Is it me or are clothes sold today poorly made?

[bleedingheart]

I buy a lot of my kids stuff at Kohl's and lately I have purchased some stuff at Chico's on sale for myself...but I have to say that I am shocked at how poorly made most clothing is....

I bought the following items for my daughter and all of them have seams that have come undone after one washing...

two turtlenecks
one summer top
a little dress


for me..

two cotton tops
a pair of jeans and the fabric seems less sturdy than normal denim.
I bought a really cool dinner coat at Chico's last year that had tassles...all of them came off ...just fell right off the damn jacket...


Now I have a sewing machine and have repaired many items but I am finally getting fed up with this bullshit.

[Taverner]

1. Depends

Abercrombie and Fitch make good quality clothes, however theyre stuff goes out of style before you ring it up at the register - and you have to be under 21 to wear it.

LL Bean makes good quality stuff, as does Eddie Bauer. Cherokee (Target's in house brand) makes good quality. All of these outfits make classic styles that stay in style.

[bleedingheart]

4. I will have to check out Target for the kids

because I have had it with the crap they sell at Kohl's...

But Chico's...I just don't get...here it is marketed as an upscale "chic" store and their stuff can be poorly made as well...

[GOPisEvil]

8. I'll second Cherokee (at least their t-shirts).

Very soft, but well-made. Inexpensive too. I like their plain pocket t-shirts.

[Taverner]

10. More $$$ doesn't always equal quality

Take J Crew for example. That stuff costs bundles and is very poorly made.

Cherokee seems to be the best bang for the buck...and Targets usually have lots on stock.

Also check out Kirkland (Costco's in house brand) - theyre styles are very sporadic, but are durable.

[bleedingheart]

19. I am going to head to Target after the holidays...those kids of mine

keep growing...go figure...and I need to buy pants and some tops for them...

[xmas74]

21. Cherokee has good nurses scrubs.

I used to buy them all the time.

[lildreamer316]

23. I third the Target nom..

I have stuff I bought for baby boy LAST year from there that still fits him THIS year and has worn very well.
Some of my Old Navy stuff is crap; other stuff is fine..hard to tell.

[GOPisEvil]

2. I don't think it's just clothes.

Many, many products aren't made as well as they used to be, clothes included.

[bleedingheart]

5. you aren't kidding....

[LeftyMom]

7. That's true.

My two year old refrigerator died and the appliance repair man told me it wasn't worth replacing (the repair cost was going to the over half the cost of a new one.) Around the same time, my Dad replaced a similar fridge he bought in 1987.

[bleedingheart]

13. my mom's 1954 Frigidare finally died last year...

now there's a refrigerator....

[LeftyMom]

16. They seem to last less and less as time goes on.

Probably since they're mostly made in Mexico now. Ranges and freezers still seem to last forever, though.

[calico1]

30. The toaster I grew up with finally died.

My parents still used it. It was first bought in the early 50's. Heavy thing. It took years of heavy use. My dad bought a new one and it died within the year.

[LeftyMom]

3. Yes

I've had better luck sticking with used stuff or good quality or sewing things for myself and my son. It seems like it's getting harder and harder to find a decent fit without spending a fortune, too.

[bleedingheart]

6. I have a feeling that I will be sewing more of my own clothes

cuz I am just getting a bit tired of buying stuff that doesn't last two or three washings.

[LeftyMom]

9. A lot of new sewing machines suck, too

I love my Mom's old singer, but the new one I bought was a lemon, as was the one I exchanged it for.

I like my new home, though.

[bleedingheart]

12. my husband bought me a Husqvarna Viking last year...

it is a good machine so far..(keeping fingers crossed)

[LeftyMom]

14. They have a great reputation

out of my price range, but I keep my eye out for a used one. (I love sewing machines. Currently I've got three and a serger but I'm always happy to take in more.)

[bleedingheart]

17. his step mom had one and recommended it...that is why he bought it

I wanted my mom's singer...but she wouldn't give it to me....big ole meanie ;-)

[LeftyMom]

18. Mom won't give me hers, either

but she gave me her serger. It's a Pfaff. :)

[JVS]

24. BRING BACK TUFFSKINS!

[Guy Fawkes]

11. What do you expect...

those little kids are sewing just as hard as they can!
http://www.coopamerica.org/programs/sweatshops/
(don't hurt me! :hide:)

[bleedingheart]

15. I would gladly pay more money for union made clothes...

In fact...my son's boy scout pants were made in the US...they are really durable and sewn very well.

[lovelaureng]

20. You are right,

clothes today are made rather cheaply, depending on the brand. My wife has sewn many brand new pieces because of their poor quality.

[Bzzzz]

22. I'd say...poorly

I bought 3 pairs of pants from Soft Surroundings at $68.00 a pair and all have a defect in the zipper...

[rateyes]

25. It's not you...

sad to say under the Bush economy most of the mills in USA have shut down.

[RevCheesehead]

26. I shop Lands' End, whenever possible.

I firmly believe in "you get what you pay for."
(I shop their Overstocks department, too.)

[madrchsod]

27. yes they are

the seams are cut and sewed with sergers that leave no room for error, if they cut 1/8 of and inch on the size of the pattern it adds up to a lot of money saved. i rarely by new clothes instead i buy a charity or resale shops ,even used i find better quality than new. i guess my years of reupholstering furniture , checking seams and fit makes an old habit hard to break.

.......oh, by the way i think walmart has cat or dog fur trimmed jackets -i`m checking again in a couple of days......

[KT2000]

28. irons and toasters too

everything has really reduced in quality. The standard seems to be - get ther merchandise out the door and very few will return it if it falls apart.

Know someone who works for an electronics company that made THE state of the art test equipment. A decision was made that it was too high quality so they worked on making it less so. They also changed manufacturing to China instead of the US. So far they had one recall because the things started on fire.
Their once good reputation has gone to crap.

[SmokingJacket]

29. You're supposed to buy new clothes, not wash them!

Geez.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

31. I'm with the good Rev on this one....Lands' End clothing is high quality!

And their prices aren't bad....the stuff wears like iron, and is classic in styling.....

I hardly wear anything else any more...And you can get their more popular styles at Sears.....

Go check them out! You won't be sorry!



:hi:

[ghostsofgiants]

32. One of the reasons I want to strt a clothing company...

Cheap (and unethical) labour = shitty (and unethical) products.

[dryan]

33. I buy vintage clothes or clothes....

at consignment shops. My late mother waws a trained tailor and seamstress and the crap that is sold in most stores is sad. I do buy slacks at Steinmart and they are good quality but they only use American-made shops.

[ghostsofgiants]

34. Most of my t-shirts are thift store or American Apparel

Still stuck with standard jeans. But some friends and I have been talking about a clothing company, produce ethically and well made clothes. Hopefully we can get it off the ground in the not-too-distant future.

[Deja Q]

35. Armani would spit on your commie liberal pinko face, ironically:

Working class stuff is poorly made... and with DESIGNER stuff being made in China, expect that overpriced suit to get even more overpriced...

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2004-04/19/content_324423.htm