My approach is to find one brand per main item (main items for me: work shirts, casual shirts, work socks & shoes, work trousers, jeans, running socks & trainers), with the brand being towards the quality/expensive end of mainstream, but still a mainstream brand with good availability. If it's too mainstream the quality isn't good enough, if it's too high-end the used market is too small. Then do my research to establish the models, what the fit is like. Then find a way to confirm the exact fit, e.g. go to the shop and try on / buy one at full price to confirm / ask for item as gift at next birthday/Christmas.
At that point you then know what you want and like, have a good quality brand with decent availability, and know your size exactly, so can buy "off spec" i.e. can look for as new / lightly used second hand items on eBay etc. and typically get items at 1/3 to 1/4 of retail price. I think one of the reasons that this works is that a lot of people are unsure about buying clothing on eBay etc. due to not being sure about their size/difficulty of returns etc. and perhaps also a stigma about buying used clothes (OK, I wouldn't do it for underwear but does it matter if a pair of shoes have been worn a couple of times by somebody else? Not to me). I make sure the seller either says clearly how much use the item has had, or there are good photos and any wear can be seen (e.g. with shoes a clear picture of the soles normally makes it clear what wear there is). At those sorts of prices you can also afford to buy something and not quite get it right, you can always resell the item and only lose a few £/$ on the fees and postage, as obviously you will retain packaging and not damage an item trying it on. In my experience it is also not trying to completely optimize on purchase price i.e. it is better to spend $30 for as new / worn twice than $20 for used of unknown amount when the actual amount of wear could be quite a lot.
In terms of sizing I'm a medium for general shirts and jumpers, a 15" for work shirts and the normal slim fit is fine, so no issues getting those. Jeans are the one I'm working on at the moment, as I'm a runner I have relatively big thighs but average/slim lower legs, so need regular fit jeans around the top but with a bit of taper. Hard to get that right as the slimmer jeans (for the taper) are too fitted at the top, so the last two pairs I've had have worn out at the crotch faster than they should have.
My list at the moment is:
- work shirts - Marks & Spencer collezione (fitted): have enough at the moment. Mostly came from eBay at about 1/3 retail.
- casual shirts - BAM bamboo (bamboo is a great material for most clothes: very soft and antibacterial so don't have to wash that much, so durable): pick up more when they crop up on eBay. Some in sale and one from eBay.
- work socks - BAM bamboo: have enough at the moment. If I were buying I would be looking at Darn Tough or similar I think as while the bamboo socks are great in terms of comfort, keeping colour & shape after washing, being reasonably antibacterial, they are a bit more durable than cotton but not a lot more, so I would be looking for socks that would really last. Got in sale.
- work shoes - either Dr Martens or Solovair, made in England: traditional style with cushioned hard wearing soles and premium leather, and traditional quality rather than imported, and the sorts of soles that could be replaced when the time comes: have recently bought one pair, may pick up another pair. Got as new from eBay.
- work trousers - Marks & Spencer 100% cotton: have enough at the moment. In sale/eBay, don't get a big discount on these.
- jeans - work in progress. Was wearing Diesel Darron, nice looking with slim fit and taper, denim had good soft feel and build quality seemed very good, but actually too fitted around thighs so both pairs wore out at crotch (two pairs lasted 3 years between them). Now looking at Diesel Larkee-Beex as regular fit with taper to suit runner's build with bigger thighs. Will be from eBay.
- running socks - Hilly Mono Skin supreme. Very comfortable and have had first pair for a couple of years now and still in excellent shape. Have enough at the moment. Got two as seconds from eBay (cosmetic faults).
- running trainers - Mizuno Wave Rider: have high arches but am not that heavy so prefer a reasonably lightweight shoe with medium amount of neutral cushioning. Had a previous pair of Mizuno running shoes that lasted really well. Now have 3 pairs of Wave Riders, the first ones have worn well and been very comfortable. I also recommend running trainers for use as general trainers/sneakers as by definition they are designed to be comfortable and durable, so do much better than standard trainers that in my experience don't last very long. I also have a pair of Asics and I think they're good but I prefer the Mizunos as the Asics feel a bit more bulky. Get from eBay with very low wear.
So in short, find quality items that work for you and then pick them up as new/lightly used on eBay at typically 1/3 of the price.
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