‘Excuse me I’d like to return these shoes please. I bought them in February and it’s now only April and they’ve worn a hole through the sole.’
The shop assistant was lovely but obviously didn’t have the authority to put through an exchange like that. She told me she’d refer the case to her manager and the manager would contact me later. I didn’t think there would be an issue because I’d paid $150 for the leather ballet flats just two months earlier and it’s was totally unreasonable for something that was supposed to be good quality to wear out that quickly.
I got an email the next day from the company saying they couldn’t return them because I’d ‘worn them heavily’ and they weren’t designed for that kind of wear. I’m not sure what ‘worn heavily’ meant but I could have walked 50km every day in those shoes and they should have lasted longer than two months. How do you heavily wear shoes? By wearing them like shoes? They also had a weird name like ‘city stompers’ or something that suggested they were hard wearing shoes for people ‘city stomped’, like me. I kicked up a huge fuss and eventually they replaced them because they couldn’t really argue with me. The next pair lasted a full year, which is acceptable (although I would have liked them to last longer than a season) and also proves the first pair were faulty.
When things break or don’t last a reasonable amount of time, I return the item to the store. Like the blender I had that broke after one year of use. I was devastated. It was an expensive blender, worth $199 and I loved it. I used it every day and then one day it started smelling like smoke and then sparks flew out of it. I returned it to the shop and got a full refund but I didn’t want a refund. I wanted a blender that was going to last me ten years. I still haven’t replaced that blender because I want a quality one that’s going to last and spending a decent amount of money on an item doesn’t seem to be a good enough tactic for buying good quality stuff.
Wearing
Dress from Kuwaii
Shoes from Funkis
As a serial (and vocal) returner of faulty goods, I thought it would be a good idea to give a shout out to the clothing brands I love where I’ve bought items that have lasted ages.
I’ve sung the praises of Marimekko many times but the quality of their clothing is outstanding. I have three Marimekko dresses. This one, this one (which I’ve owned and worn regularly for 7 years!) and this one. They’ve all been worn and washed almost weekly for several years and they all still look brand new. I can’t recommend the quality of Marimekko clothing highly enough.
I’ve bought a few things from COS in the last few years and I’ve been really pleased with the quality. I have this dress, this dress and a top from COS and I still have them all in regular rotation. I’ve had to re-hem two dresses from COS but that’s fine because it’s fixable. It’s when the fabric starts wearing thin or it starts to look shabby or pill-y that I get really grumpy.
I only have one dress from them so far but I bought it over two years ago and it’s been worn, washed, shoved in suitcases and thrown over swimsuits and it still looks brand new. This is one of their signature styles and it’s picture above. It’s such a great summer piece and it’s super forgiving – I bought this when I was a bit bigger than I am now and it still fits great. Awesome brand for weight fluctuaters like me.
I can’t remember a time when I haven’t had a Country Road dress on the go. My current favourites are this one and this one. Both are excellent and will remain in my wardrobe for years to come. I like Country Road because they favour natural fibres and their clothes just wash and wear so well.
Full disclosure: I’m yet to actually buy anything from Obus but two of my girlfriends are Obus fiends (as in they rarely wear anything that’s not from Obus) and they both have clothing that has lasted years and years from Obus. They’re next on my hit list for quality clothing shopping.
This outfit was worn for a day of pattern designing and course planning for Crochet Coach.
I’m really feeling 2018. I’m not usually a huge fan of January because everyone is so slooooowwww and no one is really on their game and back in the swing of things. I’m finding this year is not like that at all. I already have some great brand partnerships happening, I’ve signed a few awesome clients and the vibe is just really great for 2018. Are you feeling it? Or is it just me?
What are your favourite quality clothing brands? What brand is the oldest piece of clothing you still wear?
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P.P.S Don’t forget Crochet Coach has a free trial offer period at the moment so make sure you sign up!