Steve Madden for shoes: Two years ago, I bought a pair of ballet flats - around $90 - and within a week, the very back/heel part of the sole was worn down significantly. I could have - and eventually did - buy the same exact nude patent flats at Target for a fraction of the price.
Target (Mossimo) clothing: the clothing (skirts, cardigans, t-shirts) bag in random places within 30 minutes of putting it on, only to spring back into shape when laundered. So it looks all pretty on the hanger, but half an hour after I put it in, I look like I should be pushing around a rusty shopping cart full of cats. And a beautiful cotton-blend lined skirt that I washed gentle cycle, cold and hung to dry (the tag indicated warm, permanent press, tumble dry), shrank just enough for the lining to show out of the bottom.
TopShop clothing. I know people LOVE this brand, and my goodness, I went back to their flagship store in Oxford Circus again and again while I was in London. Every last piece of outerwear clothing I bought pilled, or developed little tears or unravelling in the fabric (not on the seams), or randomly shrank in weird places, despite very careful laundering - within about 3-5 wears. That being said, I had great luck with their lingerie and a pair of vegan leather boots.
