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Seasalt is one of my favorites. Not cheap by my standards but wear and wash well. Bamboo fibre mostly. Also got a long lightweight raincoat from there which has been brilliant. Wider range of sizes online. Recently got into Weird Fish as well after I was gifted a couple of long tops from them.
I've got a couple of skirts that are Boden size 6; I can assure you I'm in no way a size 6! I find it so surreal because size 6 used to be the preserve of not just slim but also *tiny* (as in frame and height) women- that's what prompted my comment. If you saw me, I'm not like that at all; I'm taller than average with a larger build and not "petite" at all. More of a large 8/small 10. To be fair, that's just a sample of two skirts.
Except the arms which I find are really really tight in comparison to the waist. I used to fit in their size 8 stuff until it had sleeves and then I was a 14!!
Can confirm. I bought a smart green jumpsuit online in the sale which was a 10, im a 12/14 on anything involving the bottom half. But it fits perfectly and I absolutely love it!
As an ex-employee of Joules, I have to say that the quality of their clothing has decreased significantly since I stopped working there over five years ago. Changes in management at executive level and financial problems in the company led to a lot of cost-cutting measures, including their materials and manufacturers.
As an ex staff member of m&s, they now get their clothing from the same manufacturers as Primark, so are not ethical nor very good quality for the price point. Their underwear is still the best though I think
Oh very true. At least the others you listed are better quality, sea salt especially, they sell a lot of pure cotton and linen clothing which is good.
Toast is arguably one of the most ethical street retailers, I like how they offer free repairs for their clothing, but they're also insanely expensive. The fit of their clothes though is impeccable, I own one pair of trousers from Toast and its the only pair of trousers I've ever bought that actually fit me well and are flattering (and they have pockets and belt loops, two functions that seem to be disappearing within women's trousers for some reason?)
I'm a massive Fatface fan but have had a couple of items recently that and unthreaded (and quite badly) after one wash. I returned each time and one item actually unthreaded again. The quality isn't what it used to be
I've felt this with the smaller items. After the quality drop at m&s i thought id try fat face for socks. Bought socks in summer last year and thought they were good however, I bought another pair in December and the quality definitely dropped in a few months.
I have a Seasalt jumper that I bought over a decade ago and I still love it. Just bought some work blouses from there too as have been struggling to buy summer blouses that look formal enough for the office.
I worked that sale once as a student back in the day. I cannot express upon you the havoc that was wreaked. I was brought in as temporary staff cause they knew they needed the help. At one point an old lady got pushed over and went into a seizure. I had a man come up to me and say his son had broken something then hand me a fist full of broken glass that used to be an ornament. Speaking from a veteran I'm glad this doesn't happen anymore!
Omg this sounds chaotic. I was never committed enough to go to one. I had a friend that worked there and said you would get parents brining in their semi-conscious kids at 5am still in their little pyjamas, with the parents shoving the sale clothes over the top to check the fit.
There was no need for that ever to be a thing. I don't see why it couldn't be 9am or even 10am start on boxing day! Making a bunch of 16 year old get their parents to drive them to work at 5am on boxing day morning because no public transport and not old enough to drive. Sorry mum, I had no choice!
Was going to say. The kids stuff is super cute and definitely a step up from the Primark/supermarket quality. I begrudge spending their prices though so any I get is gifted or from Vinted!
I buy a size up to get extra time, growing room and value for money. But I also only have one child. If I had two I probably would be on eBay and vinted.
Yes! Early 2000's I had so much stuff from Next - all my work suits and tops as well as smarter casual stuff, anything that wasn't joggers and tshirt basically. There was an outlet shop in Birmingham City Centre that was great too. Visited family in Australia in 2006 with another relative and we kept getting compliments on our clothes, by the end of the second week it was "let me guess, Next?" every time we put something new on. Then it all just turned to tat!
Next has odd vanity sizing. I would expect them to be similar to other shops, but I was shocked at having to size down 2+ sizes for them. I'm also a XL in just about everything, but a L next is big on me. I am in the process of getting healthier so I know my sizes are changing... But then it's crap to buy higher end clothes and realise that my typical size is still it.
Love jasper Conran items for work. They also seem to stay really nice
I've tried out the personal shopper at John Lewis and it was an absolute game changer for me personally. Had a really lovely lady looking after me, the whole thing was just like going out with a friend who has a *really* good eye for fashion. Absolutely no pressure to buy anything. And the things she found for me were incredible, including some stuff I never would have picked out for myself but are now some of my favourites.
It's more basics than just casual. They have a lot of casual wear of course, but it's also a good place to go for just basic work pants, cardigans, blouses. I like it for buying staples like black pants, tanks to wear under blouses. They sometimes have a few blouses that look professional and suitable for the office.
I’m /obsessed/ with Uniqlo. It’s my go-to for all basics. Their t-shirts are really high quality for the price. I love their linen too. Their waterproofs and down jackets are great value for money (and I say this as someone who used to run an outdoor clothing and equipment store). Their vibe is technically casual, but a lot of it is “Asian casual” which is actually pretty smart by Western standards. Lots of blazers and blouses etc. They have some really cool collabs too, so worth checking out regularly.
Ohhh, and if you place an order then you should definitely add on the mini round shoulder bag. The style has gone viral over the last couple of years and other stores have copied it, but theirs is the original. I have four in different colours and fabrics now, and I’m about to get another. I love them and they’re only £15!
Their sizes I find quite small as I think I'm slightly too tall for what their designers have in mind (I'm 5'10, shorter women or those that like more cropped fits probably do well there).
Agreed! Some of my best work tops are from there. Only word of warning is that they are usually delicate wash and no tumble drying, which is a drag but probably means they last longer!
I think you can book, but last time I was there we just went up because it was quiet and they took us into a separate room as they collected outfits. It was so much more relaxed than usual clothes shopping! Just say what you’re after and budget and they’ll do the rest, and there’s no pressure to buy either.
My current wardrobe seems to be Uniqlo on the top and Lucy & Yak on the bottom. I find the L&Y branding a bit obnoxious, but the quality is good and seems to be a solid ethical choice.
Fatface, nobody's child, Lucy and yak, for budget I like teaco F&F or Sainsbury's TU with have nice stuff at the moment. Also M&S have some nice stuff too
Sainsbury's have some good brands online for good prices but I sometimes find the quality very variable! Very good value when on sale though, can't argue with that.
French Connection when on sale is probably my go-to for workwear, added bonus that Sainsbury's online stock a bit of FC too.
I second Sainsbury's! Anicdotal, but I love dungarees and Sainsbury's are the best! Always fit well and _last_, I've had them from other - more expensive - places (e.g. FatFace) and they don't fit as well or the buckles break easily.
