Where do you buy your clothes?
Discussion
Charity shops, car boot sales and supermarkets. I have no desire to spend more than necessary on clothing - as long as it's decent quality, my ego doesn't need me to spend more. I do like decent footwear though so buy from 'normal' places as fit is very important. As for paying extra to advertise a company's logo, NO WAY - I actively seek to avoid this as I'm not a sheep.
And the sods at Sunspel have an extra 10% off today 
Genuine question here.
I'm fortunate I can afford to buy nice stuff but I struggle justifying it.
I'm honestly a bit surprised at the number of people saying they get all their stuff at charity shops and car boot sales.
Appreciate people may not want to get into their personal situations too much but is that a finances thing or a principles thing or a genuine don't care what I wear thing?
Genuine question here.
I'm fortunate I can afford to buy nice stuff but I struggle justifying it.
I'm honestly a bit surprised at the number of people saying they get all their stuff at charity shops and car boot sales.
Appreciate people may not want to get into their personal situations too much but is that a finances thing or a principles thing or a genuine don't care what I wear thing?
Europa Jon said:
I'm not a sheep.
You could still be - just a different perhaps slightly smaller flock of them 
Do you take the logos off your car? Or everything else you buy? (I’m deliberately being tongue in cheek!)
Not fussed about wearing logos, as long as the fit (like you said for shoes and I agree ) of the clothes is good then I’m happy.
Edited by thepritch on Sunday 26th November 10:37
b
hstewie said:
hstewie said: And the sods at Sunspel have an extra 10% off today
Genuine question here.
I'm fortunate I can afford to buy nice stuff but I struggle justifying it.
I'm honestly a bit surprised at the number of people saying they get all their stuff at charity shops and car boot sales.
Appreciate people may not want to get into their personal situations too much but is that a finances thing or a principles thing or a genuine don't care what I wear thing?
There used to be a lot more "dress agencies" and "vintage shops" in towns - 100 times more cool than buying new. The stock they had was sometimes good but the majority of it would now be found on ebay, in charity shops or at car boot sales.Genuine question here.
I'm fortunate I can afford to buy nice stuff but I struggle justifying it.
I'm honestly a bit surprised at the number of people saying they get all their stuff at charity shops and car boot sales.
Appreciate people may not want to get into their personal situations too much but is that a finances thing or a principles thing or a genuine don't care what I wear thing?
Actually that's fair and apologies if I came across as a bit dismissive of charity shops as it wasn't the intention.
I think where I am they're more pile it high and overwhelmingly elderly dominated rather than almost a high street version of Vinted.
I took a black bag full of old Superdry polos and a bunch of other stuff including a (cheap) jacket that was literally brand new with tags to the Salvation Army shop the other day so someone will do OK but I'd far sooner someone who genuinely needed it benefit from it than someone bagging a bargain I guess.
It's been a bit of an eye opener looking at what's out there since I started this thread.
I'd not really stopped to think whether whether it's actually feasible to buy a decent quality sweater for £35 if I'm honest and a steady stream of "made in Bangladesh" seems to explain why it's possible.
Interesting how the race to the bottom and throw away culture messes with you psychologically so that the £90 one looks expensive rather than the £35 one looks suspiciously cheap.
Maybe it's an age thing but what I wear for work and casual seems to overlap a lot now (I have a rail of smart shirts and trousers that hardly ever get worn) so I think I might try a fewer and better quality way of doing things for a while.
I think where I am they're more pile it high and overwhelmingly elderly dominated rather than almost a high street version of Vinted.
I took a black bag full of old Superdry polos and a bunch of other stuff including a (cheap) jacket that was literally brand new with tags to the Salvation Army shop the other day so someone will do OK but I'd far sooner someone who genuinely needed it benefit from it than someone bagging a bargain I guess.
It's been a bit of an eye opener looking at what's out there since I started this thread.
I'd not really stopped to think whether whether it's actually feasible to buy a decent quality sweater for £35 if I'm honest and a steady stream of "made in Bangladesh" seems to explain why it's possible.
Interesting how the race to the bottom and throw away culture messes with you psychologically so that the £90 one looks expensive rather than the £35 one looks suspiciously cheap.
Maybe it's an age thing but what I wear for work and casual seems to overlap a lot now (I have a rail of smart shirts and trousers that hardly ever get worn) so I think I might try a fewer and better quality way of doing things for a while.
PH isn't full of your average people, in any sense. Wayyyyy more unusual types than you'd meet if you went to your local pub for example. I wouldn't trust any commonly held view on this forum as 'normal'.
That said, there is a tipping point between value and quality with everything, and clothing I would imagine is one of the more obvious examples - you can buy lovely stuff from somewhere like Sunspel/Smedley - or you could pay 5 times more for the same sort of fabric and style from Loro Piana - one imagines that 'value' left the conversation the minute you got above Sunspel at Black Friday prices.
