Consistent clothing ranges

[mtbc]

Clothing is someting of a hassle for me. I find something that I like but then mine eventually wears out and is no longer available for repurchase. I have no wish to clearly be up to date with fashion; it is enough if I do not absurdly stand out as apparently being in some kind of anachronistic period costume. Except for pyjamas at night and the gym stuff I wear to work out on the cross-trainer, clothes that I wear to actually go outdoors do not get so casual that they would be out of place in a typical office.

Sizes, cut, fabric, etc. clearly vary: a look at numbers on the label is far from sufficient. Either in the US or the UK, I don't suppose there are any manufacturers or clothing lines who are well-known for consistency over the years, even decades? It is more worth my investing in finding and noting agreeable clothing if I have a good chance of buying the same again when necessary. I do not mind paying a bit more for quality but have no need to impress anybody with clothing brand; I would take some persuasion that paying much brings commensurate value.

Comments

[aldabra]

Oh God yes, this. I have four pairs of tolerable ersatz work trousers which are beginning to fall apart, and I've been watching to get replacements next time they come into rotation, and every year they add something which makes them not wearable as work trousers, like a fluorescent pink flash down the side or obtrusive zipper detail on the pockets or a contrasting waistband or something, and clearly mine are going to become unwearable before plain black comes back into the rotation and I'm going to have to wear falling apart beach trousers at work or find some other make. Hate hate hate.

I had comfortable sandals which were in the BHS rotation every third year, and once I worked that out I started buying spares to get me through the years when they had fripperies and non-work compatible colours and whatnot, and then bloody BHS went bust about a decade ago and I still haven't found anywhere which ever has nice sandals in it again.

Private Eye sometimes has a flyer in for men's shirts from some London outlet that looks like it's been going since the 1800s; you might be able to find a traditional source that actually survives by doing this, for menswear.

[mtbc]

I was wondering if I was going to have to end up registering my measurements with some gents' outfitters and basically wear suits, if they don't turn their noses up at my hoping for machine-washable! It could be possible that I can do cheaper with some gents' outfitters in Chennai or something except for the high fees ParcelForce always put on anything we order from overseas.

For sandals in recent years I found some consistency at Target in the US but I fear they would be leery of open-end footwear at work as I suspect they think of our office space as having regular wet laboratory rules applying.

[mtbc]

A weird change in the UK in recent years seems to be the ubiquity of various kinds of slim-cut trousers. If they are not loose around my waist then they are starting not to drape easily past my calves. I don't think I'm much unusually shaped.