I have a growing collection of peg-leg trousers. The latest addition are these khaki ones from Zara. Apart from one old Isabel Marant military jacket, I don't really own anything in that colour. As a brunette, I didn't really like the look of the colour on me but now I do. Call me fickle, you'd be right.
These trousers also come with a funny story. A little inconvenient, but still pretty funny. I bought them last week to fill a gap in my wardrobe. I wore them for the first and only time on Sunday and was really pleased with them till I went to sit in the car and heard a terrible ripping sound... only to realise my bum seam had come undone. Following the initial lollercoaster, I had a "gosh my bum is lethal" moment before remembering where I had bought the trousers from: Zara. You see, I never shop in Zara normally, and there is a reason. Their clothes are extremely badly made and tend to fall apart even quicker than normal high street stuff (when they are not faulty).
After I mentioned having to return the trousers on Twitter, a lot of people came up with their own Zara mishaps. Buttons falling off in the changing rooms, seams coming undone, tee-shirts shrinking and silk ripping... All things you don't really expect to happen in the first 2 months, let alone in the first week of wear.
This is my problem with the high street: the prices keep going up but the quality isn't. This is not me being a snob, this is just an observation. I wear vintage a lot because I like well made clothes that last. Same goes with designer pieces. I can't see my style changing much so when I buy something I expect it to grow old with me and I like to develop a relationship with my clothes. I don't want to discard them after 5 wears because they are falling apart and are beyond repair.
To cut a (now) very long story short, I exchanged the trousers because I really like them and decided to give Zara a second chance.
Jacket - Miss Selfridge
Blouse - ASOS
Trousers - Zara
Shoes - Swedish Hasbeens
To give you an idea about the high street, this outfit is almost entirely composed of high street pieces: the jacket had to be returned after one week of wearing it because the studs were falling off (that was last year), the trousers had to be returned because the seam came undone. In my closet, I also have a bag with a broken handle after 3 weeks of usage (not even a cheap one), shoes with an unglued sole after 3 wears etc. Pretty glamourous, non?
I wrote about Fast Fashion before on this blog, so if you would like to read some more on this, just click the link.
Tell me about your high street troubles!
quelle histoire! elle m'a fait beaucoup rire. Ma pauvre! je n'ai jamais eu ce genre de soucis car je n'achète que des T-shirts Zara qui généralement restent au Portugal pour les vacances.
ReplyDeleteEn ce qui concerne les pantalons kaki, j'aime cette couleur et j'achète du surplus en brocantant. De ce coté, pas de risque de se retrouver les fesses à l'air. ;p
Est-ce qeu la marque New Look rentre dans la catégorie de basse qualité? Je préfére m'informer avant d'acheter ...
yeah, what you're saying is really true. It happened to me so often with Mango blouses especially. They are extremely cute, but after you wash them once they shrink, or the fabric gets rough, and so on (and yes I used the right programe :))
ReplyDeleteStill, I never had troubles with H&M, and I have a trench coat that I used for 6 years, wearing it every day in autumn basically and still looks lovely, now with a vintage touch. Guess it's also a matter of luck..
First of all, your outfit looks great. :) I agree that high street prices are increasing dramatically and yet the quality isn't keeping in-line. The old saying, 'you get what you pay for' still rings true although there's always an exception to the rule of course.
ReplyDeleteBeing in the vintage clothing business, I have to agree that older merchandise is generally constructed in a much better way and the fabrics are also better quality. That's why they've lasted so long.
The only thing you can do with high street disappointments is to blog about it, and get word out and to always return your merchandise. Hopefully this will lead to improvements - eventually!
Here's hoping your bum seams always stay in place in the future! lol
Koryn - New Look est aussi de basse qualité, mais je n'ai jamais eu de problème avec leurs fringues...
ReplyDeleteSabina - Totally with you on the H&M point, their stuff is actually not bad for one of the cheapest high street brands out there. My problem lies mainly with Zara, Mango and other mid-range high street chains.
i like the colour of the pants honey. Fast fashion is indeed an issue, I bought a bag from mango not too long, within less than a week the zip broke,followed by its strap.
ReplyDeleteits unfortunately not a one off.
have a good day.
glam kisses
x
marian.
