Quality frustrations

[A bottle of Red]

I've been trying to add some summer clothes for a while now and it's so hard to find lightweight cotton or linen items that aren't too shapeless.
I figured I'd go to my old standby , Ralph Lauren since I have some older cotton and linen dresses that I enjoy.
I just received my order and I am so upset with the massive drop in quality, combined with price increases.
The linen dress was paper thin ( you could see straight through) and very rough. The pattern looked more tie dye as opposed to the neat pattern in the online pictures.
Of course I'm returning it, but it bothers me that a brand where I could often go to for flattering clothes that lasted for years is not the same anymore.
Sadly I had gone to their Madison Ave store a while back to look at some new bags, and I was shocked by the lack of quality. Thin, hard leather, long skimpy straps , dull colors and overly large logo hardware .
Where was the gorgeous supple leather that my other RL collection bags and clothing are made from, with zero branding except a heat stamp or small engraving?!

I'm sad tbh.
Feel free to add your frustration of declining quality or to add in who still has consistent quality clothes in natural fabrics (unfortunately cos, Uniqlo, Eileen Fischer are not my style.)

 

[allieadventurer]

I've been trying to add some summer clothes for a while now and it's so hard to find lightweight cotton or linen items that aren't too shapeless.
I figured I'd go to my old standby , Ralph Lauren since I have some older cotton and linen dresses that I enjoy.
I just received my order and I am so upset with the massive drop in quality, combined with price increases.
The linen dress was paper thin ( you could see straight through) and very rough. The pattern looked more tie dye as opposed to the neat pattern in the online pictures.
Of course I'm returning it, but it bothers me that a brand where I could often go to for flattering clothes that lasted for years is not the same anymore.
Sadly I had gone to their Madison Ave store a while back to look at some new bags, and I was shocked by the lack of quality. Thin, hard leather, long skimpy straps , dull colors and overly large logo hardware .
Where was the gorgeous supple leather that my other RL collection bags and clothing are made from, with zero branding except a heat stamp or small engraving?!

I'm sad tbh.
Feel free to add your frustration of declining quality or to add in who still has consistent quality clothes in natural fabrics (unfortunately cos, Uniqlo, Eileen Fischer are not my style.)

Honestly with the rise of fast fashion everything has gone down in quality. Bigger brands know loyal customers will pay the price so they start skimping. I noticed dresses that used to have a lining would now not have it like you mentioned making them see through. I personally like clothes from Theory and All Saints, especially when they’re on sale too.

 

[papertiger]

I feel the same about Alexander Macqueen, everything I touch seems all design context and 'luxury' story. The build-up is totally not evident in any of their newer offerings for HUGE money. I'm wearing a 5 y o Ralph Lauren sweater as I type, so I'm really sad to hear your experience.

Summer is always a big problem. Who wants to wear more layers on a burning hot day or go around the neighbourhood wearing a transparent dress? I went to an independent tailor to make me opaque linen slip dress and bought the fabric myself.

Search for your most important priority. Maybe, try specialist stores rather than globally famous mega-brands. Look for high thread-count, '100% pure cotton shirt' or 'pure linen dress'.

I would also forget about which brands you favour or not and think about each item in its own right. I hate 99% of most brand ranges and lines, but if I find something that works from Cos, M&S or Rick Owens it doesn't matter, its all about that piece.

 

[limom]

Wear a slip. Problem solved.
Plus it gives another level of dressing….and hum undressing.

 

[malachitenine]

I was looking at RL polo shirts for my partner and was aghast at the flimsy quality. I'd bought polos for myself in 2013 and were of lovely quality, robust fabric. I am not sure if my particular department store just happened to get bad quality stuff and elsewhere in the world it is good, but yes it is deeply concerning that high end fashion is becoming similar to H&M quality.

 

[A bottle of Red]

Pity to hear that other brands are having this issue too.
I'm definitely not tied to any one brand and looking for 100% cotton or linen or silk, only to find a silk dress lined with polyester.

