Can quality make a comeback?
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| Balenciaga jean |
What "better" means depends on a woman's quality standards and means, but also the intersection of her values with her closet. If I had $595 to spend on these Balenciaga jeans, I could not do it.
Quality criteria include materials, construction, durability; could you wear this for at least five years? It also includes consistency in delivering that quality.
It does not consider other factors such as style, size range or access. I began to think of quality in terms of four categories, clockwise from top left:
High quality; you might never buy it, but it represents the best of ready-to-wear
Example: Tomas Maier striped cashmere sweater.
Very good quality; you would buy, or buy on sale/resale
Example: ça va de soi "Bercy" merino tunic
Level Three: Acceptable
Decent quality, at least for some items; may be inconsistent
Example: J. Crew merino sweater-blazer
Level Four: Low
Quality is either deliberately low ("fast fashion"), or has slipped from Acceptable; can look pretty good, especially if you don't plan to wear it long
Example: Zara oversized acrylic-nylon sweater
Grown women fit into a bell-curve distribution, with the majority buying at Levels Two and Three; and a few outliers at the other ends of the quality continuum. Women who depend on Level Three, Acceptable are always asking, What happened to the quality?
Three reasons for the erosion of Acceptable quality:
1. New ownership, often from a family or privately-held firm to private-equity firms. Land's End, now majority-owned by Sear's top shareholder, ESL Partners, and Talbot's, owned by Sycamore Partners are but two examples. This kind of "rescue deal" always presages a quality drop.
2. Financial stress: Look behind the attractive web sites or shops to results, and you will find financial turbulence; last spring, J. Crew's debt was around $2 billion. That translates into more acrylic in your sweater, and ever more goods produced in China and Vietnam.
3. Pressure from the bottom. When Level Four brands H&M or Forever21 remerchandise their stores every three to five weeks, Level Three feels the heat. Short cycles equal cheap manufacturing. Fast Fashion is the bedbug: nipping, causing misery, and not going away.
This means you can't trust brands you once relied on. (Remember when Anne Klein made covetable clothes? When a Coach bag would last for a decade or more?) One of the axioms of Marketing 101 was "A brand is a promise", but some of the best-known now have their fingers crossed.
When a brand renowned for quality slips, it's work to find a substitute, especially if moving up to Level One isn't possible. The high-low thing never really works; a Liberty neckerchief on a badly-cut top that closes with the now-ubiquitous exposed zipper will not elevate the top.
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| Liberty of London neckerchief |
Faint hope
One hope is the rise of Level Three e-tailers like Everlane (apparel), Warby Parker (eyewear) and Coclico (shoes). They promise to fuse quality to accountability, and though not every company aiming to hit the sweet spot of ethics and quality will make it, the model appeals to me...and so do these gold booties:
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| Colico booties |
Such brands are aimed at young adults, but often the sizes or cuts are not right for mature bodies. (How to produce a $100 cashmere sweater: cut out the retail presence, but also, crop it very short.)
And many in their target market find their prices out of reach. Becky, a friend's 28-year-old daughter, is unimpressed by Everlane et al. She says she'd rather buy at Level 4: just get something cute, at H&M, don't expect much, bin it after a season.
I am dismayed by that, but Becky's tactics are easier to apply: no navigating web sites, no sending stuff back—and I can't even say to Becky, "But, look at this, the quality is so good!" because the 'this' is so much harder to find. She will borrow her mother's Jaeger coat without a glance at the bound buttonholes, but maybe she will feel the difference.
The quality so long missing from North American sports and casual wear (rarely made there anymore) is making a last stand in small niche brands, but unless the sizes and cuts satisfy older as well as younger buyers, they will be buried under the low-priced manufacturers offering a trend-driven selection of inferior goods.
Comments
But I despair of stores like Talbots, which used to be a stalwart of good suit pieces that wore like iron... And I don't know what to do about people who are happy with "cheap and cheerful" clothing - they're going to destroy the planet without a 2nd thought.
And although I'm very short-waisted, some sweaters are still absurdly short. Are your abs really THAT attractive...
Shaking my head,
Janice
I'm willing to pay for good quality that will last but I can't pay $595 for a pair of jeans - both financially and psychologically. Thanks to you I found Eric Bompard and Brora and I've found linen shirts for summer. Well-fitting pants are the real bugaboo. I still buy jeans and cords from Talbot's as their fit works on my shape at least i t's the best I can find after a lot of looking. The t-shirts have declined in quality for sure.
And yet we keep being told that baby boomers rule the market...hah!!
