I have just turned 40. Where am I supposed to be buying my clothes?

[spad]

I like Monsoon but can't really afford it. And I like Marks and Spencers but apparently I am ten years too young for that? And I like NEXT but it is getting harder to find things that suit me there.

Can anyone help?

What a weird question
Shop where you like
You won't wake up on your birthday with a tail that you need to stuff into pockets or something.

Oy- I'm pushing 50 and I wouldn't wear m&s! What's wrong with Zara? Great stuff this season

I'm 44 and have recently lost weight so back on the high street! I love Oasis, although I always did. New Look, H&M and Dorothy Perkins are also good, and cheap. Next are hit and miss but good for staples like tops and jeans.

I'd carry on shopping where you like. I'm 40 and would love to start shopping in more expensive places like White Stuff and Monsoon. Sadly being 40 doesn't mean I have a lot of money, in fact I've got less disposable income than when I was 30!

I am 40, I haven't had a clue where to shop for years. nothing seems to be made to fit me and I feel WAY too old to go in lots of shops so I share your pain.

I love charity shops. My purchases mainly come from Zara, Next, H&M, and then designer stuff

I find it so much more fun and less depressing than regular shops

Oh are we only supposed to shop at certain shops when we hit 40 then?

Oops.

42 here.

I like Boden, Hush, Topshop, Whistles, Gap.

Learn what suits you, and you can usually find something anywhere

It's what you buy, not where you buy it.

43 here.
Primark
Zara
Mango
H&M
Benetton
Gap
F&F
Same as always for me - my clothes are a little more modest now and just not quite so revealing.

I'm only a couple of years away from 40. I like Gap Zara Mango Fat Face, the odd bit of H&M Topshop and Boden. To keep costs down I do a lot of charity shop shopping. Also eBay - I search brands I like in my size and just see what comes up.

I'm 34 & I like M&S. Maybe I'm old before my time

No, I think you just have a good eye!

There is a vast range of stuff in there, and not every item of clothing is a statement piece. Sometimes you think, what i need with those beige plaid plus fours is a pale pink v-neck jumper....... and that's when m&s is your friend.

I bought a single breasted belted coat there last year and never has a coat (of mine) received so many compliments.

Fatface, white stuff, local supermarket. Used to like joules but they played around too much and patterns clash and look awful now. Tbh i dont really buy clothes now as just using what i have.

I love Esprit. They have such a huge variety of styles. Online has free delivery and free returns which is great.

I like simply be, but then I'm very tall and I never go shopping and it's just easy to find long enough stuff in there.

I think if you want something just get it, I don't like the fact that people feel they have to define their style by their age bracket. I once saw a woman who was at the very least 80 in a acdc t-shirt and really stylish jeans and she rocked it, seriously.

I'm 42 and I shop everywhere: Mango, Cos, Gap, M&S, h&m... I also like Zara but I'm too short and round for some of their stuff. I like Zalando online, lots of brands and I find it better than asos.

Anywhere you can afford.

I'm 42 and shop at mainly H&M and primark. But also Zara when finances allow. Fat face and Next still feel too old for me.

I bought some lovely monsoon clothes on eBay.

I would say.... buy your clothes from the same place you bought them when you were 39....

A lot of the brands being mentioned here are more expensive than monsoon! Debenhams and John Lewis are handy for being able to just pick what you like in a section rather than be dictated to by what you should be wearing. I think both offer personal shopper service, I would be tempted by that. I searched on pinterest recently for what to wear for my body shape after I realised I've been wearing things that don't look that flattering.

I'm late 30s and shop in Oasis, Warehouse, Dorothy Perkins, Next (for jeans), Fat Face, White Stuff and I even bought a wrap dress in Miss Selfridge recently. My current favourite though is Apricot.

Am I meant to suddenly stop and shop elsewhere as soon as I turn 40?

Next, Apricot, Roman Originals, Primarni, New Look, Oasis, Warehouse, Boohoo.com, BonPrix,
Anywhere where I see clothes I like in all honesty!

Be individual & shop wherever you like. jaydot has called it. Don't follow theman

These threads pop up with alarming regularity.

I remember when Carol Voorderman started to be seen away from Countdown, and she started to be criticised in the tabloids for wearing clothes that were too youthful.

This was the time of that television show What Not To Wear, when women were coaxed into "tasteful" clothes by two sloaney women.

She said she was going to have a television show called, I'll Wear What I Damn Well Please.

That should be your motto, spad. Wear what you like!

I am 47. My 17yo DD has admitted she likes my clothes, and would wear a lot of them. I told her that's why I was putting on weight, so my clothes wouldn't fit her.

Well said Sanity. Tranny and Susannah aged those women by putting them in 'classic' grown up clothes. I'm 43 soon and regularly go to Primarni New Look and River Island with my 70 yr old mom.
Rage against the machine!