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Warning - this is a rant from an angry over 60 gal. If you cringe when you hear "back in the day they used to . . .", you might wish to move on to the next thread - lol!
Where are the fabrics they used to make clothes out of? I mean the fabrics that weren't tissue thin, shapeless, light as air, crap! I've been changing my wardrobe lately (gee, thanks Pinterest!) and have been shopping for sweaters, t-shirts, top, jackets. Everything I seem to find, from Targets to Macys, is made of fabric I could poke a finger right through, that looks like it would snag on a cross look, that could attract static and lint in a nano-second, and that just hangs limp on the hanger. I realize that fabrics changed when layering became the fashion key (& also when the economy tanked), but the quality has suffered tremendously.
I've got my lumps and bumps like many women and these limp clothes don't help. I've been looking for what we used to call medium-weight pull-over sweaters to wear with slim jeans and boots. I've looked in every store in town and am finding the same - anemic knits with no weight, shape, or resilience. Lots of acrylic blends & boxy bodies with narrow sleeves seem to be the norm. I've watched 2 labels that I used to buy degrade so badly that I no longer even look at them. I got cheeky/desperate the other day and even checked out the men's dept. Seems they are starting to suffer the issues there, too.
Is there quality still out there & where are you finding it? If I was 20-something I would search out vintage - but that never works well on 60-something. I could knit & sew my own - no, not really lol!
Suggestions - or should I drag out the knitting needles?
Catalogs. Talbot's, among others. I can still find some good things at Macy's. Also try Nordstrom's. You can also try the sale/outlet listings on the Nieman Marcus site, if there's no NM near you. At 60+, I would think those boxy cuts would be your friend. What I find annoying is that more and more dresses and tops are knits now, rather than woven fabric with some shape.
Go to the thrift store. Those quality clothes are still out there, standing the test of time, waiting to be bought at a discount by someone who appreciates them.
Go to the thrift store. Those quality clothes are still out there, standing the test of time, waiting to be bought at a discount by someone who appreciates them.
There are consignment stores, too, that have used designer clothing. Great quality. The problem is that often they have some design element that dates them to an earlier era, like padded shoulders, or a certain feature of the collar, or something that makes them look out of place today.
haha, right! I wouldn't expect anything at Target for people past their 20's. And people 60+ are their own demographic. People have been saying forever that there need to be designers who specifically design contemporary, tasteful looks for that group. Now that the Boomers are entering that demographic, you'd think designers would catch on. It's potentially a huge market.
Macy's in the last couple of years has suddenly reoriented itself toward the youth market, almost exclusively. I hear that some of the stores still have items for professional office wear and a closer to middle-aged market, but some stores have gone whole hog for cheap cr@p that looks like teen wear. So OP, if you're not finding anything you like at Macy's, try another location, or look online. I used to get quality colored jeans for a great price at Macy's, but then suddenly, all they had was skinny jeans. Then I discovered that they still carried my old standby's, but they'd moved that line to their online venue. As if it would kill them to dedicate any floor space in the store to slightly more conservative or "mature" clothing.
Not really, except Instyle magazine rated their t-shirts as an excellent buy. Sooo I bought one of their 3/4 sleeve boat-neck t's for $12 in a black and white stripe that I use for layering. I have to say it wears and launders better than any other t-shirt I have ever bought! Point being even Target could have something of value for a "more mature" shopper - lol!
Go to the thrift store. Those quality clothes are still out there, standing the test of time, waiting to be bought at a discount by someone who appreciates them.
This is so true & I love, love, love thrift shopping. My challenge where I live is that no designer clothes are sold here, so very few ever make it to a thrift shop - or even to consignment shops any more. I do thrift when I travel, esp. to bigger cities.
haha, right! I wouldn't expect anything at Target for people past their 20's. And people 60+ are their own demographic. People have been saying forever that there need to be designers who specifically design contemporary, tasteful looks for that group. Now that the Boomers are entering that demographic, you'd think designers would catch on. It's potentially a huge market.
Macy's in the last couple of years has suddenly reoriented itself toward the youth market, almost exclusively. I hear that some of the stores still have items for professional office wear and a closer to middle-aged market, but some stores have gone whole hog for cheap cr@p that looks like teen wear. So OP, if you're not finding anything you like at Macy's, try another location, or look online. I used to get quality colored jeans for a great price at Macy's, but then suddenly, all they had was skinny jeans. Then I discovered that they still carried my old standby's, but they'd moved that line to their online venue. As if it would kill them to dedicate any floor space in the store to slightly more conservative or "mature" clothing.
Macy's is our "fancy store" where I live & I completely agree with you. They have been my biggest disappointment. They have oriented their market to the younger buyer, and their "middle-age" selection gets less and less floor space as the seasons progress. Plus, some of their lines like JM, Alfani, Charter Club, and Hilfinger are using cheaper fabrics. Last year they pulled the petite section completely and filled the space with more Style & Co - and, yup, tons of skinny jeans!
There are consignment stores, too, that have used designer clothing. Great quality. The problem is that often they have some design element that dates them to an earlier era, like padded shoulders, or a certain feature of the collar, or something that makes them look out of place today.
Very true, but I love consignment shops and haunt them on a regular basis. Sometimes, especially with stores in larger cities, I find something wonderful!
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