Anonymous
Post 12/03/2017 13:40     Subject: Vent - disgusted with quality of Eileen Fisher (and "high-end" clothes generally)
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Interestingly, I started noticing a decline in clothing quality across the board right after I finished grad school and finally had money to spend. I walk into a store and cannot find stuff to buy - unbelievable!


It's a conspiracy. Clothing is no longer made to last. It is made to sag and fall apart to keep us (mainly women) to buy crap and also push the more is better mindset. Nothing is wrong with having a lot of stuff, but if it is a lot of cheap crap, no thanks.
I have a few pieces of clothing from 50's, 60's,70's some from older female relatives that retired long ago and passed them on. All are made very well. They look and feel great! My mom said back in her day or at least how she was raised quality was emphasized over quantity. She didn't have 30 skirts, just 3, but those 3 were stylish, well made and indestructible. I get compliments every time I wear vintage. My look isn't vintage. The few items I have look modern, but I find myself hunting around for simple vintage items that are made so much better than what I find now.


I have been doing the same thing. Hunting for vintage items that look modern. The fabric quality is so much higher.
Anonymous
Post 12/03/2017 09:51     Subject: Vent - disgusted with quality of Eileen Fisher (and "high-end" clothes generally)
Anonymous wrote:I feel like all clothing these days is crappy. I have clothes from ten years ago that have held up, whereas new purchases seem to barely last a season.

It’s how the rich get richer. Planned obsolescence. Some of the wealthiest people in the world own clothing companies.
Anonymous
Post 12/03/2017 00:15     Subject: Vent - disgusted with quality of Eileen Fisher (and "high-end" clothes generally)
I have had no quality issues with Eileen Fisher. I try to invest in several good pieces every year in addition to the basics.

Eileen Fisher as a company is not perfect. I think, however, they are really trying (more than most other companies) to be a responsible corporation on many levels.

https://www.eileenfisher.com/usa-our-factories/usa-our-factories-overview/
Anonymous
Post 12/02/2017 23:28     Subject: Vent - disgusted with quality of Eileen Fisher (and "high-end" clothes generally)
Even Eileen Fisher is trying to pass off rayon (also known as viscose). It's a trash fabric that was used during WWII when natural fibers were unavailable. Nothing made of rayon will hold its shape unless it's outweighed by cotton or polyester.
Anonymous
Post 12/02/2017 23:23     Subject: Vent - disgusted with quality of Eileen Fisher (and "high-end" clothes generally)
Anonymous wrote:Interestingly, I started noticing a decline in clothing quality across the board right after I finished grad school and finally had money to spend. I walk into a store and cannot find stuff to buy - unbelievable!


It's a conspiracy. Clothing is no longer made to last. It is made to sag and fall apart to keep us (mainly women) to buy crap and also push the more is better mindset. Nothing is wrong with having a lot of stuff, but if it is a lot of cheap crap, no thanks.
I have a few pieces of clothing from 50's, 60's,70's some from older female relatives that retired long ago and passed them on. All are made very well. They look and feel great! My mom said back in her day or at least how she was raised quality was emphasized over quantity. She didn't have 30 skirts, just 3, but those 3 were stylish, well made and indestructible. I get compliments every time I wear vintage. My look isn't vintage. The few items I have look modern, but I find myself hunting around for simple vintage items that are made so much better than what I find now.
Anonymous
Post 12/02/2017 21:29     Subject: Vent - disgusted with quality of Eileen Fisher (and "high-end" clothes generally)
Interestingly, I started noticing a decline in clothing quality across the board right after I finished grad school and finally had money to spend. I walk into a store and cannot find stuff to buy - unbelievable!

Anonymous
Post 12/02/2017 20:56     Subject: Re:Vent - disgusted with quality of Eileen Fisher (and "high-end" clothes generally)
Because of the mediocre quality of new clothing, I no longer buy anything new (underwear and some shoes excepted). It's not worth the ridiculous markup. In my opinion, buying new only perpetuates the use of resources our planet doesn't have as well as keeps the cycle of (fast) fashion and labor exploitation alive and well.

