I used to buy quite a bit from Joanie, but haven’t bought from them for a while, will check it out again if they have 40% off. I found a lot of their stuff became quite samey and I hate the DOP stuff.
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I've recently gone through a huge bag of clothes I'd put away in my mum's house and a lot of it is Topshop circa 2002 / 2004 and the quality is unreal. Mostly basics but they are all 100% cotton and still in great shape 
washed and dried and I'll be wearing some of the jumpers and polos from now on 
washed and dried and I'll be wearing some of the jumpers and polos from now on 
I'm jealous! I wish I could go back in time to 2004 and have a fun high street shopping day out. Preferably on Oxford Street where all the big high street brands were represented. It'll never be the same againI've recently gone through a huge bag of clothes I'd put away in my mum's house and a lot of it is Topshop circa 2002 / 2004 and the quality is unreal. Mostly basics but they are all 100% cotton and still in great shape
This thread can have this one as well 
this went through design, buying AND marketing?
this went through design, buying AND marketing?Attachments
A lot of their dresses are far too girly for me (as well as being a nightmare to iron) but I love their knitwear. They’ve started doing bags from deadstock fabric too. My order came today and is all knitwear and bags
, some for me and some Christmas presents.Having a chat with a friend a few weeks back about the fall of asos and how hard it is to find decent clothes that don't either make me look like my mum or cost a fortune.
In the search for some jeans, I have New Look a shot. My closest store is so scruffy that I never go in but looked online and there's so much good stuff there again! I got a couple of skirts, a pair of mom jeans and a jumper as it's all doing great after the first couple of weeks at least.
Absolutely buzzing to get a decent shop back! However, I went into my local store on Saturday and it's still scruffy as hell with a load of crap in stock so think I'll be sticking to online until they sort that side out!
In the search for some jeans, I have New Look a shot. My closest store is so scruffy that I never go in but looked online and there's so much good stuff there again! I got a couple of skirts, a pair of mom jeans and a jumper as it's all doing great after the first couple of weeks at least.
Absolutely buzzing to get a decent shop back! However, I went into my local store on Saturday and it's still scruffy as hell with a load of crap in stock so think I'll be sticking to online until they sort that side out!
I think New Look is decent just now and has been for a couple of years.
The staff at one of my local stores are excellent. I’ve no idea how they’re managing to keep two large shops open in my city though.
The staff at one of my local stores are excellent. I’ve no idea how they’re managing to keep two large shops open in my city though.
I wrote about NL further up in the thread, as I honestly have found it to be really good with its online offering. Haven’t been into one of their shops for years, online has a better selection and some items also carry reviews which I find helpful.
They still do wide fit + leather shoes, have petite/tall clothing options and their returns process is easy (even if you have to pay for it now). I have a jumper from there that is identical to a ££ one I got from Whistles & I cannot tell the difference - i think we are getting shafted from some of these so called “higher end” high street brands now for quality vs price!
tbf, I don’t think it’s that new look is good, or better. It’s just that high end shops are piss poor. You can spend a LOT of money on clothing that is really poor unity. Whistles, Reiss, even COS all have a ton of badly made crap. A ton of synthetics and so on.
I got into vintage clothing (which, to be fair, also has a lot of poorly made stuff in flotation). But when you find “high end” clothing from pre-2000 you realise just how bad it’s gotten.
find yourself something like a vintage Windsmoor coat from the 90s and you’ll get a feel for actual good quality.
