So, I have been ranting and raving about online vs on-ground retail purchases over the last few days with my experiences in purchasing arctic gear so far. Yet my postings will show that I do also favour locals when the price and quality is right, particularly when I am shopping for merino products.
See my Macpac and Diana Ferari postings and you can see why.
Having said that, I recently bought some merino dresses from Glassons, as I wear their merino crew long sleeve tops as casuals as well as a base layer quite a lot. Their products are affordable and there are quite a few choices of colours but the quality is nothing close to Macpacs and Icebreakers. The merino weave is very thin and holes are noticeable after 1-2 washes. My last purchase was both a thrill and a disappointment. I bought a tank dress (like a little black dress or a very long singlet) for $29 and a fuchsia pink baggy tunic top, both 100% NS merino (and made in China), and I had thrown away the receipt and labels and couldn’t return them. Shock horror, there was already a little hole in the black dress and I believe it was already there when I bought the dress (of course I could insist, go back to the store and kick up a fuss at the store but I didn’t). The merino weaving is quite delicate or weak depending on how one views it. The holes are similar to my older merino clothing bought from the same retailer. What I was thrilled with was that finally, local retailers were selling merino, in much more fashionable styles than just plain tees. But they really need to watch the quality and designs, particularly Glassons. The Diana Ferari top looks superb, though it is twice the price of Glassons’ products, but worth it.
Someone once said “I’m too poor to buy cheap” may have a point there.
And, after all this while, after comparing the merino brands, Icebreaker is still numero Uno for me. The Macpac’s merino tee shirt lost its shape a little after being cold machine washed.
The Snow Goddess 