Author Topic: Well-made women's workwear  (Read 6572 times)

Petuniajo

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Well-made women's workwear
« on: October 28, 2015, 02:41:35 PM »
I work as a professor at a university and need to dress in the business casual to professional range most days. I'm having serious problems with my clothes wearing out and am looking for a source for women's work clothes that are well-made and likely to last. Admittedly, I keep a somewhat minimalist wardrobe so I wear the things that I do have a LOT. But still, I'd like my clothes to last a bit longer.

I love the clothes from LOFT, but I am beginning to find them pricey for how well-they (don't) hold up. My pants lose their hooks and buttons, the hems come out, my cardigans are constantly losing buttons, and my shirts get HOLES all over the front, usually within a year! Yes, I can do some mending, but often times I have no idea where my buttons are lost, I'm sick of constantly doing repairs, and I can't fix the holes that develop in my shirts.

I am willing to spend a bit more to invest in quality clothes. Any recommendations on brands or stores to shop?

DaMa

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Re: Well-made women's workwear
« Reply #1 on: October 28, 2015, 06:05:52 PM »
I'm a plus size girl and have the same problems.   I can recommend Lee-Plus-Size-Natural-Fit-Comfort-Waist-Bootcut.  I think they come in regular sizes, too.  I got a black pair at a Vanity Fair outlet in May and the tan color from Amazon.  They are a heavier cotton than I have seen in a long time and are holding up great to weekly wear.

I've had good results with Lands End in the past.

I used to shop the Liz Claiborne outlets until they closed.  I discovered Christopher and Banks about 6 months ago, and thought I had finally found a comparable store, but the clothes are not wearing well.

Goldielocks

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Re: Well-made women's workwear
« Reply #2 on: October 28, 2015, 06:12:37 PM »
...  Following for brand names so I have more to lookout for at thrift shop...   I tend to just buy anything that fits and is higher quality fabric at thrift store. Sometimes win, sometimes not.

iwasjustwondering

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Re: Well-made women's workwear
« Reply #3 on: October 28, 2015, 06:27:39 PM »
LOFT clothes are pretty chintzy.  You could spend the same money at Talbots and get better quality.  I know Talbots is supposed to be dowdy, but they have some really cute clothes.

Some of the nicest clothes I own are from thrift stores.  I shop at one in the rich town next door, and it's great.

MrsPete

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Re: Well-made women's workwear
« Reply #4 on: October 28, 2015, 06:40:46 PM »
I'm in agreement with DaMa. 

I like Lee comfort waist pants; I wear colored jeans often (black, grey, tan ... I want a pair of dark green).  Just a couple weeks ago I bought a great pair that're tone-tone grey/black -- you'd have to touch them to realize they are jeans!  If you wear them with a nice sweater and leather shoes, they look fine.  Of course, as a high school teacher,  I'm not required to be at the top of the dress code pinnacle. 

And most of my work dresses are from Lands' End.  When they're on clearance, the price is quite reasonable, and since I wear a small size, I can always find things at the end of the season.  A Lands' End dress usually lasts me a decade, though I think I'm fairly easy on my clothes.  I also come  home and hang my dresses up to "air", which means I end up wearing them 2-3 times before I wash them, and I hang them to dry. 

Since I live in the South, I have a lot of cardigan sweaters.  They're real season-stretchers for me.  Most of my shirts and dresses are short sleeves.  I wear them as short sleeved shirts in the warm weather, then add a cardigan when it gets colder. 

FIRE Artist

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Re: Well-made women's workwear
« Reply #5 on: October 29, 2015, 04:41:38 AM »
The best, hardest wearing work clothes I have come from DKNY.  Light weight machine washable wool  trousers from  a high end department store is the only way to go.  They wear like armour. 

Petuniajo

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Re: Well-made women's workwear
« Reply #6 on: October 29, 2015, 07:32:25 AM »
Thanks for the recommendations! I do try to baby my work clothes (only wash every 3-5 wears when they start getting smelly, although I'll admit that my main black work pants get worn 2-3X per week and only cleaned once per month since they are dry clean only...) but I think I need to just start buying more quality pieces. Our thrift store in town does not usually have good stuff, but I'll try checking out our consignment store, where I think people tend to take their nicer things.

I'm in agreement with DaMa. 

I like Lee comfort waist pants; I wear colored jeans often (black, grey, tan ... I want a pair of dark green).  Just a couple weeks ago I bought a great pair that're tone-tone grey/black -- you'd have to touch them to realize they are jeans!  If you wear them with a nice sweater and leather shoes, they look fine.  Of course, as a high school teacher,  I'm not required to be at the top of the dress code pinnacle. 