Just on the quality of clothing these days, as a long time avid high street shopper, I'm continually dismayed at the decline in quality over the last 10-15 years. I've always been very picky about fabrics but back in the day the majority of the stuff you saw in the high street were made from predominantly natural fabrics. These days that seems to be the exception. All the big names in the high street are guilty of using vast amounts of manmade fossil fuel derived fabrics (which are essentially plastic) and often these have the kind of price tag you would expect for a much better, longer lasting fabric. One example, I was looking at a beautiful coat in the Jaeger concession in M&S a few weeks back - £350 so not cheap but I was considering it as it was just dreamy. Had a quick look at the composition tag which I do for every purchase and it was 90% manmade fabric. £350 for a 90% plastic coat. Zara, Mango, H&M, Primark, the aforementioned Marks & Spencer and New Look are the biggest high street culprits and even the slightly higher end brands like Whistles, Mint Velvet, Boden, Hush and Other Stories have many many pieces made from crappy manmade fabric masquerading as something of a higher quality. John Lewis, Arket, Cos (both owned by H&M I know) and Uniqlo (and yes there is controversary around some of their factories) do much better and have affordable, well constructed, long lasting clothes made with good quality fabrics.
And I think whoever said that the majority of people don't really care about the impact the clothing industry has on our planet is absolutely right. Most people don't give it a second thought. I have educated, clever, well informed friends and they nearly exclusively all buy cheap clothes made with manmade fabrics. Most of them are at least starting to buy things with more longevity in mind but a couple are still fans of the "wear it once and throw it away" school of thought. It angers and frustrates me in equal measure.
Also, back OT, I was also a massive Toppers fan back in the day. Baxter jeans, Slam high heels and Kate Moss waist coats were LIFE!
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And I think whoever said that the majority of people don't really care about the impact the clothing industry has on our planet is absolutely right. Most people don't give it a second thought. I have educated, clever, well informed friends and they nearly exclusively all buy cheap clothes made with manmade fabrics. Most of them are at least starting to buy things with more longevity in mind but a couple are still fans of the "wear it once and throw it away" school of thought. It angers and frustrates me in equal measure.
Also, back OT, I was also a massive Toppers fan back in the day. Baxter jeans, Slam high heels and Kate Moss waist coats were LIFE!
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Bang on!
The synthetic ones are no better than H&M or New Look. I’ve found the wool ones to be better but yeah they still need a yearly debobble.
I agree I was really disappointed with a jumper I got there. Went bobbly after one wash. Expected better
Thanks for this. Just catching up on this thread, looked at Joanie online because of this post (never really considered them before), and I'm now on the verge of buying an overnight bag as they fit Ryanair's carry-on size restrictions (travelling on Saturday and I'm worried that my existing New Look overnight bag that I was originally planning to take - that I've had since ~2011 - may cause problems)!A lot of their dresses are far too girly for me (as well as being a nightmare to iron) but I love their knitwear. They’ve started doing bags from deadstock fabric too. My order came today and is all knitwear and bags
I used to love wandering in Topshop during my spare time in college.
I wouldn’t shop there now, but I kinda did like:
- Their jewelry selection. It was really good and good quality.
- Their underwear. They had cute bra/undies sets.
Topshop was a significant part of my colleague years. Good memories!
I wouldn’t shop there now, but I kinda did like:
- Their jewelry selection. It was really good and good quality.
- Their underwear. They had cute bra/undies sets.
Topshop was a significant part of my colleague years. Good memories!
The basics from Topshop used to be so good and so affordable. I recently went looking for new basics and opted for H&M (can’t afford higher end), and most of what I got has been really rit. The knitted dress I got has gone really bobbly, every crumb sticks to it and it already has a hole in the stitching. And a basic tee I got also has a hole already. I used to get loads of clothes from Divided as a teenager and swear it wasn’t this bad! The sizing was always off on a lot of things but I remember it lasting me a decent-ish amount of time.
What is classed as affordable now?
What is classed as affordable now?
I guess what is affordable is subjective but I'd say, always look at what the garment is made from. Lots of places use cheap synthetics in knitwear and wooly pieces - if you buy something made from synthetics it'll likely bobble and look like tit within a couple of wears/washes.
This is helpful thank you! I rarely buy for myself now but when I do I just kind of go with the brands I did years ago (pre-kids) and hope for the best but end up disappointed a lot. I will start being more mindful about what the item is actually made from!
Wool, cotton, viscose, silk are all good. Garments made from these fabrics generally feel much nicer to wear and last much longer
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