Where do you buy your clothes?
Discussion
I don’t buy many clothes as my workwear is a simple scrubs. But the normal clothes I use I tend to buy quality. Tend to buy clothes made in Europe if I can, same for shoes. Also don’t do fast fashion. Over the years I think, for my use, the extra expense purchasing was offset by the quality and longevity.
If I needed normal clothes for work then I would probably accept that going to M&S would be the best bet, or Next or similar.
I think as I grow older and buy less stuff I am more conscious of buying ethically and support smaller businesses. Lots of good quality small businesses in the UK for example but it does cost more.
If I needed normal clothes for work then I would probably accept that going to M&S would be the best bet, or Next or similar.
I think as I grow older and buy less stuff I am more conscious of buying ethically and support smaller businesses. Lots of good quality small businesses in the UK for example but it does cost more.
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hstewie said:
hstewie said: And I'm not going to buy a £200 Sunspel even if the quality is there as I can't justify that 
Have you looked at bulk retailers who don’t officially sell to the public? I buy a lot of day to day t shirts from Stanley Stella. High street quality but stripped of branded markup. £4 a t shirt? Heavyweight cotton t shirts £10 sort of thing? (Need heavyweight, 240gsm for white t-shirts so nipples don’t show through!) You can find the odd online retailer who will sell individual t shirts from them.Haven’t used the below shop before but gives you an idea:
https://www.shirtworks.co.uk/products/stanley-stel...
In terms of your original point, a £4-6 Stanley Stella T shirt is the same quality as an AllSaints £35 t shirt. I own both. But one you pay a branded mark up and the other shows the actual ‘cost’ of producing a commodity item and making a small profit. Of course Stanley Stella don’t have glitzy shops in high profile locations, glitzy advertising campaigns etc, so if you want maximum VFM, I’d steer clear of the high street all together!
Edited by wyson on Saturday 11th November 08:01
I've zero interest in clothes (Mrs Loto buys what I need and I just put them on) unless its shoes which I'm quite anal about - in which case it's Trickers, Alfred Sargent and/or Loakes - if I can get slight seconds from the factory shop so much the better. For 'technical' shoes it's Scarpa or Salomon.
Biggest challenge for me is a finding chinos/jeans that work for the short guy and aren't too baggy or skinny fit...typically need to have them taken up which is another annoying expense more time needed faffin about.
20's was all designer clobber that looked terrible lol 30's and now early 40's....bit of everything but nothing garish or with huge logos....not judging anyone who likes the louder stuff but not for me.
Next tend to work well for me but frustrating when they change the length/fit on chinos that were perfect for my inside leg/waist etc
Post covid with the hybrid work model and what seems like a big shift in the office with a lot more of my colleagues wearing 'smart' trainers basically every day means I have a lot of formal shoes which are just not being used (Loake, Barker etc)....where is the best place to sell used formal shoes that are in good condition...Vinted?
I know trainers weren't mentioned but I have far too many...fairly plain NB/Nike/Saucony for dress down at the office, some more lairy/colourful stuff for everything else and quite a few for running....not that I run much
20's was all designer clobber that looked terrible lol 30's and now early 40's....bit of everything but nothing garish or with huge logos....not judging anyone who likes the louder stuff but not for me.
Next tend to work well for me but frustrating when they change the length/fit on chinos that were perfect for my inside leg/waist etc
Post covid with the hybrid work model and what seems like a big shift in the office with a lot more of my colleagues wearing 'smart' trainers basically every day means I have a lot of formal shoes which are just not being used (Loake, Barker etc)....where is the best place to sell used formal shoes that are in good condition...Vinted?
I know trainers weren't mentioned but I have far too many...fairly plain NB/Nike/Saucony for dress down at the office, some more lairy/colourful stuff for everything else and quite a few for running....not that I run much
I only buy clothes made in the UK.
Below are the brands but do check the label as some outsource part of their manufacturing abroad.
Sunspel: T-shirts and underwear.
Private White V.C.: outerwear.
John Smedley: jumper, socks.
Drake's: ties and scarves, also offer a full range of menswear.
Barbour: outwear.
Mackintosh: raincoat.
Grenson: shoe.
Paul Smith: While not all Paul Smith clothing is made in the UK, they do have a range of items that are.
Below are the brands but do check the label as some outsource part of their manufacturing abroad.
Sunspel: T-shirts and underwear.
Private White V.C.: outerwear.
John Smedley: jumper, socks.
Drake's: ties and scarves, also offer a full range of menswear.
Barbour: outwear.
Mackintosh: raincoat.
