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Who designs your clothing?

Runcarla

Veteran

Have you discovered a designer that 'gets' your body, or is there a house brand that you favour, and why?

I shop 'bricks and mortar' stores for the most part, and have a preference for department stores that carry multiple designers and brands. I like to do 2 big seasonal refreshers (s/s and f/w) and then fill in the blanks over time. Department stores like Nordstroms, The Bay, and the now defunct Sears allowed shopping across a variety of house brands as well as 'designer' lines that supported the mix and match capsule style of dressing I favour.

After participating in jussie's thread about 'how much is too much' I did an inventory of my closet to learn if I favour a particular designer and if any particular brand 'got me'.

I have 52 garments total, including outerwear, but excluding undergarments, gear, and accessories such as gloves, hats, scarves.

Adrianna Papell 1
Armor Lux 2
Banana Republic 1
Boden 1
Connected Apparel 1
Calvin Klein 3
Danier Leather 2
Denver Hayes/Marks Work Warehouse 6
Eddie Bauer 1
Herve Benard 1
Joe Fresh 1
J Brand 1
Jessica/Sears 4
Joseph Ribcoff 1
Kenneth Cole 1
Karl Lagerfeld 1
Lands' End 2
Lauren Ralph Lauren 2
Linnea Domani 1
Levis 1
Nautica 1
NWD 1
Max Studio 1
Rachel Roy 1
Reitman's 1
Suzy Shier 1
Uniqlo 8
Zara 1
Unknown (no label) 3

12 pairs of shoes/boots

Anne Klein 1
Converse 3
Franco Sarto 1
Jessica/Sears 1
Joules 1
Naturalizer 1
Nine West 1
Mozo 1
Town Shoes 2

10 bags

Fossil 2
Harvey's (seatbelt bag) 1
Jansport 1
Jessica/Sears 2
Longchamps 2
Micheal Kors (wallet/wristlet) 1
Zenith Handbags 1

I liked the Sears/Jessica line and Marks Work Warehouse for fit and price point, however Sears is now defunct and MWWH has discontinued the fit line I liked. Uniqlo has only been available to me < 2 years but I've shopped there successfully - stocking up on t-shirts, and a great s/s line of lace tank tops, and practical cotton khaki bottoms. I can count on the American designers RL, CK, and Nautica for a good shoulder fit with sleeves and inseams that are long enough. I can't seem to do JCrew (cut narrow) and so far Aritzia, Club Monaco, and Eileen Fisher don't tempt me. I've had some past successes at Zara, but none at Old Navy, Gap, or H&M.

What about you? Is there a design house that has a fit or an aesthetic that works for you? Are you faithful to a particular brand?

General

48 replies

Latest reply was from nuancedream

Anonymous

The Lauren Ralph Lauren dresses work well for me, but aside from that its hit or miss. I have limited irl options in my area and about a 40 to 1 try to buy ratio, so I normally don't shop online.
Now if I could find a shoe brand that worked with my skinny feet id be happy as a clam...

rachylou

Veteran

Lol, ‘Enfocus Studio’ and ‘sharagano.’ I only ever see them at Ross, but their dresses always work for me. And Larry Levine suits. Also a Ross thing.

Bernardo puffies at Nordies.

Also, OLD Marc Jacobs. Nordstrom and Neiman’s don’t carry him anymore, but I wouldn’t buy his new stuff anyways.

Otherwise, I’m all over the place.

I absolutely cannot wear Calvin Klein. The fit is always terribly wrong.

Joha

I just had a look today at my stats and no - there doesn't seem to be a designer that's designing for "my " body at the moment or that I predominantly buy stuff from. However, ten - fifteen years ago there has been a German high street brand (comma) whose clothes I could by without trying on. The style was and still is modernized classic and I suppose that at that time they used a fit model which was very similar to my body type.
On the one hand that made it so, so easy to shop, but on the other hand it also made it more boring I think. No venturing into other Fashion territories in order to find something that fits. And therefore far fewer surprising finds, fewer wildcards etc.
and then some day they changed the fit "over night " and it became a brand as all the others in that regard.
Although it would be wonderful to have such a brand again and to be able to successfully shop at eBay etc. when the budget (money a/o time) is tight- fashionwise its more fun the way it is.

