Another question: brands - YouLookFab Forum

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Another question: brands

Carol

(website)

Veteran

I see that there are many brands out there which seem to be popular these days, and perhaps they have even taken over the J. Crew/Ann Taylor-type places. I am sure they do a lot of online sales, if they are not exclusively online.

I don't really know them well, or what differentiates them. But what can you tell me about these? Affordability? Innovative design? Good basics? Etc.

Mango
COS
Uniqlo
Zara
Aritzia
Topshop
Marks and Spencer
Sezane

And any others that may fit into that category that you think are noteworthy.....thanks. And of course, you do not need to talk about ALL of them.

Shopping

28 replies

Latest reply was from Carol

Roberta

Veteran

I am very reluctant to buy something online that I cannot return in person - I like to have the item at home for a while to try with different things - but then I want to run into the store to return it, and not pay a return fee. For that reason I cannot comment on Mango, Sezane, or Marks and Spencer.

This is all one woman's opinion.

Cos - Wonderful quality, good sales, rather minimal designs, excellent fabrics and colors. I only own a few things, but LOVE them and think they will be with me for ages. I also love visiting the store because it feels so curated, but not snobby. I introduced a very petite friend to this line and she is really happy

Zara - I know you can find wonderful things there, but the store overwhelms me. So much to look at, it's really a department store that isn't particularly well organized.

Uniqlo - love this store! Their androgynous with some Japanese quirk style suits me. I think their quality is overall very good. They always have a wide range of sizes on hand, and I kind of like that they don't bother "styling" anything.

Topshop - I see some of their stuff at Nordstrom, but I am definitely their target audience so have never bought anything.

Carol

(website)

Veteran

Roberta--thank you. This is super helpful, as it gives me a couple starting places.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I like all the brands you've listed. Always worth a look!

My 2 cents:

Mango and Zara - Spanish. Affordadable. Zara more fashion forward than MNG. Zara has narrow fits. I look at them for Spring and Summer items, and occasionally a cheeky jacket.

COS: Swedish. Oversized, boxy, solid, and somewhat architectural. Sometimes minimal. Well priced for the look. An acquired taste. Nice quality. I like their knits.

Uniqlo: Japanese. Very simple items. Good for wardrobe essentials, and basics. Like a streamlined and simplified great quality Gap.

Topshop: British. Only available at retailers now. Fashion forward, playful, and daring. Hit & miss quality. Runs small. Cheap as chips.

Aritzia: Canadian. VERY neutral. Nice quality items - I'll leave the rest for the Canadians to describe

Sezane: French. Fab classics, refinement, and trends. A bit cottage-core and pastel too. Provencal. Beautiful quality.

Marks & Spencer: British. A bit of EVERYTHING depending on the M&S brand you shop in the store. Great quality, good prices, inclusive sizing, and diverse sartorial offerings.

LJP

Veteran

Zara stores are a nightmare - especially at sale time , as in , right now . They are big and not organized well . I always go in the one we do have and almost never buy anything . Fits are all over the place , as is quality . They have SO MUCH product online and I store that I find it tough for find what I want . Mango not great for Canadians ( ships from Spain and returns are difficult ) . Hudson Bay here used to sell it but it was a snooze anytime I saw it in store . I buy a fair bit from Aritizia . Why ? Quality is directly related to pricing and seems very fair to me . Excellent work pieces . Casual wear skews very young . Outerwear is one of their specialities and they do it well . Online orders ship VERY quickly . Not great for larger bodied women -anyone over a 12 is pretty much out of luck . I’d love to be able to shop COS in person but stores don’t exist in my part of Canada .

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I've been shopping mostly online since I joined YLF because in that time I have only but briefly in all that time lived in a larger city with lots of shopping options and my size sells out fast/ is not always avaiilable in brick and mortar stores. I have become a bit of an expert at doing big in-person scouting missions whenever I visit a larger city, followed by educated online shopping.

So if you have brick and mortar versions of these stores available, or plan to go somewhere where they are, my advice is to try on some of their items to get a feel for cuts, sizing. fabrics, quality. Even if they don't have your size in stock you can still try on to get a sense of the product.

Then go home and shop online -- assuming you can make returns.

I've learned from this which brands tend most to work for me and which ones work less well. For me:

J. Crew: because I have a huge preppy gene and the cuts tend to work on my body.

Zara (yes, the stores are a nightmare but I get really great stuff there that very often lasts -- high fashion but not fast fashion if you choose carefully!) Cuts tend to work on me though I size up from my typical N. American size in most items.

BR/ GAP (sometimes.)

Aritzia can work too, depending. Lots of neutrals. There are several different in house brands at Aritzia: https://www.aritzia.com/en/brands

M&S: what Angie said.