BTW I like the look of those booties. La Canadienne still makes shoes and boots in Canada, last I heard. Very good quality. https://www.lacanadienneshoes.com/ca_en/#
I try not to buy in category 4 and I certainly don't buy very much at all these days but it is so difficult to a) find quality items and b) find quality items that aren't priced at ridiculous amounts! And yes, even if I had the money I wouldn't spend close to a $1000 for a thin cotton Boho top that I might get to wear with jeans a couple of times per summer! Saw this in Holt's not so long ago!
And when you are petite and plump - it's even more difficult!
Thanks to blogs like "The Vivienne Files" I have been working on streamlining my wardrobe and really thinking about future purchases. I've always preferred quality over quantity (thanks for that tip Dad) but these days even a higher cost doesn't necessarily mean quality.
And I reject the idea that Milennials will somehow lead us out of the wilderness - H&M, Forever 21, Old Navy etc. are always packed with those in their teens & twenties and even thirties! I think that it's the older woman who now thinks a bit more about making wise purchases.
A great topic as always.
Darla: Rant away, sister. I've been stung by re-ordering jeans and the same jean, same size is too small. Grrr.
Jane W.: I have returned to thrifting (for a few things) after a 30-year absence, mainly for the fun, and once in awhile I find a very high quality item in perfect shape. I look for current things that were someone's mistake. A nearly 70 year old woman in vintage is a bit Miss Havisham. I If I were your daughter's age I would look at mens', too.
LauraH: If I had to nominate one item on which I rely, it is EB sweaters. They are my uniform 7 months a year, and I have a number that are at least 12 years old, a few twenty years, and going strong. (Several invisibly mended thanks to moths.) Thanks for mentioning La Canadienne, very high quality.
Margie from Toronto: I didn't see that, but did watch the excellent doc on Netflix, "The True Cost" and have been reading similar articles for years. It's one of my soapbox causes. I avoid fast fashion...confess I did buy a couple of cute Forever21 totes b/c had a gift card.
I'm surprised no one has written that hard-to-fit women ought to sew their own basics. It certainly is one option, but you do need skills. Mine are rusty but I could probably muster a simple skirt.
Your Dad was likely from the same era as my Mom! She had a camel hair coat, must have worn it for at least 15 years. Then Dad bought her a new one (identical) for Christmas. In private, she wept, because she said "No one will know I have a new coat." But then she wore it another 15.
Quality has never gone away, it's shifted to lesser known brands. The best quality for price are sports brands-Patagonia, North Face and Columbia. I regularly pair one of their pieces with more conservative pieces for a city-appropriate look.
Shoes are good options for incorporating quality in a wardrobe. I just purchased a pair of Nisolo D'Orsay oxfords-stylish, comfortable and they'll last forever.
Laura Jantek: I had to deprogram myself from "Oh I'm wearing that again." I have one friend who still comments on whether she has seen what I am wearing before, but now it is hard to tell as I often wear a 'uniform' item that could be any age, like my black cashmere turtleneck.
sgillie: You are lucky to find a brand that fits you, and has styles you like. I have a few, and it has resulted in a 'uniform' approach to dressing which I don't mind, but if I could find more decent clothes, I might branch out a bit! I agree, too, about the athletic/leisure brands you mention. You can also find quality in shoes, but the investment is significant.
I bought two pairs of Thierry Rabotin shoes, and they were great, but they could not be repaired- at over $400 a pair, I would like to be able to wear them longer. I spent the same amount on bespoke oxfords that I can probably wear forever.
Except for that item, this is my year of buying no clothing at all, not even socks, underwear or jewelry. I don't need anything new. After a thorough purge, I'm going to shop my closet and get creative, and use the savings for something I need much more: new drapes, and a new sofa and love seat!
New drapes, sofa and love seat should take care of your clothing budget!
I will be 50 this summer, but I work from home and do not need too many clothes, but I've always strived for quality and my motto is "I am not too rich to buy cheap stuff", so my wardrobe is pretty slim, comparing to other American ladies. My big vise though, that's been here for 20 years is Hermes scarves and shawls. The latter's quality declined big time, huge over time! I have a shawl from 1999, that looks like new and a shawl from last season that looks like it was used as a dog blankie.
I buy everything online and send back a big portion of it. I stopped by a Zara store a few months ago first time in ages and was absolutely appalled by the quality of EVERYTHING. So I stay away from such vendors. The majority of my clothing budget is spent on Hermes and shoes from Tieks and Sabah (I can highly recommend both). I love Brora too! Cashmere and silk skirts are my staples from them. I have only a handful of purses and they are older Balenciaga and Prada, nothing new or "IT". I recently "discovered" pearls and they are my new "hobby", but I've learned right away about places like The Pearl Guide and buy only quality for a fraction of retail cost. Being a recent widow I cannot stop thinking of what I really need in life in terms of "things" and what I will leave behind for my children except a good memory... and I have no girls! :)
The quality of all luxury brands went down significantly, whether it is a quality of materials or/and craftsmanship. The quality of Hermes shawls went down gradually over the years, being exceptionally bad around 2009-12 when a lot of customers did return faulty shawls. They somewhat improved the quality in the recent years, but all and all the newer pieces of cashmere are nowhere near the old ones. My cousin used to buy Chanel shawls and they are just awful quality-wise nowadays, so she quited.My theory is that the amount of highest quality cashmere is just too limited - China does not import much and Mongolia is just can't supply enough, the quality went down over the whole upper luxury segment (I'd call that a category 0), and only reserved for exceptional pieces that retail in $5,000+ category for a shawl.
