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Eileen Fisher Warning

Anonymous

I don't own a lot of Eileen Fisher, but I have started to buy pieces here and there as my budget can afford. I bought the pants featured below on sale. I bought them in both black and midnight because these pants filled such an important wardrobe hole for me (both professionally and climate-wise).

I treat my clothing very gently. I never use the dryer. I hand wash a lot of pieces.

I noticed that the bottom of the black silk pants had started to fray. At first I thought it was some sort of unfinished edge that I was seeing. I cut the threads thinking I had solved the problem. The raveling continued. Upon closer examination it seems the fabric itself is fraying. I returned the pants to Nordstroms (they were very understanding) and I didn't give it a second thought because I thought for sure it had to a quirk.

Not so. I just wore the midnight pair today. The same exact fraying is evident along the hem. I have no idea what could be causing this. I hand wash them. I hang them to dry. I do not walk on them because they are not long in length. The fabric itself just seems "weak."

Has anyone else experienced anything similar? I am a little confused.

Eileen Fisher Silk Crepe Pleat Trousers (Regular & Petite) (Online Only)

$248.00 $123.98

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23 replies

Latest reply was from Sal

catgirl

Veteran

My EF harem pants are pilling a bit too. I am not gentle with my clothes, but not abusive either. And they don't seem particularly different than lesser jersey in general. But I know older pieces I see in consignment stores seem to have worn like iron. Change in quality?

Suz

(website)

Veteran

What discouraging news. It sounds as if quality may have fallen off some.

Anonymous

I think it HAS to be a change in quality. I am disappointed.

carter

Veteran

Wow. I don't have these pants, but I do have several others. I'll have to keep an eye on them. Thankfully they're all from Nordstrom just in case. Thanks for the head's up!

Anonymous

I have noticed a definite drop in EF quality in some items over the past year. Others, like the silk tees, seem the same. It's a shame because I've always liked the designs, but a huge part of what makes me willing to spend the bigger bucks on EF is the quality.

Anonymous

My first EF piece, bought last summer, has not lasted at all. It's a pale grey linen sweater. I washed it (in the machine on gentle, in a lingerie bag) , laid it out to dry, and there were two holes in it. The yarn never regained its lustre or softness, and the sweater has several catches in it now that I can't fix permanently. I was really disappointed in it - having paid - what- $200 ish for it? A pair of pants bought at the same time have been fine though. I picked up two more pieces a month ago - for fall though so haven't worn them yet - but am already annoyed at myself for having done so. I have decided for me that their pricing isn't commensurate with their quality - or just doesn't need to be that high.

Diana

Veteran

Silk fiber has the odd quality of being strong when dry but weak when wet. That's why silk often has the odd washing instruction of "do not soak" or "do not wring". Did you wring the fabric at all while washing it? That can cause pulling especially at stress points and seams. That said, thicker silk is obviously still stronger and more durable, and the type of weave can make a difference too. Blends tend to be much stronger. (Even just the addition of spandex for stretch helps.)

I have had some silk pants (not EF) develop micro tears all along the inside seam when washed. (They were from
Anthro so they took them back too.). I've learned to be wary of very thin woven silks in things like pants where stress points are likely to develop. I did actually return some EF silk pants last year because I was afraid the fabric seemed flimsy (plus the thin fabric was a little revealing, LOL). So I'm not surprised this happened to you. Those were shiny silk though, not crepe.

annagybe

(website)

Veteran

So I couldn't quite figure out the timeline, but it appeared that at one point she left the company and recently came back.
I think her comeback was heavily promoted because there are ton of recent articles about her and business philosophy.
http://www.newyorker.com/magaz.....ing-at-you

Admittedly these are only one of opinions of bloggers. But it appears others are disappointed in the quality.

http://www.faboverfifty.com/ge.....-you-do-2/

http://coutureallure.blogspot......s-are.html

calmwave

Thanks for posting those links, Anna. Interesting indeed.

Anonymous

Anna -- those articles you linked to in your post were so interesting. I recognize the decline in quality in many brands, but for some reason, I always held Eileen Fisher to a much, much higher standard. The terms "wears like iron," "travels easily" always come to mind when I think of Eileen Fisher garments. Her own advertising made think quality was her hallmark. The fact that her garments were used as examples in two separate blogs was eye opening.

Carter -- I would inspect your Eileen Fisher pieces carefully. I discovered the raveling absolutely by accident. I just happened to sit with my leg crossed over my thigh one day, looked down and saw all these long, long threads.

