Are pennys dresses worth it?

newsunglasses

I have a few pennys dresses and they are lovely,they do good knock off of the designers.
Is it better to buy upmarket,does it last longer or is the style more timelesss etc,what do you guys think?

lindtee

The cut and fit of a more expensive dress will be much better than the Penneys one and usually be better quality and better made. It depends on what you want the dress for..
I would advise to wait for the sales or ebay if you want something that will last and can't afford upmarket prices (like most of us!)

Larianne

I get complimented on the dresses I wear and most, if not all, are from Penneys. It's how you wear them and accessorise them. You could spend money on expensive brands and still look like you were dragged backwards through a bush.

newsunglasses

Thanks for the replies,its just i need to up my wardrobe and i have a few pennies saved aside (over the months)for a big splurge tommorrow,looking forward to dropping into pennys anway.
But i might have a browse in the other shops!

ceadaoin.

In fairness I don't really shop in penneys for anything other than pjs. The couple of dresses I've had from there over the years were ill fitting, itchy material and didnt wash well. That's not a huge sample size so maybe I just got unlucky.

Why does it have to be either penneys or upmarket/designer? Oasis and Topshop have really nice dresses that, while not as cheap as the likes of penneys, certainly won't break the bank! A Wear is only slightly more expensive but miles ahead in terms of quality in my opinion.

Valentina

I agree with ceadaoin. Oasis, Warehouse, Dorothy Perkins, Awear and Closet all have gorgeous mid-price dresses that are decent quality and will wear and wash very well.

ger vallely

I have dresses from Penneys that I bought years ago. They still wash well and hold their shape/colour. Either way,definitely shop around.

newsunglasses

Yeah some of the pennys stuff is good,their jewlerry fades quickly though!

The way i look at it is if its going to go out of fashion in the next season,why not get it cheap,instead of dropping like 200 for a dress..

I think i'll have a browse around topshop and oasis and that though,i might pick up something lovely there too(in the sale rack of course).

dudara

There is good stuff in Penney's but you have to pick through it. Most of it is tat, which will degrade with a few washes & wears. In fairness though, this is a general thing with cheap clothes and not just exclusive to Penneys.

I used to live in Penneys as a student, so I won't knock them. They kept me clothed and fashionable when I was a student. But now, I'd recommend buying the best that you can, even if it means buying less.

fits

Its throwaway fashion. Like Dudara, I too have left euros in there but now I try to buy less and buy better quality.

SusieBlue

You get what you pay for. I tend to only buy casual clothes/pyjamas in there because their dresses don't tend to fit me well, last about 2 washes before going off colour/shrinking/going out of shape and aren't made of high quality material.

If I see something and I love it in there, of course I'll buy it, but 9 times out of 10 I'll only get to wear it once or twice.

As a point of interest I buy most of my casual clothes in New Look, H&M and Forever 21 (only slightly more expensive than Penney's and waaaaaaaay better quality) and River Island and Topshop for dresses/skirts.

meeeeh

More money doesn't necessary mean better quality. I used to have a Max mara red jumper I loved. Lucky for me I lost some weight at the time because it shrunk after the first (hand) wash and it was leeking color every time. Great jumper though.

I don't particularly pay attention to brands but I check composition and how well things are made. I spend more for classic pieces that last for years. I definitely try to stay away from plastic shoes because my feet swell in them. I hate disposable fashion so if I think I'll wear something just once or twice I don't buy it (except occasion wear). I don't think Penny's are great quality and I hate shopping in the shops where clothes are just thrown on the piles like they are worth nothing (top shop used to be like that too). That being said I got a great white t shirt there once. It was twice the price of the other ones though.

closifer

Valentina wrote: »

I agree with ceadaoin. Oasis, Warehouse, Dorothy Perkins, Awear and Closet all have gorgeous mid-price dresses that are decent quality and will wear and wash very well.

+1 for Oasis dresses. I have great dresses from Oasis - most of which I got on sale that have lasted years and look as good as when I first bought them. Also, their fit is very flattering!

newsunglasses

Thanks for that i will definataley have oasis on my to do list.

I think you should take it on a dress by dress basis.

I've bought some expensive dresses that didn't stand the test of time, while I have some Penneys dresses that have (actually of my top 3 dresses, 2 are Penneys).

If you take the time to feel the material, try on the dress and make sure to check the care label, you can tell a good dress regardless of the price/brand tag.

XxMCRxBabyxX

ceadaoin. wrote: »

In fairness I don't really shop in penneys for anything other than pjs. The couple of dresses I've had from there over the years were ill fitting, itchy material and didnt wash well. That's not a huge sample size so maybe I just got unlucky.

Why does it have to be either penny's or upmarket/designer? Oasis and Topshop have really nice dresses that, while not as cheap as the likes of penneys, certainly won't break the bank! A Wear is only slightly more expensive but miles ahead in terms of quality in my opinion.

I would actually find it the other way with Penneys and Awear. Most of the stuff I have from Awear has fallen apart really quickly (I had a bag and it's replacement both break the day I started using them!) while my Penneys stuff is doing pretty alright! I've never had the issues that you have had with Penneys dresses and I buy a lot of them.

