Just had a blast from the past in another thread - does anyone remember Qube?! Circa 2004/2005
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I’m increasingly leaning towards buying most of my wardrobe from Uniqlo these days. I’ve always liked simple clothes anyway, and when I go in a lot of shops I can’t find anything that suits me/ works for real life (eg crop tops, anything frilly, tops that won’t allow for bra straps etc).
I’m cultivating a simple, neutral coloured wardrobe where everything goes with everything else. I’ve bought some basic t shirts and long sleeve tops from Uniqlo and they’re lovely quality. Also picked up a lovely bra in there today that is super comfy, and one of their 3D knit jumpers. I’m sick of polyester and thin t shirts, and jumpers that bobble in 5 minutes.
I’m cultivating a simple, neutral coloured wardrobe where everything goes with everything else. I’ve bought some basic t shirts and long sleeve tops from Uniqlo and they’re lovely quality. Also picked up a lovely bra in there today that is super comfy, and one of their 3D knit jumpers. I’m sick of polyester and thin t shirts, and jumpers that bobble in 5 minutes.
They do alterations and mending in store which I love too
promoting clothes that lastI agree, I am often reminded of my grandad when I see garishly branded things "they should be paying you if you are wearing their brand logo on your clothes"( he died before influencers became a thing) but it is always something that springs to mind. Would rather just something plain
I love uniqlo for the same reasons. I hope they start moving to better manufacturing practices soon but I think they are showing an inclination towards moving that way.
I wanted some wide length trousers but I really struggle with finding trousers that fit my frame, so secondhand doesn’t really work well for me.
I bought some trousers from H&M and similar styles from Uniqlo.
the H&M ones were £15-20, the uniqlo ones were about £35.
the H&M versions had crappier material that didn’t feel nice and I could just tell they weren’t gonnawash well. They had smaller seams (less room for alterations) and were much shorter. The stitching was way more noticeable too.
for an extra £15, the uniqlo ones were still a polyester blend, but with some viscose so at least they are breathable and the polyester itself was definitely better quality/weave than the H&M ones. The seams are much less noticeable, the length is longer so more room for mending and adjusting etc
it is crazy how spending a little bit more can make a huge difference.
Uniqlo have a weird return process (you can’t return to a store if you’ve bought online and they charge for returns). At first it felt a bit annoying, but I actually see it as a step to less overconsumption and more mindful purchasing. It’s a pretty responsible/business savvy approach.
sorry not topshop related
The charging for returns policy is extremely frustrating as I know companies are doing it to stop mass returns, but the quality of the high street is so shocking at the moment that you almost always have to buy multiple sizes of the same thing, or return due to the shockingly bad quality, it’s as if we’re getting punished due to the companies decline in quality !
I expect most companies will be doing this within the next year or so now the precedent has been set. Yes there are some serial returners out there but surely they’re just squeezing the consumer even more. Pees me off lol. Especially when some lower end retailers have the nerve to be charging £40+ for a poorly made polyester dress.
I had a very traumatic experience in Uniqlo years ago where I was having one of those days where nothing fit right and I cried in the changing rooms and have never been back
Loads of my friends swear by their clothes though. And you can’t swing your arms around in some parts of London without hitting about 15 people in their 20s wearing the Uniqlo cross bags lol.
I had a very traumatic experience in Uniqlo years ago where I was having one of those days where nothing fit right and I cried in the changing rooms and have never been back
Loads of my friends swear by their clothes though. And you can’t swing your arms around in some parts of London without hitting about 15 people in their 20s wearing the Uniqlo cross bags lol.Its Japanese sizing is the trouble. I’m not even that big but I’m fairly tall- I have to buy their XXXL leggings only available onlineI expect most companies will be doing this within the next year or so now the precedent has been set. Yes there are some serial returners out there but surely they’re just squeezing the consumer even more. Pees me off lol. Especially when some lower end retailers have the nerve to be charging £40+ for a poorly made polyester dress.
I had a very traumatic experience in Uniqlo years ago where I was having one of those days where nothing fit right and I cried in the changing rooms and have never been back
It’s the “high end” retailers that I find to be the most shocking.
You expect stuff from New Look or H&M to be a bit tit, to be a bit poorly made and have a large polyester count.
It’s more shocking to me when the likes of self portrait, massimo dutti, arket, Christopher Esber, Sandro etc etc - the mid to high end retailers, charge a hell of a lot for poorly constructed items made of polyester. They’re the real con artists. M&S are truly guilty of using their historical reputation for better quality clothing, while peddling fast fashion.
I buy a lot of vintage, and even compared to stuff from the early 2000s, the quality has just collectively gone downhill so much.
