Anyone else just lost all interest in clothes and fashion?

[mossybranches]

I was an avid frequenter of S&B here for over 10 yrs.
Love style and chatting about clothes, all the weird and wonderful sub categories from monty don (a thing on S&B) to mad prairie dresses. I used to even contribute to a style blog in the late 2000's and absolutely adored mooching in stores and online for clothes.

Then it just seemed to stop. I lost all interest. No big deal obviously, but if I think about it, it was when everything seemed to become ubiquitous and the quality of everything dropped, even at higher end stores.

It stands out to me because it was previously a life long love of mine, which just slowly dried up. I still have to dress myself and am pretty fussy about what I will purchase, but the entire landscape of clothes just went to hell for me. I remember waiting, curiously, to see if stuff changed, but with each year everything that comes out seems to get worse. I moved over to older stuff via ebay, then more or less stopped that. If my weight changes I am goosed

I could blame this on getting older, lol, but I strongly doubt it! I am not the type to just slop something on and not care.
But right now I am down to my last set of clothes, from yrs ago, and haven't been interested in anything new for a few years. This is not like me! I went into a high street store last week for the first time in a year, and nothing has changed. Long assed crotches up to the tits and clothes so wide and shapeless I would fear getting wet in case I solidified.

It can't just be me?

Fashion changes. It's OK to look at current fashion and find it's not your style/think it's awful. It should be about your personal style and maybe having fun with it is the thing you're missing?

It's OK to have a style which uses elements that aren't currently in fashion btw!

Fwiw I think current fashion is awful. Cheap and either shapeless or skin tight, no thanks! Some stuff in fashion is perfect for me because I know it suits me (e.g. pencil midi skirts, high waisted jeans, loose crop tops), but for statement pieces or just fun pieces to add that "something" I use Vinted. (Was ebay but Vinted is much better now). I would say I keep my look updated especially around make up but I have my own style and will never look "trendy".

I like Anna Reid on YouTube as a style vlogger for older women.

Online shopping

which stores do you go to?

Ah, pencil skirts! Never suited me but have noticed the return of the bias cut midi, although usually in a thin, overly shiny, shit material :(
Standards for cut and fabric are in a mess, even at higher end price points, such as Reiss, etc.

As to where do I shop, I used to shop in various online and high street shops such as John Lewis, Wrap, Toast, Seasalt, Whistles, Brora, Finisterre, as well as more mainstream places such as Superdry, Zara, M&S and FatFace.

I hear you OP. I think a large part of the problem now is that when I can be bothered to go looking so much of it is just horrible (in my opinion). So I give up!

Gosh - that sounds almost frightening, @mossybranches.

(Last year I caught Covid and over the course of several months found all my interest and enthusiasm for my occupation / travel / friendships etc just shrivelled and died. But the one thing I retained was an obsession with clothes. If I’d lost that I’m not sure how … )

Do you think this sudden loss of interest is solely boredom - rather than an indication of some wider malaise? It’s true the shops you previously frequented (online / in person) probably have seen a downturn in quality and variety since 2020 - do you feel introduction to new and better sources might revive your previous joyful appreciation? Or …?

As much as people will argue, looking good is really to seek validation and approval from other people, so I think when you get to a point where you don't care about what other people think about you, it follows you don't care that much about your clothes and you just want to be comfortable

And to add, about 10 years ago I realised fashion changes so you need to buy more stuff. It's all about making money and you're just the money maker. Fashion isn't even original, they just recycle the same shit. What is in fashion now was basically exactly the same as what people were wearing in 1993, I know because I remember

I'm like this with footwear at the moment; I can't find a single pair of shoes/boots or trainers I actually like & would wear 😫 I'm desperate for new shoes but after 4 months of looking and not finding anything decent I'm sticking with my older footwear for now.

I’ve had similar. Agree it’s to do with the massive drop in quality of clothes from pretty much everywhere-it’s really depressing. What used to be a treat is now a chore.
plus i suppose getting older

Thankfully I’ve never, ever found that looking good and being comfortable are mutually exclusive. Why on earth should they be?

In fact I’d be deeply uncomfortable if I were not able to wear beautiful clothes.

Have you tried House Of Bruar OP? Maybe it's not your thing but it's not baggy or shapeless, quality is good and I noticed they've got some bias cut skirts in the catalogue I just received.

