I really like Boston Proper. Especially their Beyond Travel collection which requires no ironing - I love that I can machine wash my work dresses and hang them up straight out of the dryer and they're ready to wear.

I find that theory too cheap. It was fine when I was 20.

OP I’m starting to buy the brands I always thought were too expensive/old for me. St John, Lafayette 148, Max Mara.

Anonymous wrote:I’ve started to turn to MMLaFleur and Theory for work. A bit more expensive and formal than I’d prefer but so many clothes feel cheap and don’t last. I do banana republic for pants because they fit my csection belly best. I mix in some tops from Biden or Loft if the fit and quality is right. I was on a kick with Quince shirts but have noticed they are easy to get snagged. ISO good jeans for the weekend, haven’t found a style that fits right.

I own several pieces from MMLaFleur. They use cheap polyester fabrics- the antithesis of high quality. I agree with Theory being a good option. Vince and Veronica Beard are also good choices.

I'm really liking Banana Republic fabrics these days.

Surprisingly, Abercrombie has come out ahead for me lately. For the office, the Sloan tailored pants have been great, the linen pants/blazers are solid, tuckable essential T’s are great for layering. I have several of their dresses, jeans, denim shorts in my weekend rotation.

I still get most of my button downs from JCrew, but I just returned several dresses this week that all fit but had some odd features or poor quality stitching. Lots of things unlined.

BR, Vinyard Vines, Tuckernuck, etc all have the same issues as JCrew. Sort of feels like Abercrombie knew they had to level up to recapture the millennials after a 15 year hiatus, and the others let their quality go because they already had the establishment in the market to skirt by on bad quality without lowering prices.

I think Betsy fisher is a good idea.

I learned about Halsbrook (which is a store not a clothing brand) on this site and it’s been great for when I feel like embracing my middle age. Proceed with caution or you might end up looking “60’s at the country club” instead of “40’s at the office” but I’ve discovered some brands I didn’t know about and really like. It’s kind of the middle ground of price and quality I think.

Anonymous wrote:I’ve started to turn to MMLaFleur and Theory for work. A bit more expensive and formal than I’d prefer but so many clothes feel cheap and don’t last. I do banana republic for pants because they fit my csection belly best. I mix in some tops from Biden or Loft if the fit and quality is right. I was on a kick with Quince shirts but have noticed they are easy to get snagged. ISO good jeans for the weekend, haven’t found a style that fits right.

Above should have said Boden 😂

I’ve started to turn to MMLaFleur and Theory for work. A bit more expensive and formal than I’d prefer but so many clothes feel cheap and don’t last. I do banana republic for pants because they fit my csection belly best. I mix in some tops from Biden or Loft if the fit and quality is right. I was on a kick with Quince shirts but have noticed they are easy to get snagged. ISO good jeans for the weekend, haven’t found a style that fits right.

I just turned 40 and after three kids and three years of working at home, I am finally going back to the office two days a week. I realized I have nothing work appropriate to wear and I generally want to look more put together even when at home or during the weekend? What brands are reasonably priced but also good quality? Vince used to be one of my go to’s but I bought pants from them and they are starting to fall apart after a month of wearing them.

On a separate note, I am thinking of going to the Betsy Fisher pop up on Sunday. I was wondering if anyone has been to her pop ups and what people think of the brands she brings. Some are super expensive and outside my budget but others seem to be slightly more affordable.