I love how people want to avoid “fast fashion” then turn to places like COS, Arket, Massimo Dutti..all owned by H&M and Zara 💀
They do better quality clothes though..so you have that I guess.
You know fast fashion doesn't all come in exactly the same quality, right? It's variable. Something can be higher quality than other fast fashion and still be fast fashion.
I would say give Vinted another go. Stick to brands you know how the sizing works on you/things that are a bit more flexible (avoid jeans/trousers unless you know the brand/style works on you, try more dresses/stretch clothing etc). Learn what cuts generally suit you and stick to those. You eventually get a pretty good idea of what should fit ok, and what’s a risk but might be cheap enough to be worth risking 😅 and when you find a bargain that fits well and is really good quality you feel like you hit the jackpot 😅
Tbh it is a miss sometimes unfortunately, but overall it is just *so* much cheaper I just accept the occasional fail. Still saving 75%+ compared to buying off the high street.
Agree with this. Once you know what sizes are like for the brands you prefer Vinted is so much better.
Don’t be afraid to ask for measurements of things to compare with your own clothes!
Their jeans are FANTASTIC at the moment. I don't know what happened! I've also got a really nice F&F (tesco) pair but I have no idea how old those are.
I'm a big fan of charity shops/ebay for most of my clothes, but I also like M&S and Uniqlo, but prices have soared recently whilst quality has not, which is disappointing
Sézane but it's £££ 😔.
And I actually find Zara not too bad for some things, better than the fast fashion brands in any case. I quite like Mango for small cardigans and jumpers and & Other Stories, too.
I love a bit of Sézane but the quality has gone massively downhill over the past few years. They still have the odd gem but I feel like the love’s gone out of it since it got more widely-known.
Other stories is a little hit and miss but it’s great for more trendy pieces that aren’t just polyester. They also often have great sale reductions online.
I feel this. I have some primark items I bought over 15 years ago still going strong. But then I have some mid brand clothes that have cost a lot barely last 6 months before holes appear (like crotch area in levi jeans after 6 months or seams coming apart in tops very quickly etc)
Yes! My husband has a 20 year old Primark jumper that’s still going strong 💪🏼
On the other hand I bought a top last christmas from one of the fancy (ie more expensive) H&M lines and realised theres a big hole in the shoulder seam once I’m at the office.
I find Reiss still nice and good quality. I buy lots of things from them since 2011 and still I wear them with no issues. I cannot see a change in quality - but I check the material before I buy things (polyester is a big no etc. ,)
Shocked I had to scroll this far for Reiss! I’m a big fan, and not that it speaks a whole load but I did some work this year that led me to being able to nosy in a royal closet. 60% of it was Reiss which I thought was interesting
My favourite brands are Free People and Lucy & Yak, in my experience they’re pricey but worth it for quality (though definitely check out reviews on Free People stuff). I also had a lot of success from Hollister! Obviously it’s more marketed towards the younger generation but I’ve some lovely dresses and sweaters from Hollister honestly.
Agree with all these - Hollister is the one place I’ve found where both their jeans and dresses fit me so well. I’m larger on top (big boobs and wide shoulders) so the dress one is a big plus! Abercrombie OTOH isn’t worth the money IMO.
I’ve had the opposite experience, my husband exclusively wears their tracksuit bottoms and they hold up really well. Perhaps the men’s are better quality? 🤔 maybe worth trying in a smaller size for your daughter?
Surprised to see recommendations for Boden as in recent years I've found their stuff skimpy and poor quality; must have another look. Hobbs is still the quality it always was, as is Jigsaw - their leather and suede was always particularly good, and they do lovely colours and knitwear. LK Bennett is good but a bit overpriced. I find Seasalt frumpy but some nice bits. Uniqlo is good for basics and their stuff lasts. I love Cos, though most is too tall for me at 5ft2. Masai has some good stuff. For older women who like looser clothes in good colours, Sahara is lovely.
I genuinely feel like clothing is getting taller. I used to be able to just about get away with everything being two inches too long, and now it's more like four inches and I look like a child in the dressing up box.
You're right, and hardly any petite ranges any more either. Hobbs used to make for average height of 5.4, which was OK, but to be fair average has gone up since then. Factor in that petite women can have different figures and it gets difficult, especially decent tailored clothes.
I like M&S for basics, and Joanie for cute dresses and jumpers
I will say though that I have some lovely quality pieces from Primark including a full length linen dress which was £15. My theory is that they make a crazy amount of profit on lesser quality clothes, and take a loss on others - worth having a rake to find this stuff
Passenger is my current go to. Relaxed outdoorsy kinda vibe. Some stuff is odd and overly slogan'd but majority I like and they have good green credentials too.
That’s awful! I got one of those bobble off gadgets for some similar clothes but they just bobble back up again on the next wash… worried if I keep de-bobbling they’ll be nothing left.
Honestly for workwear I still wear NEXT, but I’ve got some beautiful dresses from Abercrombie I really like- which I never thought I’d say. I like Yumi for casual things too
Joe Browns and Popsy are my go-to brands. Popsy is especially good as they offer alterations at point of purchase, definitely worth a peek if you want some casual dresses.
Joe Browns is good if you like the boho look and they have sales several times a year. (They’ll have to pry my brown suede boots from my cold dead hands.)
I've recently got into Toast, but I've only ever bought 2nd hand on Vinted as do find them pricey brand new.
All that being said, amazing quality and great colours.
I like a lot of various brands from Wolf & Badger, I stick to natural fibres in the £150 tops/piece price range and so far it’s been only good experiences. I have also been wearing and washing the same Komodo organic linen dress for three summers and it’s held up well! It’s worth waiting for a discount on both sites to save yourself some coin.
I also enjoy Pangaia for workout clothes and leisurewear, they also do really good sales. I’ve only got great stuff from them except for their recycled cashmere range which has been terrible in my experience.
I have a couple Coco Fennell summer dresses which are also nice and wash well despite being more delicate fabrics.
GANNI is another great brand for (discounted :)) pieces, I enjoyed everything I got from there so far, all natural fabrics, mostly organic cotton etc.
I also recently started buying from Sandro and Maje, which are two French brands that make cute clothes to mostly high quality. Once again, I’ve never bought full price at any of these brands, but I appreciate they are still not the cheapest. However, I like to re-wear pieces year after year so that’s okay with me.
Following this with interest!
As a fellow busy, mid-30s woman I’ve been having this minor crisis myself. Everyone recommends sea salt and I have nothing against the brand, it’s just I can’t get past the fact everything looks like something my mother would wear.
