Wednesday 7 November 2012

Quality wardrobe or quantity fashion?

Marks and Spencer and Primark have been very much in the news today with regards to profits.  The bottom line is that revenues at Primark is up while clothing sales at Marks and Spencer have seen a 10% drop in profit according to reports I'm hearing on the radio at the minute.  Reporters have taken to the street and are asking shoppers with Primark bags why they choose to shop at Primark as opposed to Marks and Spencer and the comments have been "better value for money" , "up to date fashion", "Marks and Spencer is for old birds", "cheap stocking fillers" and simply "price".  Interviewees have also commented that they are not bothered by the quality as for them fashion changes so quickly that they are happy to chuck purchases once the fashion changes in six months.  

So what's your take on this- are you a quantity or quality person?  Are you happy to buy one quality item or prefer to walk out the store with five items for the same price?  Me, I'm so keen on building a wardrobe by adding quality clothes that would last and last that I find it hard to buy throw away fashion.  That's not to say that I've never shopped at Primark.  Years ago it must have been around 2007 I bought a black and white striped roll neck as well as a wool blend orange swing coat from Primark which I still wear today.  Now whenever I pop into Primark, I'm always very cautious as it is very tempting to fill my basket up with items that may not wash very well so I can certainly see the attraction for younger shoppers on a budget as they carry a fun and funky range which may not always have the longevity factor but is appealingly trendy.

With Marks and Spencer, I know that the quality is there so I don't think twice when I'm buying a dress or coat online.  Off the top of my mind I have two corduroy coats, a black pants suits, jackets and several dresses and skirts from M&S.  So I have more Marks and Spencer in my wardrobe than Primark, hope that doesn't make me an "old bird".  I shop from high end to low end as my philosophy is that you can always find a gem anywhere.  It's all about spotting quality because let's face it sometimes you can pay more for the same wardrobe basics because of where you are buying it.   

There is a saying "the more things change, the more they stay the same" and this is so true about fashion as I'm sure you will agree that what goes out of fashion comes right back into fashion at some point. So I'm not concerned that my wardrobe is ever out of fashion because I have clothes in there from ten or more years ago.  For me quality far outweighs quantity but each to his own.  


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