Funny how everyone has their own experience. I find with H&M they are among the worst offenders, but then I love COS (which is owned by H&M). Does it depend on the suppliers? I think the fast fashion brands need to keep an eye on quality control at their suppliers'.
ReplyDeleteIt's not just the high street though, three of the four button on my Maje coat have fallen off within a few wears and that wasn't cheap!
I love this outfit!
ReplyDeleteI have fashion woes but surprisingly, not on the high street (although I do agree that Zara is shoddy quality)...Anya Hindmarch of all brands! Everything, and I mean everything I've bought from them has broken (a bag, a keyring, a purse) and even though they're fantastic about repairing it for free, it kind of pains me when I'm paying so much for the item in the first place and makes me think that perhaps the original costing had countless repairs included! Nx
Rollergirl - The thing with Maje (and Bash, Manoush, Comptoir des Cotonniers, Zadig & Voltaire etc) is that they are actually old French high street stores that have been somehow glorified over the years and so their prices have exploded. So they do use better fabrics (as in more "noble") than the regular high street stores, but they are still of pretty shoddy quality.
ReplyDeleteI think it definitely depends on the suppliers. The H&M stuff I have that lasted longer is often the pieces that are either organic cotton or made in Europe.
Yes! I bought a top and a jersey cardigan just after Christmas from Zara and by the end of January they were both horribly pilled. I wouldn't expect that to happen to my clothes from Primark and I was really shocked that it happened at Zara. Perhaps I should have returned the items and made a fuss, but I didn't have my receipt and I didn't want to make a special battle trip to Oxford St. I will seriously think twice about shopping at Zara again, however.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that on the high street, prices are going up but quality isn't (especially Topshop). That being said, I buy from the high street quite a lot and have never had any horror stories! Zara is one of my favorites - I have never had any mishaps with them and I still wear the clothes years later.
ReplyDeleteZara, Mango and also Bershka, Oysho, Stradivarius, and Pull&Bear (which are not very popular here I think but VERY popular in other European countries) are all owned by that Spanish billionaire geezer who owns the Inditex group.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure at all if this means that all of their clothes are made in the same factory using the same materials, but if this is true then the clothes in Zara will be the same quality as the ones in Bershka even though the prices won't be the same.
I don't know what the deal with Mango is as it suddenly started trying to appear more 'sophisticated' for want of a better word and of course the prices have went up since.
Incidentally, it also really annoys me that the way these shops (or the world) works, in Greece a cardi for example costs about 16 euros and in Britain the exact same piece will cost 20 pounds. This is obvious from their price tags and also from their website and it might be common sense but i find it completely hypocritical.
We should all learn to make our own clothes.
ps. I really like your hair in these photos!
I totally agree with you!
ReplyDeleteZara clothes are so badly made and often have bad fibre mixtures, cheap linig etc.
I had a lot of bad luck with cardigans I bought there.
However really bad is Urban Outfitters.
I was so excited when I went there the first time cause I really like their style. I was shocked to find so many things that were made of manmade fibres!
I think their stuff is way too expensive!
I also totally agree with the H&M opinion.
Great article! I completely agee. Prices are going up but quality is getting worse. And sizing is ridiculous. I'm usually a petite 12 but am forced to got the XL section of Zara and other store. Not too great on the self esteem. I might as well shop in the maternity section! I used to swear by Swedish Denim brands but slowly changing my mind. My first pair of black Cheap Mondays faded so quickly that I had black stains on my hands and my Nudies gave up on me 6 months later ripping completely across the crotch! I did wear them to death thought.
ReplyDeleteSame here sister:
ReplyDeleteZara: big no-no
H&M: oui-oui ;)
I love everything about this outfit...The pink scalloped top, that studded leather jacket, the cuffed pants AND my favorite that amazing red satchel!
ReplyDeletePutting up your Mademoiselle Robot banner on my sidebar blog roll today...been enjoying reading the blog so much lately.
xoxo Bardot in Blue
http://bardotinblue.com
That's so interesting. Until now, I'd only heard brilliant things about Zara. You guys have such a better economy than us South Africans. In the UK, you can save a few pay checks and buy something designer. Here, it would take a year or two! We have such a massive gap between the rich and poor. I hope to heck I can hit up London's vintage stores again. x
ReplyDeleteI've had ltos of problems with this. I had some over the knee socks from river island and they had little buttons on, and one has come off already. Buttons hardly ever stay on clothes any more from the high street, and jewellery always breaks! It is highly annoying!