I have a dress from penneys for 7 euro which I love, I have to say. They have a lot of rubbish but if you pick through it carefully you can find good enough stuff

But in general I would spend money for quality

Polka_Dot

My absolute favourite dress is one I bought in Penneys for 15 euro. Thought it was nice on the hanger so tried it on on a whim, and just by chance it seemed to fit me perfectly and was very flattering on. I have others that are grand but nothing special, then there are ones that I've tried on in the shop and have been horrible. Definitely depends on the dress and on yourself!

ncmc

I think the quality in a lot of the high street shops has decreased in recent times. I used to love Oasis, but anything I have tried on there recently has felt really cheap and really badly cut. The annoying thing is that the clothes in there are quite expensive. Ditto for Zara, bought a dress in there recently, the seam at the split tore after about an hours wear, bought a pair of shoes in there at the same time and they are the strangest shape, can't wear them for more than 10 minutes. So I would say more money doesn't mean better quality.

I find now that I have better luck in individual boutiques, especially if you can hit on one where the owner/buyer knows her stuff and knows what brands are good quality and stocks accordingly. They aren't necessarily more expensive than the likes of Oasis and Topshop, plus you get more individual pieces that you don't see everyone else wearing.

That said, you can hit really lucky in Penny's, but it is a bit of a slog, you have to work hard to separate the wheat from the chaff. Likewise TK Maxx can have hidden gems at great prices if you're willing to delve deep.

okiss

I also think that with cheaper clothes it is better to hand wash them in Wollite ( liquid for hand washing clothes). Tesco do there own brand of this also and it is good. Then put the clothes into the machine, add some fabric conditioner and use the rinse cycle.

I would agree that sometimes it is better to spend some money on clothes.
A few years ago I bought an expensive black blazer type jacket for half price in a sale. I got a lot of ware out of it.
I recently when shopping as I have lost some weight and I would agree that some clothes now are cut badly and are badly finished. Also I have noticed the price of clothes has gone up a lot in certain shops.
I would agree that some time a local small shop that know's it's customers can be a good option but some times you need a lot of cash to shop here.

Rosy Posy

I think Penneys is all well and good if you are a very regular shape- I have a friend who is pretty straight up and down and she gets all her work clothes in there and she looks great in them. However, I have boobs and a booty and everything in there looks awful on me bar vest tops and pjs. Its great for tights. Also the fabrics are mostly horrible. For cheap clothes I think that H&M is a better buy. I get a lot of clothes in charity shops and at Flea markets and swop shops, that way you can get quality stuff at better prices. I think that if something is poor quality then it will fall apart reasonably quickly, if its decent then it can survive someone else wearing it, getting tired of it and giving it away/selling it.

Honey-ec

It really depends on what you're buying. If it's an on-trend piece that you're only going to get one season out of, then buy it in Penney's.

For classic/timeless pieces, spend as much as you can possibly afford. The things I would recommend viewing as investment pieces are:

- boot-cut, dark wash jeans

- an LBD

- a dressy coat

- tan trenchcoat/mackintosh (belted)

- a well-cut white shirt

GZ250

Rosy Posy wrote: »

I think Penneys is all well and good if you are a very regular shape- I have a friend who is pretty straight up and down and she gets all her work clothes in there and she looks great in them. However, I have boobs and a booty and everything in there looks awful on me bar vest tops and pjs. Its great for tights. Also the fabrics are mostly horrible. For cheap clothes I think that H&M is a better buy. I get a lot of clothes in charity shops and at Flea markets and swop shops, that way you can get quality stuff at better prices. I think that if something is poor quality then it will fall apart reasonably quickly, if its decent then it can survive someone else wearing it, getting tired of it and giving it away/selling it.

Yeah I think it depends on body type. I can't seem to get dresses in Penneys to fit me all over, I also find the arms in most of their garments tight - & I'm a size 10/12 but as we all know that "size" varies from store to store. I use Penneys for PJ's, sox, tights etc.

xOxSinéadxOx

XxMCRxBabyxX wrote: »

I would actually find it the other way with Penneys and Awear. Most of the stuff I have from Awear has fallen apart really quickly (I had a bag and it's replacement both break the day I started using them!) while my Penneys stuff is doing pretty alright! I've never had the issues that you have had with Penneys dresses and I buy a lot of them.

I agree, the quality of awear clothing is the worth of all highstreet shops in my experience.

I find the quality of Penneys clothing varies from item to item, I don't think they are necessairly worse quality than other shops on the highstreet.

Lia_lia

Nah, they don't fit me. Lots of my friends wear dresses from Penneys and they look great on them. They just don't suit my body-shape..

Rosy Posy

xOxSinéadxOx wrote: »

I agree, the quality of awear clothing is the worth of all highstreet shops in my experience.

I find the quality of Penneys clothing varies from item to item, I don't think they are necessairly worse quality than other shops on the highstreet.

I have some beautiful quality closet and yumi dresses that I bought in Awear. I'd agree that their own brand stuff is shoddy.

mood

I find Pennys dresses fit very badly so much so I have never been able to buy one.

Alibear

I have got some fab dresses in Penneys that are years old and still going strong! Although recently I think their stuff has really gone downhill...

lindtee

Alibear wrote: »

I have got some fab dresses in Penneys that are years old and still going strong! Although recently I think their stuff has really gone downhill...

I agree. In years gone by I couldn't go into penneys without coming out with a bag of stuff. Now half the time I don't buy anything:eek: