Best quality clothing/shoe item you've ever bought?
 

I'm looking to do a little shopping, but I want items with good quality that last long! I want to buy LL Bean boots, a patagonia jacket and maybe a pair of Jack Rogers for spring/summer, but i've never bought anything from them before.


Like I remember when i was first introduced to The North Face. I live in the Pacific Northwest, so just about everyone has one, but seriously! They're pricey, but absolutely worth the money! I bought one for $105 back in 2009 and I still have it now and it's as good as new!


What about the rest of you guys, what products have you bought that were really worth it?

Classic leather Sperrys. I love the look and the fit, and they can take a heck of a beating.

For those who are of the appropriate age, I would also say that the amount of money you put into stocking your liquor cabinet is important. It doesn't necessarily apply to things like flavored vodkas ('toasted marshmallow' is 'toasted marshmallow' no matter who makes it), but there is a big difference between a cheap scotch and an expensive one.

THIS!!! My Sperry's have been through more stuff than a teenage girl! And they still look good.

Tahari flats. I always struggle to find flats that fit me and are comfortable, but my plain black Tahari pair lasted me from about freshman year of high school through this summer, when my mom finally decided I couldn't keep coloring in the toes and threw them out :(

Luckily I just found another pair so phew!

I still have a pair of Tevas that I bought back in 1998. They're starting to fall apart, though ...

For clothing, I swear by Chico's, particularly the Travelers line. It's pricey, but worth it. I still wear items I bought years ago.

Agree to the above. Northface is a life saver in the PNW. Love Sperrys. Seriously on the liquorm, nothing like bottom level gin or whiskey compared to mid level. This is also true with wine and beer for the most part.

I have had much better luck with jeans when I spend a bit more. Hudsons fit me well and last much longer than Gap or other jeans.

Shoes are a great place to spend a touch more money. There is often a big difference with the amount of support and how long they last. Franco Sarto, Michael by Michael Kors, and Chinese Laundry are all brands that are great.

Bras from anywhere other than VS. Also get a real fitting. There is nothing quite like wearing the wrong size bra to make an outfit look awful. I never remember the stats, but there are a lot of women who wear the wrong size. Personally I don't like VS because they size me wrong, the push up is annoying and their bras wear out super quickly compared to bras I've bought at Nordstrom. Granted, I'm busty so I often go to boutiques that cater to bustier women. However with VS, they up my band size and take my cup size down and the bras never fit right. Having cleavage is one thing, having overflow is another.

If you still live in the PNW, there may be a Nordstrom rack near by. I swear by that store. Now that I'm graduated (aka have to buy my clothes) I love going there and buying brands that I love for less. Sometimes it is hit and miss and not all the brands there are wonderful (don't buy BP brand shoes, they are made from cardboard). There are four locations around Portland and each has a little bit of a different style so you might want to try visiting a couple if you don't like one.

1. YES! I love VS, but they suck! Every time I go there, they give me a new, random bra size.

2. They do bra fittings at Nordstrom rack?? How did I not know this!

No the rack doesn't, but the regular Nordstroms do, so you could get a fitting there and then head over to a rack. Also if you are over a DD, the inventory is very very limited. Betsy Johnson is amazing if you are busty though.

Oh ok, and really? I didn't know that! Now I really need to go shopping!

I used to get defensive about VS since I worked there and I thought I did a damn good job at measuring, but I've come to realize that a lot of the problems come from the bras themselves and what the mainstream market has caused consumers to believe about bra sizes. When VS can't get that right, no wonder it's impossible to get a consistent size there!

If there are any redditors out there, I HIGHLY recommend /r/abrathatfits (http://www.reddit.com/r/ABraThatFits/) especially their "starter guide": http://www.reddit.com/r/ABraThatFits/wiki/quick

The problem is there are quite a few misconceptions about bra sizes--for example, so women believe that if they are "smaller" they are automatically a A or B when that's absolutely not true.

I followed the instructions on the link above to find my fit--I came up with 30G!!!!!!!! I had been wearing a 34D!!!!! I was in disbelief because of those misconceptions led me to believe that someone like me who didn't look "busty" could no way be that size. So a week later I went to Dillards (one of the recommended stores for true bra sizing) and she came up with 30DDD, which is what I told was comparable to 30G and OMG it fit WONDERFULLY. One big mistake I was making was I was worried about "back fat". Yes, my 30 band is snug, but is correct and with my shirt on, everything looks SO much better than the 34 band I was wearing.

