mrsbrown1971

Thank you. Again. So helpful.

Englishmum

I've just looked at the US site of Welcome to Marks & Spencer (if it comes up with the UK site, just click on the British flag at the top of the page to change the country to the USA).

If you sign up for e-mails you get a further 10% off the first order

All their US prices include customs duty already paid (see the FAQs).

You get free shipping (express 3-5 days, trackable) if an order is over $50 and all returns are to a US address, not back to the UK.

**There is a 50% sale on right now!**

Sadly they don't do M&S food!

yellowroom

I am a similar age to mrsbrown, and great convert to Eddie Bauer. The shops carry the casual/outdoor ranges, but they also do more formal and office wear online. I bought a selection of "pants" for work 5 years ago - good quality, and the curvy fit is perfect for my large bum/small waist. Still wearing them daily. I also like Anne Taylor as the clothes are well cut and lovely quality fabric. Makes m&s look cheap and nasty by comparison.

M&S clothes are not what they once were and they no longer do the quality basics for those who want to be fashionable but not screamingly trendy. And their fit is all over the place, I personally wouldn't take the risk ordering online.

ChocolateBabz

I too am mid 40's, I've almost given up going clothes shopping over here, I hate it, most stores seem to be a jumble, don’t always have my size and it takes too long. I see something advertised or on a mannequin, go to look for it and it's nowhere to be found.

So I do a lot of shopping online but I am on the 'womans' side of sizing so I order a lot from Dress Barn, Coldwater Creek, Torrid, Lands End for staples, Talbots, Soft Surroundings, I've even taken to ordering online from Macy's as I can’t be bothered schlepping round the store. The plus side of online shopping is if you are on their mailing list there is nearly always a % off coupon in your inbox.

Also I have found that different branches of stores have different stock - the Dress Barn closest to us has a tiny selection compared to the one about 12 miles away that has nearly everything they have online.

mrsbrown1971

Thank you.

mrsbrown1971

Thank you.

mrsbrown1971

Thank you

Englishmum

Another shop which sells nice clothes for the non-teens market is J.Jill. There is a store at our local mall, but they sell a larger range online. As someone posted above, you can get coupons online when you register (and I've noticed that once I've registered and just peruse the website without making a purchase, it usually generates a discount coupon within a day or so).

They have a petite and tall range....right now there is a sale on and also look at the 'last loves' end of range section:

www.jjill.com

I read recently that the big names like Michael Kors, Ralph Lauren etc. are not doing so well....people are bored with seeing the same clothes on everyone else, the trend is emulating what has been happening in Europe for ages with 'fast fashion'; ie. a new range comes into the stores with a 6 week turnaround time - stores such as Zara, H&M, Primark, Desigual. The US market has been slow to catch on, although I think that Forever 21 uses this model.

On the other hand, a lot of the 'fast fashion' is not the best quality with inferior finishing and usually artificial fibres like viscose, polyester and is produced quickly in sweatshops in third world countries. However, the clothes tend to be so cheap to buy that many customers are happy to wear them a few times and (in the UK) donate them to a charity shop.

Englishmum

As the topic is fashion, may I give a shout-out for one of my best friend's business venture? She is an Aussie expat and is a 'fit model' in NYC. She has put her heart and soul into setting up a jeans company, sourcing the denim - in person - in Turkey and having the jeans manufactured in Los Angeles. The target market is in the main, for a 'curvy' body shape so there is no gap in the waistband....they are on the pricey side though:

Http://www.cococooper.com (discounts on the website)

Weeze

I tend to buy at Loft, Old Navy, H&M, White House Black Market (although not recently), American Eagle. If you really want Topshop they actually have branches inside a lot of the department stores. For your daughter I imagine she thinks she's too old for Justice so I'd say Forever 21, Abercrombie and Fitch, Holister, H&M.

Weeze

Oh, and waves from Katy!

sherbert

Fast fashion has been slow to take off indeed: F21/Charlotte Russe try but certainly can't compete with the likes Zara, Pimkie, Stradavarius, Bershka and to some extent, New Look.

Zara shops in the US are seen as high end fashion boutiques with prices to match. I wonder if it's to do with import/manufacturing and transport costs: much of the Spanish brands' clothing is made in Portugal and Eastern Europe and can be shipped easily by road around Europe.

Most (all?) of the clothing in the US is made in China or Vietnam. I do find that the quality of clothing here, fast fashion or high end, is much lower than in Europe. It's designed to be worn a couple of times and then chucked away, which is a total disaster for the environment.

I see much more rayon (cheap cotton) and polyester (yuck) here than in UK/Europe.

sherbert

This is no joke: find yourself a got-to thrift store that is clean and well organized and you will find the most amazing bargains. Barely used and even brand new clothes from all the brands that you love for literal pennies.

I've bought brand new stuff still with the labels on for $2. And, the good thing about buying second hand denim is that it's not going to shrink once you wash it for the first time!

joto

My usual go to place is Nordstrom Rack. Sometimes you find nothing that suits, but other times you could buy the store. I like to look and/or try before I buy. I did get some $300 boots for just under $100 last year, which will last years. Others are TJ Maxx, Eddie Bauer and J Jill. Depends what's in your area.


If you see something in a stores online site that the local store doesn't have, you could ask them to order for you and get it shipped to the store. Some would, some won't.

kins

I like J.Jill but gasp a bit at the prices. Keep an eye out for coupons - they'll save you a fortune.

I live near the LL Bean flagship store and have their credit card, so I get some clothes there - their summer dresses are great some years, boring other years.

Eddie Bauer - love the clothes but only really shop there in sales. I got a coat there a few years ago that wasn't officially in the sale but they gave me the 40% off anyway. I've worn it almost every winter day since then (which in Maine = approx 3/4 of the year...)

I buy a fair bit of Old Navy stuff.

When I had a job that involved wearing something other than jeans I used to shop in Loft and Banana Republic, but not so much any more.