Clothing Prices Are Wild Right Now. Let’s Pivot
Clothing prices are up—and yes, it’s frustrating.
In this Nat Chat, Natalie gets honest about the reality of rising costs and how we navigate it together. While we can’t control pricing, we can pivot. She breaks down how to spot quality (fabric, construction, finishing details) and where she’s currently finding strong options that don’t require the same old go-to brands. Practical, real-time guidance for shopping smarter right now.
Editor's Note: This episode was recorded before Everlane was acquired by Shein. References to Everlane reflect Natalie's opinions at the time of recording and do not represent her current views on the brand's quality or ethics.
Episode Notes & Resources:
Listen to episode 41, “How Do I Find Affordable, Ethical Clothing?”
Follow Andrea Cheong on Instagram for up-to-date quality reports
Submit style questions you’d like answered in a future Wear Who You Are episode
Join BU Style Circle online membership for more of Natalie’s style resources, live Q&As, and more. Use code BUCIRCLE for one month off your subscription.
Read the full & Raw Episode transcript:
[00:00] Natalie:
Hello, it is July and I cannot believe it. But welcome to another Wear Who You Are Wednesday. I hope you had a nice Independence Day holiday. Today we are having another Nat Chat, and we are answering a question that I feel very strongly about. I don't have all the answers to, but we're going to do the best that we can with what's out there.
This question comes from Becky in Ohio. The question is: "Prices have increased. Where can I find quality options for less that aren't Banana Republic and J.Crew—your usual?"
[00:36] Natalie:
All right, this is a great question, and it's not something I can fully do something about. Every time I shop with my clients now, and I shop for myself, we have a mini moment together with the client looking at each other and saying, "Why the hell are prices so high right now? And the quality is, in general, going down."
There are a lot of reasons for that. I'll link a couple episodes in the show notes that explain independence versus conglomerate-owned, and a lot of these brands are conglomerate-owned now.
[01:07] Natalie:
But I will do my best to give you some guidance so you can get the best quality for the price that you're paying.
First, the key is to look at individual garments. So don't just discount a full brand. Let's look at the garment individually.
Within brands, some of the categories will be nicer if they're super trend items or if they're core pieces. So let's say it's suiting at a brand like Banana Republic. Their suiting is typically better made because it's a core, timeless section, and it's not flash-in-the-pan trend.
So look at the items individually based on what your shopping needs are.
[01:42] Natalie:
Look at the fabric content. Look at the seams. Are they sewn well? Look at the stitching. Is the stitching finished? The buttons, all the trims, the zippers.
I think I've mentioned on here before there are certain zipper brands that are known to be higher-end, like YKK, and you'll see that on the little zipper tab.
And look at, like I said, the buttons. Look at where the stitching is finished. Look for any hanging strings. Those types of things. So that will help you indicate early quality.
[02:11] Natalie:
There are a number of brands outside of these types—we'll call them mall brands or high street brands—that, in the United States, which is where, again, most of our listeners are, I'm going to give you some tips here. Otherwise, our list would be really long and I would lose you. You'd end up stopping this recording.
A few of my favorite spots these days that I take clients to that seem like they're still better quality at more affordable prices:
One is Everlane.
[02:39] Natalie:
Everlane, for a while I felt like I took a little break from, but now they've come back with great fashion pieces and some really core basics that tend to be quite well made.
Sézane. So Sézane was originally a French brand, and a lot of their knitwear in particular I find to be quality that I've had for a while. Their outerwear, too. They are often on lists of more quality pieces.
Uniqlo. I will always shout out Uniqlo.
[03:10] Natalie:
It's a Japanese brand. I find that their quality is excellent for the price, particularly things like their cashmere, their linens, their cottons. A lot of their stuff is natural fibers. I really, really, really love Uniqlo.
Another one that's more fashion-forward that continually gets good reviews for quality is COS. If you don't know that brand, look online.
They have some really great, kind of Row-like pieces, really cool silhouettes, just great staples and fashion.
[03:41] Natalie:
Alex Mill, which came from Mickey Drexler from the J.Crew era. Alex Mill has a lot of great basics for menswear and womenswear.
Massimo Dutti, another brand that originated in Europe that is around online and has stores in the U.S.
Mango. If you haven't heard of Mango, it's another high street brand that was, I believe, originated in London—or at least that's where I knew of it, so don't quote me on that.
But they can tend to have some good fashion-but-quality pieces.
[04:16] Natalie:
So those are just your general high street brands.
Another place to look if you want the designer but for less is The Outnet. It's an online retailer that has menswear and womenswear. It's not necessarily off-price, but it's discounted from maybe a season or two ago online.
I've gotten a lot of great pieces there for clients where you can get even Brunello Cucinelli or Zimmermann or Veronica Beard. Some of those brands that you may love will end up going to The Outnet.
[04:49] Natalie:
And of course, you know I'm going to say secondhand.
Looking on secondhand retailers like Poshmark, looking on eBay, looking in vintage shops—that's where you can find a lot of the stuff that was quality made before that has now popped up in secondhand stores.
There's another shout-out I want to make to an Instagram content creator that I find gives very good reviews on different drops from a lot of the brands I just mentioned.
Her name is Andrea Cheong.
[05:18] Natalie:
I will link her information in the show notes, and she will give the scoop on the quality in these brands and specific items that she sees that are really well made. She'll go through the different details to tell you why it's well made.
A lot of her feedback is for high street or mid-market brands.
So I hope that helps. I know this isn't a problem that we can completely control. I can't control it, and I wish I could because prices are getting crazy.
[05:49] Natalie:
But I hope that this will give you some other resources when you're sourcing for yourself and some ways to build a wardrobe that is long-term, sustainable, and works for you.
Thanks for coming to another Wear Who You Are Wednesday. If you have any questions that you want answered, I've linked the form in the show notes, so please ask them. I love answering these questions for you.
Thanks, and have a great day.