Cheaply made clothing/shoes?

Emely

I have checked a few other blogs regarding looks for less, in pictures everything looks beautiful but once in person is another thing. For example, I have seen a pair of sandals from Target I liked , but once I saw it at the store it look really cheaply made. I don't have a lot of clothes, (1) My body figure is difficult to dress (but I learning to hide my "imperfections") 2) I prefer to spend more for better quality. I like some of the new trends but can't afford to pay for the brands I like/want. Should I at least try them?

16 years ago

Dressing

12 replies

Latest reply was from JaneF

rute

Veteran

I'm a lot like you.. I prefer less but of good quality and I choose very carefully acording to my body type.
Here is what you can do:
Invest more on the basics, basic black pants, jeans, white button down shirt, pencil skirt, 1 suit, shoes and then add some trendy less expensive items.
You can buy cheaper quality items or at least that look expensive. It is possible all you have to do is have to do is looking for it.

16 years ago

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

I'm not only on a limited budget, but I am changing sizes pretty quickly due to weight loss, so I can commisserate. It doesn't make sense for me to spend a lot on clothes that will only fit me a couple months, but I don't want to wear poorly made clothes, either. I am finding that by shopping outlets and close out stores, stacking coupons on top of sales, and being open to used items, I can greatly increase the quality without raising the cost.

16 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Good advice CS and Rute.

Personally, I am BIG on quality and I cannot help it. I have been in the rag trade for 17 years and I love the good stuff, but I do not turn my nose up at cheaper items IF THEY LOOK WELL MADE. My wardrobe is full of it all: designer, mainstream and budget. Over the years, I've found that a good mix.

Also, tomorrows blog post might be of interest to you so watch that space.

16 years ago

taylor

Veteran

Like Angie , I am big on quality...buy the best I can afford, (whatever that may be)rather than a cheap imitation, but I have a classic wardrobe, not trendy, so my clothes LAST a long time,... years and years.

That said ...I think there is a big difference between cheap budget clothes, cheaply made clothes, and slightly imperfect, or seconds.

I do have things from The Rack, and great quality clothes that I got* cheap*, but I try to never buy cheaply made clothes....does that make sense.

16 years ago

garmenta

Active Member

When it comes to quality, I think of two words: fabric and fit. Is the material of good quality? Does it feel good to the touch? Is is smooth, or silky, or supple, depending on what it is? The rest is fit. Is the piece well-finished inside, and comfortably cut? How well does it fit and how does it feel on? That's what I look for, at any price point, and I've been pleasantly surprised by labels I thought were "cheap."

BTW, I've found that shoes at Target are an absolute gamble--I've tried on stuff there that looks and feels like vinyl and I've found stuff that looks and feels like designer labels that cost 10 times what Target shoes cost.

16 years ago

shiny

Veteran

Here comes my whine again - spoiler for those who don't want to hear it again!

I would much prefer to spend for quality. And I have the money to do so. It's not just fit and construction, I have a penchant for quality fabrics. There really is a difference - in how they drape, how they feel against the skin, how they wash and how long they last.

Unfortunately, being only 5'0", I am relegated nearly exclusively to petites. Selection issues aside, the quality is just not there. And manufacturers have a valid reason for that: I have learned that because petites are a niche market, in order to serve it, manufacturers keep the costs down by using cheaper fabrics. As a business woman I can see the sense in that.

But, it still sucks.

And tailoring is not always the answer. I had that proven recently, when I found a gorgeous, fabulously well made sheath dress in beautiful wool fabric. Just gorgeous. Once I sized up to fit my chest, the garment, being a regular and not a petite, was too long all over. The tailor came in to take a look at what could be done, and she said it was a major job and just not worth the expense. It wasn't a simple matter of taking up the hem. The neckline had to be recut in order to shorten the top too.

Anyway... I am not complaining because I am VERY glad that there are the petite options we have today. I remember the early 80s when we did not have so much choice. But when I can find quality that fits, I do not hesitate to pay the price and don't even bother for sales. It's just... rather rare for me! So meanwhile I console myself with quantity over quality.

I love the suggestion of putting the $ into quality shoes and accessories. Another suggestion is to find a good consignment shop. I have had some luck at consignment, because I find that the garments are often already tailored - saving me the trouble and they fit. And if they don't, since you can buy at such a bargain, it's worth the extra $ to raise a hem or shorten sleeves. You just have to get really good at knowing what can and can't be done.

16 years ago

Sarah

(website)

Veteran

I also prefer investing in better made pieces. It's hard to do when your size is changing as frequently as mine has, though.
I will go a step further and say that I think each item is different. I have a pair of COH jeans that stretch and bag as much as my latest Wal*Mart jeans purchase.
One store that I've found that does a good job is Express. It's not designer by any means, but their clothes typically last a bit longer for me than Target, etc. And the styles are cute, and if you sign up you get tons of coupons.
Shoes are different. I only like to get nicer quality shoes. To me, cheap shoes can make a whole look cheap. Plus, cheaper shoes hurt my feet.

16 years ago

crwilson

Veteran

This might be a silly question, but I always wonder when this topic comes up - what constitutes "quality"? I mean, I understand things like good construction, fabric, etc., but since you can find cheaper items that have good construction and more expensive items with poor construction, is there a reliable way to tell whether something you purchase is going to be good quality? Plus, I'm not really that good at judging the construction, at least not at first glance.