About 10 years ago, I was a poor student, but I really needed a good winter coat. I didn’t know much about fabrics back then and just assumed if a coat was a bit more expensive, it must be good. Back then, anything above £30 was expensive to me though.
I found this grey Topshop pea coat that I loved, and I think it was between £70-80.
That winter I remember going home and it started snowing, and my mum was a bit taken aback by my coat and how was I going to stay warm? It was then I noticed it was almost pure polyester and yep, not warm at all. I’d paid all I could manage to afford on basically a plastic coat.
The biggest shame to me was, the style of it was great. Went with everything, wasn’t a micro trend etc. I kept the coat for about 5 years and by that point, it had bobbled and the fabric had thinned out. It looked terrible.
For £70 I couldn’t ever have gotten pure wool and great construction but that coat has always stood out in my mind as one of the big red flags for Topshop’s quick descent into fast fashion and bad quality but for the same prices. I got a similar type coat from new look with similar quality as the Topshop one about a year later, but I paid less than half for it. Topshop had loads of great coats too over the years, but I think the inconsistency of the quality was when it’s descent into fast fashion, buying from lots of different factories etc really became apparent to me.
After a winter of freezing, i learned about the importance of high wool content in my early 20s. I bought a Windsmoor coat for £15 a couple of years ago from a charity shop online. It’s from the 90s/early 00s and I cannot stress just how incredible the quality is. It’s toasty, it’s cashmere and is just constructed beautifully. I’ve worn it a lot and it just hasn’t worn out the way the fast fashion coats I’ve bought in the past have.
Topshop used to be a great spot for an outfit for a night out too - skirts, tops, little dresses. Good quality pre 2010s. Wasn't dirt cheap but was stuff I'd wear lots of times, and because of the quality I didn't mind paying more than say Primark
Nowadays the 'going out clothes' market seems to consist of Boohoo/PYT crap that won't last long and looks and feels cheap. Basically stuff people wear for 1 or 2 nights out.
Maybe there's somewhere that sells decent going-out clothes that I don't know about?
Nowadays the 'going out clothes' market seems to consist of Boohoo/PYT crap that won't last long and looks and feels cheap. Basically stuff people wear for 1 or 2 nights out.
Maybe there's somewhere that sells decent going-out clothes that I don't know about?
what a shame. Nick beighton seems to be really good at building businesses up, whereas Mike Ashley just destroys them. ASOS has plummeted in quality and customer service since Beighton left.
Staff don’t like Beighton at Matches- they think he’s too corporate. At least he makes money
I found a topshop jumper the other day in a charity shop. I have to admit, I mostly got it for the topshop nostalgia.
It’s actually not bad quality. Polysterster/polyamide blend with.. 10% cashmere?! Such an odd blend. Mostly stores will put in a tiny bit of wool at best. I’ve never come across a cashmere blend that low.
I’m thinking it must be pre-2010 because that’s when I started to notice topshop quality massively plummeted
I wish there was a way to date topshop labels the way you can with old M&S st Michael ones.
It’s actually not bad quality. Polysterster/polyamide blend with.. 10% cashmere?! Such an odd blend. Mostly stores will put in a tiny bit of wool at best. I’ve never come across a cashmere blend that low.
I’m thinking it must be pre-2010 because that’s when I started to notice topshop quality massively plummeted
I wish there was a way to date topshop labels the way you can with old M&S st Michael ones.
M&S do this with a lot of their knitwear - or used to at least, I never look at their stuff now. It’s so that they can advertise it as cashmere mix knowing most people won’t check the label when in reality the cashmere content is super low.
I had this problem yesterday, I was away and the outfit I had with me I wasn’t happy with. I’m plus size and I don’t have a lot of options but I found the most gorgeous black satin mini dress on the sale rail in Tesco. It was incredibly flattering and very comfortable, and the satin was thick and soft. I would never have thought to look there but it was perfect. So essentially I would say look in places that you don’t expect!
Hear hear! I have happy memories of the days of Topshop selling Levi's and they fitted me beautifully during the 90s.
Now it's so bloody annoying. I am the proud owner of many many pairs of ill-fitting denims. I think that I'll fashion a tent out of all of them.
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I'm plus size too and also struggle with more formal stuff - I won't say partywear as I am currently a hermit.
I really rate the high street for jeans, especially H&M, Zara (surprisingly) and (keeping it OT) Topshop. I’ve been a slave to designer denim in the past but I don’t think there’s any need to buy expensive denim these days as the high street does it so well. I think the key is to try a multitude of cuts and sizes until you find what works for you.
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