Help, all my clothes seem to shrink!

John_Clare

Fantastic info here, thanks jenniewb!

Any hints on clothing brands that ARE actually well-made? I have a TK-Maxx nearby, and have bought "label" jeans from there (Duck and Cover?). Thought i was getting a good deal as they were normally £60 but they've started looking really tatty after less than a year.

The Lambretta jeans I bought, on the other hand, have faired much better!

This raises an interesting point about any product - how much of your money actually goes towards quality, and how much towards the "name"?

jenniewb wrote: »

Just a tip here- I generally find that stuff I get from TK Maxx tends to be ok- but you do really have to wade through alot and know which brands to look for (ie you can get some expensive brands which are still very cheaply made and unfortunately the same shrinkage/losing stretch problem will occur) can be a bit hit and miss but if you keep trying, you begin to notice good/bad quality just by the feel without needing to experiment

Try not to get sucked in by softer feeling clothes- unless they are made with softer yarns such as cashmere and certain types of silk as they often have silicons and man made stuff woven in- this stuff often has shorter fibers (a length of yarn is basically lots of shorter fibers all spun together to make a length to sew/weave/knit with) and the shorter the fibers, the more hideously it will bobble and lose its shape.

jenniewb

John_Clare wrote: »

Fantastic info here, thanks jenniewb!

Any hints on clothing brands that ARE actually well-made? I have a TK-Maxx nearby, and have bought "label" jeans from there (Duck and Cover?). Thought i was getting a good deal as they were normally £60 but they've started looking really tatty after less than a year.

The Lambretta jeans I bought, on the other hand, have faired much better!

This raises an interesting point about any product - how much of your money actually goes towards quality, and how much towards the "name"?

Well I can only give names of brands that I personally have found to be good- bear in mind I have not tried everything (yet!!)

In TK Maxx: Levis, Diesel, Replay, Firetrap jeans (not tried the tops) Adidas, Nike, Earnest Sewn (great jeans, really retain their stretch), Paper Sewn, Japser Conran, Not available at TK Maxx:Marks and Spencers normal range, SweatyBetty, Brora, Topshop tops(some may disagree with this but they do seem to outlast most of my clothes and washes), Gap tops (not tried the jeans), Monsoon clothes (the homeware though I do find very shoddily made)

Clothes that have not worked out half as well through 6 months are: River Island, Jeans from Topshop, New Look- and infact every high street store- I have jet to find a pair that retains its stretch! Primark, Peacocks, Uniqlo, Urban Outfitters Luxe range (all of U.O ranges seem to be brought in, some are good, the Luxe label stuff is not) Love (concession sold at some stores and also in Topshop), Zara, Marks and Spencers value range, Tescos, most of the other stuff I can see just by looking- you begin to learn from mistakes- seeing how "nice and soft" or "very sturdy/no flexibility" something feels when you pluck it from the shelves, then you realise it doesn't last a wash...so you then begin to recognise this same feeling when you shop next time.

Not had any of the TK Maxx stuff fail on me as yet- but have noticed a fair few bad items especially in the cheaper "young" ranges and the brands you don't tend to recognise...though read on another thread someone slated the Hunter Wellies as the grip wears out on them and they "become leathal"! (luckily mine are from Millets then- still going strong after...erm, one week! too early to rate!!)

HTH someone