I just bought my wife a rucksack, it was £1000. Idiotic IMO, it is leather, you can buy leather goods from anywhere, it is marketing, nothing more - probably the sweetspot for a product like that would be 2-300 quid, still leather, not paying for a global marketing budget/range of high end shops and product is quality. That's fashion for you.
That said, there is a tipping point between value and quality with everything, and clothing I would imagine is one of the more obvious examples - you can buy lovely stuff from somewhere like Sunspel/Smedley - or you could pay 5 times more for the same sort of fabric and style from Loro Piana - one imagines that 'value' left the conversation the minute you got above Sunspel at Black Friday prices.
I just bought my wife a rucksack, it was £1000. Idiotic IMO, it is leather, you can buy leather goods from anywhere, it is marketing, nothing more - probably the sweetspot for a product like that would be 2-300 quid, still leather, not paying for a global marketing budget/range of high end shops and product is quality. That's fashion for you.
I was buying some items from Solbari over the summer. Im trying to cover up more and use less sunblock. I found their clothes better quality than high street stuff. Brought a Solbari Mens hoodie and also a comparison from Uniqlo’s Airism UPF protection range, both are very similar in concept.
The Solbari hoodie has a higher UPF rating but is noticeably thinner and lighter. The weave of the fabric is really tight to block the suns rays and their ‘sensitive’ fabric feels soft on the skin. The Uniqlo Airism hoodie is hotter and scratchier in comparison, I found it too hot for summer wear, but its good now temps have dropped.
Will order more Solbari clothes next spring. I think the only downside is its shipped from Aus and can take a while to arrive.
Currently £52 for a mens long sleeved black polo so a bargain compared to Sunspel!
The Solbari hoodie has a higher UPF rating but is noticeably thinner and lighter. The weave of the fabric is really tight to block the suns rays and their ‘sensitive’ fabric feels soft on the skin. The Uniqlo Airism hoodie is hotter and scratchier in comparison, I found it too hot for summer wear, but its good now temps have dropped.
Will order more Solbari clothes next spring. I think the only downside is its shipped from Aus and can take a while to arrive.
Currently £52 for a mens long sleeved black polo so a bargain compared to Sunspel!
Edited by wyson on Wednesday 29th November 07:59
I tend to hover on HotUKDeals and will stock up on any reasonable brands when they have giveaway sales on.
Peter Storm padded jackets for £15... Perfect for work, buy 2.
ASICS trainers for £25-30 a pair...perfect, 2 for the gym, one for everyday and then another pair for the cupboard.
Barbour jacket with 70% off, yes please.
Always looking for bargains on Amazon as well. Sometimes you get some cracking deals.
Not loyal to brands/ stores. But love a good bargain.
Peter Storm padded jackets for £15... Perfect for work, buy 2.
ASICS trainers for £25-30 a pair...perfect, 2 for the gym, one for everyday and then another pair for the cupboard.
Barbour jacket with 70% off, yes please.
Always looking for bargains on Amazon as well. Sometimes you get some cracking deals.
Not loyal to brands/ stores. But love a good bargain.
Mr Dendrite said:
Tango13 said:
I'm getting measured for a new two piece in a couple of weeks, it will probably cost as much if not more than I've spent on ordinary clothes in the past 10 years 
L’Oréal moment “because you’re worth it “ 
The not so good news is the price starts with a '3' and that's without going for kangaroo leather or a built-in airbag
BunkMoreland said:
Well the people that dress the mannequins have access to everything the store sells and in 95% of cases have an eye for what makes an outfit work.
Of course, you could alternatively find one of the many ladies who offer fashion consultations and go shopping with the client to get a complete new outfit and wardrobe. A friends EX did that and although most of her clients were Bankers and Insurance guys earning 6 figures a year and would spend £4-5K during the week or so. She would do regular guys who would start with a few items then over time build up the rest according to her directions.
I knew of a guy who did the same sort of thing, but seemed his clients ended up wearing the same outfit of converse, black jeans and a v next t shirt with a gaudy chain/necklace and wrist adornments.
There's also YouTube if you are interested.
Fit
Fabric
Function
Having worked at H&M and done visual merchandising as a “mannequin” dresser I can tell you we have a big black book from head office which they decide a year in advance what they think the trends are. Of course, you could alternatively find one of the many ladies who offer fashion consultations and go shopping with the client to get a complete new outfit and wardrobe. A friends EX did that and although most of her clients were Bankers and Insurance guys earning 6 figures a year and would spend £4-5K during the week or so. She would do regular guys who would start with a few items then over time build up the rest according to her directions.
I knew of a guy who did the same sort of thing, but seemed his clients ended up wearing the same outfit of converse, black jeans and a v next t shirt with a gaudy chain/necklace and wrist adornments.
There's also YouTube if you are interested.
Fit
Fabric
Function
If things change nearer the week the windows are to change they send updated pages.
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