To ask where you all buy dresses and workwear from?

[abrighterday]

I love wearing dresses for work but I’m really struggling to find any online that aren’t mustard yellow or have frills in weird places!!! It’s an office environment so needs to be smart/tailored. MNetters where do you buy dresses for work?

I wear dresses most of the time too. I tend to buy mine from:

Hobbs
Jolie Moi
Boden
Fat Face
Sugarhill Brighton
Crew Clothing

Hugo Boss

Whistles are my go to (v good quality and they also have decent sales)
Cos
brand like Diane Von Furstenberg/ Max Mara on sale at The Outnet

Second hand Boden and Next from EBay.

This is really interesting, I used to be a High Street expert but things have changed so much and there are several brands mentioned here I have never heard of which look right up my street.

I discovered Stitch Fix a year or so ago and I really love the concept. You tell them your size and preferences and they send you a selection to try. Pricing is the same as the High Street or you can specify higher end if you prefer and they have a couple of their own brands that they mix in with better known ones. I’ve had some really interesting stuff I would not have found or chosen myself and it was a great substitute for “proper shopping” during lockdown. There’s another company, Lookiero, which does something similar, though I haven’t tried them.

I don't like buying new, even for work, as I am concerned about the environmental impact (we watch the huge container ships sail past our beach).. but I am too busy to go round charity shops

I like sites like loopster, re-fashion, Oxfam online etc and also of course eBay and Facebook selling sites. I mainly by brands like whistles/Hobbs/mint velvet for work wear (senior management role)

LK bennett always have sales plus I found BNWT stuff on ebay too.

Wyse London

St frocks

Local charity shop! Mostly sea salt, boden, bravissimo and Sainsbury's on the labels but without the prices. Bought a jaeger dress last week for £4.99

Wool & Badger too.

Wolf & Badger ^

Seasalt
M&S
Next

Ah, Mumsnet, where people spend £200 on a single work dress and 10p on an engagement ring.

Depends on your shape and size really. Hobby, Jigsaw, Whistles don't work for me, I'm rotund in the belly and short with big boobs. I need things with a bit of stretch so I buy from:

Pepperberry (lots from here)
Oliver Bonas
Tu
Closet London
Roman (you have to sift through the 90s catalogue shite though)
Next
Great Plains

@MuddyStiletto

Bloody hell, how much (just out of interest) do you lot spend on a dress? Are you all high earners? I was going to suggest Asos, but feel a bit silly now

This is Mumsnet nobody does cheap and cheerful yet a salad lasts 3 meals 😂

SHEIN for the win here

H&M, New Look and Popsy

I shop the sales and buy things that won't date quickly. I'm also not that bothered about being 'in', but focus on what suits me @MuddyStiletto.

Cue.
Don't live in the UK tho, but get annoyed by how much I spend on my bloody corporate wardrobe

Depending on budget/ what outfit is for: Hobbs, Jaegar at M&S, Toast, Uniqlo, Sainsburys, H&M. You can get great deals on Brand Alley & eBay, sometimes online at Oxfam. Previously would have bought a lot in Debenhams.

@MauveMagnolia

I've never heard of Brand Alley! Just had a quick look and it won't let me search without entering my email.

Hobbs is not really my style anyway, I love the tiered style dresses, with a frill at the bottom.

I love my dresses, have always worn them rather than jeans and a top. I never wear trousers.

Thankyou for the suggestion though

Jigsaw and Phase Eight (Phase Eight is not tailored though) because they suited my bodyshape. Karen Millen and Reiss work well for the more slender women.

Back when I needed officewear, I didn't buy many dresses - just one or two dresses per year max. I found that if I paid out 80-100 for a dress I would wear it hundreds of times, sometimes spanning over 15 years.

If it's needed for work, it doesn't end up being expensive over the long term.

Another fan of Wolf and Badger!
Toast
Jigsaw
Whistles
Hugo Boss

I love Wolf and Badger...when I change career and become a bestselling novelist I'm buying everything from there!

Go for it, @MintyCedric!
I just had a massive clear out of old stuff to make room for new Wolf and Badger!