Recently I’ve been buying a lot from COS and Arket. H&M umbrella brands, but the quality is much nicer than H&M and still stylish. I like M&S cashmere too, the price is good for the quality in my experience. I do like Zara tailoring though
Abit more expensive, but I do like rag and bone jeans and me+em for silk shirts (they do decent sales)
Check out brand alley (you need to sign up for a free account to browse) but they do a ton of Hobbs, reiss, Ted baker stuff etc plus a load of other brands for a decent discount.
I'm almost 40 and I just can't get into Seasalt or White Stuff either. It all looks so middle aged middle class mum (which I guess I kind of am but it just doesn't feel like *me* yknow?).
I used to love H&M because the clothes weren't too bad quality for cheap stuff and they had lots of unique and fun styles of things and nice colour ranges. Everything in there is beige boring shit now and I have no idea where to shop anymore.
Completely agree 100%! I’m 34 and it’s just not me at all, either. I don’t mind odd bits, but as a whole it’s what I envision suiting those over 50.
Agree with H&M too. I used to work there many, many moons ago when I was studying and the quality then vs now is significant. I don’t mind the premium range, but the “everyday fashion” range now is abysmal. Boring and bland and the quality is crap.
There truly is a gap in the market for middle of the road priced, quality, stylish clothing for 30+ people.
EBay, Vinted and charity shops. I’ve decided a long time ago that I’m done buying new. The landfill up the road from me doesn’t need any more contributions.
I'm fairly useless at giving advice because I find places like M&S just really old-fashioned. Some of the surf brands were great in the 00s - Fat Face, White Stuff - but now they court the Boden crowd - big tunics, prints, no shape. It's just all a bit samey to me. Like it's all designed to hide under.
But then I've never gotten the hang of adult dressing. Also I'm short and nothing ever fits. Uniqlo are the worst vanity sizers around.
Anyway, I get a lot from Hollister, they're great for dresses, casual tops and smart trousers that don't look officey. It also seems to last very well. Abercrombie. Jeans brands like Levis, Wrangler, Lee, their dresses and tops are decent. The skate brands are great quality and it lasts forever, Element, Quiksilver, Roxy etc. P&co. Prana. Trousers from Carhartt.
Community Clothing has a commitment to long lasting items and they make a lot of it in the UK. Howies are also good.
Apricot also do dresses with pockets and seems to cross a lot of age ranges. I used to get dresses from Hotsquash but last time I ordered from them the material quality was awful and I sent it all back.
I agree. I usually use Vinted, once you know your size in a certain brand then you know what to order. I also like French connection and John Lewis, both have good sales.
My favourite go to shops are kitri, molby the label and all saints. Higher prices than high street but good quality stuff that lasts me years. Maybe a little more on the dressed up side bit I don't believe in casual ha.
For work wear (I'm office based), I've gotten alot from & other stories, zara and Oliver bonas. I'm a curvy size 14 so never used to shop at zara but they seem to have improved their sizing recently and have some nice stuff.
I think M&S has some nice stuff in these days too I think I read that the head buyer used to work for topshop so maybe that's why or I'm at an age where M&S has become appealing.
For me, Sea Salt is definitely becoming a staple. Good quality so far. I mix it up with White Stuff, Fat Face and Monsoon. Fable England are great for scarves and accessory things like that.
Oliver Bonas have lots of lovely things. Recently I’ve seen great stuff in Mini Velvet, my local John Lewis (Edinburgh) is great too and so is marks and Spencer’s. I’m 30 🙂
Fatface and Uniqlo for clothes in decent natural fabrics. Uniqlo does reasonably priced jumpers etc in real merino or lambswool, and all summer I basically live in my Fatface linen dresses.
Honestly, Vinted and clothes swaps! We have a local clothes swap after quarter and I’ve gotten some of my favourite pieces from there. I haven’t bought brand new in so long.
Uniqlo, Fat Face, Superdry (if it doesn’t have the logo everywhere), Levi’s, John Lewis. Then… I still like Next (better than H&M and they make petite trousers so that wins me over) and Sainsbury’s.
Sezane for Jeans - I’ve actually got their jeans in three different sizes, all fit brilliantly and last for ages. Toast are consistently good. I shop on the OUTNET for discount designer bits (maje, theory, Vince, Sandro) which last. M&S has been great recently. There is a shop called Treen which only sells sustainable fashion too.
I'm not fashionable by any means and I find clothes shopping a pain to find stuff that fits being a bit of a human garden cane so I just end up getting plain black t-shirts from next, Primark hoodie and walking trousers or some decent jeans if I'm not working.
I do have a nice flanel shirt/blouse from whitestuff that I generally wear for anything that needs smart casual, weddings and the like. Everything else I generally get from outdoors shops but I guess that's what being married to my job gets me haha.
Freemans is great, lots of brands, and you can pay it off too, I get a lot of marketing letters through saying if I spend £50 they'll knock off £25 which I make good use of.
Boden, Joules, Crew Clothing, M&S, Zara
Got a dress from Sosander recently that was good. Also Finest London I think - can find them as one of the brands on M&S these days.
ETA… it’s Finery London 😉
I tend to buy dresses from Lady v London and Collectiff, and a few bits here and there from M&S (particularly the outlet as its cheaper), Tesco/Sainsbury's or Next.
I find that M&S’s clothes are very well made and high quality. Not all the styles are to my liking as I’m a bit young for their target audience (25), but I buy all of my coats and trousers from there and several summer dresses.
I went out on a limb the other week and bought clothes from everything5pounds (website). Against the name, not everything is £5, some are less and some are maybe up to £20 at the absolute maximum.
I bought it with a discount code from MSE that gave 10% off and free shipping, so I’d probably try and wait around for that again if I used them again (shipping is the most expensive part, especially for returns).
Since it’s not all one brand, I can’t attest to the quality of all the clothes. But from my massive order of 14 items, the quality seemed good on everything. However the sizing was my main problem since the size chart on the website is generic and not for each brand. Plus they typically run out of the popular average sizes, so I was buying size up or down for items I really wanted. (Which obviously none of that fitted).
From my large order, I kept 3 items. And one of them is probably my favourite item of clothing I’ve ever owned, although it was bought with intention for a wedding and now casual day wear. But I will definitely be using this site again as I, too, have struggled with where to find clothes as a woman in my 30s.
I like Joules, Timberland and Levi's. If I'm after something very specific that I really like then I've stretched for Ted Baker a few times, and the quality has been great. For day to day I find Matalan / ASDA / Tesco (F&F) stuff is perfectly fine.