Anonymous

I had to run errands today and I stopped by my Nordstroms to talk to them about the silk fraying. The sales representative told me that in the past year Eileen had changed manufacturers. The quality has dropped and Nordstroms has been getting lots of returns as a consequence.

I asked if people were dissatisfied if Eileen Fisher would possibly return to her former manufacturer. He didn't think so. He said the company is expanding.

So it goes.

Anonymous

Based on their ads, EF is telling me they're moving to a more conscious manufacturing model. So it makes sense they might switch manufacturers. BUT...is it just me, or would one assume more conscious manufacturing would go hand in hand with higher quality: sewists being given the time to get things right vs. forced to churn out a set # if items per hour, etc. Now I'm suspect that the conscious manufacturing spiel is just more marketing hype. Sigh.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Wow. That is very disappointing.

And Aliona, I am with you -- one would hope that eco-conscious would go with higher quality.

And the price point makes the demand for high quality reasonable.

Staysfit

Veteran

I'm relatively new to EF but I returned two newly purchased items this summer. One because it developed holes when washed, and the other because it was poorly sewn.

tulle

Veteran

Hmm, this is important info for me, as I also bought a pair of EF silk pants recently, and am planning to take them on a trip to CA next week. Like Una, I've bought many EF pieces in the past that lasted for years, through washing and dyeing and much wear. Silk, as Diana points out, is delicate, particularly when wet, and the weight of longer items can strain seams. Still, the news of a change in manufacturer and many returned defective purchases is disappointing--not so surprising, though, as I've seen a sharp diminunition in fabric quality across all brands and price points over the last five years or so. Luckily, I'd planned to keep these pants mostly for evenings and travel, and will definitely not be machine washing them!

catgirl

Veteran

Tulle, I haven't bought much EF, only seen pieces in consignment stores that appear to be older but in great shape. Too bad today's pieces won't hold up that way.

Anonymous

Aliona -- I too thought exactly the same thing when I saw their ads. In fact, it piqued my interest and I wanted to support their company even more. This changed yesterday and I felt duped by their advertising.

And one more thing, these pants were retailed at $248. Yes, I did get them on sale during NAS ($135), but they were not even worth the sale price, let alone the supposed retail price. This just confirms to me that the sale price is the real price and the supposed "retail" price is a mind game.

tulle

Veteran

I originally found most of my EF pieces in thrift shops, and the quality, finishing, and simple, timeless designs were remarkable. I still have 2 dresses and a shirt from those days, all in linen. I fell hard for the silk Lantern Pants Joy posted, and went on a mad hunt to find a pair at something under the full price. I thought I'd bought the last ones in my size on the EF sale site, only to learn someone had gotten there before me. It occurred to me to try Ebay, and there I found a pair my size in black, tags still on. I'm hoping that these might pre-date the manufacturing change. They look well-made, but we'll see.

Anonymous

I hope you will be very happy with new pants.

Thistle

Veteran

Super disappointed to read this. I bought my first EF pieces at NAS this year, so I guess we'll see how they go.

I was willing to pay the premium for the garments based on the environmental legacy as well as for implied higher quality.

VERY frustrating. If I only expect a piece to last a season or two, I can get that from any mall brand for a fraction of the price.

CocoLion

(website)

Veteran

Oh man, there are so many stories like this about quality. And from pricey brands. I could have written this myself, but not about EF, about Vince. Still, I buy this brand. As someone wrote in this thread of mine from Fall 2013, you have to look at each item individually. There are still good quality garments out there. One thing I've learned is to stalk items for lower prices or purchase a year later on eBay. Then I don't feel so bad if the item is not 100%.

Joy

Veteran

I will have to take a good look at my EF silk lantern pants that I bought discounted at an EF store. So far they are ok. I have had even silk pieces in the past last for many years with hand washing. Sterling, thank you for making us aware of the problem.

Sal

Veteran

Quality clothing, it can be elusive. I don't know much about Eileen Fisher apart from what I read in the forum but I do abhor false advertising when you sell clothing as ethical and long lasting when it is not. Of course even the best manufacturers can have a dodgy batch now and then but efforts can be made to rectify the mistakes.

Ethical producers are under pressure though because we are all used to paying Cheap prices and I know at least a couple of ethical local manufacturers in NZ have had to close despite great design aesthetics. Of course we are a tiny market compared to the US but some of the pressures are the same.