Completely agree. Bought a simple white shirt from them. Thing is destroyed after wearing it ONCE. Total waste of money. And - the employees are incredibly rude. I’m taking my money elsewhere.

Anonymous wrote:^^Per pj. I buy them back in Europe every single time I go. Cotton and nicely made and simple. My mom will always bring all of us pjs from there too. They are so great and waist never gets lose like the ones from here. I don't understand why is it so hard to make simple cotton pjs?

I'm that PP. Thanks for the heads up. We are going to the UK next year. I will make sure to go PJ shopping there. Where should I go? Sorry to hijack.

I also find that their duvets are better and cheaper than the ones we get here. But, unfortunately, that's too bulky to bring back with us.

I just bought my first interview suit in decades. My old go-to in the corporate world was Ann Taylor, so that's where I went first. I was appalled--cheap fabrics and terrible fit.

I'm sitting here wearing a 100% wool suit jacket I got 15 some yrs ago at Ann Taylor *LOFT*. Condition still close to perfect. It is unbelievable how much the quality has fallen. I probably looked better as a newbie lawyer than I do now paying far more.

^^Per pj. I buy them back in Europe every single time I go. Cotton and nicely made and simple. My mom will always bring all of us pjs from there too. They are so great and waist never gets lose like the ones from here. I don't understand why is it so hard to make simple cotton pjs?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You have to pay more to get quality. Reiss, Theory, Rag & Bone, L’Agence...there are lots of nice clothes out there. But you’re not going to find them at the Ann Taylor price point.

You are missing the point. Yes, if I spend a thousand dollars I can probably buy a quality outfit. But why are traditional reliable middle class brands cheap now?

Because fast fashion and outsourcing textiles to China etc. Focus on more and changing styles every season as opposed to things that last. Businesses made the calculus that it's more effective for them to sell you a cheap shirt every year as opposed to a decent one every 5. Price was king for a long time and in the run to the bottom quality left. Planned obsolescence of clothes is the same as of appliances and other durable goods, its a nice business racket.
And not you don't need to spend a thousand dollars. Just more than $20 on a shirt.

Ann Taylor shirts cost more than $20. And the issue of fast fashion and cheap China labor and materials affects "high quality" labels as well. I'm not convinced that spending more will give me higher quality clothes.

Exactly. Yesterday I was looking at a beautiful ted baker dress for $350. I look at the material, it’s polyester/spandex. Why on earth would I pay $350 for a polyester dress??

Yep... I have been trying to buy only cotton shirts, which is actually kind of hard to find, even plain tshirts. I found them at the Gap. On sale, they are like $10. I was on the hunt for decent cotton pjs, too. Wow, so hard to find that won't break the bank. I found them on amazon by an unknown company. The only bad thing about cotton is that they shrink in the dryer if you are not careful. Even mostly cotton underwear is becoming harder to find. Everything is synthetic.

I was also on the hunt for cotton comforter because we have allergies and the feather duvet makes it worse. Again, super hard to find in brick and mortar stores unless you go to some upscale (read overpriced) store. Found one on amazon that was decently priced. My DC loves the new comforter.

I am done searching for these things in brick and mortar stores. Too hard to find. It's exhausting. First place I look now will be amazon.

Anonymous wrote:Who saw the SNL skit yesterday? "Fashion Coward". I have a ton of Ann Taylor and LOFT clothes and died laughing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JE4VdrKf40s

Thanks! That is so me! Had a good laugh at myself!

Several years ago I decided to never buy AT or Loft clothes unless they were 40% off because that’s when they start to feel like the price and the quality are more in line. Their $250 cashmere sweaters are crap and look good for one season. They used to make nice work clothes and I remember looking forward to the day that I could afford to buy all my work clothes there (20 years ago). Now it’s mostly disappointing - ill-fitting shirts that are either too low or too thin to wear alone are especially frustrating.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You have to pay more to get quality. Reiss, Theory, Rag & Bone, L’Agence...there are lots of nice clothes out there. But you’re not going to find them at the Ann Taylor price point.

You are missing the point. Yes, if I spend a thousand dollars I can probably buy a quality outfit. But why are traditional reliable middle class brands cheap now?

Because fast fashion and outsourcing textiles to China etc. Focus on more and changing styles every season as opposed to things that last. Businesses made the calculus that it's more effective for them to sell you a cheap shirt every year as opposed to a decent one every 5. Price was king for a long time and in the run to the bottom quality left. Planned obsolescence of clothes is the same as of appliances and other durable goods, its a nice business racket.
And not you don't need to spend a thousand dollars. Just more than $20 on a shirt.

Ann Taylor shirts cost more than $20. And the issue of fast fashion and cheap China labor and materials affects "high quality" labels as well. I'm not convinced that spending more will give me higher quality clothes.

Exactly. Yesterday I was looking at a beautiful ted baker dress for $350. I look at the material, it’s polyester/spandex. Why on earth would I pay $350 for a polyester dress??