Which brands/stores do you think have the best quality? - YouLookFab Forum

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Which brands/stores do you think have the best quality?

medusa

Veteran

I've been thinking a fair bit about clothing quality recently. It's been about a year and a half since I started completely overhauling my wardrobe. I'm surprised to find that some of my "new" clothes are already worn out! I'm surprised that some things have worn so quickly, and it makes me realize that I care more about quality of construction than I thought.

The items I've found to be poorly constructed or wear out quickly have come from Banana Republic, Esprit, Express, London Times (from Macy's), Talbots, Target, Uniqlo, and everything I've bought from Marshall's, including a BCBG Max Azria top. Maybe some of these aren't so surprising (like Target) but others were a surprise to me.

So far, I've been impressed with the quality of clothing I've bought from Ann Taylor, Boden, Club Monaco, Inc (from Macy's), and almost everything from Nordstrom.

Are there places that surprise you with their quality, or lack of quality? Where do you go for well-made clothes?

Shopping

16 replies

Latest reply was from Steph

Maya

Veteran

I don't really know how people make sweeping statements about quality. I go into almost every purchase (excepting major investments like coats, denim, and boots) with the assumption that what I'm buying will not last. If I don't still want it, I don't buy it. Quality is so tricky. Even when I look at the stitching, the buttons, the fabric composition/weight/drape--it still doesn't tell me how it will look after a few months of laundering, or after I have been commuting out in the elements.

I have had very expensive pieces wear out, and I have had things from H&M that went strong for years. I guess am not selective about brands and stores. I judge each piece on its individual merits, and I have seen pieces from all over that are just not up to snuff. Sometimes, though, they don't have to be. Also, since I have fashion ADD, I don't usually need most things to last too long.

That said, if my S&K coat doesn't make it to at least 5 years, someone's getting a boot in the face...

Mellllls

Veteran

Surprising, I wore an American Eagle Outfitters cardigan today that is five years old and looks as good as it did when I bought it Who would have thought.

cloud9

Veteran

Ann Taylor & Talbots are high on my quality list, I love their fabric and workmanship. I've had luck with Kenneth Cole as well. I think they are more reliable. Ever once in a while, I find high quality & lasting items from anywhere, like khols, old navy.

Mellllls

Veteran

i've actually had really good luck with the worthington brand at jcpenney. they don't often have things that are my style and sometimes the fit is off, but if i find something i like and it fits then it lasts forever.

Aida

Veteran

I have a Worthington black wool coat that I bought maybe 7-9 years ago that's still in excellent condition, though I'm not sure about their other stuff.

Steph

Veteran

I think it is really difficult to generalize with department stores in particular, because there are so many brands there.

Today I was shopping for a bridesmaid dress, for a wedding I'm going to be in. The bride wanted me to look at knee length black dresses at or below $200. I went to Nordstrom and was shocked by how shoddy the quality was on the large majority of dresses I tried. Then I went to White House Black Market and was shocked at how nice the dresses were, particularly when compared with the Nordstrom ones. I'm actually almost always impressed with WHBM, but rarely shop there because of their limited color palette.

Debora

Veteran

I love Nordstroms for quality. I think they put a lot of thought into their buying process and it shows in the quality of their merchandise. Surprising to hear about your problems with Talbot's, though. Ann Taylor rates high in my book for quality, too.

Anonymous

I don't hold to items long enough to find out. I get bored of wearing the same things over and over again. My older items are usually handbags, coats and some shoes.

However, I had some success with BCBG and some items from BR and AT.

All knits ( sweaters, jerseys etc ) seem to go to heaven in less than a couple winters though.

medusa

Veteran

Interesting. It seems like people have a quite a range of experiences. I was kind of hoping to make a list of the good quality places, then I could just shop there and not think about it too hard. But maybe that's an impossible dream...

Sarah

(website)

Veteran

Medusa, I find some brands to be across the board high quality. Most of them can be found at Nordstrom. So when I want to shop brainlessly or do one of my quarterly stock ups, I always go to Nordstrom. I have been surprisingly happy with Halogen lately. It's a Nordstrom brand, but reasonably priced. The items I've had even for a few years have held up well.
My BCBG Max Azria items have also held up well. I wouldn't judge the brand based on the top you got, because Marshalls sells seconds or overstock.
Even though I find them overpriced, JCrew has good quality still, with the exception of knits, which honestly are about as quality as Old Navy to me.
Where things get tricky for me ARE knits. Knits generally fail me regardless of how much I've paid for them, so I generally get those sorts of items somewhere like the Gap or Macy's INC brand and only expect one or two years worth of wear.
I did stock up on some sweaters at Martin + Osa before they shut their doors this past July, and naturally they have been wearing quite well.

Barbara

Veteran

For me, JCPenney is hard to beat. Their store brand, St. John's Bay has some of the best natural fiber, quality sportswear out there. Not boring stuff either - soft, fine wale fitted corduroy jackets (I have several), soft, silky tees and fine gauge cotton cardigans too. I like the Worthington brand for trouser socks and dress pants. JCP also has: American Living - fashions and bedding - designed for JCP by Ralph Lauren!
Liz Claiborne, Nicole Miller, Charlotte Ronson's I Heart Ronson, Mango's MNG for JCP, VGS Jeans premium denim (Vigoss, Istanbul), Levis, Foster jeans (by Chip and Pepper), bisou bisou, Allan B (Schwartz) - great moto fashion jackets and jeans. And Stone Mountain leather bags.

I like Target's Mossimo (super soft cotton tees) and Merona (for those fabulous animal print pencil skirts I posted about a couple of months ago). Merona does very vice fine gauge cotton sweaters too. Target also has cool guest designers.

Jonesy

Veteran

I think it is hard to say! Some of it does depend on the particular type of item (e.g., I have a winter coat from J. Crew that is in its third season and still looks brand new, but I think their t-shirts are typically pretty poor quality). I have had good luck with BR, Ann Taylor, Talbots, Anthropologie, even Gap, and Nordstrom of course. In the past I have found that Loft quality is pretty iffy, but I think that's changed in the past year or two. I tend to pay cheap prices for things like t-shirts that I'm expecting to wear out quickly, and pay more for items that I want to last several seasons. I should also mention that I don't tend to wear an item a bunch in a particular season (instead I rotate lots of stuff), so maybe that helps too with wear.

Lisa

Veteran

There is no one brand that I can purchase and I know no matter what item it is from that brand, it will last. It's always hit or miss. And if it is a knit, no matter who it is from I know it's not lasting past one season.

medusa

Veteran

These are helpful suggestions - thank you! I didn't know that about JC Penney at all.

I agree that knits are the problem. Why is it so hard to find good quality knits? I know that they tend to wear out faster in general, but I have some old sweaters that have held up beautifully.

Kate

Veteran

I think part of the problem with knits is that they make the fabric so thin now. I have a 6 year old long sleeved shirt from Gap that is in stellar shape. It has shrunk a bit, but given how many times it's been through the washer and dryer I think that's forgivable. I'm SO impressed that it doesn't have any holes or piling. The only knit shirts I've seen recently that are anywhere near that thick were at Talbots. Most tops seem to be closer to "tissue" weight tees (and somewhat see-through to add insult to injury).

Steph

Veteran

Kate, I totally agree about knits being essentially tissue weight. I have had the worst time finding a long-sleeved v-neck shirt of a decent weight, but now I'm going to go to Talbot's! I never shop there, so would have never thought of it. Thanks!