As for Brora, I didn't buy anything from them in more than a year - you are right, the models are just not too appealing for a mature audience. I still enjoy my older Broras...
The Chinese are moving from the low and middle end to better cashmere:
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/27/business/cashmere-moves-on-and-scotland-feels-a-chill.html
But what to do about the staples that you know you're going to have to replace often, like white tee-shirts? Until very recently, I was willing to spend more for better quality for these, but was disappointed to discover that quality at Boden has taken a dive. Sigh.
Judy: And look at what you are making! Whee!
Sisty: You are lucky those gab pants don;t have a shiny bottom by now. Sorry to hear Boden too have dropped. I bought a classic cotton shirt there, about a dozen years ago. I found it skimpily cut and badly finished.
As a former executive in the fashion industry, I have despaired of the decline in quality and styles for woman that don't want to dress like a 20 year. I worked for companies that were known as "bridge" that had style and quality but not the designer price tag. Those type of lines have disappeared! Anne Klein was certainly one of those companies, as was Liz Claiborne.I worked for the Ralph Lauren classifications(not the high price collection), Jeffrey Banks and ALexander Julian.
I find that Eileen Fisher mostly has quality items made to an ethical standard but her collections are primarily black or gray and when she offers colors, too often they're muted or muddy or bright jewels tones. If those aren't your colors, the selection is limited.
My husband is still in the industry, in men's wear, and there are more companies that offer made in America. Interesting.
Great post. I enjoy the thoughtfulness of your blog!
There is a wealth of information out there. New tools, evolved techniques, some very good online fabric shops, interesting pattern lines--it's not home economics circa 1969 (which is when I learned to sew). That said, you don't have to have a brand-new machine, nor do you have to have multiple machines.
You may be interested in my most-ever read post, "What is It About Eileen Fisher":
http://passagedesperles.blogspot.ca/2013/10/what-is-it-about-eileen-fisher.html
Jean Shaw: Good for you! The RTW fast is really cool. (And I wish she would make an exception for thrifts, because thrifted items are rescued from landfill.) There is so much more choice of fabric thanks to online shops. I still browse patterns and read of others' projects. I learned to sew in '62, junior high; my old Singer Featherweight (enamel over cast iron, no plastic!) is a beloved member of my daughter-in-law's machine collection.
I have had the same convos as you have with milennial acquainances. Many are totally OK with one season's wear and then on to the next bit of fast fashion. Weren't they supposed to be the "save the planet" generation? When asked, never unsolicited, I will proffer the advantages of buying quality and the proof that cost per wear is far lower with a quality garment than with a Walmart special. It's as if the cost per wear argument is unable to compute in many 20-30 something minds.
On the other hand, I know some millennial moms who are very tired of buying garbage for their children and watching it fall apart before it is outgrown. Wasn't it the other way around when ours were little, outgrowing clothing that was in perfect shape and able to be passed on? These moms are now going town to town, shopping the thrifts, comparing notes on FB, and spreading the word on quality garments for their children. Alas there is hope.
every month, and more if she gets cash gifts ( the only kind she wants.)
You just couldn’t do that then.
Lagatta: Boots in new condition at a thrift are a major score! And we’re having the cold weather to appreciate them.
https://www.landsend.com/products/womens-shaped-layering-crewneck-t-shirt/id_315186?sku_0=::JP5
which are cotton with a bit of rayon, so drape (not cling). But one woman's just right is another woman's too thick or thin.
Besides easily stained, white tees sometimes go yellowish just sitting in the drawer.
It does control me too, but when I need something it is so hard to find the details I miss.
Though hesitant to jinx it by saying so, I have not seen any moths in almost three months, not in the traps or in my frequent, obsessive inspections.
My beef is more with wobbly seams and sloppily-inset zippers, bunchy armholes and those stupidly low and wide dolman sleeves, cheap dyes in woven fabrics, shallow pleats, the vanished details used to be on shirts (darts, pleated yokes), the lack of interfacing, cheap plastic buttons, nonexistent pockets. Stiff, cheap denim and acrylic-wool blends that shred at the first wash, and no linings, no fabric in a hem. That's just a start.