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CaB Fashion Thread

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

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Pranet

Quote from: FerriswheelBueller on December 01, 2020, 09:22:36 PM
Uniqlo have an instore hemming service to reduce the length of any trousers (in some branches anyway). It's $5 a pair and ready next day, lovely stuff.

That's interesting. Unfortunately they don't have a store near me, but you never know with rent I imagine dropping like anything they may make the mistake of investing the high street.

Elderly Sumo Prophecy

Isn't there a Halfling Haberdashery in The Shire you could take them to?

daimoniac

army surplus. or i fill out a uniform request on the work thing if i need new black combats. t-shirts/hoodies i either get from gigs/wrestling events ot from bands/wrestlers online stores.

occasionally i'll buy a shirt from tesco or a charity gaff. rarely though

You know how Primark doesn't have a website for online shopping? Can you send Deliveroo to your local Primark to pick up a cheap pair of tracksuit bottoms for wearing round the house?

Quote from: Elderly Sumo Prophecy on December 01, 2020, 02:56:29 PM
I bought my first leather jacket recently. I think it's part of some impending mid life crisis thing. It's one of the biker ones too, like I'm Marlon Brando or something.

The other week I was genuinely tempted to buy a trenchcoat. Thankfully I was saved by the fact that the only really impressive ones are made by Burberry and cost an ungodly sum (like $1500+ US), as I definitely would have looked more like Alan Partridge than pre-racist Alain Delon.

Quote from: GoblinAhFuckScary on December 01, 2020, 03:39:43 PM


Hot

Quote from: FerriswheelBueller on December 01, 2020, 09:22:36 PM
Uniqlo have an instore hemming service to reduce the length of any trousers (in some branches anyway). It's $5 a pair and ready next day, lovely stuff.

In fact, at least in the US I think Uniqlo only sells trousers (PANTS) in one standard length to save money, and they then need to be hemmed to fit.

GoblinAhFuckScary

Quote from: Pearly-Dewdrops Drops on December 02, 2020, 04:31:15 AM
Hot

I adore it. I also spilled red wine on it the first night I wore it out

Lisa Jesusandmarychain

I was still buying me shirts and jeans and what have you at Top Shop until fairly recently, despite  being in me 50s Still wear DMs as well, although the price of them is ridiculous since my days of first  wearing them. Not averse to a bit of Primark or TK Maxx shopping when in the UK either, and still have a gander in chazzers for clobber.
Also still happy to wear band t- shirts, although I did have me doubts about donning a Lovely Eggs t- shirt the other weekend.
Dunno if I'm risking a cancelling, but I bought this year's winter coat from Sports Direct, simply because it was cheap, and it's warm. Not really fucked about what it looks like.
Mebbee I'll start clothes  shopping in M and S and the like when I turn 60 ( if it's still going/ I'm still alive by then).

thenoise

Quote from: Pearly-Dewdrops Drops on December 02, 2020, 04:31:15 AM
The other week I was genuinely tempted to buy a trenchcoat. Thankfully I was saved by the fact that the only really impressive ones are made by Burberry and cost an ungodly sum (like $1500+ US)

Oh, come on, you can get a decent trench coat for a couple of hundred, unless you're desperate for it to be 'designer'. Burberry are shit for cunts anyway, they use fur and 95% of their clothes are hideous (tho tbf the classic trenchcoats are nice enough).

IsavedLatin

Quote from: flotemysost on December 01, 2020, 06:14:23 PM
Aside from being a cheapskate I've also become more conscious over the past year or two of the enormous environmental and humanitarian impact of so-called "fast fashion" - lots of people tend to associate the term with yer cheaper online retailers like Asos and Boohoo (which are in themselves horrendous for that), but it also applies to the more high-end High Street retailers including some mentioned here, I'm afraid - Uniqlo, & Other Stories and their ilk (both of which I like, and have shopped at in the past).

Lots of garments will actually have been made in the same factories but then are sold at differing price points depending on the retailer, which in some ways makes the pricier ones worse as they're taking a bigger margin while the workers are paid the same piffling amount/have to work under the same shitty conditions.

For most of my adult life I've been kidding myself that the more mid-tier high street brands like Stories and Uniqlo must be at least less evil than yer Primarks, but I've had my eyes opened in the last year or so.

However even with such excellent reasons as the humanitarian and environmental implications of the high street, I find it hard to move to chazza shopping; I tend to have quite specific things in mind when I shop. In my mid-20s, I would order maybe five different iterations of a midi dress (or whatever) in order to pick the "right" one, and return the others. You can't be that specific with chazza shopping, in my experience, you have to be open to pot luck.

I realise that the solution to this is eBay shopping, but the inability to return something if it turns out to be an appalling fit or to smell of piss rather puts me off. Also my routine eBay experience is that I get gazumped in the final 2 seconds, causing me to think, FUCKIT, JUST GO BACK TO THE EVIL SHOPS.