I see similar trends in jewellery.Silver or gold plated jewellery seems to have become the norm and is just so expensive.
In regard to clothes I find myself wearing endless variations of Boden Richmond trousers.They keep their shape and some have lasted over 10 years. It's boring but my navy and black pairs match everything and can cover workplaces, funerals and going out.Barbour clothing, particularly the woman's shirts, are remarkable quality and well worth looking at.
The remnants of the sale in M&S at present are deeply depressing although I love the jaegar line.

The problem now is that you have to work really quite hard to find decent quality, good-looking clothes, and I just ain't got the time for that. I used to love a shopping trip to town, but hate it now because the chances of finding something nice are so low. You'd have to walk miles and rummage through tons of crap. There's certainly no coming home with bags of beautiful clothes/accessories/new shoes that I can't wait to wear.

People suggest online shops but it is a drudge having to seek out decent stuff online and not being able to try it on. I know I could order and send it back but it's so boring having to re-wrap and then queue at the post office to return shit.

I'm the same. Used to be a retail manager in the 80s and 90s....loved clothes and shopping.
I just CBA now. I work part time but spend a lot of my time in gym stuff and walking clothes. Never go to " occasions " which require more effort.
Most of my clothes are up to 10 years old.
Doesn't help that I'm 65, 6 feet tall, inside leg 35, size 9 narrow feet. Try finding that on the high street or even online .

@mossybranches i loved clothes/shopping etc but last few years just so uninspired. I did think it was maybe my age. Similarly to you I think it’s the homogeneity of it all, when I was a younger there were different trends/looks now it’s very “adidas sambas are in fashion, every single person is wearing adidas sambas”.I think social media has ruined some of the individuality of fashion.

The one place I did shop a lot from & really miss is Matches particularly their own brand Raey. They always had a nice edit & a decent price range. Most of the high street is now crap whereas it used to be brilliant.

I also thought it might be because I’ve seen the trends already (im a 90s tween/teen).

It’s because the quality is so bad. It’s no fun buying stuff when it’s noticeably worse than what you’ve already got.

Me. I have mostly lost interest. I am on a no buy this year and have found it easy because:
I WFH full time so no longer need workwear
Everything in the shops is horrible: Little House on the Prairie meets Grayson Perry
London is much more casual post pandemic.Dark jeans or cords work for everything, even the opera!
Small London flat so no room

When I do buy it's mostly from charity shops.
I am most excited about buying a new pair of trainers.

I just don’t enjoy browsing the shops any more. Years ago, if your size wasn’t out in the rail, you’d ask if they had one in the back. But now they just don’t seem to hold much stock, so you end up going home to order it, so you might as well save yourself the bother and just shop from home in the first place. But I much prefer to try before I buy, not be hassled by having to post it back and wait for a refund.

I couldn't agree more. My solution has been to use a personal shopper a couple of times a year. I have got to know the lady, I like her taste, and she understands that I ONLY want good quality natural fibres in a particular colour palette that suits me. It saves me walking round shops and squinting at labels. So much is synthetic and poorly made now.
I've also got back into making a few things myself, mainly summer dresses and skirts. Nothing very complex, and I'm in charge of the stitch length and finishing, so it will be to my own standards!

Most decent shops only sell polyester horrors at a huge price.

My go to used to he Hobbs for work wear now it's a sea of polyester.

Brands such as fatface and white stuff use cotton and linen at not unrealistic prices but it's a bit flower power and not my style.

Not sure where to shop anymore

Absolutely OP. For me it’s a combination of things. a) having children and less disposable income b) complete change of life circumstances which means I now spend large amounts of time at home and have no need to dress nicely c) shocking increase in price and decrease of quality in clothes.

Funnily enough I’ve been thinking of this quite a bit recently. My youngest daughter starts school this year and (especially as I’m a bit older) I don’t want to be seen as the out-of-touch scruffy looking mum for her sake if not mine !!!!!! (Yes, I know this is all shallow but as I used to be really up to date and always looked ‘groomed’ this is playing on my mind !!!)

Polyester horrors with tiers and puff sleeves. I grew out of those when I was 5.. I also hate the romantic feminine trend with unnecessary frills on everything. Makes me look like Eddie "Suzy" Izzard.

I hear you OP. Just cannot be bothered any more. I’ve never had a big budget for clothes shopping but used to love flicking through the fashion mags. One of my favourite things was heading to the charity shops, getting a bargain in the sales or even finding something I loved in a supermarket. The quality now is just shockingly bad unless you have ££££ to spend. There is no joy in it. I just end up wearing jeans and a sweatshirt all the time!

For me it's on line shopping, clothing stores in my area are practically none existing for my age and style.
So when I have to shop on line most of it is returned .
Thank goodness for charity shops, at least I can see what I'm buying .