Would you spend £200 on a jacket that may or may not last 30 years?

Georgiegirl256

Very very unlikely I would pay that much for an item of clothing, but definitely not for that....looks like a caretakers coat! Or someone who works in a hard wear store!

Hermia

I wouldn't pay £200. It is not a classic enough design to be sure you will want to wear it that long. It is also very slim-fitting. I hope the young guy who buys it stays that slim into middle-aged in order to get their money's worth!

I do have a few items that cost that much and have lasted a few years and still look good as new.

NBLondon

I agree - it doesn't look as if it would last 30 years - what's it made of? I have a leather jacket that I paid £50 for in a sale in 1994 that I still wear. Not everyday - and not in bad weather on a bike - but it's lasting. It depends how often you wear the same item - I have shirts that are also from the last century that are also wearable and still reasonably smart - but I have worn them maybe 10 times a year. Shirts that I have worn 30 or more times a year don't last so long.

barbiedoll

I like his philosophy, we do tend to buy cheap, throwaway clothing, most of which ends up in landfill. The idea of buying quality goods which will last much longer, is a good one but in this fashion-obsessed world, I fear he has a huge mountain to climb before we're all wearing the same jacket for 30 years!

The jacket shown is quite horrid, it doesn't look like it will fit anyone well and the colours will date, maybe in 30 years it will be the height of fashion but now...not so much (although I guess that is the point)

My mum has kept a few of her dresses which she last wore in the 70's, one of them is a classic maternity smock-type dress. They're all made from nylon, polyester and the like and although she can't fit into them any longer, they fit me like a dream. They still look like new and if I weren't too old, I would wear them! (They're all quite short, I'm far too old for short skirts now ) But it's surprising how well they have lasted, compared to most of my clothes, which tend to stretch in the wash, or fall to bits after several outings.

I like the description of Tom's clothing company, a "vertical, luxury clothing brand"...I wonder what a horizontal brand looks like? :rotfl:

Primrose

The first question I would ask myself
1. Am I the sort of person who would keep a good quality clothing item for 30 years, regardless of changes in fashion styles.? (Yes, i have kept a couple of sentimental items that long)
If yes
2. Am I likely to be the same size and shape in 30 years time and would it still fit me?
(Sadly no) , I don't think many of us would be!:D


I wouldn't pay a fiver for that jacket in a charity shop. The oldest item of clothing I have is actually an anorak bought to wear on my honeymoon almost 50 years ago! It is now tatty and threadbare and has been downgraded to my gardening jacket but will I discard it? No !

DD265

I think my oldest item of clothing is 6-8 years old. Admittedly I'm only 28 but because I've gained and subsequently lost a lot of weight, I've pretty much cleaned out my wardrobe a couple of times. Where possible I've sold the clothing on eBay or donated it to charity so I don't feel like it's all gone to waste.

I would happily pay £200 for the right jacket. But that one isn't it.

Mr_Toad

I've enjoyed reading the replies on this thread and seeing people's views on clothing.

I have to confess to owning quite a lot of expensive stuff. That said men's classic style suits and jackets rarely go out 'fashion'.

I have eight pairs of hand made English shoes that were expensive, however, my black ones I had made to get married in over 30 years ago.

I wore them several times a week with my suit at work and still wear them and they still look like new. So all things considered they probably cost less than if I'd bought a new pair of cheap shoes every time they needed replacing.

I also own some expensive bespoke suits that are years and years old and still look great. I have a blue cotton summer weight jacket similar to the OPs post that was a bit over £200 along with several other jackets that cost about the same.

To contrast that all my white shirts are supermarket ones, all 100% cotton and all under a tenner. I always buy a couple when they are reduced. Same for other colours, black, pale blue etc..

I have several pairs of slim fit chinos from Tesco, they fit me beautifully and cost £12 to £15 a pair. My current girlfriend got me to try some expensive designer chinos on a couple of weeks ago, I looked like a sack rubbish tied round the middle! Baggy and ill fitting doesn't begin to cover how awful they looked.

Also the best pair of jeans I have ever owned are a pair of slim fit Tesco jeans that cost £15, I have two pairs, one blue, one black.

I do have a jacket that's 30 years old, it's a Barbour and the girlfriend hates it as it's looking a bit scruffy. It's had a hard life but is still waterproof and I can always get a new girlfriend.

onlyroz

No guarantee I'll be the same size in 30 years, and it absolutely wouldn't be my first, second or third thought when choosing an expensive coat.

I've got a leather coat that my parents bought me for my 18th. It's still doing OK although some of the buttons are hanging on for dear life. I think that was about $150 from the US. I have a long wool coat that cost about £100 which is still going strong but I wouldn't expect it to last 30 years.

TBagpuss

I don't like *that* jacket, but I have no issue with the idea of buying things which will last, and £200 doesn't seem like an excessive amount for something which will last.

I think my longest serving garment is probably a mans rugby shirt which I bought in an Oxfam shop when I was a student, in about 1993. I think I paid £1 for it.
It's now only worn for painting or gardening but it's not done badly.

And I am currently wearing a nice lightweight cardigan I've had for at least 15 years - and it is still perfectly presentable.

I wouldn't buy something expecting it t last 30 years but equally I wouldn't throw something out just because it was a certain age.

I do think men's clothing is often better made and more likely to last then women's clothing, so maybe if this company goes for more classic and conservative styles they will get somewhere.

My parents celebrated their 47th wedding anniversary. My dad still has the jumper he was wearing in the photos taken when they visited my grandparents to tell them the news of the engagement.
Of course, then it was his best and smartest jumper, and now it is the one he wears for crawling around under the car, but still, that's pretty good going!

toniq

That jacket needs an iron and looks like a butlins red coat coat.