

It looks like I don't buy much on the high street for me, so where does all my money go, and how do new clothes get into my wardrobe

M&S - no
Next - fuck no
H&M - sometimes, but it's too much work (you have to really search for good stuff, but when you find it, it's amazing. Have a couple of things I've been wearing for years and years, that are incredible)
Miss Selfridge - sometimes yes, at the moment no
Warehouse - never actually bought stuff there
Dorothy Perkins - no
Debenhams - no
TopShop - used to buy tons; not really feeling it at present
Linea @ HoF - never tried it
Oasis - sometimes, but the sizing is odd
Monsoon - they seem to be on crack at the mo

I tend to buy lots of stuff at Gap right now

I was thinking the same Bigmilly. I'm not currently walking around naked, so where are these clothes from?

(today's outfit, skirt - gap, shirt - H&M, jumper - uniqlo, tights - stolen from mother, vest - TopShop, shoes - that Spanish shoe chain)

Grimma - I couldn't work out S&B either .
Misshardbroom, we have a Mistral in our town, I have got some lovely things there, their sales can be very good.

M&S - undies and work clothes
Next - only DD
H&M - very rarely me, quite often for DD
Miss Selfridge - no
Warehouse - no
Dorothy Perkins - no
Debenhams - no
TopShop - no
Linea @ HoF - no
Oasis - not in last 5 years or so
Monsoon - no

Guiltily admit to New Look but they're not nearly as good as they used to be.

M&S - No, unless you are 60+
Next - No, vile
H&M - Yes but be prepared to rummage, kids stuff is good
Miss Selfridge - only if under 23
Warehouse - maybe
Dorothy Perkins - only when up the duff and desperate
Debenhams - No
TopShop - yes, occasional wearable stuff amidst teen trends
Linea @ HoF - yes, occasional nice stuff amongst the totally straight stuff
Oasis - yes, maybe, knitwear and jeans are nice
Monsoon- yes, if you steer away from the obviously monsoony stuff. quality has gone downhill in past 2-3 years so it seems expensive for what it is.

Mind you, I haven't lived in the UK for 2 yrs now, but:

M&S: undies and the odd tshirt for the children
Next: NO
H&M: often some good find for the children, rarely for me
Miss Selfridge: NO, too much manmade fabrics
Warehouse: rarely for me
Dorothy Perkins: NO
Debenhams: NO
TopShop: I used to find some good stuff there, but not too often
Linea @ HoF: NO
Oasis: rarely
Monsoon: NO, bad quality/high prices.

I am going through the same thoughts as others on this thread - I don't shop at any of these places except for M&S for vests and Topshop for leggings.

So can I ask, where do people buy clothes from?

I buy clothes from Howies, White Stuff, Jigsaw, Hobbs, Kew, Hush, Aubin & Wills and some independent shops. I wouldn't say I liked the brand look of any of these shops, but there are always a few bits from each of them that are okay.

I buy my clothes from Zara and independent shops, there's lots of choice here in Milan. But prices are high, so I shop rarely and when the sales are on.

OK, at work today so not smart!

Jumper from F+F Tesco's
jeans from asda
trainers from decathlon

tomorrow I will wear

skirt - white stuff
bright tights - M+S
boots - Timberland
top - Zara
cardi - Debbie Bilss wool, knitted by me!

34 Size 12

M&S - yes for socks/underwear, no for fashion
Next - No
H&M - No
Miss Selfridge - NO
Warehouse - no
Dorothy Perkins - no
Debenhams - no
TopShop - yes
Linea @ HoF - ? don't know this one
Oasis - yes
Monsoon - yes

M & S - undies and tights only
Next - nope, never.
H&M -nope
Miss Selfridge - no
Warehouse - no
Dorothy Perkins- no
Debenhams - no
Topshop - yep
Linea - never heard of it
Oasis - yes
Monsoon - no

Tend to go to Whistles and New Look on the High Street.