As the Nineties favourite relaunches with a surprisingly chic and affordable collection… Warehouse packs a style punch again

Over the past few years, high street and online retailers have taken the idea of ­disposable fashion to the next level.

We’re inundated with cheap clothes that look like plastic rags and don’t survive one wash.

To get anything really good quality you have to spend ridiculous amounts. And even that is no guarantee, as I learned a few weeks ago when I spent such a ridiculous amount on a shirt from a designer website. I don’t shop often so I wanted to buy right and buy once.

I expected a beautifully crafted piece in 100 per cent silk (at the price I paid I would have liked to know the worms’ names). But when it arrived, not only was it 100 per cent viscose, the stitching on the hem was cock-eyed and it was coming undone.

Both ends of the market seem to have given up on quality. ­Meanwhile, in the middle – that mid-market sweet spot of stylish, affordable clothes that last – there’s a gaping hole.

I remember that I used to run to Oxford Circus after work ­knowing I could find something great from places such as Topshop, Morgan and Kookai.

Where do I go now? Zara? ­Possibly, but chances are there’ll be someone in my Tube carriage in exactly the same outfit. M&S? Then my mother will be in the same outfit. I like Massimo Dutti and COS but they’re not exactly affordable.

Warehouse was a favourite. It was Topshop’s sophisticated big sister, the brand that played a ­little harder to get. I still have the grey pinstripe suit I bought there in the mid-1990s. Tapered ­trousers and a boxy jacket, very Julia Roberts.

But in 2020 it fell into ­administration and the brand, assets and stock were acquired by online retailer Boohoo.

Now, Warehouse has been relaunched. I have to confess I didn’t expect much – but rather than chasing that boohoo.com customer, there’s a grown-up edge to this new Warehouse (sold through warehousefashion.com and debenhams.com, now also owned by Boohoo).

The pared-back aesthetic that we were so fond of is mixed with standout pieces, all at a price many can afford. Everything in our shoot is less than £100, except the leather jacket at £103 – and for real leather, that’s still a good price.

The tailoring gives the likes of ME+EM a run for their money. Just look at the red suit; the ­multi-pocket detail on the utility style jacket, £80.10, elevates it, while those wide-leg trousers, £53.10, are wonderfully flattering.

They’re not as generous in the length as, say, Zara, but that’s not a bad thing – many outlets seem to have forgotten that the ­average height of a woman in the UK is 5ft 3in, not 6ft.

Fitted blazer, £80.10, and matching trousers, £53.10, warehousefashion.com; blue linen shirt, £35, and rollneck, £25, both marksandspencer.com

Knitwear, £41, long sleeve V-neck dress, £51.75, warehouse fashion.com

Floral print midi-dress, £59, olive blazer, £59.25, warehousefashion.com; all footwear from a selection at russellandbromley.com, all jewellery from orelia.co.uk

Grey knit, £48.75, and tailored jeans, £24, warehousefashion. com; white linen shirt, £35, marksandspencer.com

Volume-sleeve smock dress, £44.25, warehouse fashion.com

Asymmetric dress, £41.40, warehouse fashion.com

The tailored trousers, teamed here with a fabulously cosy cable-knit jumper, are a sophisticated way to wear jeans.

This new collection also marks the launch of Warehouse’s ‘partly sustainable’ range, which it claims features ‘eco-friendly materials and recycled packaging’.

Hmm, I’m afraid there’s no ­getting round the fact that the majority of pieces are polyester, though. Still, the gorgeous orange print puff-sleeve dress above is 100 per cent cotton (and under £45!). And the real leather jacket is just that. It’s a low bar – but this is a more sustainable offering than many higher priced labels.

Besides, the real environmental benefit may come from buying items that last more than a single season.