Oh, another thought with regard to the fit model - it might be easier to find a perfectly fitting brand if ones body type is the kind of average that a specific brand thinks is their customers average body type.

Kathie

Veteran

Over the past two years, I’ve bought most of my work clothes from MM.LaFleur. Not all the clothes work for me, but a high percentage do, and many of the clothes are washable. Nordstrom’s Halogen brand is also well-represented in my closet. Prior to finding MM.LaFleur, I was starting to buy more work clothes from Theory, but the fits aren’t as good for me, and most of those are dry clean, so not as practical. After that, it’s a mix- one or two items from Boden, Banana Republic, various brands carried at Anthro. Interesting question!

Anonymous

I bet mine is as varied as yours, Carla. My jeans are almost all from Gap though, with only 2-3 pair from another line. When I had a much larger collection of footwear, many were from Wishbone (Brown's label) and Kors. Now, it's all over the place. When I had a much larger collection of clothes, most were from Club Monaco and BR, but I own almost nothing from CM these days. My active wear is almost all from Lulu and MPG. Interesting to think about!

Unrelated question: your 52 garments - is that including all seasons?

Jenn

(website)

Veteran

I think I'm pretty brand-loyal. When I find something that works, I tend to stick with it. My wardrobe tracking app includes everything but lingerie, sleepwear, and jewelry. Out of the 116 items (including gear, shoes, accessories, and handbags...I think it would be 67 if I counted like you do, runcarla, which just goes to show we're not always comparing apples to apples, even when we talk in hard numbers), the most common brands/designers are:

Eileen Fisher - 10 pieces. I've been slowly building up my collection over a period of years.
Boden - 7 pieces.
Eddie Bauer - 7 pieces. Uber-casual pieces like utility pants and tees, plus my casual winter outerwear and one pair of jeans.
Athleta - 7 pieces. A lot of my gear is from here.

Garnet Hill - 5 pieces, although I feel like these have been more hit-or-miss than the brands above.

I also have a lot of things from Target. I try to steer clear of their clothing section these days, because I want to avoid fast fashion, but many of the garments I have from there have held up surprisingly well.

Born - 3 pairs of shoes, but I've definitely cycled through more Born shoes prior to this generation.
Converse - 1 pair of shoes, but worth mentioning because I ALWAYS have a pair of Converse in my wardrobe

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Interesting question. For me, it depends on the type of item.

In terms of the box stores my overall success is highest at the following:

J. Crew pretty reliably fits me. One quarter of my current wardrobe comes from there and I have items from J. Crew in all categories except dresses at the moment. (Coat, topper, shirts, blouses, tees, skirts, pants, knits.)
BR fits me too, as a rule (with some exceptions).
Club Monaco typically fits well.
Zara fits for tops and toppers. I haven't really tried too many bottoms there but I do have a few.

For jeans: Citizens of Humanity and Rag & Bone jeans work best for me.

For footwear: La Canadienne, Ecco, and (sometimes) Zara are my go-tos. Topshop also gives me a surprisingly good fit. Franco Sarto is also good.

Boden holds promise. The knit dresses seem to work well. The woven ones fit less reliably, but those that fit well are excellent. I would like to try the blazers and trousers.

Brands/ cuts that seldom work for me:

Aritzia (which is a shame, since I have a big credit there!) I seem to be between sizes.

Ted Baker (mostly cut too curvy for me).

Land's End (often sized out).

That is just in terms of fit, not aesthetic per se.

Anonymous

Sigh. I am shallow and boring.

I buy at a very limited number of retailers, including Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, WHBM, Belks, and Nordstroms.

I used to own lots of Eileen Fisher, but after losing weight, that brand looks awful on me. Just awful. I am wondering if it always looked awful and I failed to notice because I was in love with the image.

I also owned lots of Ralph Lauren. I guess I still own a lot of Ralph Lauren. I like the quality and the feel of the fabric.

Barbara Diane

Veteran

A lot of my clothing comes from Talbots, primarily Talbots Outlet.

Eileen Fisher, outlet or on sale at the store or department store.

Some Nordstrom's, but not much.

