Main Menu

Tip jar

If you like CaB and wish to support it, you can use PayPal or KoFi. Thank you, and I hope you continue to enjoy the site - Neil.

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com

Support CaB

Recent

Welcome to Cook'd and Bomb'd. Please login or sign up.

March 28, 2024, 05:44:13 PM

Login with username, password and session length

CaB Fashion Thread

Started by Blue Jam, December 01, 2020, 12:12:52 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

Blue Jam

Where do you all buy your clothes from?

Topshop- GONE
Topman- GONE
Burton- GONE
Dorothy Perkins- GONE
Debenhams- GONE
Oasis- GONE
Warehouse- GONE

What's left? Where do people go for clothes these days? Seriously, all the High Street chains seem so fucked I'm surprised everyone isn't just sitting around at home nekkid. Or are they?

Cuellar

Uniqlo
Oxfam (online these days obviously) - I live near the only Oxfam SUPERSTORE - converted warehouse on an industrial estate, laid out like a massive Oxfam shop, it's great - so normally go there.
I spend a lot of time looking at clothes on Asos/Thread but never actually buy anything.
H&M

I've been buying pretty much exclusively from Uniqlo the last few years, simple, stylish, decent quality and really good prices. Their men's range is mainly in earthy tones so mix and matches really well.


Mr_Simnock

Primark
Zara
Reiss
River Island
Next

Buelligan

My stuff's all given, made or got from the second hand.  I can't even remember the last time I bought myself clothes.  Not been in a clothes shop for over ten years - except to buy some new walking boots from Decathlon, which are now worn out.  I like it that way.



Icehaven

Charity shops mostly, and Primark or H&M for things you wouldn't want second hand like underwear, pyjamas etc.


Judging from the amount of ads full of moody looking models and with the most godawful music I've ever heard on, I presume most people who buy a lot of clothes do so online these days. I think that's got as much to do with high street brands going belly up as Covid does.

Blue Jam

Quote from: Cuellar on December 01, 2020, 12:18:28 PM
Uniqlo
Oxfam (online these days obviously) - I live near the only Oxfam SUPERSTORE - converted warehouse on an industrial estate, laid out like a massive Oxfam shop, it's great - so normally go there.
I spend a lot of time looking at clothes on Asos/Thread but never actually buy anything.
H&M

Uniqlo are great, I got all my clothes there when I lived in Japan. They sell loads of cheap cashmere and it would be really handy to have a few of their shops in Scotland, but do they have any UK shops outside London? Do they FUCK.

H&M are good too, some stylish minimalist stuff like Cos (same owners) but it's dead cheap. I mean, Cos is cheap for the quality but H&M is even cheaper.

I get most of my stuff from TK Maxx now. The place to go if you're perfectly happy to pay a bit less for clothes that are past-season. Also as well as some genuine b@rgains there's always a load of weird shit to laugh at. Walking around the women's shoes section is like walking through a sculpture park. I get a lot of jumpers and hoodies from the men's section though, they tend to be better-made and they last longer.

John Lewis is good during the sales. Their own-brand stuff, especially the Kin range, is quite smart and for a middle-aged woman like me it looks a bit more grown-up than Topshop without being as frumpy as M&S.

I don't buy a lot of stuff online. The quality of Asos's own brand stuff is shockingly poor and most retailers seem to insist on using Hermes and DPD. The last time I had packaged delivered by Hermes they got left on my doorstep and subsequently nicked.

For second-hand stuff I usually go to Shelter. For some reason they seem to have the best stock of all the charity shops in Embra, from brand-new clothes donated direct from retailers to proper vintage-type stuff. Also the chazzas around Bruntsfield and Stockbridge (ie, where posh people who buy expensive clothes and then donate them live) always have nice things.

Icehaven

Quote from: Blue Jam on December 01, 2020, 12:33:09 PM

For second-hand stuff I usually go to Shelter. For some reason they seem to have the best stock of all the charity shops in Embra, from brand-new clothes donated direct from retailers to proper vintage-type stuff. Also the chazzas around Bruntsfield and Stockbridge (ie, where posh people who buy expensive clothes and then donate them live) always have nice things.

Many years ago I worked in Sutton Coldfield which has some quite posh areas, and some great bargains used to turn up in some of the shops. I got one of those retro leather satchels that are about £100 new in Selfridges for a fiver, and it was barely used. This was about 15 years ago and I've still got it, and it still looks in good nick.