Gorgeous dresses, Goblin. Clearly Toast is the way to go, if I can but swallow the price tag.

I'm interested in people's experiences with clothes during this weird year, and how they might have changed. I work in a female-dominated media environment where reasonably fashionable presentation is basically required, and this was the first spring/summer where I didn't spaff at least some money needlessly on a few updates to my wardrobe to keep in nodding distance of current trends. Not only was this a saving in money, but it was a very unusual opportunity for me as a still relatively young woman to get off the keeping-up-with-the-joneses fashion whirligig that we're all socialised into to some extent, and I really gloried in it. However as the year has worn on I have found myself missing the fun side of fashion, and (as above) feeling at an impasse as to what to do to treat myself to a thing or two when chazzers have been shut. What clothing purchases I have made in this year have been almost entirely functional -- I treated myself to a genuinely good outdoorsy rain jacket after making do with a crap one for years, and replaced my clapped-out walking shoes.

Ray Travez

Quote from: IsavedLatin on December 02, 2020, 08:57:06 AM
I realise that the solution to this is eBay shopping, but the inability to return something if it turns out to be an appalling fit or to smell of piss rather puts me off.

You can definitely return stuff if it smells of piss, for a full refund including postage, whether the seller agrees to this or not. If stuff doesn't fit it's more of a grey area, but if it has been inadequately described you have a case.

Jockice

#70
I have far too many clothes already so the only things I think I've bought this year are four t-shirts (one from a disability rights organisation I was involved with, one a replica one with the logo of a nightclub I used to go go, one an Edwyn Collins one after my great-nephew liked my Postcard Records cat one so I looked on the website to get him one, and one featuring local duo Hiem, cos I know them).

Apart from that all my clothes are mostly oldies (I still have a jumper my mum bought me when I was 17. That's in 1983) and loads of them are charity-second hand clothes place jobs. I think the last brand new thing  I bought was a hooped jumper from TX Maxx and that was more than three years ago. I have been bought a few things since then (I have I think three jumpers, a shirt and a cardigan my girlfriend's bought me which have all ended up living at her place) and the most recent of these are a very nice warm grey fleece coat from my sister last Christmas and a hat (not quite a trilby or a pork pie, somewhere in between) as a birthday present from my BPFF. I like that. I've never owned a proper hat before.

I'm too old to be fashionable anyway. I'm simply dripping with style though.

Ferris

Quote from: Pearly-Dewdrops Drops on December 02, 2020, 04:31:15 AM
In fact, at least in the US I think Uniqlo only sells trousers (PANTS) in one standard length to save money, and they then need to be hemmed to fit.

I nearly mentioned that, but I wasn't sure it was the case or if every pair I found in the Toronto branch was just absurdly long. Good to have validation that I'm not going bonkers.

Pranet

Quote from: Elderly Sumo Prophecy on December 01, 2020, 11:01:46 PM
Isn't there a Halfling Haberdashery in The Shire you could take them to?

I laughed at that you bastard.

Blue Jam

Quote from: GoblinAhFuckScary on December 02, 2020, 04:38:17 AM
I adore it. I also spilled red wine on it the first night I wore it out

Stain Devils. I don't know what's in the red wine one, I think it may actually be made out of magic.

Pranet

I quite liked some of the trousers Debenhams did. I am quite old now. And they fit me.

So I have braved the end of days website sale thing and ordered a couple of pairs. Given the effort involved completing the order due to the number of other short legged men desperately trying to buy trousers that fit while they still can crashing the website I am not totally convinced that they will actually turn up. Alternatively, it is also possible that I have paid for them 3 times.

Blue Jam

Quote from: Ray Travez on December 02, 2020, 09:20:00 AM
You can definitely return stuff if it smells of piss, for a full refund including postage, whether the seller agrees to this or not. If stuff doesn't fit it's more of a grey area, but if it has been inadequately described you have a case.

Judging by the eBay forums plenty of people buy formalwear then complain that it arrived damaged and return it with a hole and the item smelling suspiciously of sweat or cigarette smoke. It seems a lot of people treat eBay as a free hire service, wearing items to a wedding or whatever and then damaging them deliberately to get a refund, leaving the seller out of pocket. Selling hats, suits and posh frocks on eBay sounds like a fucking nightmare, I'm surprised anyone still bothers.

Baby clothes is a weird one too, apparently lots of sellers get buyers claiming they found a stain and demanding a partial refund, then going quiet when the seller asks them to return the item for a full refund. This is obviously just the buyer being a bit cheeky, but for some reason it always seems to be baby clothes, and the refunds would amount to a few measly quid.

I used to sell vinyl on eBay but gave up because it was more stressful than it was worth. In particular I got sick of people trying to wangle a discount on postage. Vinyl is heavy and fragile and expensive to post, especially to mainland Europe, but people used to getting free shipping on Amazon don't seem to understand this.