This summer, two items from Macy's, but way less than before. I started shopping Talbot's when I stopped having luck at Macy's.

Longchamp bags, although I love the colors and the weight of the nylon bags I am getting tired of both my phone falling out of the one pocket and searching for my keys. I preferred the Nordstrom brand that was $30 and had pockets, a key fob, and a mini-bag inside, but went to Longchamp when those were no longer available.

My shoes were Munro's for years but for the last several years the toe boxes are smaller and I can no longer count on finding even one pair of closed toe shoes that fit me.

Runcarla

Veteran

Yes, Lisap - 52 garments for all seasons. Example: 2 pair shorts, 8 pants including jeans, 2 cloth winter coats, 2 puffers, 2 leather jackets, 2 rain/trench coats, 10 variations of t-shirt, etc. Just about everything mixes and matches and I've got all my bases covered!

I am doing research for a f/w refresh and figure a couple pairs of non-jean full length pants and some warm sweaters as well as warm weatherproof boots. I need a few 'trendy' items to keep things current, but I'm not sure what...

Not shallow, Sterling. If it ain't broke! If Sears was still in business, I would still be there.

Anonymous

Carla - your wardrobe and how you dress has always looked great to me- and I'm often envious of your very specific casual style. You do a remarkable job with a tight wardrobe - I need to follow your lead.

Runcarla

Veteran

Awww, Lisap - you make me blush...

Sal

Veteran

The ones that are highly represented are (in order of numbers)

- Shani P ( a designer friend of mine - 10-12 pieces)

- Witchery (fit is usually good for me - own a dress, two tops, a blazer, pair of pants, two pairs of shoes)
- Country Road ( some seasons I have good success there - shoes often work too - two dresses, one pair jeans, two pairs of shoes, one top)
-- Jacqui E - have three essentials and one summer dress. Good for me for workwear at a reasonable price point. Long lasting.
- Jeans West - two pairs of shorts, one pair of jeans.
- Merchant/Overland - (two boots, one pair shoes)

- Kilt (one jacket, one dress, one pair shoes)

Everything else is really just one or two pieces. Labels on my radar for the future are
- Tuesday Label (only have one dress but I like the designs, NZ design, o/s manufacture)
- Kowtow (ethical NZ brand - have two pieces that are workhorses, NZ made and designed)

Label I used to buy and am finding less and less I like
- Max

NZ does not have a good Department Store scene - I do occasionally shop in Farmers but the fabrics are often polyester and the layout does not work for me.

I buy Witchery, Country Road and Merchant online - I know the sizing and the quality and have reasonably good success. For everyone else I shop in store - either independant boutiques (Shop 9, Harper Inc and Alibi are the ones I like near me) or chain stores ie Country Road, Jacqui E, Kilt. I occasionally thrift or buy consignment- maybe 2-4 pieces a year.

jussie

Veteran

Hmm actually at the moment Target is the best fit for me. Anthropologie’ “Maeve” fits pretty well too. Uniqlo fits well but I have to size up A LOT.
Other than that I’m quite hit and miss. Country Road doesn’t seem to fit me as well as it used to....

Staysfit

Veteran

Wow Runcarla! This is a great question and brings up all sorts of interesting ideas. I read your data with great interest and tried to take some guesses at what my top designers would be but became so muddled I decided to create a quick survey of my closet. I did my tops, dresses and toppers only. No knits were included, but I don’t think that would change the results.

My most repeated purchased from designers and vendors are:
J Crew, J Brand, Equipment, Diane Von Furstenberg, Rag &Bone, Armani Exchange, Boss, Rebecca Taylor, Tracy Reese, Ted Baker, Athleta, TNF, Vince, 148 Lafayette NY, James Perse, Current Elliot, The Great, Rachel Comey, and Jason Wu and Boden.