Since I've been a graduate student for a long time, things from Banana Republic seemed like "good quality" to me because they're more expensive than, say, Gap, but I honestly don't see any improved quality in the items I buy from BR. And I know that to lots of people BR is their cheaper store.

I have the same question with footwear - I rarely spend more than $100 on shoes - does that mean that they're mostly low quality shoes?

So while I understand in theory the principle of buying quality basics, I don't really know what this means in practice all the time.

16 years ago

Maya

Veteran

I like cheap stuff I guess I am the right age and have the right budget to say that.

But like Angie, I don't like it to LOOK cheap. I don't like to see threads hanging out, weak or irregular stitching, or flimsy material. More importantly, I hate wearing anything that *feels* cheap. I happily wear manmade fabrics, but I should not be constantly aware of it throughout the day. They have to feel natural. I still manage to get "nice" things, but always on sale. I figured it was worth it to make the switch to premium denim since I wear jeans probably 80% of the time, but even then I got them at a discount. Quality is a very vague thing to me. I have seen shockingly good quality at H&M and Forever 21, and also very poor quality at higher price points. While they correspond a lot of the time, I'm VERY hesitant to say that paying more money is a reliable guarantee.

I also just don't benefit from investment pieces right now. I'm just not at the right place in my life for it. My size is in constant flux, and my lifestyle is pretty casual...and casual means inexpensive to me. It doesn't have to, but I think it's a bit silly to spend a lot of money to look casual, like $120 on a pair of cargo pants that are sincerely not going to make you look any more special than a $40 pair. I understand the argument that they will probably last a lot longer and the C/W ratio will make them pay for themselves though. But while I understand the argument for other people, for me it makes no difference, because I just do not have $120 at any given time to spend on a pair of cargos.

Additionally, I like to experiment a lot. Sometimes they work out and become a staple for me, and sometimes I get one or two wears and that's it. Spending a lot of money on an experiment is something that I think is silly at any price point. If it works out, you can always go and get a better quality version.

I sometimes wish there were more 20somethings here because as much as I adore and admire everyone's personal style and items, I sometimes find them hard to relate to. I take copious notes from Hanna and Shell though, hehe.

16 years ago

shiny

Veteran

Crwilson, hmm, you are right, you can find bad quality at any price point.

Aside from construction, when I say quality I am talking primarily about the fabric. Better fabrics are going to cost more. I would not include knitwear because knitwear at any price point is, well, knitwear. It all eventually pills and fades or stretches out etc. That is the nature of the material.

I think it's easier to compare quality if you compare suiting from store to store. F21 suiting is going to be of lower quality than H&M. H&M will be lower quality than Express. Express will be lower quality than Ann Taylor. Ann Taylor and BR will be about par, but BR Monogram quality will be higher. Jcrew - I can't speak of but I've heard their suiting quality is very good.

Now go into the higher end labels like Theory, Vince, Nanette Lapore, DVF, Calvin Klein and on up.... and compare the quality of the suiting material. Hugo Boss was the brand of sheath dress I tried on. It was a $700-800 dress. You could feel the difference - the extra $ were all about the fabric.

There's also a big difference between a white shirt from BR/AT and from, say, Ann Fontaine. You can feel the difference when you touch the fabrics. You pay a premium for AF shirts not just because of the meticulous detailing, but because the material is simply luxurious. (With that said, I did recently buy a white sleeveless AT blouse that does feel luxurious! When I find something like that among the racks, I rejoice!)

I think I notice these differences for two reasons. One, my mother is a seamstress so I grew up around fabric stores. Two, my dad was an executive and had a closet full of expensive suits. (He also shined his shoes every single day, which made me grow up to appreciate nicely cared for shoes).

But, in my dream world, where I am reincarnated with San's gorgeous tall figure, I would not necessarily ONLY buy higher-end stuff. The cheaper stuff is loads of fun and a closet would be boring without it. But I would buy the best quality I could afford and find for basics like suit jackets, white shirts, pencil skirts, dress slacks, sheaths. The wardrobe workhorses. Make sense?

16 years ago

April

Veteran

Interesting thread. I agree with the premise that your basics should be as top-notch as you can go, and the fun, frivolous, trendy, temporary things should be inexpensive and need not be made to last. I think people hold onto things past their fab-ness when they're "too good to get rid of."

There is a certain pleasure in quality. I have a heavy black satin trenchcoat from Boden that is so beautifully made (and I am ignorant about sewing, it's just really obvious even to a know-nothing such as myself) it makes me happy to look at. Things like that seem to give a wardrobe backbone.

16 years ago

JaneF

Active Member

My mom always taught me to spend more on a few good things that will last (as others have pointed out) rather than simply going for what seems like a good price. It's all about comfort and quality--if it falls apart fast or doesn't feel good on (let's talk poorly made shoes, ladies), then no matter how cheap it was, it was a poor investment.

I'm with those above who say choose very carefully and then go ahead and spend. You'll be glad. I have piece in my wardrobe that I've had for 20 years, and they still work and bring in the compliments. Hard to believe, but it's true. And I have some vintage dresses from my mom's closet that I wear, too. If you really love a trend that's sure to pass (say, high-waisted jeans), then go for cheap because the trend will be over in a flash, and you won't have wasted money on something that suddenly looks dated. But for everything else, go for quality and just grit your teeth when signing the check.

16 years ago

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