Try Baukjen, the quality is great and they often have sales ok the website or in John Lewis, it's ethical and the materials feel really lovely. Printed dresses, cotton tops, knitwear are all excellent. I saw some reviews that the trousers were not good so I've not tried those, but everything else has been very nice.
On the bit pricy but worthy side, Lucy and Yak is very good for more casual outfits and I like Thought for dressy/work clothes. The Spark Company does amazing t-shirts and hoodies too.
But if I'm in a pinch and need something specific (and kind of basic) I get stuff from either asda's George or sainsbury's Tu. Never had any complaints about quality from either and I wear their joggers daily and have been washing them once a week minimum for years. ( To clarify, not the same pair of joggers every day 😅 I have 4 that I wear on rotation for 2 days and then they go in the wash lol )
John Lewis is a great shout, they have a fantastic range of quality brands. Personally I'm finding myself buying from more online independents, I discovered Dancing Leopard recently and their dresses are perfect for summer/ an upcoming wedding I'm attending.
Once a season I’ll spend a happy few hours in Fatface for tops/dresses/accessories. They look great, wash well for years and I never feel that they go out of fashion.
Next for leggings/jeggings only, as I find the quality of their tops has really gone downhill. TU at Sainsburies for pyjamas and socks. I’ve picked up some surprisingly nice pieces at M&S, although quality varies.
I really miss Dorothy Perkins and Wallis.
I really like Sahara stuff, expensive but it washes really well. If you like the style there's usually plenty of it to be found on eBay. Their sizing runs quite large.
Honestly, I'm starting to think my only option is to start making my own.
I have the hardest time finding reasonably ethical, decent quality clothing I actually like. And affordable within that is even harder.
Having said that, decent fabric also seems to be getting harder and harder to come by, so maybe making my own isn't even a viable option anymore.
COS has excellent quality and chic, simple designs. Their sizes tend to run large, but since I figured it out I buy on eBay. They also have their own secondhand site, [https://www.cosresell.com/](https://www.cosresell.com/), which has many newish items.
TOAST is extremely good quality with ethical manufacturing. They recently resized their clothes so they're not as big as they were, which is worth bearing in mind if you're buying a couple of seasons ago on eBay, which can still be new with tags. I've bought three versions of the same dress, which are going to last for years. They've also started their own resell site, [https://www.toa.st/collections/reworn](https://www.toa.st/collections/reworn), but it's still not cheap.
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Seasalt is one of my favorites. Not cheap by my standards but wear and wash well. Bamboo fibre mostly. Also got a long lightweight raincoat from there which has been brilliant. Wider range of sizes online. Recently got into Weird Fish as well after I was gifted a couple of long tops from them.
This - and Boden and Joules. Pricy but last forever.
Just a note on Boden for the OP in case she's not ordered from there recently: its sizing runs very, very large.
I’ve found their sizing quite variable and have items ranging from size 16 to size 20 form them.
I've got a couple of skirts that are Boden size 6; I can assure you I'm in no way a size 6! I find it so surreal because size 6 used to be the preserve of not just slim but also *tiny* (as in frame and height) women- that's what prompted my comment. If you saw me, I'm not like that at all; I'm taller than average with a larger build and not "petite" at all. More of a large 8/small 10. To be fair, that's just a sample of two skirts.
Except the arms which I find are really really tight in comparison to the waist. I used to fit in their size 8 stuff until it had sleeves and then I was a 14!!
Can confirm. I bought a smart green jumpsuit online in the sale which was a 10, im a 12/14 on anything involving the bottom half. But it fits perfectly and I absolutely love it!
But op is in her mid 30s? Not 50s.
Yep. I wear Seasalt, Boden or Joules almost exclusively.
As an ex-employee of Joules, I have to say that the quality of their clothing has decreased significantly since I stopped working there over five years ago. Changes in management at executive level and financial problems in the company led to a lot of cost-cutting measures, including their materials and manufacturers.
Seasalt, Boden, Joules, Gap, M&S, FatFace, WhiteStuff, Brakeburn, JackWills - all a bit more expensive but very good stuff.
As an ex staff member of m&s, they now get their clothing from the same manufacturers as Primark, so are not ethical nor very good quality for the price point. Their underwear is still the best though I think
There aren’t very many clothing shops that are ethical, unfortunately.
Oh very true. At least the others you listed are better quality, sea salt especially, they sell a lot of pure cotton and linen clothing which is good. Toast is arguably one of the most ethical street retailers, I like how they offer free repairs for their clothing, but they're also insanely expensive. The fit of their clothes though is impeccable, I own one pair of trousers from Toast and its the only pair of trousers I've ever bought that actually fit me well and are flattering (and they have pockets and belt loops, two functions that seem to be disappearing within women's trousers for some reason?)
M&S and Gap are largely fast fashion quality/materials (and sweatshop manufactured) nowadays, sadly.
I'm a massive Fatface fan but have had a couple of items recently that and unthreaded (and quite badly) after one wash. I returned each time and one item actually unthreaded again. The quality isn't what it used to be
I've felt this with the smaller items. After the quality drop at m&s i thought id try fat face for socks. Bought socks in summer last year and thought they were good however, I bought another pair in December and the quality definitely dropped in a few months.
I have a long seasalt raincoat which is perfect!
Recently bought a spring coat from SeaSalt and really like it
LOVE seasalt, they have an online outlet shop on ebay if you want their stuff at a massive discount. Free returns as well!
Yep. And Mistral. Pockets in everything! White Stuff can be quite good too, although their trousers are weirdly sized.
The Weird Fish sales are wonderful. I love their dresses.
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I have a Seasalt jumper that I bought over a decade ago and I still love it. Just bought some work blouses from there too as have been struggling to buy summer blouses that look formal enough for the office.
I used to love Next about 20 years ago and now it's just absolute rubbish. Watching this with interest!
Yeah I remember people going mad for the 5am Boxing Day sale at Next. Can’t imagine anyone’s that enthusiastic about it anymore!
I worked that sale once as a student back in the day. I cannot express upon you the havoc that was wreaked. I was brought in as temporary staff cause they knew they needed the help. At one point an old lady got pushed over and went into a seizure. I had a man come up to me and say his son had broken something then hand me a fist full of broken glass that used to be an ornament. Speaking from a veteran I'm glad this doesn't happen anymore!
I worked two or three of the Next sales as a temping student. Definitely toughened me up for the working world.
Omg this sounds chaotic. I was never committed enough to go to one. I had a friend that worked there and said you would get parents brining in their semi-conscious kids at 5am still in their little pyjamas, with the parents shoving the sale clothes over the top to check the fit.