Having said that, it looks like I don’t repeat much other than jeans and jackets. I definitely have brand loyalty in denim and stick almost exclusively to either J Brand or Rag and Bone. All around, Rachel Comey fits me very reliably, but I don’t always like her designs. I have to pick and choose. If there is something of hers that I like, I’m fairly certain it will fit. DVF wraps are another winning bet as long as the colors and patterns are good for me. A solid DVF wrap in a good color almost always works. In fact, wraps must be my favorite type of dress when paired with skinny jeans and some nice shoes. I need to keep that in mind! Finally, Rebecca Taylor always fits but is not always my style preference. I have some beautiful blouses and toppers from her, and a couple of dresses. Her clothes tend to be more frilly than I like. Finally let’s talk about Armani again....It fits me well but Is so darn expensive! I can only add one or two pieces a season, and so I do if I can—-

Joy

Veteran

I definitely have more Eileen Fisher than anything else. I love her fabrics and colors, usually, but as a designer, she only sort of gets my body, so I have to choose carefully. I like that most of her styles work on apples, but I want more tailoring and much is simply to big even in the smallest size. Tops or dresses that are sleeveless provide some structure with a bare arm. Some pieces are more tailored with panels or something when tried on than one would expect. I like the "lantern" styles of dress and pants because the slight fullness is pulled back in at the bottoms

Ann Taylor and Loft together are a distant second..

I have a long list of brands that do not work so just avoid them completely. Most are just too big, especially through the bust.

UmmLila (Lisa)

Veteran

I think Madewell is the most represented brand in my closet, though I don't have a lot of loyalty -- I really go season by season with designers. Rebecca Taylor always fits (but I have the same objections to frilliness that Staysfit does) as does Tory Burch, but I haven't bought from either of those lines for quite a while.

featherwitch

Tops: Vince Camuto
Jeans: Lucky Brand (Ginger Skinny!), Slink
Pants: NYDJ, Vince Camuto
Dresses: Lauren Ralph Lauren
Bras: Natori
Shoes: Ecco, Sam Edelman, Franco Sarto, Cole Haan, Sanuk flip flops
Outerwear: Columbia (not very fashion forward on that front!)
Casual: Columbia shorts, capris, and t-shirts

Workout: Lucy (so sad they are gone- The North Face just isn't the same), Nike shoes, Adidas superlite (Climalite) socks
Golf: Adidas golf shoes, Columbia shirts and skorts, Slazenger, Tail

LaPed

Veteran

For street clothes, Uniqlo, Boden and Everlane have been my wardrobe-building go-to's for the past couple of years. Levi's a well represented for me, but mostly in vintage seconhand form. For gear, I rely largely on Patagonia and Outdoor Research with a smattering of North Face, Athleta and (again) Uniqlo. I've largely been shopping barefoot/minimalist brands for shoes (Xero and Soft Star work for me for daily wear, plus some cushier Altra's for longer-distance hiking/running) but finding a pair of fashion shoes that are a good fit is a total crapshoot -- I don't have much brand loyalty there because fit varies so much from pair to pair.

Brands that really do not work: J Crew (tops tend to be way too long and pants are too tight in the leg) and Gap/ON (same issue with pants being cut too skinny through the legs, and just not many tops/toppers that interest me). I have never been impressed with anything I've tried on from AT/Loft, or Talbots. I don't live near a Target or a Ross so have never figured out how to shop there. I'm often sized out of LLBean, Eddie Bauer, Eileen Fisher, and probably others that I no longer bother to look at, even for inspiration. The Garnet Hill pieces I've tried have all been flops. So I have a pretty narrow focus these days...

Elizabeth P

Veteran

So interesting.
According to Stylebook, of the items that I have included a brand into the info, the clear winner is BR, at 22%. Followed by EF at 6.7% (this surprises me) and lululemon at 6%. Then there is the gap, j crew, danier and halogen.

What I find so interesting is the huge amount of BR, because I wouldn’t say that my overall style is the style they project. But obviously the ease of online shopping and returns keeps me tuned into them, and I find (lots!) that work. Then I use other designers to fill in the gaps ( pun intended) and make their aesthetic more me.

I have slowly been picking away at EF, I guess for longer than I realized. A lot of her stuff doesn’t work for me, but enough does. Her fabrics make it worth the effort (and price). There’s not a single piece I regret, or that isn’t something I want to wear.

Runcarla

Veteran

'There's not a single piece I regret' - now that is a recommendation!