After doing some research, I now try to buy brands with reputable supply chains and/or ethical business practices, such as Everlane, Cuyana, Eileen Fisher, Grana, and Patagonia. I shop locally at places like Secondi or online on sites like eBay (ShopMaterialWorld and Linda's Stuff are favorites) as well as thredUP and Swap.com. I've also started wearing vintage, 100% cotton Levi's because they wear so much better than the cotton/spandex jeans I've owned in the past few years that rip, fade, and stretch out easily.

When I get sick of something, I consign it with one of the aforementioned businesses, give it to a female relative or friend, or donate it.

I avoid fabric blends and viscose/polyester like the plague, because they usually don't wear well and the blends pill or fade instantly.
Anonymous
Post 12/02/2017 19:33     Subject: Vent - disgusted with quality of Eileen Fisher (and "high-end" clothes generally)
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!


There is not a wait list anymore. I order them for my HS DD all of the time.
Anonymous
Post 12/02/2017 07:03     Subject: Vent - disgusted with quality of Eileen Fisher (and "high-end" clothes generally)
Anonymous wrote:
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.


Garment sewing takes some time to learn, but it can be self taught. It's a little bit about building up skill with the machine and cutting and a lot about experience matching fabric to pattern. Classes can guide with basic technique, but so much is experience. And really experience buying RTW does count. If you see a fabric and know what it should be--it's too flimsy for a skirt or too stiff for a blouse because you wouldn't buy something like that at a store--that's an important start. But once you have the basics down, sewing is a very rewarding hobby, much more productive than knitting. A lot can be finished in an evening and tiny tweaks like adjusting a hem make an enormous difference. I don't like altering clothes (the unpicking and making do with tiny seam allowances is no fun) but choosing the final hem length when finishing a garment is the best part. G Street's remnant table is amazing. It looks like a pile of horror when you walk in, but dig a little there are very nice neutral fabrics in there. They come from sample rooms, I've found plenty with tags from Theory, Ralph Lauren, DKNY. Even if brands don't manufacture in the US, they design here (for now). It's good quality fabric and the things I've sewn up have lasted years and years, exactly like high end RTW used to last.
Anonymous
Post 12/02/2017 02:58     Subject: Vent - disgusted with quality of Eileen Fisher (and "high-end" clothes generally)
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The expensive big name designer clothes are usually made in the same sweatshops as everything else, including the walmart stuff.

No surprise.


My in laws owned a garment factory in South Georgia in the 80s. They said they would make the exact same coats for London Fog as for Walmart- only difference was the tags sewn in. You literally are only paying for the name a lot of times- the quality is rarely better.



Your in-law told you a fib. London Fogs were never made in South George. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Fog_(company)
Anonymous
Post 12/01/2017 23:57     Subject: Vent - disgusted with quality of Eileen Fisher (and "high-end" clothes generally)
Anonymous wrote:Yeah, I agree. Unfortunately, a lot of those brands are made in China (Theory, Eileen Fisher, etc) so you've got to wonder what you are paying for sometimes.


The last theory dress I bought did NOT hold up well..little holes in the jersey fabric.
Anonymous
Post 12/01/2017 21:26     Subject: Vent - disgusted with quality of Eileen Fisher (and "high-end" clothes generally)
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote: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.

Anyone know the name of it?




I think it's Stitch Sew. Here's a calendar of classes:
http://www.stitchsewshop.com/sew/calendar/
Anonymous
Post 12/01/2017 20:50     Subject: Vent - disgusted with quality of Eileen Fisher (and "high-end" clothes generally)
Anonymous wrote: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.

Anyone know the name of it?
Anonymous
Post 12/01/2017 20:35     Subject: Vent - disgusted with quality of Eileen Fisher (and "high-end" clothes generally)
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Everlane is great for basics. Not everything is made in the US, but the company is very transparent about its factories.


I don’t get the Everlane love. I ordered a few T-shirt’s and was surprised to find all were man made material when they arrived.
Anonymous
Post 12/01/2017 20:34     Subject: Vent - disgusted with quality of Eileen Fisher (and "high-end" clothes generally)
Anonymous wrote:Everlane is great for basics. Not everything is made in the US, but the company is very transparent about its factories.