So basically, stores like VS are extremely limited to "traditional" bra sizes when in reality, 34A-38DD sizing misses out on a LOT of women.

I highly recommend going to Nordstrom or Dillards to get a real fitting. Try the self fit guide that's linked in those links above too--you'll be surprised, but trust me, it's correct (and if it's not, it will be SO much closed than what VS is telling you).

/brarant

Wacoal bras are the best bras ever. They are worth every extra dollar. Seriously.

Also, I love Lululemon! The fabric quality is amaze-balls and the pair I have keep me warm in the winter in cool in the summer and they offer complementary hemming for the items you buy no matter how old they are, receipt not necessary!

That's what I got fitted with! And YES it's amazing! I was lucky and got mine for $20 on sale. Looking at the website though it looks like even their regular prices beat VS.

No I agree with you. I had two best friends who worked at VS through college and they were wonderful. Their coworkers... not so much. I am a 32 DDD/E (depends on brand) and almost all the VS workers try to put me in a 34 DD every single time. I don't look that busy when you look at me most of the time, but in bikinis they definitely show. My absolute favorite store for bras is called the Pencil Test. The owner posts her stats from time to time and her most popular size for August was 34F. I love seeing her posts!

Also as far as breasts go, there are different shapes. So while one brand might fit someone the same size, that brand may not be the best shape cup for your boobs even if the size is right.

After losing some weight last year,I went to SOMA for a fitting. They clearly just didn't have what I needed in stock, but still wanted to make a sale. So she had me try on one that really wasn't quite right, and she said, "Well, that's not too bad." I said (nicely), "Well for $64 a bra, I think I'd rather do better than 'not too bad'."

I politely thanked her for her time and went to Cacique (the lingerie store attached to Lane Bryant). I'm a 38 DDD and their Balconette line nails it for me. My advice in re: bras is that even if you're busty, a little padding smooths things out and adds support. I'm glad I got over thinking I didn't need any padding.

That said, Wacoal makes amazing bras, and when I'm a little thinner, they're my go-to.

As far as shoes, the ones I spend money on are my Birkenstocks. They're not for everybody, but I love them.

Ohhhhh Soma is bad too! I recently went there after I got my "real" size (30DDD) and she measured me at 34B. lol

I've always been curious about Soma, because their ads are appealing and I really like their sister store, White House Black Market. They don't have a store nearby, though, and I wouldn't want to order on-line without a fitting. Sounds like I should stick with Wacoal, though, anyway!

Wacoal is usually excluded from coupons at Macy's, etc. I'd you have a Younker's card, though, the cardholder coupons are sometimes exclusion-free. I use those to buy Wacoal.

Best article of clothing?
That would be an Austin Reed suit - double-breasted jacket with pants. Wool twill, lined pants. Quality through and through, and of course, beautifully finished inside.
It cost more than my husband's suits - $250 for the jacket and $150 for the pants, about 14 years ago. That may not be much to many of you, but to me it was a fortune - more than 2 or 3 fortunes.
I just barely hesitated - I knew it would be good for years and years.
And it has. I wore it to chapter visits, church, business events, luncheons, job interviews, even formal events with a sparkly blouse. The jacket is now so worn out it's shiny and the lapels are limp. The pants - I wound up buying 2 pairs - are still good, and I still occasionally wear them although they're not fashionable right now.
Wish I could update, but the company, which is in England, quit making women's clothes in plus sizes.

Stephen Bonanno sandals are far superior to the Jack Rodgers. The leather is softer and doesn't cut into your foot. The footbed is also sturdier.

Having tasted some delicious and some excruciatingly disgusting flavored vodkas, I respectfully disagree. If you're doing a shot, you want some high quality flavored vodka (that isn't a hit of SUGAR followed by CHEAP VODKA). Pinnacle's pretty good for that. If you're making a drink, it doesn't matter as much.