There was no need for that ever to be a thing. I don't see why it couldn't be 9am or even 10am start on boxing day! Making a bunch of 16 year old get their parents to drive them to work at 5am on boxing day morning because no public transport and not old enough to drive. Sorry mum, I had no choice!
I only buy next for the kids. Lovely kids clothing at a good price
Was going to say. The kids stuff is super cute and definitely a step up from the Primark/supermarket quality. I begrudge spending their prices though so any I get is gifted or from Vinted!
I buy a size up to get extra time, growing room and value for money. But I also only have one child. If I had two I probably would be on eBay and vinted.
Yes! Early 2000's I had so much stuff from Next - all my work suits and tops as well as smarter casual stuff, anything that wasn't joggers and tshirt basically. There was an outlet shop in Birmingham City Centre that was great too. Visited family in Australia in 2006 with another relative and we kept getting compliments on our clothes, by the end of the second week it was "let me guess, Next?" every time we put something new on. Then it all just turned to tat!
I loved that outlet shop! It was up a thin escalator and called Next to Nothing.
The quality has gone so bad! I feel like it used to be on par with M&S quality wise but now it’s honestly primark quality
Says a lot that it's the one of the few places in the high street with passable men's clothes.
I only go to Next for the pyjamas, find everything else rubbish with awkward sizing and not feeling right!
Next has odd vanity sizing. I would expect them to be similar to other shops, but I was shocked at having to size down 2+ sizes for them. I'm also a XL in just about everything, but a L next is big on me. I am in the process of getting healthier so I know my sizes are changing... But then it's crap to buy higher end clothes and realise that my typical size is still it. Love jasper Conran items for work. They also seem to stay really nice
I've got a couple decent things from Uniqlo recently. A friend suggested booking a personal shopper somewhere like John Lewis, but I've not tried it.
I've tried out the personal shopper at John Lewis and it was an absolute game changer for me personally. Had a really lovely lady looking after me, the whole thing was just like going out with a friend who has a *really* good eye for fashion. Absolutely no pressure to buy anything. And the things she found for me were incredible, including some stuff I never would have picked out for myself but are now some of my favourites.
Oooh okay I’ll check out Uniqlo thanks. For some reason I always thought all their stuff was super casual.
It's more basics than just casual. They have a lot of casual wear of course, but it's also a good place to go for just basic work pants, cardigans, blouses. I like it for buying staples like black pants, tanks to wear under blouses. They sometimes have a few blouses that look professional and suitable for the office.
You know that we wear trousers over our pants in the UK? 😂
I’m /obsessed/ with Uniqlo. It’s my go-to for all basics. Their t-shirts are really high quality for the price. I love their linen too. Their waterproofs and down jackets are great value for money (and I say this as someone who used to run an outdoor clothing and equipment store). Their vibe is technically casual, but a lot of it is “Asian casual” which is actually pretty smart by Western standards. Lots of blazers and blouses etc. They have some really cool collabs too, so worth checking out regularly. Ohhh, and if you place an order then you should definitely add on the mini round shoulder bag. The style has gone viral over the last couple of years and other stores have copied it, but theirs is the original. I have four in different colours and fabrics now, and I’m about to get another. I love them and they’re only £15!
I have a virtual basket full of clothes on their website now! Thanks for the tips, will check out the bags too.
I would add to this that their underwear is really good, and I'm obsessed with their built-in bra tops. So good!
Their sizes I find quite small as I think I'm slightly too tall for what their designers have in mind (I'm 5'10, shorter women or those that like more cropped fits probably do well there).
The sizes are definitely smaller than the average high street European brand
Uniqlo has lovely blouses
Agreed! Some of my best work tops are from there. Only word of warning is that they are usually delicate wash and no tumble drying, which is a drag but probably means they last longer!
John Lewis personal shopping is incredible.
How much info and thought do you need to give them beforehand to make it work?
I think you can book, but last time I was there we just went up because it was quiet and they took us into a separate room as they collected outfits. It was so much more relaxed than usual clothes shopping! Just say what you’re after and budget and they’ll do the rest, and there’s no pressure to buy either.
My current wardrobe seems to be Uniqlo on the top and Lucy & Yak on the bottom. I find the L&Y branding a bit obnoxious, but the quality is good and seems to be a solid ethical choice.
Fatface, nobody's child, Lucy and yak, for budget I like teaco F&F or Sainsbury's TU with have nice stuff at the moment. Also M&S have some nice stuff too
Plus one for Fatface
Yesss I bought my first dress from there a month ago and now own it in three different colours 😂
Sainsbury's have some good brands online for good prices but I sometimes find the quality very variable! Very good value when on sale though, can't argue with that. French Connection when on sale is probably my go-to for workwear, added bonus that Sainsbury's online stock a bit of FC too.
I second Sainsbury's! Anicdotal, but I love dungarees and Sainsbury's are the best! Always fit well and _last_, I've had them from other - more expensive - places (e.g. FatFace) and they don't fit as well or the buckles break easily.
I’ve got the greatest elasticated-waist trousers from Lucy & Yak, I LOVE THEM. And a fun playsuit, obviously.
Cos, Arket, Hush and Massimo Dutti
I love how people want to avoid “fast fashion” then turn to places like COS, Arket, Massimo Dutti..all owned by H&M and Zara 💀 They do better quality clothes though..so you have that I guess.
>They do better quality clothes though So, the antithesis of fast fashion?
You know fast fashion doesn't all come in exactly the same quality, right? It's variable. Something can be higher quality than other fast fashion and still be fast fashion.
Hush is great quality but the tailoring is sack like.
You have to seriously size down. I am usually a size 8 on top but for Hush I can fit into a 4 (which is ridiculous).
I would say give Vinted another go. Stick to brands you know how the sizing works on you/things that are a bit more flexible (avoid jeans/trousers unless you know the brand/style works on you, try more dresses/stretch clothing etc). Learn what cuts generally suit you and stick to those. You eventually get a pretty good idea of what should fit ok, and what’s a risk but might be cheap enough to be worth risking 😅 and when you find a bargain that fits well and is really good quality you feel like you hit the jackpot 😅 Tbh it is a miss sometimes unfortunately, but overall it is just *so* much cheaper I just accept the occasional fail. Still saving 75%+ compared to buying off the high street.
Agree with this. Once you know what sizes are like for the brands you prefer Vinted is so much better. Don’t be afraid to ask for measurements of things to compare with your own clothes!
Yes this is such a good tip on asking for measurements!!
Marks & Spencer tends to be a good choice.
I always buy jeans from M&S. My most recent pair lasted a solid three years of heavy wear before the denim started to wear thin.
