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

[Anonymous]

High priced clothing doesn't mean high quality.

Last summer I was shopping for sweater coats. They were anywhere from $250 up depending on where you shopped. The longer more chunkier the higher the price. One day I spent hours looking for those then came upon the exact same sweater coat I wanted for, get this, $30. They looked just like the high end kind I wanted but wouldn't pay for. So I ordered one of each color. When I got them, they exceeded my expectations. Not only where they well made but they were the best fitting long sweaters I ever owned.

Made in China. Shoot me. Nearly everything I own was made in China. So what. I paid less for 5 sweater coats than I would have buying one. And I have washed them. They have yet to fall apart. I figure for $30, if they last one cold season, I got my money's worth.

I refuse to be a label snob and pay hundreds of dollars for a piece of clothing. What I saved can be used to buy more next year.

BTW, I have been stopped by other women while shopping and asked where I got the sweater. You should see their faces when I tell them where they come from.

[Anonymous]

Please keep the suggestions coming. Inspired by KonMari and by my hate for shopping, I have been trying to only buy one-and-done type clothes for about a year now and it just leaves me so frustrated. The only two places that have been home runs for me are Everlane (their leather loafers are to die for a age beautifully. I got mine in olive and they are go everything) and LLBean. I'm only 30, though, and although I dress simply I dress stylishly, so it's been hard to find things that can last for several years while keeping that in mind. But right now jbrand jeans, llbean tops, and boots from everlane have kept me going as simple and stylish goes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Can you list a few? The only one I know is Giant hoodies and there's a wait list for those!

I hate how jcrew has gone downhill but they do sometimes sell select items made in the us or in Europe. For example, jeans and shoes.

Yes, Jcrew has gone completely downhill, but their prices keep climbing.... sometimes, outrageously so.

Jcrew is ridiculous. I used to not mind spending a little more because I loved the stuff I got from there. I stopped shopping there a few years ago because everything was CRAP. I get the same quality at Old Navy for 1/4 the price AND I can return stuff. Jcrew loves to mark things down by about 4% and then call it "final sale" so you can't return it if you shop online. Their bathing suits are the only thing I still like, but even those are getting ridiculously expensive.

[Anonymous]

Recently wrote to Eileen Fisher complaining about quality of sweaters, tops, pants, etc. Seemed to be the first they had heard of it. Older E/F clothes are great. Current ones are awful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Recently wrote to Eileen Fisher complaining about quality of sweaters, tops, pants, etc. Seemed to be the first they had heard of it. Older E/F clothes are great. Current ones are awful.

Really I haven't had a problem with EF. Now JCrew, that's a different story - their quality has gone way down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:High priced clothing doesn't mean high quality.

Last summer I was shopping for sweater coats. They were anywhere from $250 up depending on where you shopped. The longer more chunkier the higher the price. One day I spent hours looking for those then came upon the exact same sweater coat I wanted for, get this, $30. They looked just like the high end kind I wanted but wouldn't pay for. So I ordered one of each color. When I got them, they exceeded my expectations. Not only where they well made but they were the best fitting long sweaters I ever owned.

Made in China. Shoot me. Nearly everything I own was made in China. So what. I paid less for 5 sweater coats than I would have buying one. And I have washed them. They have yet to fall apart. I figure for $30, if they last one cold season, I got my money's worth.

I refuse to be a label snob and pay hundreds of dollars for a piece of clothing. What I saved can be used to buy more next year.

BTW, I have been stopped by other women while shopping and asked where I got the sweater. You should see their faces when I tell them where they come from.

Such ignorance. Once upon a time, yes, a better label generally meant better clothing. Better fabrics, stronger, nicer thread, better seams, better patterns, more tailoring, better working conditions and pay for all involved. It's not being a "label snob" to care about these things. I own mostly made in China clothing, too, but I don't brag about it, I buy less and less every year and am now picking Made in America labels.

[Anonymous]

On a related note, it is increasingly difficult to find wool pants that are lined for work. When did lining become a luxury? And, some "nicer" dresses I have bought in the last two years are lined with awful polyester. Why line a summer linen sheath dress with polyester (which does not breathe?)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I will jump on this an add a few brands. About five or six years ago, I used to buy Elie Tahari because it was high quality. Now it might as we'll be h&m. And 10 plus years ago, I bought bcbg, which is also crap. I don't mind paying for a quality, but I do mind paying for crap with a brand name slapped on it.

Some of the fabrics are so sheer, I might as well wear cellophane.

I blame sweat shops and private equity cos seeking to increase margins.

Right now I will buy Tory burch or Burberry because at least the quality is there.

I completely agree about BCBG and Tahari. I had pieces I wore forever and they looked great until they just eventually went out of style.

Burberry is still quality. Tory Burch, not so much, and I'm not sure it ever was. I had a Robinson bag as my work tote a few years ago, and the stitching was loose and the handles coming apart within a few weeks. The store fixed it, but not well, and it immediately fell apart again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:On a related note, it is increasingly difficult to find wool pants that are lined for work. When did lining become a luxury? And, some "nicer" dresses I have bought in the last two years are lined with awful polyester. Why line a summer linen sheath dress with polyester (which does not breathe?)

Lined pants have been almost impossible to find for at least three years now. Someone said Talbots might have them. I haven't tried there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd never be stupid enough to pay much for anything made in china. That's crazy. The slave trade quality is always inferior.

Please don't be rude

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Can you list a few? The only one I know is Giant hoodies and there's a wait list for those!

According to this New Yorker profile, Theory manufactures in the US, or tries to.
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2013/09/23/130923fa_fact_mead

JBrand, Adriano Goldschmied, and American Apparel are all manufactured in California.

Interesting. I bought several pairs of super-pricey Adriana Goldschmied jeans a few years ago. Have never paid so much for jeans in my life. They were recommended here for petites, and I loved how they fit. They lasted about 5 months, at which point the fabric was puckering and thinning (they weren't particularly tight) to the point of being unwearable. Had to throw them out. I've had $25 pairs of jeans from American Eagle Outfitters that lasted 10x as long. Total racket.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am actually considering sewing some clothes for myself! I was thinking of starting with a very basic cotton skirt for the summertime.

I wish there were classes on basic sewing skills through more advanced classes, specifically on making womens clothing. It can't be that hard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am actually considering sewing some clothes for myself! I was thinking of starting with a very basic cotton skirt for the summertime.

I wish there were classes on basic sewing skills through more advanced classes, specifically on making womens clothing. It can't be that hard.

It's not that hard. I've refreshed my sewing skills so I can at least choose the basic pattern and fabrics I want for simple pants and skirts (I don't remember how to do pleats, lining, etc). Joann's Fabrics in Wheaton and G Street Fabrics in Rockville offer classes, including intro classes. Joann's had one (might have been for teens) called Sew a Basic Skirt. The new classes begin right now - December. Sign up!

[Anonymous]

PP again. There is a fabric/sewing shop in Old Town Alexandria that also offers classes. I stumbled in a year ago and a group of women were finishing their skirt project! They were all so different and pretty.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am actually considering sewing some clothes for myself! I was thinking of starting with a very basic cotton skirt for the summertime.

I wish there were classes on basic sewing skills through more advanced classes, specifically on making womens clothing. It can't be that hard.

It is and it isn't. Any fool can slap fabric together, but it's going to look homemade for most people.

Frankly, I wish seamstresses would come back into fashion. Did anyone used to read the Betsy-Tracy books when they were little? Those are the kind of seamstresses to which I am referring.