2025 hits and misses . Beauty, hair and clothing .

Best brands - beauty /hair : Merit, Makeup by Mario, Kevin Murphy . A 4th brand that I like but have found hit and miss is Jones Road. Their customer service is excellent though and gave me a full refund months later on a couple of products I bought and was not satisfied with.

Disappointments- beauty/hair : Routine (hair) . Promised growth ( I should know better ) and strength and the products (shampoo, conditioner, and supplements) were unremarkable and ineffective.

Best brands- clothing : Le Bon Shoppe, Banana Republic. Consistent quality , design and service. A hit-and-miss brand/store that I still love (I'm a sucker for merchandising ) is Aritizia. My 2 $$$ cashmere sweaters new last winter now look like s**t, even with depilling , and fit seems to still be all over the place. I do like my new Lodge pants, and wool/cash blend red sweater, and am wearing my cashmere triangle bandana every day. No pilling at all. Lucky to have a store here that takes online returns, and shipping is SUPER fast.

Disappointments - clothing : Spanx - returned exactly half of what was purchased (2 of 4 pieces) .Fit is very inconsistent . Refund was VERY slow , and only happened when I took action . Not sure I will ever order again , to be honest. Too risky. Gap - nothing interesting this past year (not sure who their target customer is now, but it sure isn't me) , now that it's online only here , and the few pieces I did order were not up to quality standard and were returned. Zara - quality isn't there, and the store here is merchandised strangely. Fit is very inconsistent and I"ve decided it's not worth my time to visit or even include in online searches. Again , I am probably not their target customer. Curious who is , though.

My footwear purchases were not very interesting and not worth reporting. Simons own label for loafers, Miz Mooz combat boots, MK loafers from a discounter, Birkenstock clogs . There was more but nothing that stood out brand-wise.

Thanks for reading !

6 hours ago

Irina

Veteran

Interesting, Lisa, my experience with some of the same brands is completely opposite of yours But I also love Merit.

Banana Republic - returned all but one pair of pants. It’s not my style but I still check some classic items. Find their pricing outrageous - a pair of very average loafers at $330 Can. Seriously? Same with a lot of their inventory - very average fabrics and knits with upscale prices.
Zara is Zara, quality is lacking but fashion forward, although very boho. Once in a while I find inexpensive shoes that become a workhorse. This time I also bought denim wide leg trousers.

I bought my first cashmere sweater from Aritzia and your comments are concerning. I love their cashmere hats and have a handful So, one can hope…

5 hours ago

Suz

(website)

Interesting report, Lisa! I'm 100% with you on one of these...pretty much with you on another, and completely the opposite on still another!

With you on BR! I think they have vastly upped their game in the last year, both in terms of style quotient and quality. You got some great items from them in summer. I admired them enormously and in fact your outfits featuring some of the tops were what got me looking at BR again, after about five years of complete disappointment with their offerings. (I bought from them even in those years, but until last fall, when I did acquire a few winners, I didn't love most of what I got -- it was desperation shopping).

Anyway I didn't end up buying anything myself in spring/ summer, but I made up for it in the fall/ winter with my purchases. As Irina notes, their regular prices are nuts -- but who buys regular price from them? I always wait for the 40% off sale, at minimum. And often get a better deal than that. The items on sale are, I think, reasonably priced or at least affordable to me.

Aritzia -- I agree it can be hit and miss, but the hits are big. I rely on the packable puffers. I like some of their coats and their trousers, though I don't currently own any besides said packable puffer. I don't currently own much else from them, either, but I do continue to look and appreciate some of the styles. The colours in store often underwhelm me; there is always more online. I just ordered two sale hats in cashmere in brights. Hoping they work.

Zara -- I'm their target audience. I still buy a lot there, and love them. Quick delivery, easy returns, made in Europe, mostly. And while sizing is inconsistent, it can work well for me, depending on the cuts. True, the quality varies enormously. But some of the oldest items in my closet are from Zara. So I order at will and send back a ton and keep the keepers. Like Irina, I sometimes even find footwear there. I also find styling ideas there from time to time. And a sense of where things are heading.

I do not know Le Bon Shoppe. Off to explore!