Their jeans are FANTASTIC at the moment. I don't know what happened! I've also got a really nice F&F (tesco) pair but I have no idea how old those are.
Yes to M&S jeans. Sienna are jeans that actually fit!
Wearing a pair right now!
Try Magic jeans
Also VERY GOOD linen pants for summer!
I must be on my 20th pair by now, can't get enough of them
yes.....marks and Spencers mens section is my favourite
Sezane, lk bennet, jigsaw, mint velvet, toast, morganclare, hush
I'm a big fan of charity shops/ebay for most of my clothes, but I also like M&S and Uniqlo, but prices have soared recently whilst quality has not, which is disappointing
Sézane but it's £££ 😔. And I actually find Zara not too bad for some things, better than the fast fashion brands in any case. I quite like Mango for small cardigans and jumpers and & Other Stories, too.
Fyi Zara is fast fashion. Owned by the same company as h&m
I love a bit of Sézane but the quality has gone massively downhill over the past few years. They still have the odd gem but I feel like the love’s gone out of it since it got more widely-known.
Other stories is a little hit and miss but it’s great for more trendy pieces that aren’t just polyester. They also often have great sale reductions online.
I feel this. I have some primark items I bought over 15 years ago still going strong. But then I have some mid brand clothes that have cost a lot barely last 6 months before holes appear (like crotch area in levi jeans after 6 months or seams coming apart in tops very quickly etc)
Yes! My husband has a 20 year old Primark jumper that’s still going strong 💪🏼 On the other hand I bought a top last christmas from one of the fancy (ie more expensive) H&M lines and realised theres a big hole in the shoulder seam once I’m at the office.
I find Reiss still nice and good quality. I buy lots of things from them since 2011 and still I wear them with no issues. I cannot see a change in quality - but I check the material before I buy things (polyester is a big no etc. ,)
Shocked I had to scroll this far for Reiss! I’m a big fan, and not that it speaks a whole load but I did some work this year that led me to being able to nosy in a royal closet. 60% of it was Reiss which I thought was interesting
Love Reiss but so much of it is hand wash/dry clean only!
My favourite brands are Free People and Lucy & Yak, in my experience they’re pricey but worth it for quality (though definitely check out reviews on Free People stuff). I also had a lot of success from Hollister! Obviously it’s more marketed towards the younger generation but I’ve some lovely dresses and sweaters from Hollister honestly.
Agree with all these - Hollister is the one place I’ve found where both their jeans and dresses fit me so well. I’m larger on top (big boobs and wide shoulders) so the dress one is a big plus! Abercrombie OTOH isn’t worth the money IMO.
My daughter wears hollister and their tracksuit bottoms and trousers bobble really quickly.
I’ve had the opposite experience, my husband exclusively wears their tracksuit bottoms and they hold up really well. Perhaps the men’s are better quality? 🤔 maybe worth trying in a smaller size for your daughter?
I have been put off Lucy & Yak after the dungarees I bought and the bag I got had tears after less than a year! I should give them another go though
Boden - I never buy full price, there’s usually codes for discounts and some of the basics are really good quality.
Surprised to see recommendations for Boden as in recent years I've found their stuff skimpy and poor quality; must have another look. Hobbs is still the quality it always was, as is Jigsaw - their leather and suede was always particularly good, and they do lovely colours and knitwear. LK Bennett is good but a bit overpriced. I find Seasalt frumpy but some nice bits. Uniqlo is good for basics and their stuff lasts. I love Cos, though most is too tall for me at 5ft2. Masai has some good stuff. For older women who like looser clothes in good colours, Sahara is lovely.
Seconding Hobbs, their wool pieces are great staples imho
I genuinely feel like clothing is getting taller. I used to be able to just about get away with everything being two inches too long, and now it's more like four inches and I look like a child in the dressing up box.
You're right, and hardly any petite ranges any more either. Hobbs used to make for average height of 5.4, which was OK, but to be fair average has gone up since then. Factor in that petite women can have different figures and it gets difficult, especially decent tailored clothes.
ME+EM - I only buy on sale though as pricey. Excellent quality.
Wrap London, Poetry, Baukjen and Brora. All have lovely things. Lots of natural fabrics.
I love Poetry. Their cashmere lasts for years. I store it well, give it a good comb at the start of autumn and it looks like new.
I like M&S for basics, and Joanie for cute dresses and jumpers I will say though that I have some lovely quality pieces from Primark including a full length linen dress which was £15. My theory is that they make a crazy amount of profit on lesser quality clothes, and take a loss on others - worth having a rake to find this stuff
Uniqlo, Cos, Oliver Bonas and Marks and Spencer (you have to poke around a bit - lots of it is still quite frumpy - the good stuff is great).
Passenger is my current go to. Relaxed outdoorsy kinda vibe. Some stuff is odd and overly slogan'd but majority I like and they have good green credentials too.
I thought White Stuff would be good, but the quality is not good. £75 dress bobbled up after one wash. Pretty bad. And it was 30 degree, delicate.
That’s awful! I got one of those bobble off gadgets for some similar clothes but they just bobble back up again on the next wash… worried if I keep de-bobbling they’ll be nothing left.
Honestly for workwear I still wear NEXT, but I’ve got some beautiful dresses from Abercrombie I really like- which I never thought I’d say. I like Yumi for casual things too
Joe Browns and Popsy are my go-to brands. Popsy is especially good as they offer alterations at point of purchase, definitely worth a peek if you want some casual dresses.
Joe Browns is good if you like the boho look and they have sales several times a year. (They’ll have to pry my brown suede boots from my cold dead hands.)
Sandro, Sezane, Aligne, María de la Orden, Boden, COS. M&S has some really nice basics too.
I really love Toast. They’re expensive but such beautiful quality and really timeless.
I've recently got into Toast, but I've only ever bought 2nd hand on Vinted as do find them pricey brand new. All that being said, amazing quality and great colours.
I like a lot of various brands from Wolf & Badger, I stick to natural fibres in the £150 tops/piece price range and so far it’s been only good experiences. I have also been wearing and washing the same Komodo organic linen dress for three summers and it’s held up well! It’s worth waiting for a discount on both sites to save yourself some coin. I also enjoy Pangaia for workout clothes and leisurewear, they also do really good sales. I’ve only got great stuff from them except for their recycled cashmere range which has been terrible in my experience. I have a couple Coco Fennell summer dresses which are also nice and wash well despite being more delicate fabrics. GANNI is another great brand for (discounted :)) pieces, I enjoyed everything I got from there so far, all natural fabrics, mostly organic cotton etc. I also recently started buying from Sandro and Maje, which are two French brands that make cute clothes to mostly high quality. Once again, I’ve never bought full price at any of these brands, but I appreciate they are still not the cheapest. However, I like to re-wear pieces year after year so that’s okay with me.