And most of my work dresses are from Lands' End.  When they're on clearance, the price is quite reasonable, and since I wear a small size, I can always find things at the end of the season.  A Lands' End dress usually lasts me a decade, though I think I'm fairly easy on my clothes.  I also come  home and hang my dresses up to "air", which means I end up wearing them 2-3 times before I wash them, and I hang them to dry. 

Since I live in the South, I have a lot of cardigan sweaters.  They're real season-stretchers for me.  Most of my shirts and dresses are short sleeves.  I wear them as short sleeved shirts in the warm weather, then add a cardigan when it gets colder.


I also live in the South, and I practically live in cardigans!

lifejoy

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Re: Well-made women's workwear
« Reply #7 on: October 29, 2015, 08:48:00 AM »
Do you have lady friends who would be interested in a clothing swap party?


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MayDay

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Re: Well-made women's workwear
« Reply #8 on: October 29, 2015, 11:30:39 AM »
LL Bean accepts returns basically forever, so if something wear out you can take it back. 

MsPeacock

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Re: Well-made women's workwear
« Reply #9 on: October 29, 2015, 05:04:35 PM »
I have had terrible experiences w/ clothing from The Loft. I think it is very overpriced and poor quality (I have returned all but one item I've purchased there because the stuff fell apart after one wearing/wash). I've done better with Ann Taylor. Agree about LL Bean and Lands End as already mentioned. I've also had very good success w/ pants (editor and other styles) and dress shirts (portofino - I think) from Express. Express clothing is often on sale, machine washable. I have pants that I have had for years and years - long enough to go completely out of style. I can often find their pants at the thrift store and the sizing has been consistent for years. It is one of those places that looks like a trendy teeny bopper type store - but these two items in particular are staples from them.

Rural

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Re: Well-made women's workwear
« Reply #10 on: October 29, 2015, 07:43:31 PM »
 I'm also a college professor in the south, and for the last year and a half I've been wearing men's Dockers for my dress pants. No one has yet noticed a thing, they wear like iron, and I have actual functional pockets!


Black ones, not surprisingly, look the best,  but I was able to wear khakis all summer. I do find I have to wear a belt, but  i've been surprised that there's a bit more waist to them than I would've thought.  I do usually wear pleated pears, because I'm old enough not to really care a great deal, and they fit a woman's body better.

 On the minimalist note, I'm rotating two pairs of black dockers. I have three khakis, because I found all of them at thrift stores. The black ones at thrift stores are always faded, so those I bought new. There is a no fade, no iron variety that I've found lives up to its name.
« Last Edit: October 29, 2015, 07:45:22 PM by Rural »

Lookilu

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Re: Well-made women's workwear
« Reply #11 on: October 29, 2015, 07:50:53 PM »
I wear tall sizes and I've had good luck with both Ann Taylor and Eddie Bauer. (EB also offers a great guarantee on their clothes.)

Sibley

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Re: Well-made women's workwear
« Reply #12 on: October 30, 2015, 08:43:43 AM »
Good quality that I've found:

Talbots
Some Express stuff (shirts and pants)
Some New York and Company (shirts)
Banana Republic

Keep in mind, this is what I've found that I like and fits me.

Petuniajo

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Re: Well-made women's workwear
« Reply #13 on: October 30, 2015, 08:52:18 AM »
Thanks for the recommendations, everyone! I do try to baby my clothes, typically washing every 2 or 3 wears (when it starts getting smelly or is visibly dirty), though I will somewhat embarrassingly admit to having a pair of black dress pants that I wear 2-3X per week and only clean once per month (dry clean only). I also hang dry. Yes, it seems LOFT's clothes are just sort of bad quality despite their price.

I haven't had luck at our thrift store, but I went to a local consignment shop the other day and couldn't believe what I found--it was FULL of Ann Taylor (not LOFT), Banana Republic, Cabi, Chicos, Talbots, etc. and get this--LOTS with the tags still on! I could not believe people buy such expensive clothes and then don't even WEAR them. What a waste. No matter, I guess--I will happily benefit from their waste. I got a lot of things in the brands you all recommended, so hopefully they will last better. I'll have to watch the LL Bean and Lands End websites though--I didn't find any of those brands, and we don't have stores carrying those brands in town.

MandalayVA

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Re: Well-made women's workwear
« Reply #14 on: October 30, 2015, 09:37:30 AM »
I'll have to watch the LL Bean and Lands End websites though--I didn't find any of those brands, and we don't have stores carrying those brands in town.