I like COS but because I do not have a store near me and my last try-ons there were several years ago, I have not ordered from them. I would like to shop there, though.

Irina

Veteran

Marks & Spencer, Sezane are European retailers and ordering from them means paying duties, so I don’t buy from them.

Zara & Mango, fashion forward but quality control is not the best. I buy one or two items from each, online from Zara and in person only from Mango. Not really my favorite stores.

Uniqlo is one of my preferred stores especially for basics (natural fabrics only) and athletic wear like sweatpants and heattech line. Also, buy some things for DH sometimes.

Aritzia, lovely puffers and cashmere hats. I don’t have anything else from them. Although I sometimes like the design, I find they sell a lot of polyester and other synthetic materials. Not a fan.

COS is my favorite store. I love natural fabrics, minimal design and colors. For me is it the best. I’m fortunate to have 2 stores nearby to shop. I also buy it on Poshmark. No online orders ever.

Not mentioned:
H&M - I buy more from them than from Zara or Mango. I like some of their denim and the premium line. There is a store close to me and also, they have a great online ordering service. I’ve been buying swimsuits from them for the last 3 years.

MUJI - another Japanese brand. I buy a linen or cotton piece once in a while. They are very much like Uniqlo.

Massimo Dutti - the upper line from Inditex (Zara) - my second favorite brand. Has more of Euro feel, classic with some casual/boho vibes.

LJP

Veteran

You're in the US, right Carol? Another brand I hear lots. of good things about is Quince. It's a direct -to-consumer model, and apparently their cashmere is a really great value. They don't ship to Canada , sadly, or I'd have ordered and tried by now.

And Irina is correct in that Aritizia uses synthetics in their work wear pieces . You either embrace or it not . I happen to love their crepette as it's a super hard wearing -yet-luxe looking fabric . But yeah, it's a synthetic.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Irina, COS, H&M, Zara, Mango and Massimo Ditto are European stores too. No duties for Canadians?

Irina

Veteran

Angie, only COS, weirdly enough. COS is H&M upper line, no duties for H&M. COS doesn’t have the inventory in Canadian dollars on their website. Also, it’s unpredictable what will be available here. Some products never reach the stores. Go figure.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Thanks, Irina! Isn't that interesting! I think that holds true for every retailer's brick 'n mortar store these days - you never know what they will offer - fullest assortment is online.

LJP, in my experience, Quince has well priced simple offerings. Very neutral too. Reminds me of a Uniqlo-Everlane hybrid - although not as good quality. Some of my clients do very well with Quince! For others it's too basic.

Like Suz, I personally have good experiences with Zara items (much better than MNG). I don't buy a lot - a few items a year, if that - and they fit well and last!

I always look at J.Crew because they have the colours that I love to wear! Same as Boden. I also have a preppy gene. I seldom find something at Aritizia, Massimo Duti, and Uniqlo because of their extremely neutral palettes. Fantastic items though! I shop there with my clients with pleasure Personally, if I want to wear a neutral new classic - I head to Ralph Lauren. I love the heritage and horsey-vibe of the brand!

cat2

Veteran

Not on your list, but I like Saint and Sofia: they have the sort of murky florals I like and use good quality fabrics for the price.

Lisa

Veteran

I've purchased from Uniqlo in the past, for basics and thermals. I think of them like a Japanese Gap. I've found their items last a few years for me.

Zara I haven't shopped in a long time. I'm too overwhelmed by all the choices in their stores. But I have gotten some fun blazers from them in the past.

kkards

Veteran

Another Uniqlo lover—their basics are fabulous but I do find that they cut/size for their core customers who are the Chinese. Now this may change as they accelerate the expand into the US market, but if you are ordering anything now, make sure you use their sizing tools.

For any Saint & Sophia fan (brand Angie introduced me/us to about 4-5 years ago,and which cat2 mentioned above) they now offer some of their styles on Nordstrom.com. But be aware that it’s a different return policy

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I like Uniqlo for the Heattech and Airism underlayer pieces, but find that they cut a lot of items too short in the length for me, and I’m not even tall, just long-limbed.

Some of these brands I’ve not even tried because there is no store nearby and I’m wary of online orders and having to return by mail. I prefer shopping with retailers that have physical stores near me where I can do easy returns in person.

Nadine

I wanted to give a shoutout to Boden. I learned about it through YouLookFab and have placed my first few orders recently. I love the quality and colour of the items (7 so far) I purchased. I favour solids, and the colour of every item was perfect for my taste. Except for a few items that were too small (my fault for not following the size chart), everything fits well. Boden is British, I am in Canada and have found the delivery times great. My last order took two days!