Am I the only who absolutely hates flavored vodka? Maybe I haven't been drinking the right stuff, but it all tastes that perfume to me :p

And see, I don't get the appeal of shots, so any flavored vodka I'm using is for mixed drinks and I really can't taste the difference. It didn't even occur to me that you might be able to if you didn't have 8 oz of diet coke added to it!

Three Olives flavored vodkas are pretty good. I like the cherry with diet coke. Loopy with sprite. Their facebook page has good recipes listed. Also, some of UVs flavors are good. My favorites are salted watermelon and cake. I made drinks with the salted watermelon at our tailgate yesterday.

Some of it's really terrible, but I don't like taking shots of things that taste like alcohol, so until I grow out of the age where people love shots, it's mixed shots or flavored vodkas for me. I like pinnacle's whipped cream and their chocolate cake flavors.

I just mix it with a loooooot of soda or juice and hope for the best!

So it's not clothing or a shoe (although I love me some Sperries--wore the sole off my last pair!), but I've now bought two Longchamp bags and while they are a bit pricey for what they are, they hold up beautifully after being a little abused. I also am partial to Burberry--hit up the outlet stores for more manageable prices--I have a sweater I scored at the outlet for $30 and it looks like brand new several years later. No pilling, no pulled threads, no color fade, nada.


On the bra front, I'm partial to VS even though they don't hold up as well as I wish they would because I have a teeny tiny chest and their pushup bras actually allow me to fill out my clothing--something I haven't found with other bras.

Hmmm, I've been thinking about getting a Longchamp for a while, and I need one for travel, so now I guess i should!

I like the Three Olives cherry with Sprite. Tastes like a Shirley Temple :D

In terms of nice clothes, all my BCBG items have lasted me for 9+ years almost.

I buy most of my stuff discounted on Ebay or at places like TJ Maxx, etc. - but one of my best (pricier, for me anyway) investments was a pair of $80 J. Crew wool dress pants that I bought in 2002 (age 16) and still wear. Dad had thrown a pair of my wool Express pants in the dryer and ruined them, and since I couldn't find the same model anywhere (they were older and from Marshalls) I stuck it to him by finding what I thought was a pretty expensive, similar pair. Of course, in the long run I probably saved him quite a bit of money on all the other pairs of black pants I didn't buy again!

Other than those, my "investment pieces" include a Theory suit for conferences, some Tory Burch Eddie flats from Ebay, and a couple of Longchamp bags (though my current one badly needs replacing--bought it used and it's been with me for 2 years, so now it has holes in all 4 corners!)

I like Soma bras but when they tried to put me in a C, I just nodded my head and said "thank you, I'm fine."

So because everyone is talking about bras/fittings, I thought I would post this link. I came across this on Pinterest not too long ago, and I actually learned a thing or two about bra sizes. Enjoy!

http://www.epbot.com/2013/04/everyth...ed-to.html?m=1

Looks like your link includes the bra fitting guide from my reddit link on the first page :cool:

(I kid! I kid! But seriously the only reason I bring it up again is so people read it and they should try it out because it makes such an amazing difference!!!!!!!!!)

Ha nice.. I've only skimmed through this thread, but I thought I would post this (assuming that someone may have already posted something similar). But every piece of info helps!

I actually still haven't measured myself and I'm about 100% sure I'm wearing the wrong size. I need to do this ASAP!

It will change your life!!!!!!!

(Okay that's dramatic, but it's a really nice fix that's so easy to make!)

I can't believe I missed this mostly bra-related thread! I do some bra blogging on the side, so I can answer any questions anyone might have :cool:

I think that my best clothing item is more of an acessory. I have this Coach purse and it was worth every penny. I also have a cream Kenneth Cole trench coat that is beautifully made.

Oh man, I love their legacy line. Some of their other recent stuff is a bit too much for me and comes off looking tacky, but beautiful leather and clean classic lines? Yes please. The legacy cross-body in particular is the love of my life and the perfect size.

Ooohh! The brass/cognac color is giving me life!

So much gorgeous. I need pretty much all of the Legacy collection.

and yes, Coach has been doing the most lately, but you can never go wrong with a classic leather bag.

I have a Zara blazer that I've had for about 6 years now and I wear it very often. The fit is still great and the fabric still looks like new, even though you can just throw it in the machine to wash.. no dry cleaning!