Is it just me or are most of these dresses, and the way they are presented, hideous?

[MrsPeacockInTheLibrary]

I clicked onto this link and had the strong visceral wtf reaction that used to be the exclusive preserve of the MandS Per Una collection.

It would be good to get a sort of barometer for my taste ... am I really that out of it with what others like and are wearing? Plus the clumpy boots in nearly all the photos.

Is it just me?

www.johnlewis.com/browse/women/womens-dresses/_/N-flw

I quite like some of them.

OP or anyone else who thinks they're awful.....I'm interested to know what you do like? Can you post some links?

They remind me of the wardrobe from the handmaids tale. Along with our no socializing , singing or dancing covid régime we have to now dress like Mormons.

I love this fashion moment.

1. Not too much bare flesh.
2. Comfy practical footwear you can actually wear all day long and do things in.
3. Not body-con, again very practical.
4. Warm (you can layer under and over) very versatile - can be worn it different seasons.
5. The colours suit my skin tone/season.

The only thing I hate it that it's mostly polyester, but that's pretty much all clothing at the moment.
It would be nice if the clothing industry moved to recyclable clothing - we probably need some legislation in this area.

The cons are: I'm not going anywhere and have no need or want of new clothing at the moment!

good question @bendmeoverbackwards

They are fashionable this year thanks to Kate followers. Wouldn't be seen dead in them myself

Lots of shapeless sacking... But I think that's what lots of ladies want post-pandemic, if they've gained a bit of weight.

But also, I had noticed pre-pandemic that lots of the cheaper shops sold this style of dress, I think the style is easier to make cheaply.

Kate who?

@LilOldMe

I don’t know if I’m just out of touch, but I find women’s fashion so uninspiring and ugly lately. Dresses seem particularly lack-lustre.

@CantDoMessyBuns Me too! I don’t get how and why this Little House on the Prairie trend took off.

I feel sorry for 19-year-old boys, really. 😆 The student union bars (if they’re open) must look like Amish harvest festivals.

You really have incredible old-fashioned and offensive views.

Most uni students (male and female) I see (I live in a Uni city) wear sport wear 90% of the time which is even more levelling in terms of comfort and practicality. Your head would spin!
The clothing in John Lewis (the original link) isn't really aimed at students.

@longcoffee was that on urban outfitters? I bought a cardi (to go over my smock dresses) from there and when I looked it up on line to show someone the model was crouched on a rock in the back garden of a terrace house (a row of dormer windows as the backdrop) . Quite random

There is a little revolving rail on the way out of our Morrison's with 4 different items on

I said recently the dresses were the Amish look, seems like others agree

A couple of them are ok, but most of them look like peasants out of a period drama!

@Thinkle it may well have been - I think I had online basket blur by that stage!

I did the whole spectrum from boohoo to Hobbs to find a plain black wrap dress, they're like hens teeth!

Agree with hettie I really like some of the dresses and the pared down ness of them. I also love the long dress and boots / trainers look.

I would however, not wear polyester.

I love the one with the horses on and would buy and wear it if I had a spare 250 quid.

I like a lot of those dresses! Not the floral ones though. And I like chunky boots. Too much viscose around generally but midi dresses are great. I would buy that Temperly leopard print one.
I wouldn't feel sorry for teen boys. As a youngster in the 90s I had to suffer looking at boys dressed in massive baggy trousers and massive baggy high necked t shirts, with curtains for hair

My mother, me, and my daughter all think they look awful and none of us would wear them so it's hard to see what their target market is.

@FamilyOfAliens

I love this style. The tiered ones I prefer for summer but on the whole, a loose, comfortable dress with longer sleeves and pockets, that you can just throw on without fannying about trying to find separates that go together, is perfect for my close-to-retirement lifestyle!

at that &Daughters one at £395 though!

That tiered seersucker one reminded me of a primary school summer dress but with less style.

I’m not really a dress person but I think it’s great to see midi dresses return after those horrible, aggressively sexual bodycon things.

I’m absolutely shocked by the amount of money some are willing to spend on clothes. £300 for one dress? That’s what I spend on clothes for dh and me in a year, or on the two dc for a year. I was brought up in hand-me-downs so I think I’ve gone upmarket too! I’m not shocked by the constant artificial fibres, but I do wish we’d have more natural. Especially at those prices.

@longcoffee

Was looking for a plain black dress online last night. There were some corkers, but my favourite model pose was the poor girl who had been made to crouch in a bath, in a garden, in a black wrap dress.

Why? How does that in any way help sell the dress? How much garden bath crouching does the general jersey wrap dress consumer do?

Obviously to show its versatility!

This LBD can take you from sitting at your desk, to standing at a bar, to... eh... crouching in your garden bath. Boom - world's most versatile business casual attire.

@movingonup20 what sort of dresses do you like?

My mother, me, and my daughter all think they look awful and none of us would wear them so it's hard to see what their target market is.

That's it then, out of a population of millions you speak for all women 🤣

I really find the comment about feeling sorry for teenage boys in poor taste too. Gosh, teenage girls and women stop being forced to dress to advertise sexual availability, poor menz. Would you feel sorry for the menz if extreme reality porn (I.e. rapes) was switched off too?

I like some of the dresses I'll get my coat, you'd probably hate that too

Oooh I like a lot of the whistles, hush and ghost ones, but like dresses with big boots etc. Don't like the overly frilly / fussy ones though as wouldn't suit me.

Shame there is no point buying anything as I have nowhere to do or nothing to do that would warrant a purchase

Is your coat 'colourful' Durham ?

I have a penchant for bright coats and I'm aware walking through a shopping centre I was the only one