What do you think when you hear the brand name......

[ToucanPlayThatGame]

Phase eight? Who wears it? What age? For what sort of event? It's a make where I occasionally see things I quite like, but worried it's a bit mother of the bride. And I'm not old enough to have a child as a bride.

Anybody else got shops or brand names that confuse them similarly?

[SuperFlyHigh]

Who wears it? Women with a bit of disposable income, wanting to hide certain parts and want smart/casual items.

My friend who's a size 18 often buys dresses or workwear there. I did buy my mum some of their lovely 3/4 length sleeve fitted tops which they've now made loose or put a frill/bow etc on. Local shop now having a sale wonder why?

[SomeDayMyPrinceMightCome]

I tend to find it a tad frumpy for my style (and I'm not exactly edgy!) and dont' like the prevalance of synthetic fabrics. BUT I think some of their dresses are very pretty for weddings (as long as styled well) and they had some winter coats/puffa jackets that were GORGEOUS and very good value. I almost bought one but found something I very slightly preferred elsewhere. Regretted not buying one from Phase Eight though.

[Glitteryfrog]

My wedding dress is phase eight... I'm 32.

[Aberchips]

I sometimes find lovely stuff there - have a gorgeous dress that I love & wear loads. However secretly I think it's bit middle aged & MOB.

[LadyAntonella]

Hmmmm I'm a bit on the fence about Phase Eight tbh. Some of it is overpriced tat and some of it is terribly frumpy. If one of my more fashionable (than me) friends said they had bought something there I would be a bit surprised - they would probably say it like I found something really lovely in Phase Eight - how surprising. It's not somewhere I would go for something really lovely which is what I might expect for some of the prices.

That said I have seen some very nice things in there. It isn't fashion forward but then nor am I. I like their plainer things without too much frilly crap. I had a gorgeous Grecian maxi dress from there a while ago but I only bought it as it was very reduced on sale. Wouldn't have paid what they were asking for it full price. It was synthetic fabric but looked very nice on, so was ok.

[pristinechristine]

My wedding dress was from phase eight and I was 34 when I got married.

[LadyAntonella]

Oh sorry and I'm 32.

[Ilovetorrentialrain]

Honest answer is 'mother of the bride' or formal wear/middle aged.

[blueskyinmarch]

It's my go to shop for evening wear and dressy stuff. I am 53. My DD who is 23 has a few items too. A dress and a top I think.

[onemouseplace]

My Mum got her mother of the bride out from Phase Eight

I think most of it is a bit middle-aged, but every so often I see something in a magazine from there which is much more fashion forward. I suspect there are some gems, but I can't be dealing with finding them.

This is a bit ridiculous really, as it is one of the few chain clothes stores I have locally, so I could have a good poke through reasonably often.

[Floisme]

I'm middle aged. I think some of their dresses are pretty and sometimes I even try on but I just don't have any call for anything that fancy. And if ever I do, I doubt whether I'll go there because firstly, their fabrics are not - how can I put this? - menopause friendly and secondly most of those pretty dresses are sleeveless, which renders them marginally more useful than a crop top,

I don't know of anyone my age who shops there either so It's a bit of a mystery. I suspect that either they're about to go bust or that there are a lot more younger women shopping there than are letting on.

[Judydreamsofhorses]

My friend calls it "the menopause shop". I'm sure there are some nice things in there, but I would never think to go in.

[Floisme]

.... And there's my very point. It's not a decent 'menopause shop' because their fabrics are shite.

[Whataboutwhathuh]

I'm 33 and got a dress for a wedding there, I got lots of lovely comments.

[tabulahrasa]

I buy clothes for work from there sometimes, they're fairly flattering on and are pretty cheap in the sale section...they're not hugely exciting, but they're suitable for work.

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

I see most of it as too 'Mother of the bride' and 'old' for me. I'm 46. I do have one (old) dress from there which I love (but is currently too tight). :(

[StatisticallyChallenged]

I'm 29 and have a couple of things from there - a couple of fitted work dresses and a couple of nice tops that go with jeans. It's totally hit and miss though and a lot of it is either mother of the bride or frumptastic, but occasionally they produce something that's just nice, well cut and kind of ageless.

[OhTheRoses]

I liked it about 10 years ago. Not so much now. I'm 5'7" and I find I am too tall for most of it.

[Nepotism]

I'm 53 and it's usually too old for me! Have had a few nice tops from there, got told by a complete stranger on holiday that I looked like I'd just stepped off a luxury yacht, so I was very chuffed.

[Liiinooo]

I am 5' 1''. And in my mid fifties. For about 10-15 years at a size 8-12 I bought their tape work dresses for dos as the stretchy fabric acted like Spanx. Since I became menopausal and put on a lot of weight round the middle I have given up on those as without a waist I look like a sausage in them.

I still buy their long line tunic tops to wear over skinny jeans as they come in great colours and fabrics but I think the quality has gone down recently. I find the knits are laddering and the silks tend to split very quickly.

[ToucanPlayThatGame]

Interesting.

I have one dress from there, which I wore to a wedding, but I struggle to find much else I like. The things I do like tend to be very plain, all one colour dresses.

I've never looked at their wedding dresses until today. Some of them are lovely, and very unfrumpy.

[ToucanPlayThatGame]

I'm 36 BTW, and looking to buy more classic, good quality clothes than I used to, which is why I was looking there.

[Sleeperandthespindle]

I had a perfect dress for a funeral from there. 3 years ago when I was 37. It also doubled up as an equally perfect interview dress. So win-win. (Kind of).

[KenDoddsDadsDog]

Love some of their swimwear .

[ThenLaterWhenItGotDark]

Someone asked about this not long ago, and I said what I'll say now. Some of it is Maria Von Trapp getting the curtains down (no-one ever, in the history of frockery, has ever looked good in gear with flowers bigger than the palm of your hand on it) but some of it, especially the posh tops are fabulous. I do not do "dressing up" so for weddings etc I wear my favourite ever P8 top (plain navy, finest gossamer knit ever, longline and supremely flattering) and white skinny jeans.

I love it so much I have 3 all the same.