4 hours ago

LJP

Interesting to compare experiences , isn’t it ? I don’t think I’ve ever paid full price for anything from BR because the prices are indeed outrageous . But when on sale , it works for me . Today I wore a BR cashmere sweater I bought last winter ( probably end of season ) and never wore . It was head and shoulders above my Aritzia cashmeres in softness and appearance . And about 1/2 the price .

I just don’t get Zara I guess . I walk around the store and don’t find anything that makes sense for me . I do like their footwear but am in between sizes there so it just doesn’t work . And believe me I’ve tried , lol. I think our local store doesn’t stock the more interesting pieces ? A coworker my age wears nothing but Zara and it works for her - tall , very thin and angular build . I’m kinda the opposite

And with regard to Aritzia , we have a giant new -concept store here that stocks everything . It’s gorgeous .

Suz - not sure Le Bon Shoppe is quite your look - it's very casual.

Helena

Great round up Lisa! I'm an Aritzia convery although I haven't got a ton from there. They definitely have some great stuff. DD has some great pieces too. And I LOVE my super puff!

Apparently the Gen Z's are going back to Gap, which they would not have touched with a ten foot pole last year (at least in my market research group ) What goes around ...?

2 hours ago

Jaime

Very interesting. I am always curious to see how brands shopped retail compare to what I see second hand. Zara, for example, is probably the biggest bread and butter at the thrift stores and their pieces do hold up fairly well. Is it because they aren't worn or heavily plastic? Perhaps, but H&M looks shoddier.
I like Merit too although I only have their foundation stick. (Maybe I should do a skincare end of the year because that is where I experiment the most.)
I would love to go into a well merchandized Aritizia. My nephew is planning to attend university in Canada so maybe we can meet there next year .

Angie

Fashion Stylist

Thanks for the synopsis, LJP! I enjoyed it. Glad you found winners!

Soooo with you and Suz on BR! You both did splendidly with them this year! Love the tops you got! I had a great year with them too. First time since they changed their look five years ago - because they included COLOURS. Their prices in the US are manageable when they have good sales - which is quite often.

Aritizia is an interesting shopping experience. It is an odd mix of merchandise, which makes me not their target audience! There are excellent puffers and corporate jackets. Beautiful dressy wool coats! Their dressy pants can be awesome too! The rest is hit or miss, IMO.

As for Zara, quality is very inconsistent. My experiences with the brand are much like that of Suz and Irina.

As for the Gap - it's become a target store for Gen Z! At least, it is in Seattle. Helena and I think similarly.

I have , and still wear, dress pants from Aritzia that are now 7-8 years old. Both are in their trademarked "crepette" fabric. If I ever need to buy another serious cold-weather puffer, it'll be a Superpuff for sure. DD wears one and it's gorgeous! They also have really good crew/athletic socks, which is what all girls DD's age wear to the gym - so I jumped on that bandwagon and love them. Their fleece is also outstanding.

And Jaime , I'll go shopping with you anytime ! Where will he be going to school ?

SarahD8

Very interesting intel here!

I will be the spanner and say that I distinctly did *not* have a good experience with Jones Road. Placed an order, the tracking was a mess (for a solid two weeks it merely said that the order was loaded onto a plane in China and I figured it was lost, then movements were updated but backdated by 10 days or so), package never showed up, multiple attempts to contact the company went unanswered. No thanks! I like Merit's flush balm and eyebrow stuff that comes in a mascara-type tube but find their concealer stick goes cakey on me within an hour or so. I'm interested in trying Salt New York.

For a long time Gap was pretty much the only place where I bought clothes at retail -- got lots of basics there. They've fallen off my radar in recent years but maybe I will follow Gen Z back!

Fantastic that you have such a reliable stable of brands for footwear. I know you said boring but that is no small thing!

1 hour ago

Sarah - what on earth was your Jones Road order doing on a plane in China ?? They ship out of the US ! My orders have wacky tracking ( cross border so it’s par for the course ) but I’ve received 4-5 of them within a week .

I’ve tried the Salt deodorant and body wash and like them both . Body wash was too $$ to buy again though .

8 minutes ago

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