Wardrobe desk

• White Stuff, read closely: friendly shops, cotton dresses, and a knitwear rail worth reading slowly

  Easy cotton dresses and a good shop network, with knitwear that rewards a look at the fibres. Read

• Whistles, read closely: clever trousers, honest labels and a refunds desk still finding its feet

  Grown-up London womenswear with careful labels, best bought on reduction and returned in person. Read

• Toast, read closely: beautiful cloth, a free mending service and prices that ask for patience

  Natural fabrics, honest labels and free repairs, sold at prices best met at the season’s end. Read

• Seasalt Cornwall, read closely: honest raincoats, good stripes, and knitwear that rewards reading the label

  Organic stripes and properly rated raincoats, with knitwear that needs its label read first. Read

• Reiss, read closely: sharp tailoring, quick parcels and a returns desk that now charges for the van

  Polished suits and workwear above the high street, delivered fast and best returned by hand. Read

• Marks & Spencer, read closely: the nation’s chinos are fine, the shop around them less so

  Dependable basics with a long returns window, sold through a shop that has grown crowded. Read

• Kurt Geiger, read closely: a glittering eagle on the bag, and a returns policy with talons

  Cheerful bags and showy shoes, best bought in a shop where the returns are free and the rules shorter. Read

• Joules, read closely: the country-show brand has gone preppy, and the polo shirt is still the point

  Sturdy polos and decent raincoats from a country brand now run with Next’s machinery. Read

• Hush, read closely: the weekend wardrobe done well, if you read the label twice

  Easy-going weekend clothes with some excellent wool, and labels worth reading before you buy. Read

• Gymshark, read closely: very good leggings, a lot of noise, and nobody to telephone

  Seamless leggings worth the fuss, T-shirts that vary, and a customer service desk run largely by a chatbot. Read

• FatFace, read closely: good cotton, easy returns, and a Fair Isle jumper that is mostly polyester

  Reliable cotton weekend clothes, returnable at any Next, with knitwear that needs its label read. Read

• Clarks, read closely: the best place to have a child’s feet measured, and a shop that has grown untidy

  Unbeatable for school shoes and the Desert Boot; read the returns small print before buying online. Read

• Boden, read closely: cheerful, well made and not always worth the full price

  Bright, well-cut British staples, best bought with the code and the returns slip in hand. Read

13 pieces on this desk