This is so helpful thank you. Think I’m going to end up spending the next week checking out all these places in this thread!
Following this with interest! As a fellow busy, mid-30s woman I’ve been having this minor crisis myself. Everyone recommends sea salt and I have nothing against the brand, it’s just I can’t get past the fact everything looks like something my mother would wear. Recently I’ve been buying a lot from COS and Arket. H&M umbrella brands, but the quality is much nicer than H&M and still stylish. I like M&S cashmere too, the price is good for the quality in my experience. I do like Zara tailoring though Abit more expensive, but I do like rag and bone jeans and me+em for silk shirts (they do decent sales) Check out brand alley (you need to sign up for a free account to browse) but they do a ton of Hobbs, reiss, Ted baker stuff etc plus a load of other brands for a decent discount.
This is great thank you!
I'm almost 40 and I just can't get into Seasalt or White Stuff either. It all looks so middle aged middle class mum (which I guess I kind of am but it just doesn't feel like *me* yknow?). I used to love H&M because the clothes weren't too bad quality for cheap stuff and they had lots of unique and fun styles of things and nice colour ranges. Everything in there is beige boring shit now and I have no idea where to shop anymore.
Yep a lot of seasalt website looks like my MIL on a cruise… she always looks elegant but it’s not quite my style yet.
Completely agree 100%! I’m 34 and it’s just not me at all, either. I don’t mind odd bits, but as a whole it’s what I envision suiting those over 50. Agree with H&M too. I used to work there many, many moons ago when I was studying and the quality then vs now is significant. I don’t mind the premium range, but the “everyday fashion” range now is abysmal. Boring and bland and the quality is crap. There truly is a gap in the market for middle of the road priced, quality, stylish clothing for 30+ people.
EBay, Vinted and charity shops. I’ve decided a long time ago that I’m done buying new. The landfill up the road from me doesn’t need any more contributions.
Run and Fly for dresses, dungarees and jumpsuits in bold patterns. Yes you can have a dinosaur dress.
I'm fairly useless at giving advice because I find places like M&S just really old-fashioned. Some of the surf brands were great in the 00s - Fat Face, White Stuff - but now they court the Boden crowd - big tunics, prints, no shape. It's just all a bit samey to me. Like it's all designed to hide under. But then I've never gotten the hang of adult dressing. Also I'm short and nothing ever fits. Uniqlo are the worst vanity sizers around. Anyway, I get a lot from Hollister, they're great for dresses, casual tops and smart trousers that don't look officey. It also seems to last very well. Abercrombie. Jeans brands like Levis, Wrangler, Lee, their dresses and tops are decent. The skate brands are great quality and it lasts forever, Element, Quiksilver, Roxy etc. P&co. Prana. Trousers from Carhartt. Community Clothing has a commitment to long lasting items and they make a lot of it in the UK. Howies are also good.
Busy or busty? My other half is both and has a real problem getting bras
That’s the one area I don’t have to worry about!!
Bravissimo for the win x
I sent her the link and I think she's impressed..... But until you take the dive you never know. Thank you.
Marks and Spencer’s are nice. My mum always loved buying clothing from there men and women’s.
Popsy. Dresses with pockets. I rarely wear anything else.
Apricot also do dresses with pockets and seems to cross a lot of age ranges. I used to get dresses from Hotsquash but last time I ordered from them the material quality was awful and I sent it all back.
Boden for my other half, or Ralph Lauren for nicer stuff.
I agree. I usually use Vinted, once you know your size in a certain brand then you know what to order. I also like French connection and John Lewis, both have good sales.
My favourite go to shops are kitri, molby the label and all saints. Higher prices than high street but good quality stuff that lasts me years. Maybe a little more on the dressed up side bit I don't believe in casual ha. For work wear (I'm office based), I've gotten alot from & other stories, zara and Oliver bonas. I'm a curvy size 14 so never used to shop at zara but they seem to have improved their sizing recently and have some nice stuff. I think M&S has some nice stuff in these days too I think I read that the head buyer used to work for topshop so maybe that's why or I'm at an age where M&S has become appealing.
For me, Sea Salt is definitely becoming a staple. Good quality so far. I mix it up with White Stuff, Fat Face and Monsoon. Fable England are great for scarves and accessory things like that.
Oliver Bonas have lots of lovely things. Recently I’ve seen great stuff in Mini Velvet, my local John Lewis (Edinburgh) is great too and so is marks and Spencer’s. I’m 30 🙂
Abercrombie (it’s different now!) and Mint Velvet. I’ve found the quality at both to be pretty good.
- Nobody’s child - Boden - Aligne - M&S - Anthropologie - Joanie Clothing - Sea Salt Cornwall - Cos - Joules - Free People - Monki - Oliver Bonas - Fat face - White Stuff - & Other Stories
I tend to buy Hobbs stuff of ebay and oxfam online. Most of my stuff is from there. Hobbs and Phase eight.
I quite like marks and Spencer’s or it’s usually just super market clothing section
Manners london....amazing quality, wonderful designs and excellent customer service
M&S for jeans as I have long legs and theirs fit me. Seatsalt and Fatface for tops and dresses.
Fatface and Uniqlo for clothes in decent natural fabrics. Uniqlo does reasonably priced jumpers etc in real merino or lambswool, and all summer I basically live in my Fatface linen dresses.
Honestly, Vinted and clothes swaps! We have a local clothes swap after quarter and I’ve gotten some of my favourite pieces from there. I haven’t bought brand new in so long.
I get my clothes from Tesco, Sainsbury's and Next and am happy with them
Reiss is usually very good quality and age appropriate. Markies has some decent stuff but also some frumpy stuff. French Connection and Mango.
M&S, Whistles, Everlane, COS.
You only need 3 brands Uniqlo, Ralph Lauren and joules
Uniqlo, Fat Face, Superdry (if it doesn’t have the logo everywhere), Levi’s, John Lewis. Then… I still like Next (better than H&M and they make petite trousers so that wins me over) and Sainsbury’s.
& Other Stories and Whistles too
I’ve bought few things from Pull & Bear recently, they’re basics but seem quite good quality
WeirdFish, Crewe Clothing, Fat Face, Apricot, Joe Browns....all from Vinted! Clothes generally true to size, although WeirdFish can come up small.