If there's a Sears store near you it should have Lands End, since Sears bought them a few years ago.  However, the quality of the clothes has diminished since then.  LL Bean only sells through its own stores, catalogs and online, but the quality of its clothing is awesome.  Its Perfect Fit pants can be totally dressed up or down and are very comfortable.

Fi(re) on the Farm

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Re: Well-made women's workwear
« Reply #15 on: October 30, 2015, 10:01:58 AM »
I swear by lands end cardigans, I usually buy them on clearance when they run a 30% off and free shipping. I buy alot of my work clothes at a talbots clearance outlet. They're not the same as the regular talbots outlet. I've gotten some good quality basics there. I stick with classic styles in black, grey and red so everything matches.

Chranstronaut

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Re: Well-made women's workwear
« Reply #16 on: October 30, 2015, 11:19:47 AM »
I thought this thread would be "work-wear" like boots and pants for field work, for which I do have some info and a question:

When I am testing (i.e. machining, grinding and crawling around on the floor), I wear 5.11 tactical pants. They seem sturdy, although pricey.  The built in knee pads are great for occasional crouching, but not enough if you are on your knees long term.  I found that the "lightweight" nylon blend shrank a LOT in the wash the first time, so I'd order up a size.  The waist doesn't hit in a good spot for me (long torso), it's below my natural waist but above my hips.  I have to belt those mothaflubbers really tightly.

I am looking for tips to break in Doc Martin's.  I found a lightly used pair at a thrift store years ago, but I've never really gotten them broken in to my satisfaction and I wonder if it's because they were previously owned?

In the office, I am a cardigan FIEND!

pbkmaine

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Re: Well-made women's workwear
« Reply #17 on: October 30, 2015, 11:42:52 AM »
Boots and shoes can be hard to break in. I have a pair of indestructible Timberlands I bought 6 years ago which are just now getting comfortable. One idea: get them wet and wear them for a while. For me, that helps them mold to my feet.


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honeybbq

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Re: Well-made women's workwear
« Reply #18 on: October 30, 2015, 12:27:29 PM »
Banana Republic
Brooks Brothers
Items from Nordstrom Rack - like their in house brand is excellent quality... Halogen, etc.
Jcrew

Lizzy B.

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Re: Well-made women's workwear
« Reply #19 on: October 30, 2015, 01:05:14 PM »
Posting to follow. I'm in the same boat, and I never know what the higher quality brands are. This is very helpful, thank you all!

LouLou

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Re: Well-made women's workwear
« Reply #20 on: October 31, 2015, 04:22:48 PM »
See if there's a "Clothes Minded" thrift store in your area.  They only sell Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, J crew, etc items that are well taken care of.  The quality issues with those brands will be the same, but I don't mind having to re-purchase every few years with the item is $10 to begin with.

spruce

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Re: Well-made women's workwear
« Reply #21 on: October 31, 2015, 05:22:35 PM »
I also buy the name brands listed in previous posts at thrift and consignment stores. Shopping for work clothes is such a chore though.

I have bought several things from thredup.com, an online resale store. I love that I can select brands I like and my size and find a bunch of options. Some things I've had to return because they had holes in them, but overall I've been pleased with the condition of the clothes.

serpentstooth

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Re: Well-made women's workwear
« Reply #22 on: October 31, 2015, 08:26:01 PM »
Just a note: the last 3 years, Talbots runs a 50% off one item, plus free shipping deal on Cyber Monday. You can place multiple orders. That is the consistent best price on their clothes throughout the year. I'd skip their cashmere, though. It sucks.

Playing with Fire UK

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Re: Well-made women's workwear
« Reply #23 on: November 02, 2015, 09:42:42 AM »
Boots and shoes can be hard to break in. I have a pair of indestructible Timberlands I bought 6 years ago which are just now getting comfortable. One idea: get them wet and wear them for a while. For me, that helps them mold to my feet.

I broke in military boots by sitting with my feet and boots in a warm bucket/bath for about 30 minutes and then wearing them with waterproof socks (also plastic bags and dry socks) while walking about for a couple of hours outside while they dried and then for the rest of the day inside. [Obviously this won't work for boots that fall apart when they get wet]

Regarding knee pads, if you can get hold of some memory foam (I got it from an old mattress), and put a piece bigger than you think you need either inside (for work) or taped to the outside of your trouser knee pads (for home or informal work places) I found you can kneel for hours. It is wonderful stuff. When it gets flat, tape another piece over the first.

 

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