So yes, as a buyer you have the seller over a barrel, so don't worry about returns, but be nice.

IsavedLatin

Quote from: Blue Jam on December 02, 2020, 12:44:03 PM
So yes, as a buyer you have the seller over a barrel, so don't worry about returns, but be nice.

Scouts' honour, I always would be!

Emboldened by this thread, I've taken a punt and 'won' an eBay auction on a rather nice-looking cashmere jumper, which I'd never have bought new for cost and ethics reasons but feel vindicated in using secondhand.

Jockice

Quote from: Jockice on December 02, 2020, 10:43:51 AM
a hat (not quite a trilby or a pork pie, somewhere in between) as a birthday present from my BPFF. I like that. I've never owned a proper hat before.

It's a fedora apparently. Just in case you were wondering.


Jockice


Elderly Sumo Prophecy

Just kidding. I'm sure you look like the reincarnation of Humphrey Bogart in your splendid hat.

Icehaven

Quote from: daimoniac on December 01, 2020, 11:20:13 PM
army surplus. or i fill out a uniform request on the work thing if i need new black combats. t-shirts/hoodies i either get from gigs/wrestling events ot from bands/wrestlers online stores.


Are you Mike from Spaced?

Blue Jam

I haven't seen an Army Surplus store in years. Just realised Edinburgh doesn't even have one. The last time (indeed the only time) I ever set foot in one was to buy a lab coat for practical classes when I was an undergraduate, it was that big one in Mile End and I only knew about it because it was recommended by the lecturers.

Why does the Army make so much surplus anyway? Why are Our Bloody Taxes going on daimoniac's wardrobe?

Icehaven

Quote from: Blue Jam on December 04, 2020, 11:46:29 AM

Why does the Army make so much surplus anyway? Why are Our Bloody Taxes going on daimoniac's wardrobe?

Well even after they've got the bloodstains out, darned the bullet holes, taken the nametags off and sent them to the family they still can't get anyone to reuse it because they think it's bad luck.

Sorry that was in poor taste. One serious answer is that it changes quite a lot so it's usually stuff they don't wear anymore. Mr. Haven is ex-army and when we're wandering round surplus shops (there's still a few in Brum) he often points out how old things are and how they've not been worn since the 90s/early 2000s, but they don't usually look particularly old to me.

paruses

Quote from: icehaven on December 04, 2020, 11:49:31 AM
Mr. Haven is ex-army and when we're wandering round surplus shops (there's still a few in Brum) [...]
I used to quite like Ryders in Harborne near the QE. I can't think where there are any others. We used to have Wakefield's in Notts when I was a youth. It still had the proper ex-army stock whearas most have some stuff with a lot of mid-range sports /walking gear now. The only proper ones I can think of I have been to in recent years where you can buy stuff to set up a militia have been in Sweden.

NattyDread 2

Quote from: Blue Jam on December 04, 2020, 11:46:29 AM
I haven't seen an Army Surplus store in years. Just realised Edinburgh doesn't even have one.

There's one down in Leith.

I don't get nearly as much stuff out of charities as I used to. There are only a couple dotted around for miles so I get most of my jumpers and shirts for birthday and xmas presents. That said, I found a cracking brand new Columbia parka for £8.50 the other day. Best find for ages.

Blue Jam

Quote from: NattyDread 2 on December 06, 2020, 11:58:23 AM
There's one down in Leith.

I thought Leith Army Stores was more of an outdoor/safety gear shop but I see they do army surplus too so I stand corrected.

Incidentally, what sort of army surplus stuff is good for civilians? I haven't been in one in years, what sort of stuff do people buy there? Apart from those olive green shirts with a tiny German flag on one shoulder? I remember lots of people getting school bags from there, those ones made of plain rough black fabric that was good for writing on with a Tipp-Ex pen. Are they good for, say, shorts and trousers I could cycle to werk in without them wearing out around the arse?

QuoteI don't get nearly as much stuff out of charities as I used to. There are only a couple dotted around for miles so I get most of my jumpers and shirts for birthday and xmas presents. That said, I found a cracking brand new Columbia parka for £8.50 the other day. Best find for ages.

Charity shops never seem to have as much good stuff for blokes for some reason. I'm wondering if it's because more fast fashion stuff is made for women and women need to get rid of it more often.

GoblinAhFuckScary

Quote from: Blue Jam on December 06, 2020, 01:57:47 PM
Charity shops never seem to have as much good stuff for blokes for some reason. I'm wondering if it's because more fast fashion stuff is made for women and women need to get rid of it more often.

Blokes clothes in charity shops give off an especially strong impression that someone had died in them

Blue Jam

Realised the reason I've never bought much from army surplus stores is probably the same reason I don't have tattoos: I'm just not remotely badass.

Ferris

Having tattoos does not make you badass, I am happy to attest. I still hide mine from my mum for fucks sake. Pathetic.