 

[Love Of My Life]

One of the reasons why I simply wear a cotton tee with sand or black light weight gab trousers.
For me its a clean classic look that takes me everywhere with a great summer sandal & a bag
I have been finding that linens are just not at the same level & I'm not interested in spending
money on poorly made clothing.
If I remember correctly, last summer July & August were pretty hot months (perhaps record
setting temps) so I just want to be as cool as a cucumber.. LOL

 

[A bottle of Red]

One of the reasons why I simply wear a cotton tee with sand or black light weight gab trousers.
For me its a clean classic look that takes me everywhere with a great summer sandal & a bag
I have been finding that linens are just not at the same level & I'm not interested in spending
money on poorly made clothing.
If I remember correctly, last summer July & August were pretty hot months (perhaps record
setting temps) so I just want to be as cool as a cucumber.. LOL

Yes same I want to be cool and comfortable!

 

[Christofle]

Loro Piana makes a wonderful 50/50 blend of silk and linen. It’s probably one of my favourite blends and doesn’t crease at all like a traditional linen would. Might be worth looking into custom and opting for fabrics from outstanding mills.

Unfortunately as @papertiger pointed out there seems to be a massive drop in quality of fabrics from many brands across all price points. You can’t rely on brands anymore and items need to be really seen and touched making online shopping a less than exciting experience.

As for my most recent shopping outings; Chanel rtw and Zegna rtw both seemed to have much stiffer and harsher fabrics in-store compared to previous years.

 

[A bottle of Red]

I'm still looking for a basic tailor here that can do proper hems and adjust waistbands without ruining the clothes, never mind custom 😅
It's not easy moving to a small new town without having the options and accessibility like I had before.

 

[Christofle]

I'm still looking for a basic tailor here that can do proper hems and adjust waistbands without ruining the clothes, never mind custom 😅
It's not easy moving to a small new town without having the options and accessibility like I had before.

I hear you, a proper tailor / seamstress is a lifesaver. Hope you can find someone reliable soon!

 

[A bottle of Red]

I hear you, a proper tailor / seamstress is a lifesaver. Hope you can find someone reliable soon!

Thank you!

 

[QuelleFromage]

Ralph Lauren is TERRIBLE now. I recently bought a turtleneck sweater from there that was recommended by Purseblog itself, and thought I would grab a bunch of other items as I hadn't bought RL in ages.
The turtleneck was nice (for the price)...everything else felt cheap, itchy, and flimsy. I was actually pretty shocked.

The last few brands where I have found quality? Loro, but it's so overpriced. We shouldn't have to pay $2700 for a decent WOOL hoodie! I like French brand Eric Bompard but that is just knits. Joseph isn't bad but again mostly (not all) knits.
If I were buying a simple linen dress I would probably go full on high street as I do not think there will be a difference between that and a midlevel "designer" brand. Sad but true.

 

[A bottle of Red]

Ralph Lauren is TERRIBLE now. I recently bought a turtleneck sweater from there that was recommended by Purseblog itself, and thought I would grab a bunch of other items as I hadn't bought RL in ages.
The turtleneck was nice (for the price)...everything else felt cheap, itchy, and flimsy. I was actually pretty shocked.

The last few brands where I have found quality? Loro, but it's so overpriced. We shouldn't have to pay $2700 for a decent WOOL hoodie! I like French brand Eric Bompard but that is just knits. Joseph isn't bad but again mostly (not all) knits.
If I were buying a simple linen dress I would probably go full on high street as I do not think there will be a difference between that and a midlevel "designer" brand. Sad but true.

It's really disappointing right? I can't wear wool or cashmere but linen and cotton shouldn't be this difficult to find nice not see through items

 

[DME]

Unfortunately as @papertiger pointed out there seems to be a massive drop in quality of fabrics from many brands across all price points. You can’t rely on brands anymore and items need to be really seen and touched making online shopping a less than exciting experience.

Second this! I am not a RTW shopper, so I can’t comment there, but I have found this to be true across most of the brands I purchase, with very few exceptions. Some brands are still carrying the same classic styles, but where the tops were silk before, they are now polyester. Pants are made with thinner material, which just invites noticeable puckering where they’re stitched. And while quality has drastically decreased, prices have gone up by 10-20%. It’s getting to the point where I’ll stick to what I have and add in a few items where I know the quality has remained, or when I need to fill a wardrobe hole and the item is the best I can do (out of all the not-great choices).