Blue Jam

I had a University of Embra hoodie which was smart but after five years it was pretty worn-out. Was going to buy a replacement for £30 when I popped into Shelter and saw the exact same one, looking brand new and in the exact same size for a fiver. What were the chances? Got a nice Levi's plaid shirt while I was there. And a paid of binoculars for four quid- not the best quality but perfectly decent for my futile attempts at otter-spotting round Holyrood Park.

Quote from: Mr_Simnock on December 01, 2020, 12:21:24 PM
Primark
Zara
Reiss
River Island
Next

I was reading something about the Arcadia group's collapse the other day and it said that one reason for it is that Topshop et al never bothered to invest in online retail while Zara apaprently have a pretty decent online shop. My local branch looks like a jumble sale though so I have never investigated this.

I'm surprised River Island are still going tbh, they seem as much of a 90's brand as many of the ones that have recently gone kaput.

Butchers Blind

Quote from: Blue Jam on December 01, 2020, 12:39:10 PM
I had a University of Embra hoodie which was smart but after five years it was pretty worn-out. Was going to buy a replacement for £30 when I popped into Shelter and saw the exact same one, looking brand new and in the exact same size for a fiver. What were the chances? Got a nice Levi's plaid shirt while I was there.

I was reading something about the Arcadia group's collapse the other day and it said that one reason for it is that Topshop et al never bothered to invest in online retail while Zara apaprently have a pretty decent online shop.

I'm surprised River Island are still going tbh, they seem as much of a 90's brand as many of the ones that have recently gone kaput.

Once apologised to a mannequin in River Island after bumping into it while drunk on Saturday afternoon.

Ray Travez

Very rare I buy new clothes, been that way for thirty years, apart from a blip in 2008-2010 when I briefly had some money. Get all my stuff from ebay, car boot sales and charity shops, plus make my own clothes occasionally. Right now I'm wearing a blue floral shirt by English Laundry, Jacamo grey jeans, and a t-shirt from Abandon Ship with blue jellyfish on it, all ebay buys in the last six months. Socks are a bit of a let-down, they were sent me as a Christmas gift by Paddy Power last year. They're green with white snowflakes.   

Icehaven

Quote from: Ray Travez on December 01, 2020, 12:44:03 PM
Socks are a bit of a let-down, they were sent me as a Christmas gift by Paddy Power last year. They're green with white snowflakes.

When they start sending you FUN socks, stop.

Ray Travez

hahaha!

They sent me green and yellow boxer shorts the year before, I sold them on ebay

Marner and Me

Never shopped at any of them, boxers from Next and thats about it. I'll get plain black T-shirts from Primark and that is it, everything else is what is classed as designer gear.

Blue Jam

Quote from: Ray Travez on December 01, 2020, 12:44:03 PM
Socks are a bit of a let-down, they were sent me as a Christmas gift by Paddy Power last year. They're green with white snowflakes.

I like the sound of those.

I always buy plain black socks ten pairs at a time so I don't have to bother pairing them. Got some bamboo socks from TK Maxx which were lovely and soft but which shedded fluff like a mofo and left bits of black fluff all over the carpet. Now I get my socks from Tesco, from the boys' school uniform range, because they're dead cheap (children's clothes so no VAT) and they fit my size 7 feet and don't shed fluff everywhere.

Icehaven

I've never consciously followed fashion at all (being a semi goth my uniform's always been pretty much set for me) but when I worked in public libraries we used to get several weekend newspapers with lifestyle/entertainment magazines which I'd usually flick through, and like it or not I absorbed what was 'on trend' and started to notice when people were wearing it, or if there was a current style (in black obviously) that I liked. Thankfully since I no longer see such material I have no idea whatsoever what's hot or not, and even pre-Covid I don't really spend enough time around enough people to notice either. It's brain space I can ill afford to expend.

Quote from: Ray Travez on December 01, 2020, 12:47:58 PM
They sent me green and yellow boxer shorts the year before, I sold them on ebay

Yes, I've heard about that sort of thing but thought it was mainly a Japanese businessmen's fetish.

itsfredtitmus

bit ubiquitous i find down at the citizens advice

Janie Jones

Quote from: Blue Jam on December 01, 2020, 12:33:09 PM

H&M are good too, some stylish minimalist stuff like Cos (same owners) but it's dead cheap. I mean, Cos is cheap for the quality but H&M is even cheaper.


And Other Stories are the same owners, the clothes are affordable and well designed.

Zara Man is the best men's fashion on the high street.

Actually I've got a load of men's clothes, mainly Topman, Ben Sherman and COS waiting for the chazzas to reopen so I can donate. I sell (on eBay) samples and cast-offs from my friend who works in fashion but I'm overwhelmed with stock at the moment so I'm concentrating on selling the high-value labels and have a load of high street items to give away.

