Vent - disgusted with quality of Eileen Fisher (and "high-end" clothes generally)

[Anonymous]

oh vomit...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was given an Eileen Fisher sweater/jacket for Christmas that cost close to $500. I would never purchase anything that expensive and was a little irritated about being given something so extravagant, but I had to admit it was gorgeous. I have now worn it for about a total of 12 hours (sitting in the car and in my office) and it is ruined. Pilling everywhere, all-over embroidery pattern is pulled out all over the sweater, and it just generally looks worn. Fortunately I was able to dig out the tag from the trash and it looks like it was purchased at Nordstrom, so I can return it. I just think it's obscene that it would be so poorly made. Now I'm sitting here in my machine-washable Merona sweater from Target that I purchased in 2008 and while it's not beautiful, it looks as good as new. There is no excuse.

I bought one EF thing one time and learned the same lesson. It pilled horribly the first time I wore it and was unwearable after that. I don't understand how EF stays in business.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it would be worthwhile for those of you who are complaining about your Eileen Fisher clothing to understand what the line is all about. First of all, it is about timelessness and simplicity. It is supposed to be comfortable and EASY. The brand is meant to be made from sustainable fabrics and recycling them is encouraged. They will be remade into something useful. Also, if I'm not mistaken, they are produced in upstate New York. Eileen Fisher does not compete with designers like Versache or Dolch and Gabanna, primarily because when wearing Eileen, rather than having someone tell you your outfit is beautiful, they will tell you that YOU are beautiful. You wear the clothes, they dont wear you.

From what I have read about Eileen Fisher herself, she would be MORTIFIED to think that the quality of your jacket was poor. I hope when you returned it, Nordstroms was appalled by the disintegration (in ONE wearing) of that expensive piece...there is no justification, particularly for an American brand. We have too few American designers, their standards MUST be upheld and maintained. Give Eileen Fisher another try. Note the fabulous material and impeccable fit. Assume that you got a "mistake." For the greater majority of those who wear Eileen, the joy of knowing how much thought was put into whatever you have chosen to wear, the knowledge that you are correctly dressed, and the sheer joy of being comfortable, are worth the price. Even Cadillac makes a lemon once in a while.

I had the same experience and wrote to EF and they didn't respond. So I think this is not as uncommon as you would like people to believe, Eileen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ladies, why nt just buy made in America products? Then you are supporting US Companies and US employees who have some pride.

Yeah right can you please convince Americans to work a factory line job?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ladies, why nt just buy made in America products? Then you are supporting US Companies and US employees who have some pride.

Yeah right can you please convince Americans to work a factory line job?

Odd that this thread was revived to say EF is made in the US. As of today, the majority of her line in a imported.

[Anonymous]

OP got her poorly constructed jacket about 8 Christmases ago but I do hope she comes back to tell us how the return went.

Thanks Eileen Fischer marketing!

[Anonymous]

Ok, so weird Eileen Fisher marketing plug aside...

This is why I mostly buy consignment clothes now. Very high end consignment (the Real Real and a few in person shops I love in DC) often has amazing quality if you know what to look for (natural fabrics, evidence of care by prior owner). It can cost significantly more than Target or the Gap or whatever, but far less than buying high end designers new, and I personally think it's a better investment because then I'm never chasing a trend -- everything is at least a season or more out of date, so you naturally wind up buying more classic, timeless designs.

Plus it's way more eco-conscious. And you are still supporting an industry -- consignment stores are largely run by small business owners and are almost always women owned. Even with the Real Real, some amount of your purchase goes to the consignor, which is a real person who can plug that money back into the economy. So it's not like you are opting out. But it funnels money away from retailers and clothing companies that rely on extremely low wage labor, often in countries with awful labor practices. And it's more environmentally conscious. To me it's an obvious win all around and I don't miss the days of buying new at all. I now think back to bringing home a bag full of brand new clothes and am almost embarrassed at how wasteful and exploitative that was.

[Anonymous]

It’s the quality of the fabric. Cashmere is a great example. Cashmere is cashmere right. True until it’s turned into yarn. Long threads are more expensive and hold up over time with nominal pilling. Short threads are cheaper and don’t (talking to you jcrew) so you can get a quality sweater made in China, it’s the fabric the company chooses to use - and yes they choose- that impacts the quality. The best quality clothing I have found in recent years is made in Japan. Hands down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The expensive big name designer clothes are usually made in the same sweatshops as everything else, including the walmart stuff.

No surprise.

My in laws owned a garment factory in South Georgia in the 80s. They said they would make the exact same coats for London Fog as for Walmart- only difference was the tags sewn in. You literally are only paying for the name a lot of times- the quality is rarely better.

And honestly, in Asia, the knock-offs are actually real with a slight flaw. My Botega Venetta knockoff bought in a backroom in Shanghai was exactly the same thing as the real bag my sister owns. They've both lasted 10+ years too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ok, so weird Eileen Fisher marketing plug aside...

This is why I mostly buy consignment clothes now. Very high end consignment (the Real Real and a few in person shops I love in DC) often has amazing quality if you know what to look for (natural fabrics, evidence of care by prior owner). It can cost significantly more than Target or the Gap or whatever, but far less than buying high end designers new, and I personally think it's a better investment because then I'm never chasing a trend -- everything is at least a season or more out of date, so you naturally wind up buying more classic, timeless designs.

Plus it's way more eco-conscious. And you are still supporting an industry -- consignment stores are largely run by small business owners and are almost always women owned. Even with the Real Real, some amount of your purchase goes to the consignor, which is a real person who can plug that money back into the economy. So it's not like you are opting out. But it funnels money away from retailers and clothing companies that rely on extremely low wage labor, often in countries with awful labor practices. And it's more environmentally conscious. To me it's an obvious win all around and I don't miss the days of buying new at all. I now think back to bringing home a bag full of brand new clothes and am almost embarrassed at how wasteful and exploitative that was.

How is it a marketing plug when OP is saying it's bad quality? What a weirdo you are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok, so weird Eileen Fisher marketing plug aside...

This is why I mostly buy consignment clothes now. Very high end consignment (the Real Real and a few in person shops I love in DC) often has amazing quality if you know what to look for (natural fabrics, evidence of care by prior owner). It can cost significantly more than Target or the Gap or whatever, but far less than buying high end designers new, and I personally think it's a better investment because then I'm never chasing a trend -- everything is at least a season or more out of date, so you naturally wind up buying more classic, timeless designs.

Plus it's way more eco-conscious. And you are still supporting an industry -- consignment stores are largely run by small business owners and are almost always women owned. Even with the Real Real, some amount of your purchase goes to the consignor, which is a real person who can plug that money back into the economy. So it's not like you are opting out. But it funnels money away from retailers and clothing companies that rely on extremely low wage labor, often in countries with awful labor practices. And it's more environmentally conscious. To me it's an obvious win all around and I don't miss the days of buying new at all. I now think back to bringing home a bag full of brand new clothes and am almost embarrassed at how wasteful and exploitative that was.

How is it a marketing plug when OP is saying it's bad quality? What a weirdo you are.

PP’s not referring to the OP, but to the actual weirdo who revived a three-year-old thread to plug Eileen Fisher.