High quality means not made in China. Only exception is silk.

High Quality to me means 'not mass produced", mostly natural fabrics, and not made in any 2nd or 3rd world country.

I think you actually have to look at the clothes before you buy, or examine it closely when it arrives. Agree with PPs that the overall quality of clothes, even expensive clothes, have declined in recent years. However, I've found that you can improve the overall quality of your clothes but looking at them. How are the seams sewn? Are buttons properly attached? Do seams lie flat or do they have bumps? How has the pattern of the fabric been handled with the piecing of the garment -- doesn't necessarily have to match up perfectly depending on the pattern, but better made clothes will put some effort into this. With knits, you can examine the resiliency of the knit by pulling it gently and seeing how it regains shape. Fabric content matters, but you can't just rely on natural versus unnatural fabrics. For instance, how would you evaluate athletic clothes then? But you should still check fabric content and consider it. For instance, when buying a wool coat, look at the actual wool content, as many have very low content and will not be that warm. That kind of thing.

And price does matter. Sure, designer clothes aren't as high quality as they once were. But they are generally better quality than something from Old Navy or Target. And I have found that I can find plenty of high quality items at those mid-market retailers (J.Crew and Banana Republic on the lower end, Theory and Vince on the higher end) as long as I pay attention to the quality of the individual garment.

Anonymous wrote:I avoid any synthetics. For example right now I’m wearing a Boden sweater that’s a cotton-linen blend.

But it’s not like you can just buy high end brands. I have to read the labels of every single thing I buy. It’s annoying.

Really? Is Boden regarded as 'high quality' in America still? In the UK, their quality has plummeted in recent years and I am sure the stock is the same. Their knits are so thin now and dresses and shirts immediately look worn and tired after one wash. I have some Boden pieces from ten years ago that are much higher quality. I suppose Americans will buy and worship anything they perceive as European or British, but the recent Boden offerings are laughable.

They mean expensive. Almost nothing is high quality anymore. My husbands family owned a garment factory in the 80s. He said even then, they would make the same shirt, but half would get a Liz Claiborne or Jaclyn Smith label and half the label for K-Mart. The Liz Claiborne was the same exact shirt but 3x more expensive.

I do think there’s a big difference in like, plastic boots from Target and real leather boots. But mass produced clothing most of us have access to- nah.

High quality has nothing to do with label or price; it is about materials, manufacturing process and practices (living wage, humane labor practices), and construction of the garment.

Nonetheless, often when people say this it is an excuse for wearing old and unfashionable items.

I avoid synthetics. Doesn’t necessarily have to be high end brands. Everlane and J. Crew have less expensive natural fibers. But you do have to look at labels bc even they throw in synthetics.

It depends on the item. I think some Uniqlo t-shirts are good quality for casual wear. They hold up well, are not paper thin and feel good. I don’t think Uniqlo outerwear is good quality.

I mostly buy second-hand or from places like TJ Maxx, so I am not looking for specific brand, rather how the item is made. It helps that I took some sewing/pattern making lessons, so if I see obvious cost cutting stuff there, I don’t count on the quality of the fibers. If I see something is well made, I assume they didn’t cheap out on materials either.

Anonymous wrote:I avoid any synthetics. For example right now I’m wearing a Boden sweater that’s a cotton-linen blend.

But it’s not like you can just buy high end brands. I have to read the labels of every single thing I buy. It’s annoying.

+1 for Boden. I also buy their stuff for my kid and don't always read the label though. This is a helpful tip as I find even the high-end brands inconsistent as you have noted.

Reformation seems to have some decent options.

Anonymous wrote:I avoid any synthetics. For example right now I’m wearing a Boden sweater that’s a cotton-linen blend.

But it’s not like you can just buy high end brands. I have to read the labels of every single thing I buy. It’s annoying.

But I often find that stuff is crap. It looks terrible after a wash or too and worse if you take it to the dry cleaner. If you want to get deep, the content of linen matters and the quality of cotton, and you’re not getting that most of the time. Some synthetic fibers allow clothes to last much longer. The trick is figuring out which ones and what content. My 100% silk and cotton clothes often look like garbage after a few wears.

I avoid any synthetics. For example right now I’m wearing a Boden sweater that’s a cotton-linen blend.

But it’s not like you can just buy high end brands. I have to read the labels of every single thing I buy. It’s annoying.

St John's clothing, Theory, Escada, and some others like that come to mind when discussing 'high quality'.

I would assume that someone who says this avoids clothes made of synthetic fibers and much Chinese-made clothing.

I don't think high quality clothes exist any longer - at any price point. Unless you have a gown made for you for the red carpet.

Curious what this means? What brands? Or what brands avoided?