I think you say it all when you say “the quality level of these pieces is what you would expect from Zara” and note that the blazer is a little too flared, the button is about to fall off. I understand fast fashion as a necessary evil, for those who cannot afford the insane prices in regular or luxury fashion. Or who are sized out. The industry is broken. But I have never owned a piece from Zara that I haven’t ultimately given away, whether I bought a thoughtfully or not. The lack of “a full body yes” as Allison Bornstein calls it, is baked into the very model, in that “for Zara” line. And for what it is, I think it’s very often expensive. In times when I’ve had to be very cost-conscious I preferred to reuse what I have, find things in thrift stores or secondhand, and shop sales when I could after being disappointed with a $69.99 or $89.99 purchase and feeling like I’d flushed that down the drain. These days I notice I hold onto my things - or find them easy to sell so they keep circulating.
Actually I went through my stylebook and realised I have exactly two pieces from Zara - one is shoes I got second hand, they are satin and I really like them but only wear them to events. The other one is pants - I am kind of neutral about them, as I do not wear that silhouette much anymore. So Zara is not really a problem in my closet, but what really annoys me with even a bit higher end brands like Cos is that the materials are not so good and I still love the piece, but can't wear it as it is already falling apart. Anyway, will see how these purchases will work out! And fully agree about the full body yes!
I have some leather shoes from Zara that I really love, one pair bought new and two secondhand. I have 3 other Zara pieces, all natural fibers and made well. Due to price and size I've gotten good at finding quality things at mall and fast fashion brands. When I find a good item, like linen shorts.from a few seasons ago at Old Navy, I look for them secondhand. I've recently changed sizes and can fit into some of the largest items from Tibi. I have a few secondhand pieces. One, a blazer, is clearly more cleanly made than something less expensive. The other, a skirt, is a really great design, but quality wise similar to my other clothes.
I've tried to look for past collections of Cos second hand, but somehow it is very hard to find - there are so many pieces flooding the market, would love to find a way to track them down! I agree that Tibi can have varying quality, but on average it is much better than Zara or Cos in my experience, and especially their silk pieces are top notch!
I think there are gems to be found in every brand, including high-street/fast-fashion brands. The tricky part is finding them among all the noise and endless options (especially at Zara), and staying mindful when something is cheaper than what you'd typically buy. It's a bit like thrifting in that way.
I think you say it all when you say “the quality level of these pieces is what you would expect from Zara” and note that the blazer is a little too flared, the button is about to fall off. I understand fast fashion as a necessary evil, for those who cannot afford the insane prices in regular or luxury fashion. Or who are sized out. The industry is broken. But I have never owned a piece from Zara that I haven’t ultimately given away, whether I bought a thoughtfully or not. The lack of “a full body yes” as Allison Bornstein calls it, is baked into the very model, in that “for Zara” line. And for what it is, I think it’s very often expensive. In times when I’ve had to be very cost-conscious I preferred to reuse what I have, find things in thrift stores or secondhand, and shop sales when I could after being disappointed with a $69.99 or $89.99 purchase and feeling like I’d flushed that down the drain. These days I notice I hold onto my things - or find them easy to sell so they keep circulating.
Actually I went through my stylebook and realised I have exactly two pieces from Zara - one is shoes I got second hand, they are satin and I really like them but only wear them to events. The other one is pants - I am kind of neutral about them, as I do not wear that silhouette much anymore. So Zara is not really a problem in my closet, but what really annoys me with even a bit higher end brands like Cos is that the materials are not so good and I still love the piece, but can't wear it as it is already falling apart. Anyway, will see how these purchases will work out! And fully agree about the full body yes!
Buying new pieces without stressing about the budget or how they will fit into your forever wardrobe can be really nice
You summarized my whole post in this sentence :) But that is exactly how I felt!!
I have some leather shoes from Zara that I really love, one pair bought new and two secondhand. I have 3 other Zara pieces, all natural fibers and made well. Due to price and size I've gotten good at finding quality things at mall and fast fashion brands. When I find a good item, like linen shorts.from a few seasons ago at Old Navy, I look for them secondhand. I've recently changed sizes and can fit into some of the largest items from Tibi. I have a few secondhand pieces. One, a blazer, is clearly more cleanly made than something less expensive. The other, a skirt, is a really great design, but quality wise similar to my other clothes.
I've tried to look for past collections of Cos second hand, but somehow it is very hard to find - there are so many pieces flooding the market, would love to find a way to track them down! I agree that Tibi can have varying quality, but on average it is much better than Zara or Cos in my experience, and especially their silk pieces are top notch!
I think there are gems to be found in every brand, including high-street/fast-fashion brands. The tricky part is finding them among all the noise and endless options (especially at Zara), and staying mindful when something is cheaper than what you'd typically buy. It's a bit like thrifting in that way.
yes!! there are so many pieces that it is really hard to find that gem!
Love the color of the skirt! I might try it too 😁.
It's a complex balance, sustainability vs the easiness of Zara. On the other hand Tibi is not high on the list of sustainability.
Sometimes I buy Zara too, thoughtful, do I really want it. And most of them I wear them a lot.
Yes, sustainability is yet another dimension, aside from fit, aesthetic and so on!