Cheap fashion that looks expensive

[Anonymous]

Can I beg you not to buy fast fashion? I hear that you’re on a budget but secondhand on Poshmark or on sale elsewhere is a better option.

[Anonymous]

Another recommendation for quince! Lots of nice staples in natural fabrics for not that much money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Target

+1

I have some cute boho tops and dresses from Target. I always get compliments on them and they are well made.

We live in hell when someone actually and honestly thinks that their Target sweatshop clothes are “well made.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Another recommendation for quince! Lots of nice staples in natural fabrics for not that much money.

I first heard of Quince from a similar thread on this forum and was just digging through the site last night getting ready to place my first order. Soooo many cute basics, and I’m looking forward to giving them a try.

Come to think of it, next order after that is probably Okhai, which I also learned about here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Target does not look expensive. I used to enjoy getting cute things there, but once I hit my forties, the stuff was just so cheap looking I couldn’t pull it off anymore.

Agree with Zara. I was actually just there today and bought a bunch of stuff on sale that looks like it could have cost $200, not $30. Lots of Zara stuff looks cheap, but if you know what to look for, it can look much higher end. And can last a long time - I have Zara stuff in my wardrobe that’s 15 years old.

Boden and jcrew pull above their weight. Anthro and madewell look less expensive than they actually are (tho in the case of anthro, I will buy random stuff there just because it is unique and cute - but I have to be careful what I pair it with).

Has J Crew improved? Their quality and fit took a nose dive about 10 years ago.

[Anonymous]

It’s more about the fabric the brand, and does require discernment because most shops are designed to encourage impulsive buying.

My fave place to shop is Uniqlo. Most of my and my kids clothes are from there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Target does not look expensive. I used to enjoy getting cute things there, but once I hit my forties, the stuff was just so cheap looking I couldn’t pull it off anymore.

Agree with Zara. I was actually just there today and bought a bunch of stuff on sale that looks like it could have cost $200, not $30. Lots of Zara stuff looks cheap, but if you know what to look for, it can look much higher end. And can last a long time - I have Zara stuff in my wardrobe that’s 15 years old.

Boden and jcrew pull above their weight. Anthro and madewell look less expensive than they actually are (tho in the case of anthro, I will buy random stuff there just because it is unique and cute - but I have to be careful what I pair it with).

Has J Crew improved? Their quality and fit took a nose dive about 10 years ago.

They used to be high quality, then tried to go more fast fashion trendy about 10 years ago and their quality plummeted. They’re trying to get back to form, and have been putting out good stuff lately.

[Anonymous]

In my experience this really varies across brands and individual items. I have a few recent things from J Crew, Loft, AT, that are surprisingly great but the vast majority of what I have ordered/tried from those stores is a mess. Wild difference in fabric and fit quality across items etc. So I think you can pull great things together and get them on sale but it requires huge trial and error (in my case, lots of internet orders and returns to find the gems, which then go to tailor for tweaks to fit perfectly).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Target does not look expensive. I used to enjoy getting cute things there, but once I hit my forties, the stuff was just so cheap looking I couldn’t pull it off anymore.

Agree with Zara. I was actually just there today and bought a bunch of stuff on sale that looks like it could have cost $200, not $30. Lots of Zara stuff looks cheap, but if you know what to look for, it can look much higher end. And can last a long time - I have Zara stuff in my wardrobe that’s 15 years old.

Boden and jcrew pull above their weight. Anthro and madewell look less expensive than they actually are (tho in the case of anthro, I will buy random stuff there just because it is unique and cute - but I have to be careful what I pair it with).

Has J Crew improved? Their quality and fit took a nose dive about 10 years ago.

It hasn’t significantly improved, but the op was asking for stuff that looks more expensive. Not stuff that is good quality. Because a lot of the jcrew look is preppy and more tailored, if you shop wisely, you can find lots of things that look expensive there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Target

+1

I have some cute boho tops and dresses from Target. I always get compliments on them and they are well made.

We live in hell when someone actually and honestly thinks that their Target sweatshop clothes are “well made.”

Target requires discernment. Lots of it is cheap looking crap. But every spring Target has a number of nice summer dresses for $30 or $40 so that are comparable to sundresses that I’ve purchased for $300. So yes, those can look “expensive.”

Would I buy slacks or blazers there? No.

[Anonymous]

Ebay

[Anonymous]

Penney’s or Kohl’s

[Anonymous]

Uniqlo cashmere is great bang for the buck. Also uniqlo outerwear in winter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can I beg you not to buy fast fashion? I hear that you’re on a budget but secondhand on Poshmark or on sale elsewhere is a better option.

Not op but fast fashion is fashion. We can’t all have a huge budget.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another recommendation for quince! Lots of nice staples in natural fabrics for not that much money.

I first heard of Quince from a similar thread on this forum and was just digging through the site last night getting ready to place my first order. Soooo many cute basics, and I’m looking forward to giving them a try.

Come to think of it, next order after that is probably Okhai, which I also learned about here.

After reading this thread, I was inspired to order a dress from Quince. It just arrived, and I love it! I ordered this:
https://www.quince.com/women/100-organic-cotton-smocked-midi-dress?color=navy&tracker=landingPage__search_section__search_results