ReplyDeleteBut on the plus side, the trousers look lovely on you, green clothing + ginger hair = fabulous! x
I agree completely- prices keep climbing but quality is still the same. Zara is relatively new to the US, so I dont have much experience with them, but I have had the same problems with Gap and J.Crew. It's really sad because their prices are not exactly cheap. While I've had similar experiences with H&M and Forever 21, at least their prices are so low that I kind of know that going in.
ReplyDeleteMy daughters buy a lot in New Look and that seems to be the only High Street store I have a serious problem with. I get so upset for the girls who spend their wages from their Saturday jobs in there and the garments are falling apart after only a couple of wears and washes. I have had a few choice arguements in there!
ReplyDeleteI also buy as much vintage as possible, as it seems of better quality, and is easier to alter, as well as being a better fit on my curvy hourglass shape. I've had recent dreadful experiences with New Look - garments which shrink or rip and broken zips, not to mention the terrible customer service when asking for a refund- and also with Oasis. I was given a jumper which cost £65 2 xmas's ago, which pilled the first time I wore it, then shrank in the (cool, hand)wash.
ReplyDeleteI'm still however regularly wearing pieces which belonged to my Gran, purchased from the 50's to the 80's.
I've stopped shopping in my local high street altogether unless I'm in need of a specific piece, and instead save my pennies for gems in charity shops, jumble sales and car boot sales, and have never had so many compliments on my outfits. Go figure, high street, and take note!!
Great post and glad to realize i'm not the only one feeling ripped off! Zara, Topshop, River Island and Mango are big No Nos! Even Warehouse, J crew and Anthropologie are culprits too! What's worse is...there's NO return policy here in Asia! :(
ReplyDeleteLOVE your outfit, hair and Cambridge satchel! Is it a heavy bag, I'm looking for something to lug my mac pro around. :) xx
I agree the clothes from Zara are badly made. My first mishap with Zara was when I was wearing a long peachy-denim style shirt to Paris last summer (Bloggers day out with We Are Social), I wore it for the first time and somehow somewhere in Paris one button fell off :( I wasn't pleased. No spare buttons I now left with a gap on the waist :S
ReplyDelete*tut tut**
It is a shame!
ReplyDeleteI bought a dress from a certain store and after one cycle in the dryer, the top layer of the skirt shrunk to about half the length it originally was!!!
I'm thinking about trying to repair it by sewing a new (longer) layer on.
As Looking Fab in Your Forties said, New Look always seems to be of particularly bad quality- I find their shoes are particularly dodgy- I sprained my ankle in a pair. I tend to try and buy more expensive stuff in sales, such as Laura Ashley and Boden which lasts much better.
ReplyDeleteLoving the new satchel by the way, I'm very jealous!Did you decide to get a coloured one after buying your vintage one a month or two back?
Believe it or not, I've been in a Zara store exactly once! And I think it was in the '90s?
ReplyDeleteTopshop has always been dreadful for me, I bought a more expensive cardi from there as I was fed up with the horrible synthetic ones that go crunchy after you wash them. And even that one, tho claiming to be made from angora went vile, out of shape and bobbly instantly. I bought a satin top with big silver eyelets and fell out before I even got it home!
ReplyDeleteAll high street jewellery turns green or copper straightaway, which is one of the reasons I now make my own silver plated and gold plated jewellery over at http://mozzypopjewels.folksy.com - to a much higher quality!
And sizing and the ever increasing prices are a nightmare too. I am considering teaching myself to make some luxe silky underwear and maybe a few tops, I'd love to just be able to make my own wardrobe!
Great post Madmoiselle Robot :)
Mozzypop Jewels x
I can't believe I haven't found your blog before, I love your style!
ReplyDeleteI know exactly what you mean.
rad loook!!!
ReplyDeletewww.nolostwitches.com
I love your bag! It's exactly the right color to brighten up any outfit!
ReplyDelete