I find Target has better quality and style than ON with similar prices. Their manufacturers are likely about the same as Old Navy's but Target's store employees get better better benefits than ON's.

I love H&M! Nothing rivals their prices.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you love that they are owned by the Gap brand, who has one of the worst reputations for sweatshop abuses in the industry? Your clothes from there come cheap for a reason.

Can you please list some brands that are made exclusively by people who are paid well above the poverty line for their country; that are affordable enough for a middle class person; and which offer an entire line of products (so, not the random one-off cute scarf at the whole foods checkout line)?

I have yet to locate this purveyor in the untied states but I'm open to suggestion. Finding one reasonably priced ($70) skirt at Catch Can doesn't cut it because I can't wear that to court every day, looking like Stevie Nicks.

You don't know who that is, do you? Because you're 20 yrs old.

13:01 again. H&M is another brand that has a far superior approach to corporate ethics than Gap, and you can get clothes that you can wear to court there every day. And at H&M you can choose to dress like Stevie Nicks or not. Here's a link to H&M's ethics policy:
http://about.hm.com/en/About/Sustainability/Commitments/Be-Ethical.html

I believe that if we make an effort to support companies that are improving their labor practices, more companies will prioritize this issue.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you love that they are owned by the Gap brand, who has one of the worst reputations for sweatshop abuses in the industry? Your clothes from there come cheap for a reason.

Can you please list some brands that are made exclusively by people who are paid well above the poverty line for their country; that are affordable enough for a middle class person; and which offer an entire line of products (so, not the random one-off cute scarf at the whole foods checkout line)?

I have yet to locate this purveyor in the untied states but I'm open to suggestion. Finding one reasonably priced ($70) skirt at Catch Can doesn't cut it because I can't wear that to court every day, looking like Stevie Nicks.

You don't know who that is, do you? Because you're 20 yrs old.

Everything at American Apparel is made by people who are paid a living wage working in good working conditions. It may not be a place where you can find everything you need to wear to court, but neither is Old Navy, which is the subject of this thread. You can also check out Everlane for affordable (not super-cheap) basics made ethically.

Anonymous wrote:I still think that their clothes look insanely cheap. Though so do Loft clothes. Gap is beyond terrible.

OP here. Some of those clothes definitely look cheap, but not all of them. You'd be surprised. Some even feel nice/soft. When Old Navy first opened it seemed like too many the clothes looked cheap and felt icky. Now you can find some decent stuff. Of course in my 20s and 30s I had a slim trim figure so maybe the ON clothes didn't emphasize that for me. Now I exercise and eat healthy, but am forever stuck with a C section belly, wider hips, etc and other extras so I find ON more flattering. Plus, I have gotten plenty of kids T shirts that have lasted for years and still look fine as hand-me downs.

I have to say they know how to work sizing psychology too. A medium at ON is like a Large or Xtra large at quite a few other stores. Also pleased they offer tall sizes. That's probably another reason their clothes work for me.

OP here. Looks like I am not alone. The quality varies tremendously even within a season. I do think dry clean only stuff looks more polished, but these days I'm on a budget and avoiding chemicals so I'm all for inexpensive machine washables even if others find me a tad frumpy.

I was horrified to read the mention of sweatshop abuse. Can you link to a recent article? It seems like everything is made in China these days. Do we have any way of knowing which factories are better than others?

I used to love Old Navy, even worked at one! But for the last several years, their clothes haven't fit me properly -- they're too boxy. All the dresses seem ill-proportioned. The tops are too big, and the bottoms are too small. Very odd.

Love old navy clothes. I find the quality to be great. Cardigans are awesome and so are their rockstars jeans. Fan of most of their dresses as well. Target however.... Is my favorite!

Anonymous wrote:Do you love that they are owned by the Gap brand, who has one of the worst reputations for sweatshop abuses in the industry? Your clothes from there come cheap for a reason.

Can you please list some brands that are made exclusively by people who are paid well above the poverty line for their country; that are affordable enough for a middle class person; and which offer an entire line of products (so, not the random one-off cute scarf at the whole foods checkout line)?

I have yet to locate this purveyor in the untied states but I'm open to suggestion. Finding one reasonably priced ($70) skirt at Catch Can doesn't cut it because I can't wear that to court every day, looking like Stevie Nicks.

You don't know who that is, do you? Because you're 20 yrs old.

I recently found a great cable sweater from Old Navy at my local thrift store. I love it and it's holding up great. Made me re-think my shunning of ON.

Do you love that they are owned by the Gap brand, who has one of the worst reputations for sweatshop abuses in the industry? Your clothes from there come cheap for a reason.

I still think that their clothes look insanely cheap. Though so do Loft clothes. Gap is beyond terrible.

OP here. I am a fan of the cardigans. They are not amazing quality, but they are machine washable and better than I expected.

I haven't tried it in years, for exactly the reason you said. Clothes look cheap and poorly made. I'll have to check them out again.

Many years ago I found most of their clothes so cheap looking and poorly made except for their awesome yoga pants. Now that J Crew, Ann Taylor etc quality has gone way down hill, I have re-discovered ON. If I am going to buy clothes that won't last forever, I might as well spend as little as possible. Plus, quality and selection at ON have improved IMO. Anyone else hopping on the ON train?