Clothes-where to buy?

lessonlearned

Another charity shop fan here. I have bought some items online in the past from eBay but tbh I have been disappointed at times because, although the photos looked good, when they arrived I discovered they were nasty cheap fabric, garish colours etc.

I recently lost 3 stones so bought a lot of clothes simply because I needed clothes quickly, so made a few mistakes. But now I have a good working wardrobe and am being more selective, making sure I choose good fabrics and trying items on to make sure they fit properly.

As for which brands to choose, it's hard to say because they all have different cuts, styles, sizing etc. I think it's down to trial and error really until you find manufacturers who you know make garments that both suit and fit you.

PollyWollyDoodle

Charity shops. You do need to have time to browse, and I keep a list of ‘wants’ (e.g. long sleeve tops, navy cardigan) - I may have to wait a while but something always turns up. I have six different chazzas in my nearest town and I have a route that takes in all of them within about twenty minutes, depending on whether I find anything or not.

I won’t pay for Matalan, Primark goods etc that you know were not much more expensive new, but I often find M&S, Monsoon, etc at god prices with lots of wear in them.

buildersdaughter

Adding my 2 penn'orth:
I am (and assume you are not) a sewer, and I make most of my stuff. I just say this because if you want to be environmentally aware and make your own style, that's the way to go - lots of ideas on this board and thesewingplace. org.

I have rarely found anything to suit me in a charity shop - my aunt, a passionate sewer, no longer makes clothes but alters charity shop clothes with panache. I just don't have 'the eye'.

But if that really isn't your thing (and it is a very rare person who makes all of their own clothes!) then I suggest Uniqlo and Lands' End, and as bsuije suggests, look for their sales.

VfM4meplse

bsuije wrote: »

My high-street go-to is Uniqlo. I am a HUGE fan of their HeatTech range and use various bits from the range to get me through most of the year. I also have a few Ultra-light down things (a coat, 2 jackets and a vest), which weigh almost nothing and pack down into a small pouch, so are handy to have packed away as an extra layer in case of need (I really hate being cold...).

The scales fell from my eyes earlier this week when I got hold of a Uniqlo ultra-light gilet for £1 for the chazzer. I now consider myself to be initiated :dance:

Although I take issue with their sizing system, there is no way I am a "L"

Camomile

Thank you for all your replies.

builders no time for that, sewing has never been my passion although I dabbled with it for a while and used to work with fabrics.

dolly84 I’m also not a big fan of Primark and a few other retailers- I agree that 95% of clothes being sold there is rubbish sometimes I came across a real gem.

I think most of the retailers are a bit of hit and miss- while online shopping flourishes I’d prefer to touch and look first to not to end up with something that I didn’t quite fit the description.

I’m in the rural area, nearest town with charity shops 30 miles away, in terms of cloth retailing here not much to choose from.

Need to look if they still hold big car boot sales here and try my luck over there:)

Thanks for all the suggestions

GreyQueen

V4, I bought two plain grey Un1qlo long sleeved cotton tees from a chazzer years ago (£1 the pair) and the quality is shockingly good, much better than some fancypants brands.


For me, chazzers and the occasional cast-off from friends and family. Mainly chazzers and mainly my beloved Everything 50p chazzer, which does exactly what it says on the tin and is the last stop for donations from a regional chazzer chain before the rag merchant.


With that remit, you'd expect stuff that would be comparable with a bad jumble sale. Not so, pedro. I am currently rocking a per oona jardigan, which has become a wardrobe staple since I bought it last autumn. Plus the same shop provided me with a long-held ambition - an icebreaker merino wool longsleeved tee. Full retail, that would cost more than a week's rent for me, even on sale they're nearly a week's rent.


With chazzers, you can't have a tight deadline and be sure to be successful, you need to be a hunter and gatherer, with a Wants List, to be either physical or mental. Look at the gaps in your wardrobe, and think about the possibilites for filling them. Don't be afraid to go off-list if you see something which appeals to you, I've got some of my most-loved clothes that way.


Re shoes, I was brought up in used clothes-new shoes always, too. These days, I will occasionally buy very lightly used/ unused footwear from chazzers. I could only wish I took a size 7 because the chazzers here always have that size in H0tters, brand new including with their boxes, for sale for about £10 - was sighing over a pair of them yesterday.:rotfl:


As well as the cost savings, chazzers are just so much more convenient than traipsing from shop to shop or website to website. You get lots of brands under one roof, you get to do a lot less legwork than hiking around big stores, you're not limited to whatever the industry thinks it should be selling that season, you can buy clothes from brands that may be well out of your reach at new prices.


The only danger is over-consumption, as far as I can see. I am sitting on my hands telling myself that I really don't need that Per Oona gray boucle zip-up jacket which I saw yesterday for £3 in one of my regular haunts..............


*goes off to padlock purse*

t14cy_t

jumble sale was good. £12 spent between DH and myself!! new glittery ballet type shoes and new cloggies for me!! emu boots for DD. pile of clothes for me. bag of long socks for DS (dont ask!!) pots and pans and a beautiful suede storage box/stool thingy!! good start to the jumbling year!!

balabooberlies

OOoooohhhh

T14, jumble sales became extinct around here years ago........... I miss them !

VfM4meplse

balabooberlies wrote: »

OOoooohhhh

T14, jumble sales became extinct around here years ago...........

Agreed. I put it down to the rise of online selling.

pattypan4

depends on your size/shape but bon marche sells very nice things these days, good enough not to be throwaway but cheap and with a range of trouser lengths. The only place I can get trousers to fit me