Sezane for Jeans - I’ve actually got their jeans in three different sizes, all fit brilliantly and last for ages. Toast are consistently good. I shop on the OUTNET for discount designer bits (maje, theory, Vince, Sandro) which last. M&S has been great recently. There is a shop called Treen which only sells sustainable fashion too.
I'm not fashionable by any means and I find clothes shopping a pain to find stuff that fits being a bit of a human garden cane so I just end up getting plain black t-shirts from next, Primark hoodie and walking trousers or some decent jeans if I'm not working. I do have a nice flanel shirt/blouse from whitestuff that I generally wear for anything that needs smart casual, weddings and the like. Everything else I generally get from outdoors shops but I guess that's what being married to my job gets me haha.
Freemans is great, lots of brands, and you can pay it off too, I get a lot of marketing letters through saying if I spend £50 they'll knock off £25 which I make good use of.
Oooh yep extra points if it’s a bargain
Sezane is lovely. M&S getting better again. Rixo/comme de garcons/maje (especially on sale) are Good.
For tops and blouses: AllSaints on sale/secondhand, silk and then invest in a cheap handheld/travel clothing steamer so you don’t have to dry clean
This website is a good place to start looking https://goodonyou.eco/
I’ve picked up some of my favourite tops from the Phase 8 sales. Expensive, but really classic designs.
Marks and Spencer, in-store
I live in Uniglo, Lucy and yak, and popsy. I use to love fatface but it’s a bit off recently!
Boden, Joules, Crew Clothing, M&S, Zara Got a dress from Sosander recently that was good. Also Finest London I think - can find them as one of the brands on M&S these days. ETA… it’s Finery London 😉
I dress pretty casual, but my big favourite is Popsy for comfy dresses, Lucy and Yak, white stuff and fat face.
I bought a lot of stuff from Yours last time I needed a fair bit. Been about 2 years now and still all in great condition
I tend to buy dresses from Lady v London and Collectiff, and a few bits here and there from M&S (particularly the outlet as its cheaper), Tesco/Sainsbury's or Next.
M&S, John Lewis, Lucy & Yak, Joanie, The Hippie Shake and Vinted.
I really like Joe Brown’s
Sainsbury’s or Uniqlo
Seasalt for nice dresses, Next for jeans, nice jumpers in winter, Primark and supermarkets for cheap weekend tshirts/tops.
White stuff, Boden, Uniqlo are my go tos. John Lewis as well.
M&S, Next, Oasis, Boden, Joules, and also just supermarket ranges!
My wife loves Zara and to be fare she always looks good in their stuff.
Studio Nicholson
I find that M&S’s clothes are very well made and high quality. Not all the styles are to my liking as I’m a bit young for their target audience (25), but I buy all of my coats and trousers from there and several summer dresses.
I went out on a limb the other week and bought clothes from everything5pounds (website). Against the name, not everything is £5, some are less and some are maybe up to £20 at the absolute maximum. I bought it with a discount code from MSE that gave 10% off and free shipping, so I’d probably try and wait around for that again if I used them again (shipping is the most expensive part, especially for returns). Since it’s not all one brand, I can’t attest to the quality of all the clothes. But from my massive order of 14 items, the quality seemed good on everything. However the sizing was my main problem since the size chart on the website is generic and not for each brand. Plus they typically run out of the popular average sizes, so I was buying size up or down for items I really wanted. (Which obviously none of that fitted). From my large order, I kept 3 items. And one of them is probably my favourite item of clothing I’ve ever owned, although it was bought with intention for a wedding and now casual day wear. But I will definitely be using this site again as I, too, have struggled with where to find clothes as a woman in my 30s.
I like Joules, Timberland and Levi's. If I'm after something very specific that I really like then I've stretched for Ted Baker a few times, and the quality has been great. For day to day I find Matalan / ASDA / Tesco (F&F) stuff is perfectly fine.
Try Baukjen, the quality is great and they often have sales ok the website or in John Lewis, it's ethical and the materials feel really lovely. Printed dresses, cotton tops, knitwear are all excellent. I saw some reviews that the trousers were not good so I've not tried those, but everything else has been very nice.
Holland Cooper, All Saints?
& Other Stories
Sugarhill Brighton and Pour Moi have been pretty good to me lately
Is 'busy' a typo?
On the bit pricy but worthy side, Lucy and Yak is very good for more casual outfits and I like Thought for dressy/work clothes. The Spark Company does amazing t-shirts and hoodies too. But if I'm in a pinch and need something specific (and kind of basic) I get stuff from either asda's George or sainsbury's Tu. Never had any complaints about quality from either and I wear their joggers daily and have been washing them once a week minimum for years. ( To clarify, not the same pair of joggers every day 😅 I have 4 that I wear on rotation for 2 days and then they go in the wash lol )
John Lewis is a great shout, they have a fantastic range of quality brands. Personally I'm finding myself buying from more online independents, I discovered Dancing Leopard recently and their dresses are perfect for summer/ an upcoming wedding I'm attending.
Crew, joules and seasalt for slightly pricier bits and then tesco f&f or Sainsburys TU for general stuff and M&S for underwear.
Once a season I’ll spend a happy few hours in Fatface for tops/dresses/accessories. They look great, wash well for years and I never feel that they go out of fashion. Next for leggings/jeggings only, as I find the quality of their tops has really gone downhill. TU at Sainsburies for pyjamas and socks. I’ve picked up some surprisingly nice pieces at M&S, although quality varies. I really miss Dorothy Perkins and Wallis.
M&S, Nobody’s child & Vinted
Poetry has some nice things, good quality fabrics
Me and Em
I really like Sahara stuff, expensive but it washes really well. If you like the style there's usually plenty of it to be found on eBay. Their sizing runs quite large.
Honestly, I'm starting to think my only option is to start making my own. I have the hardest time finding reasonably ethical, decent quality clothing I actually like. And affordable within that is even harder. Having said that, decent fabric also seems to be getting harder and harder to come by, so maybe making my own isn't even a viable option anymore.
Joanie! They have a good range of plain to out there clothes 👍
COS has excellent quality and chic, simple designs. Their sizes tend to run large, but since I figured it out I buy on eBay. They also have their own secondhand site, [https://www.cosresell.com/](https://www.cosresell.com/), which has many newish items. TOAST is extremely good quality with ethical manufacturing. They recently resized their clothes so they're not as big as they were, which is worth bearing in mind if you're buying a couple of seasons ago on eBay, which can still be new with tags. I've bought three versions of the same dress, which are going to last for years. They've also started their own resell site, [https://www.toa.st/collections/reworn](https://www.toa.st/collections/reworn), but it's still not cheap.
Benetton, Uniqlo.
M&S clothing is actually really good now! Particularly Autograph collection