Grenson: shoe.
Paul Smith: While not all Paul Smith clothing is made in the UK, they do have a range of items that are.
wyson said:
Have you looked at bulk retailers who don’t officially sell to the public? I buy a lot of day to day t shirts from Stanley Stella. High street quality but stripped of branded markup. £4 a t shirt? Heavyweight cotton t shirts £10 sort of thing? (Need heavyweight, 240gsm for white t-shirts so nipples don’t show through!) You can find the odd online retailer who will sell individual t shirts from them.
Haven’t used the below shop before but gives you an idea:
https://www.shirtworks.co.uk/products/stanley-stel...
In terms of your original point, a £4-6 Stanley Stella T shirt is the same quality as an AllSaints £35 t shirt. I own both. But one you pay a branded mark up and the other shows the actual ‘cost’ of producing a commodity item and making a small profit. Of course Stanley Stella don’t have glitzy shops in high profile locations, glitzy advertising campaigns etc, so if you want maximum VFM, I’d steer clear of the high street all together!
Yeah I tried that in the past with Gildan but, and this will sound strange and a bit gross, their cheap tee shirts absolutely make me stink when no other tee shirt I own does so it's left me a little cautious of cheap bulk buys even though I know that like you say the Reiss/AllSaints stores aren't likely to be manufacturing their own stuff.Haven’t used the below shop before but gives you an idea:
https://www.shirtworks.co.uk/products/stanley-stel...
In terms of your original point, a £4-6 Stanley Stella T shirt is the same quality as an AllSaints £35 t shirt. I own both. But one you pay a branded mark up and the other shows the actual ‘cost’ of producing a commodity item and making a small profit. Of course Stanley Stella don’t have glitzy shops in high profile locations, glitzy advertising campaigns etc, so if you want maximum VFM, I’d steer clear of the high street all together!
Edited by wyson on Saturday 11th November 08:01
Stanley Stella look like the stuff in the likes of AllSaints though so if the quality is there I may give them a go as they're a third to a quarter of the price - thank you
wyson said:
How did you ruin a shirt after two or three wears?
Haha I work in manufacturing/ construction so most days end up in the factory for one reason or another or certainly pre pandemic every job had meetings on site so plenty of opportunities to rip/tear get crap on.The straw the broke the camels back, I bought a new Ralph Lauren shirt for £100 ish had to deliver a bit of glass to a customer, caught shirt on it, ripped, I would say after 4 hours of use :0
nikaiyo2 said:
wyson said:
How did you ruin a shirt after two or three wears?
Haha I work in manufacturing/ construction so most days end up in the factory for one reason or another or certainly pre pandemic every job had meetings on site so plenty of opportunities to rip/tear get crap on.The straw the broke the camels back, I bought a new Ralph Lauren shirt for £100 ish had to deliver a bit of glass to a customer, caught shirt on it, ripped, I would say after 4 hours of use :0
nikaiyo2 said:
Haha I work in manufacturing/ construction so most days end up in the factory for one reason or another or certainly pre pandemic every job had meetings on site so plenty of opportunities to rip/tear get crap on.
The straw the broke the camels back, I bought a new Ralph Lauren shirt for £100 ish had to deliver a bit of glass to a customer, caught shirt on it, ripped, I would say after 4 hours of use :0
Different industry but similar.The straw the broke the camels back, I bought a new Ralph Lauren shirt for £100 ish had to deliver a bit of glass to a customer, caught shirt on it, ripped, I would say after 4 hours of use :0
I can go into work with one plan and end up with my arms somewhere messy (I'm not a vet).
bhstewie said:
hstewie said: Yeah I tried that in the past with Gildan but, and this will sound strange and a bit gross, their cheap tee shirts absolutely make me stink when no other tee shirt I own does so it's left me a little cautious of cheap bulk buys even though I know that like you say the Reiss/AllSaints stores aren't likely to be manufacturing their own stuff.
Stanley Stella look like the stuff in the likes of AllSaints though so if the quality is there I may give them a go as they're a third to a quarter of the price - thank you
I’ve been given a lot of free t shirts in my time, almost all of them felt cheap to be honest, apart from a free Stanley Stella one I was given for attending an event. Stanley Stella look like the stuff in the likes of AllSaints though so if the quality is there I may give them a go as they're a third to a quarter of the price - thank you
I was surprised at the quality, it was at least as good as my normal high street t shirts. So I googled them, found they were cheap and ordered a bunch of different styles. They were all high street quality, softish feeling, keep their shape, last through washes etc. Their heavyweight 240gsm ones especially have a ‘quality’ feel. They also have on trend styles, and don’t just do generic crew neck t shirts. Would recommend.