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Elizabeth, I, too, fall back on BR a lot because of ease of ordering. They make good "essentials" (e.g. the merino sweater that goes under everything else) and their jackets often fit me, too. Lately I've had a few more problems with their fit, in particular with dresses, which have been somehow "off," (e.g. way loose in waist and tight in hip or vice versa, armholes all wrong, etc.) Pants and jackets still seem to work.

Like LaPed and Sterling, I'm mostly sized out of EF, but the few pieces I have, I greatly enjoy for the quality. Other brands I don't really bother to look at: LLBean (although I do have one shirt from them); Eddie Bauer. Partly this is aesthetic, but mostly it's because the fit will be wrong and I know this in advance.

I also favour Natori for bras. Simone Perele and Mimi Holliday also work for me. Plus a few Chantelle and Wacoal models.

Theory can almost work. Usually not quite.

I love Comrags clothes. But I'm sized out of quite a lot, alas. The pieces that do work, work extremely well and have long closet longevity.

I have never ordered from Amour Vert but I like a lot of what I see on the site and like their eco conscious approach. (Thanks for alerting me to them, Jenn.)

A European brand I like a lot is Sandwich. Their customer service is brilliant! Carla, this brand is a bit pricier than your usual, but I highly recommend them for you. I think the fit and aesthetic could be up your alley and they make "dressy casual" clothes for a lifestyle like ours.

By the way, you have the most carefully curated wardrobe in the world. I have 3 times as much stuff for the same climate. (Runs off feeling wasteful and guilty.)

Elizabeth P

Veteran

Suz, I’ll take your 3x amd raise you.... nope, can’t admit it.

kerry

Veteran

I have a lot of fit issues so I’m pretty boring - I find what works and often duplicate.

Swimsuits - Lands End
Summer bottoms and tops - J Crew
Casual tees, tanks, shorts, chinos, jeans - Gap
Other jeans - BR
PJ bottoms and tees - Boden
Gear footwear - Keen
Gear clothing - MEC, TNF, Marmot, Mountain Hardware, Columbia
Sneakers - New Balance and Vans

Everything else is a crap shoot from a variety of retailers ...

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Interesting question. But my answer is totally skewed by the second hand nature of my wardrobe. So the high end designers that gets me is surprisingly (to me) Isabel Marant. For jeans I think Current/Elliott. For dresses weirdly John Galliano. This might be a factor of what I find second hand. Israeli shoes like Daniella Lehavi and Couple Of. Could I be less relatable?

cjh

(website)

Veteran

Looking at the labels in my clothes is like an encyclopedia. Every department store has (or had) at least one line represented. For work clothes, I bought a lot of Liz Claiborne from JCPenney, Macy’s Charter Club, and tops and sweaters by Cable and Gage at TJMaxx. Most of them are long gone.

I wear jeans and shorts by a wide variety of stores and labels including Walmart Faded Glory, Cato, Michael Kors, Anne Klein, and lots of unknowns found at TJMaxx. If I like the cut, quality and fabric, I try them on.

Loft often has something I like, but I’ll pass by JJill, White House Black Market, Talbots and Chico’s because I’ve seldom found anything there that fits me, my needs or my budget at the same time! Same with Uniqlo, Xara, H&M and Topshop, which I find to have weird fits -skimpy in the wrong areas, or just nothing in my size left? Since I have very limited opportunities to visit them, that’s okay.

Shoes are mostly Converse, Franco Sarto, Sofft, Born, Adidas, Birkenstock, and running shoes by Saucony.

I have a great sweater and my striped jeans jacket from Jones New York, so maybe that’s a new favorite designer! Thanks for the interesting discussion.

Anonymous

Suz - I agree that Carla would like Sandwich. I really like that label myself for their preppy-ish casual vibe . Great knits .

Gigi

Veteran

The most represented brands in my closet are Anthro, WHBM, JC, and Free People. All of those together probably make up three-fourths of my closet. I am really trying to branch out in my new purchases and have challenged myself to try out some new brands.

Sisi

Veteran

In the past few years, Seventy and Trussardi made pants and jeans that seemed tailored on my body. Then they changed the model .... This is a dream I have - finding a brand that makes clothes that fit me well and that I like. Not come true yet.

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