My excursion to the Patagonia site

April

Patagonia was recommended by lots of contributors to my thread on shopping with companies who seem to be trying to do things fairly, so I resolved to check it out.

My impression: it's great to know there is an ethical spot to buy gear, but I didn't see much in the way of other clothes, and I don't buy much gear.

I thought jeans might be a good place where my needs intersect with their offerings, but they don't say what the rise measurements are. "Regular rise" doesn't really help me. The straight jeans look too low-rise to fit my high-waisted self, but without numbers, hard to know.

I'm all for organic, low-impact, and fair trade, but I need jeans need to fit me well. I wish more retailers realized that people really want three things: style, fit information, AND fairness.

9 years ago

Shopping

11 replies

Latest reply was from rabbit

LaPed

Veteran

Their customer service is pretty helpful. I'd open a chat and ask them for garment measurements if you're interested in jeans.

Their pants don't fit me terribly well, but I've had good luck with their dresses, skirts, sweaters and tops. I haven't liked their prints much the past few years, too much floral and tribal-inspired for me, so I'm mostly opting for solids. I need to replace my around-town raincoat later this year and will probably end up with a Pata trench if it fits well.

To be fair, though, I do a LOT of my casual clothes shopping at gear stores... my "good" dresses (which I need to be packable, breathable, easy to wash, and otherwise travel-worthy) are from Icebreaker and Ibex. One needs a different lens, for sure. I do find that the construction quality is generally better by a long shot than the same pricepoint at a department store. Triple-stitched seams, more consistent stitching, better reinforcement on pockets and zippers, etc. I expect gear-brand clothes to last longer than mall-brand clothes, so I'm not overly concerned with how closely they follow current trends. If I buy a garment at retail price, I want to know we're both in it for the long haul.

9 years ago

Muffin

Veteran

I really like my Patagonia gear but I don't turn to them for my every day clothes- too utilitarian, masculine, and too PNW fashion (and I live here!) for my taste. Years ago I had the perfect black casual dress from and am still am searching for its replacement.

9 years ago

April

Veteran

I did find it funny (funny in a ha ha way, not funny as in odd) that on the Patagonia site, when you choose "Dresses and Skirts", you can further refine your choice by selecting an activity that you would be doing while wearing the item. Options include fly-fishing and rock climbing.

LOL

9 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

That's the problem. You have to actually like and wear the product that you buy from these types of retailers! It's hard to see Patagonia product fitting into my style - and even life.

9 years ago

JAileen

Veteran

I love Patagonia. We have an outlet store here. I have bought a lot of stuff there, but also online. I've never bought jeans from them, though. I think their strength is jackets.

I have numerous jackets, including a raincoat with a zip out liner. My most useful jacket is a nano puff hoodie. It fits in it's own pocket. It's not very warm when it's truly cold, but I always pack it in my carry on when I fly, and end up needing it. Because we go out birding all the time, regardless of the weather, I have several fleece jackets for layering, but my Better Jacket always gets compliments. Mine is dark teal. I often wear it casually. I also have several hats, a couple of vests, and a cashmere sweater. The quality of every single piece is excellent.

1) Nano puff, 2) Better jacket, 3) Vosque 3 in 1 raincoat

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9 years ago

Astrid

Veteran

I've been trying to shop more responsibly for a while, but it's been difficult to find suitable brands that make things I like. I don't like gear in everyday life, so Patagonia isn't really an option for me either. I'm on my phone, but I'll try to post some links in the other thread this evening. Problem is most are German/European, so not sure how helpful that will be for the rest of you. For me I try to find the right balance between keeping an eye on the budget, my style, sustainability and shopping less overall.

9 years ago

LaPed

Veteran

Nau might be worth a look. I'd describe it as Eileen Fisher for fixie-riding hipsters: http://www.nau.com/womens

The designs are much more minimalist than Pata.

9 years ago