Clothes shops & the Style they are known for

[Frostycake]

Does a list like this exist anywhere? if not, shall we create one?

I can think of the following:

Laura Ashley - 'Romantic'
All Saints - 'Alternative'
Karen Millen - 'dramatic'
Michael Kors - 'Glamorous'
La Redout - 'Classic'
Monsoon - 'Ethnic'
Ralph Lauren - 'Preppy'
Boden - Classic with a touch of bonkers

You get my drift.

I suppose I'm wondering if there are any shops I've overlooked which may be my kind of style (classic/dramatic).

[OneofTHOSEWomen]

I see what your getting at but don't agree entirely with your categorisation, but I do like your clothes shop word association game........


Laura Ashley - frump
All Saints - Kate moss
Karen Millen - WAG
Michael Kors extraneous gold clunky shite one leather hand bags which must be held as the Queen does (I.e. On wrist)
La Redout - sensible mum
Monsoon - wedding guest frump
Ralph Lauren - 'Preppy' ( I agree with this one)
Boden - middle class WASP

[CherryBonBon]

Laura Ashley - Mumsy
All Saints - Puddle watery. Occasional gem.
Karen Millen - Waggy
Michael Kors - Tacky
La Redoute - Safe
Monsoon - Frumpy
Ralph Lauren - Agree with preppy
Boden - Twee mumsy

[tossedsalads]

Interesting thread!

What would Dorothy Perkins and Next be then?

[sassytheFIRST]

Mint Velvet - grey
Next - polyester ubiquitousness
White stuff - creased and unflattering

[LoadsaBlusher]

Next - safe
Dorothy Perkins - schoolteacher style ( sorry )
Agree with Karen Milllen and Michael Kors as above
New Look - something for everyone
M & S - confused
Lipsy - tacky

[OneofTHOSEWomen]

Cos - architect, but could fall into your classic/ dramatic category OP
East - art teacher

[ProjectPerfect]

My mind is boggling at your style being Boden and Karen Millen. The two are pretty much mutually exclusive in my mind

[TeaAddict235]

La Redoute - Marketable French style
Boden - No sex please,
White Stuff - No personality
River Island - Sex please, 24/7
Mint Velvet - Grey
Next - Office ready
Monsoon -Ethnic freespirited traveller
Fat Face- durable, ready for anything
Ralph Lauren - American Preppy under 30 something
Market stalls - Creative arts student from a big city uni
New Look - soon to be history (?)

(hope this doesnt offend, I shop from some of my above list)

[sanityforlunch]

Laura Ashley - frumpy/Kirsty Allsop
Monsoon - ethnic
Coast - wedding guest
Next - boring
Dorothy Perkins - cheapo
Bon Marche - awful
Tesco - oversized tat
M&co - overpriced tat
La Redoute - see-through tat
Asda - lowest of the low tat
New look - teenagery
Karen Millen - footballer's wife
Boden - middle class mum
M&S - bit jumbled
White Stuff - overpriced casual
Top Shop - young and fashionable
River island - night out on the town/Magaluf
Mint Velvet - slouchy
Wallis - over the top
Miss Selfridge - skinny minny

Having said that, I love clothes and could probably find something to wear in all those shops.

[leccybill]

Wallis- cruisewear
River Island - young glam
White Company- we saw you coming
Next- safe
Monsoon - holiday/wedding

[Frostycake]

OneofTHOSEWomen I so wanted to use those descriptors but I was trying to be polite. Yes to WAG for Karen Millen.

at Leccybill and 'White Company' - we saw you coming.

I'm loving these:
Boden - No sex please,
White Stuff - No personality
River Island - Sex please, 24/7

[SuperFlyHigh]

leccy at White Company we saw you coming - I think that every time I go past their stores...

[Frostycake]

ProjectPerfect, no I've never bought anything from Karen Millen. It's all just ... a bit too much tits and arse for my taste but I like the tailoring and the attempt at fit and form in a sea of offerings which appear to be sludge coloured drapey rags for ££££. glares at Mint Velvet dress, not worn since purchase 18 months ago

I do look at the COS site occassionally. I ordered once but sent it all back.

I read a thread a couple of weeks ago where a poster said she'd listened to a radio 4 program about pattern cutting/dress design or similar and new designers weren't taught about fitting clothes like the olden days because it was out of fashion and no body wanted it any more. It seems sad to me as I think unless you're willowy, most people look better with a bit of fit and form to their clothes. I could just be showing my age though

[Frostycake]

Just thought of some more:

GAP - desperate visitor to a shopping centre
HOBBS - worker bee
JOULES - annoyingly jaunty suburban mum

[afink]

Laura Ashley - Frump.
Monsoon - Frump who think they're a bit alternative and likes health food shops
Coast - wedding guest
Karen Millen - new money. Tacky footballers wife style
Next - Safe, boring, suburban mum. No imagination.
River Island - as for Karen Millen but without the money
White Stuff - Mum who lost their sense of self 10 years ago
Miss Selfridge - Impossibly thin teenage girls
Topshop - Impossibly thin teenage girls who are cool
Boden - middle class mum, thinks they're a bit aspirational
La Redoute - I agree with whoever said see through tat. EVERYTHING is see through from here, whether it's meant to be or not
Joules - Extremely mumsy middle class mum, usually a wannabe social climber
Dorothy Perkins - treading a bizarre line between cheapo tat and frump
Wallis - for loud women called Judith with sunbed tans, wiry bottle blonde hair and a penchant for shift dresses in salmon pink and black who usually work in payroll.
New Look - I don't even know what this wants to be any more.

(and I own clothes from many of the above shops, incidentally).

[afink]

Bon Marche - What old ladies used to wear when I was a child. I don't know any older women these days who'd be seen dead in any of it (cough, except my MIL), so lord knows who buys it.

[breakfastinbread]

Wearing H&M - what am I?!?
(Sorry if I missed it)

[afink]

To me, H&M is either young, effortlessly cool person who manages to look great even though on a tiny budget, or office junior who hates their job and is regretting not going to uni (depending on which section you buy from).

[ProjectPerfect]

frosty sorry it was just you described your taste as dranatic/glamour which ere the descriptions for Boden Karen Millen - I was confused

I actually think Karen Millen improves year on year, the rubberised Pvc of yesteryear is being fazed out and this summer I biught s couple of lovely cotton dresses. Stupid prices though, comparatively.

[polyhymnia]

Another vote for Laura Ashley - frumpy.
Next - not quite good enough quality
Simply Be and Yours - tat for the fat (I can say this because I am large)
L K Bennett - aspirational
Michael Kors - tasteless bling
Coast - flash wedding guest

[tossedsalads]

Ooh ooh do Oasis and Warehouse

Am now wondering where on earth is left to shop? Tk maxx maybe?!

[Coastingit]

Joseph - clothes for people with more money than style

Hush - no you don't look like the model, you look like you didn't bother getting dressed today

Atterley Road - a fine selection of utterly boring and ordinary yet overpriced clothing

[Baddz]

Love Hobbs and Boden. Can't afford either, sadly.
So I buy from next (basics like jeans and they do nice perfume) and supermarkets like asda and tesco.
I have to buy £££ bras as I have ff cups.
M and s is just weird lately.

[IJustLostTheGame]

Noa noa - rich hippy
Karen Millen - ITV Saturday night with Cheryl Cole in it.
River Island - trying to be Rihanna, urban with an edge of slut
Reiss - for skinny up and down stick ladies who have saved all their money by not eating.

[SuperFlyHigh]

Coastingit are you jealous because you can't afford Joseph? all my clothes from there have been stylish and dare I say it affordable!