Blue Jam

Quote from: Janie Jones on December 01, 2020, 01:13:19 PM
And Other Stories are the same owners, the clothes are affordable and well designed.

I did not know that. Thanks for the tip!

QuoteZara Man is the best men's fashion on the high street.

I don't shop at Zara but Zara Man is quite different. The coats especially are really nice, and look much more expensive than they are. Years ago I asked a friend where he got his nice coat and was surprised when he said it was Zara, he's a stylish chap and it didn't look High Street at all. Then when I was helping Mr Jam pick out a new winter coat we found a proper smart one for him at Zara. He had tried a few on at Topman and they were fine but Zara was about as expensive and the coats were all much-better cut, with nicer fabric and more attention to detail. That must have been about seven years ago and it's still going strong. I'm not a fan of the women's section though, it's a bit too fast-fashion-y for my liking.

Fr.Bigley

Asos is great for clothes if you're not a fat cunt. If only they didn't use Hermes they would be a 10/10 for me.

bgmnts

The last place I bought clothes from was Lost Stock, which I'd implore everyone to use.

Blue Jam

Quote from: icehaven on December 01, 2020, 01:03:45 PM
I've never consciously followed fashion at all (being a semi goth my uniform's always been pretty much set for me) but when I worked in public libraries we used to get several weekend newspapers with lifestyle/entertainment magazines which I'd usually flick through, and like it or not I absorbed what was 'on trend' and started to notice when people were wearing it, or if there was a current style (in black obviously) that I liked. Thankfully since I no longer see such material I have no idea whatsoever what's hot or not, and even pre-Covid I don't really spend enough time around enough people to notice either. It's brain space I can ill afford to expend.

Heheheh, the "Fashion" in the title was a bit tongue-in-cheek but I was also genuinely curious as most of the places that Covid has finished off seem to be the same places I would shop at as a teenager of the 90's, and someone here made a reference to Oasis and Warehouse being "dated brands" and I had to agree. I also have absolutely no idea what is on-trend now, apart from masks.

I was listening to one of the Breaking Bad Insider podcasts recently and Vince Gilligan said something about how you can instantly tell what decade any fictional TV series is set in by looking at the clothes, up until 2000, when it's not impossible but it suddenly gets a lot harder. I think he's right- with Mad Men for example the early episodes have a bit of a 50's hangover, and by 1970 the flares and tank tops have arrived. Life On Mars and Ashes To Ashes are obviously a decade apart. Derry Girls is unmistakably mid-90's... but something like The Office? If you can ignore all the beige CRT computer monitors it could be set in the present day. I've been watching a lot of It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia lately and it feels like all those faux-vintage T-shirts have been around forever.

What have been the popular trends of the last two decades? The only ones that stand out for me are that summer when all the men seemed to be wearing Superdry T-shirts with cargo shorts, and that summer when all the men seemed to be wearing Ramones t-shirts with pinstriped blazers, skinny jeans and Converse trainers.

It doesn't help that there has been so much retro fashion around lately either. I see quite a few Oasis t-shirts around the halls of residence. A few weeks back I even saw a student wearing a Wu-Wear hoodie. Just before lockdown I went to see Confidence Man and was surprised at how 90's most of the audience were dressed- I even saw a shellsuit top in there.

I read something about how online retailers have seen increased sales of smart tops and comfy trousers, because people want to look smart for Zoom meetings but no-one can see them from the waist down. That's the new normal isn't it? I can live with that.

Fr.Bigley

Quote from: bgmnts on December 01, 2020, 01:59:00 PM
The last place I bought clothes from was Lost Stock, which I'd implore everyone to use.

Yeah, but your then helping out the needy, and they're a shower of bastards.

El Unicornio, mang

I don't buy a whole lot of clothes, just the occasional things off Amazon like trainers or t-shirts. At least half of my regular wardrobe is 10+ years old. The UK is very clothes/fashion conscious, in a way I hadn't noticed until I lived in America. If you go to most bars or clubs in the US people (men and women) are just out in t-shirts and jeans, and there's not so much in the way of current fashion, people just wear whatever they want. Here, at least in Newcastle, everyone dresses up in the same designer/faux-designer clobber.


jobotic

Chazzers and ebay. Almost exclusively.

M&S for pants and socks but that's not very often.

Used to have to go to meetings in Guildford and would pop into Muji - hardly anything in there but what they have is good. Apart from the shirts with no collars - I hate them.

Head Gardener

car boo, oh hang on it's December erm, chazzers!