Irina

Veteran

Nadine, did you pay duties on the Boden order? How was the return process?

I hate complicated returns and almost all my returns are in person to a store. It limits my choices of brands, unfortunately.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Irina, I haven't ordered from Boden in a while but I found delivery was quick except during holiday season and returns process worked just fine when I did it. I believe the duties are folded in to the price if I recall correctly.

Nadine

I didn’t pay duties, so perhaps they are folded into the price. I have not returned anything yet, but I can say that the bag that is used to ship the items can be reused for returns.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I LOVE Boden, Nadine (and Irina). Exceptional colours, fit, service and quality. Many of my knits are Boden. They are a British company and I'm in the US - no duties either (so folded into the price as suggested).

I think they charge for return shipping, sometimes.

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Well in terms of how they show up at a charity shop -
Zara - one of the most donated brands and frankly top seller second hand. A lot of polyester. A lot of unworn and NWT donated.
Mango - a bit more staid and similar quality to Zara.
Topshop - Old pieces and Jamie skinnies show up regularly, they do look well worn.
M&S - possibly better materials but boring designs.
Uniqlo - Their puffers and technical materials sell fast.
Aritizia - I don't see much, but have seen some nice pieces.
Sezane - Considered a higher level and priced up. More silk and cotton. Quite coquette as mentioned above.

Susie

Veteran

I do a lot of my shopping online. There are only a few stores I shop in regularly- Anthropologie, Athleta, Dillards, a few boutiques and a store for gear. I miss a few stores that have closed here, like BR and Madewell.

A brand I discovered last year and love is AYR (All Year Round). They have awesome denim and high quality silks and cottons. I must have items from them in almost every category- jeans, shorts, cotton shirts, tank tops, cotton tees, silk pants and blouses, silk dress, a skirt, and several jackets! It’s my go to now for ‘elevated basics.’

Sal

Veteran

It was really interesting on my recent US trip to visit some US stores that I had heard about but never purchased from or visited. My timing was poor (January) which makes a huge difference.

I only purchased one new item from Patagonia which is a brand I love. It is a sweatshirt but I do like it and the quality a lot. I also added some sports tees for family members.

Madewell, Anthropologie, Zara, Aritzia, Alo and Free People did not tempt me when I visited. Athleta tempted me the most although less than on my 2023 visit which was in October, a better time to shop.

Sadly I did not get to Uniqlo or Nordstom.

I haven't heard as much recently about Everlane - I haven't purchased from them either but for a while they seemed to be high profile.

Runcarla

Veteran

@ Jaime - I appreciate the report on what is showing up at the charity shop and how different design houses are viewed. I was horrified recently to find some items from SHEIN on offer at a thrift store. Ugh! It was one of the shops that isn’t curated, and has ‘good prices’ by thrift shop standards, plus, you can still find a real surprise. Still, SHEIN?!

Some of the places have staff who ‘know’ more, and recognize designers or design houses, and price stock accordingly. GAP is showing up a lot, and some older names from mid-range lines from department stores that carried the brands but closed 5-10 years ago, and the items have worked their way through folks’ closets.

Bijou

Veteran

An English brand that I like (and buy some clothing online from as I am in Australia) is Boden. The quality is comparable to JCrew and a bit more whimsical in design. They regularly have sales and I like their machine washable knitwear.

Zara has certain flagship stores which are a lovely retail experience. I find the shopping experience in Zara's Orchard Road Singapore store to be vastly different from my local Zara. I bought this red peacoat from Zara Singapore over 10 years ago and it is great quality. I had someone once ask me if it was an Escada jacket!

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Irina

Veteran

Runcarla, Shein had a pop up store at the Eaton’s recently and a line to get in was incredibly long. Crazy!

Jenni NZ

Veteran

I felt the same way about Shein and Temu, that I don’t want to support them. But when my DD1 went to the clothes swap with her teaching colleagues earlier this year, and picked out a few things for me for free (she had an excellent eye for what I would like and for my size), a jacket she brought back is Shein. It is quite similar (black and white sort of tweedy fabric) to my favourite swing winter coat. I am actually very surprised how good the quality appears. I haven’t worn it yet (need to turn up the sleeves) but will report back at some stage possibly.

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Thanks @Runcarla. Regarding Shein and the like, I have a strict policy of putting anything from them and - as Jenni discovered - they do have some relatively higher quality appearing pieces, in the $3 bin (all other clothes are individually priced but these are put in a bin untagged). I feel it is part of my educational agenda for our shoppers to understand that these are of very low value .

Carol

(website)

Veteran

Hi all, thanks so much for getting back to me with your careful thoughts. I am sorry I am not responding individually, but know that I have read all comments and will save this post for myself for future reference.