A Nordstrom customer recently called out clothing stores for “just slapping numbers” on poor-quality items after finding a $450 polyester dress.
TikTok user Meredith Lynch (@meredithmlynch) shared her observations when she was shopping for clothes. First, the content creator noticed a lot of “casual wear.” Second, she observed how there used to be a bit of an in-between “price-wise.” As a result, Lynch felt like companies were “slapping on numbers on random items of clothing,” and that $600 and $16 clothes are often the same quality.
@meredithmlynch #greenscreen can you imagine charging $450 for this im screaming #nordstrom #clothing #fashion #quality #wealthgap #fastfashion #dress #fallfit #ootd #wardrobe #style #beauty #shopping #centurycitymall #designer #unhinged ♬ original sound – Meredith Lynch
Then, she unveiled the “unhinged” maroon Ramy Brook dress she discovered at Nordstrom. Afterward, she showed the price on Nordtrsom’s website. The dress was a whopping $445. “That better be spun with gold. That is very expensive. It’s not a high-end designer,” she stated. “What’s it made of?”
When she looked on the website, she found the materials the dress was made of weren’t listed. However, in person, she found out the dress was made of 100% polyester. Upon closer inspection, all the dresses were wrinkled with the buttons undone and threads falling off.
Next, the content creator unveiled a green blouse from the same brand, which retailed for $325. Then, Lynch zoomed on it where the button was falling off and the threads were “pulling.” Another blouse had the same issues as the original one. “It’s not on sale, not like, ‘this is a damaged one,’” she said. “No, these are literally what comes out on the rack.”
Despite this, Lynch didn’t blame Nordstrom, but instead the product manufacturer. In her mind, these dresses were a reflection of the wealth gap. “There’s only two prices of clothing now. It’s like obscenely expensive for crap quality,” she explained.
The Daily Dot reached out to Lynch via Instagram direct message and TikTok comment and both Nordstrom and Ramy Brook via press email. The video racked up over 825,000. In the comments, shoppers expressed agreement.
“That dress and blouse look like they should be $16.99 at TJMaxx,” one viewer wrote.
“That dress is giving $20,” a second user stated.
“I wouldn’t even pay $30 at Marshall’s for these,” a third user remarked
In addition, others noted an increased use of polyester in current fashion.
“Polyester is EVERYWHERE. And i refuse to buy it. Fashion retailers have LOST IT,” one user noted.
“i agree everything is poly or viscose and so expensive!!! pass,” a second concurred.
Is polyester dominating fashion stores? According to Good Garms, “Polyester is one of the cheapest materials on the market. That is why it dominates the fast fashion space. Polyester was first introduced to drive the cost of products down. That being said — like all materials, there are different levels of quality.”