Edited by wyson on Saturday 11th November 09:50
nikaiyo2 said:
What do you mean by quality?
Fabric?
Manufacturing?
Longevity?
Honestly, imho, there is no difference in tangible things between m&s and the brands you list, I would say m&s might prioritise quality over many fashion brands. Same goes for the big brand names, Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Boss etc. In particular these brands there is a massive difference in quality between their full price stuff and their discounted lines.
Buy a pack of 3 boxers from Ralph Lauren outlet store for less than the price of one pair at full price you will tell instantly what cost 3x the price.
Edwin jeans, the difference between the Made in Japan lines to the cheaper lines is huge.
Literally all high street fashion is of similar quality, it’s not designed to last forever but would you want it to?
Have a look at https://www.endclothing.com/gb and read some of the brand stories, the smaller brands have much greater ability and willingness to manage quality. They do genuine sales making some of the pricing more reasonable.
Shirts for work? I buy them from Tesco/ Sainsbury’s, they cost nothing, are semi disposable, I have 2-3 nice shirts for meetings etc. I always used to have nice shirts but the amount I ruined after 2 or 3 wears got tiresome
Good question around the word "quality" and perhaps value for money is what I really mean.Fabric?
Manufacturing?
Longevity?
Honestly, imho, there is no difference in tangible things between m&s and the brands you list, I would say m&s might prioritise quality over many fashion brands. Same goes for the big brand names, Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Boss etc. In particular these brands there is a massive difference in quality between their full price stuff and their discounted lines.
Buy a pack of 3 boxers from Ralph Lauren outlet store for less than the price of one pair at full price you will tell instantly what cost 3x the price.
Edwin jeans, the difference between the Made in Japan lines to the cheaper lines is huge.
Literally all high street fashion is of similar quality, it’s not designed to last forever but would you want it to?
Have a look at https://www.endclothing.com/gb and read some of the brand stories, the smaller brands have much greater ability and willingness to manage quality. They do genuine sales making some of the pricing more reasonable.
Shirts for work? I buy them from Tesco/ Sainsbury’s, they cost nothing, are semi disposable, I have 2-3 nice shirts for meetings etc. I always used to have nice shirts but the amount I ruined after 2 or 3 wears got tiresome
I have a dislike of paying £30 for something that's the same quality as a £10 something except for the label that's sewn into the collar.
mithcelgrey said:
Jeans from Diesel only, everything else - different no name brands
Christ. Is is 2006 again?I tend to buy what I like that gets advertised to me on Instagram. Recently that’s been items from Asket/Percival/Wearebound (maybe it’s just Bound)/Arket (posher H&M).
Depends what you’re into doesn’t it. I’ve got loads of stuff from Reiss, it’s fine but overpriced. I really like the Asket stuff tbh.
I will shop in places that I find things that fit me well. You think being large is an issue for people? Try being a slim 6ft and most clothes drown me even in small. So I’ve found super dry is pretty good value (currently 3 T-shirts’ for £50) and their small size is just about small enough. All saints - love their clothes as they fit so well (XS!) but as they are costly, so I only have a few tops. Zara and H&M clothes fit ok, but have found they disintegrate too quickly for me. I’m not a brand snob anymore, but don’t mind paying a bit more for things that last more than a few years - some All saints t shirts that saw weekly use, are now 8 years old and only just looking ragged.
One luxury is Boss jeans. I’m always in jeans (7 days a week) and their stretch indigo jeans are just so comfortable, so I do indulge in them once a year or so.
One luxury is Boss jeans. I’m always in jeans (7 days a week) and their stretch indigo jeans are just so comfortable, so I do indulge in them once a year or so.
Best Secret - free delivery, free returns
Ability to filter searches to find only your sizes, colour choice, designers, and massively discounted.
Unsure of sizes? Order 2 or 3 and return the ones that don’t fit.
Easier than trudging around shops trying to fit into skinny legged or narrow bodied stuff the high street shops churn out nowadays.
I miss not having access to M&S, although I note they do ship here and it’s quite a good choice of stuff…..
Ability to filter searches to find only your sizes, colour choice, designers, and massively discounted.
Unsure of sizes? Order 2 or 3 and return the ones that don’t fit.
Easier than trudging around shops trying to fit into skinny legged or narrow bodied stuff the high street shops churn out nowadays.
I miss not having access to M&S, although I note they do ship here and it’s quite a good choice of stuff…..
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