Braving the mazes of tightly packed rails is bad enough, but if you do manage to root out something worth trying on you’ve got the endless fitting room queues. Then comes shopping fatigue, followed by a panic buy. Even the most discerning and strong-willed shopper becomes overwhelmed when faced with so much choice.
But “is it is actually real choice?” asks Caren Downie, for years one of the most influential women on the British high street, in her former roles as buying director of Topshop and fashion director at ASOS. It’s so easy [for retailers] to see what everyone else is doing, especially due to the Internet—so it all ends up looking quite samey,” she says.
And it’s not our imaginations: We’re not just older, the clothes really are younger, too. “During the recession, retailers focused on the under-20s customer, focusing on price above a lot of things, and the quality has gone down,” says Ms. Downie, who left the high street behind and last year set up online label Finery London, with a team of former chain store gurus, in response to these changes.
“Buyers are less good at editing now,” she says. “They want to cover so many needs, every single trend—they offer too much and don’t focus on what the customer actually wants.”
And yet, we’ve all got that one friend or colleague we love to envy, who has a magpie instinct for finding gems in the rough—the standout pieces that look like they’ve come from a designer’s atelier rather than a crowded, overheated chain store flagship. Usually, it’s coupled with a talent for combining the cheaper pieces with their existing wardrobe, so they look like an off-duty model. So what do they know that we don’t?
“I’m a big believer in ‘recon shopping’ on the high street,” says Sara Maggioni, a director of retail and buying at trend analyst WGSN. “Retailers all have a strong identity, so any time you spend getting to know their personality and their strengths will pay off. Midmarket retailers carry a lot of stock, so you do have the luxury of time to get familiar with something, think about it and come back.”
Ms. Downie, who rates what COS, & Other Stories and Uniqlo are doing in terms of value for money, agrees: “You can come away with great pieces from the high street, but you have to get familiar with the store and how it’s laid out, which makes it easier to edit.”
Before you mentally write off any brand, remember the big stores aren’t necessarily best. “The flagships in Times Square are not where you want to go,” says New York-based photographer, illustrator and fashion blogger Garance Doré. “High street brands have different labels and collections and they’re not in every store, so figure out which ones you like most: For example, the Zaraon Rue St. Honoré in Paris is a smaller store but has a lot of higher-end stuff.”
“You shouldn’t have to compromise on quality to get value for money, and when you reach a certain age, you don’t want to buy in quantity, you want that quality—something you’ll really wear,” says Ms. Downie.
We asked some of fashion’s most accomplished shoppers how to make that transition from high street hell to a closet worth keeping.
Finding good pieces in these stores takes time. You have to look carefully and be more creative. Some stores pay more attention to detail than others, and it really is about the little things. Look at whether the stitching is sitting flat, how the buttons are placed, whether the seams are sitting where they should. Symmetry is so important—if it’s a bit off it’s a giveaway that something’s cheap. Take your time, turn it inside out to look at it.
Have a plan, and a system for shops—try to get to know what you like from there, and what suits you. Don’t take what everyone else is taking. It’s not good when everybody walks around with the same jacket. I used to always come away with variations on the same thing, but these days I’m really aware of what I still need. Make a list from your closet—flat sandals in black, a simple, straight skirt—and focus on that.
Stay away from fabrics that are not organic—cotton, jersey and silk basics are really good on the high street. If you see something in, say, cashmere that looks far more expensive than it is, buy it. If it’s great quality, the cut works, and it doesn’t remind you of anything by a [big-name] designer, buy it. I’m a fan of the cost-per-wear system. Always ask, “How many times can I wear it?”
Expecting to find the best stuff on your first look around the high street is a bit like running a marathon without any training. Pick your moment: Saturday early evening is a good time to go, because the crowds have died down, and the shelves are less messy and depleted—staff are tidying up and putting things back out that people have tried on. Ask when the “drops” happen—when new stock is delivered. Fashion week is also a great time to go shopping—the high street stocks up on good pieces for the international clientele.
When looking online, take note of the key [product] codes of items you like. Places like Zara and Topshop don’t have space to put everything out on the shop floor, but ask if they have that piece in the stock room—that way, you get something that no-one else can see.
Know what suits your shape. I have no waist, so it’s not worth me trying on a fit-and-flare dress. Have a sense of adventure, but if you’ve never worn pink and don’t think it suits you, don’t waste time and energy near that rail. And if you do take something home and realize “I’ve already got 10 black blazers,” learn from those mistakes.
You can find good-quality stuff at every price: It’s about your hand (feeling for quality) and your eye (your taste). It’s important to spend time in the stores of luxury brands and experience beautifully made clothes—you refine your taste and start to understand clothes better.
It helps to educate yourself, reading magazines, blogs, looking at Pinterest and Instagram, even doing a mood board before you go near the shops—not just for identifying pieces you like, but to create a broader vision of your style and what you’ll be putting together for the season. I save screenshots on my iPad. In stores like Zara and H&M, the well-made, well-designed pieces are at the front, where you can find them easily—but they all have smaller collections, too. Spend time figuring out which you like and Google them beforehand.
Don’t be too precious. Some things work even if they’re not perfect. You can get great jeans and coats—you don’t wash them so much, [so] they keep their structure, unlike some of the cheaper pieces.
Stay away from anything that looks too much inspired by the runway. It doesn’t send the right message and you can see it right away.
For me, it’s about finding the soft spot between newness and commerciality—something that looks and feels fresh but is also realistic and flattering. Retailers love a trend—it makes it easy to merchandise a store—but we tend to interpret the looks too literally. They’ll have mannequins in the complete ’70s look, when really a good wardrobe is about having investment pieces and adding perhaps one trend-led item to give them an edge from season to season. I buy H&M’s black jersey dresses and update them with trend-led accessories. Don’t ever think about items in isolation, however much you’ve fallen in love.
Narrow down what it is you want, and why. Ask what the best sellers are—is it because of a great fit, long wear? Look in the equivalent stores abroad, particularly in the sales. Demand is different in, say, London and Milan, so you may find something you couldn’t get at home.
Altering services are worth considering for premium items, to create a better fit and appearance overall. Snap a few pictures of the inside [of a garment] so a tailor can see if it’s possible, then go back if you still want it. Try things on at home with mirrors you’re used to, especially if you live in a country where returns are painless.
Go for core pieces and basics in solid tones—they have more longevity than prints. In bigger stores, zoom in on the limited-edition collections. The price point will be higher, but it’s a shortcut to a more discerning slice of what they do well.
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