To think so many middle-class clothes are ugly?

[RoyalFamilyFan]

I admit I am hardly a style guru. But when I joined Mumsnet people talked about lots of companies I had never heard of like Toast. So I followed links of clothes posted and looked at the websites mentioned. And was shocked at how ugly so much of the clothing was.
Shapeless grey dresses. Black loose trousers teamed with black tunics which make the model look like she is a member of a cult. Shapeless brown t-shirts.
They are just so ugly. AIBU?

[quote RoyalFamilyFan]@ArabellaScott Why? Why do you think my opinions hold any more weight than yours?[/quote]
Eh? I was joking. I do not care what you, or anyone else thinks. My dress has pockets!

I'm very nearly 50 and stopped giving a crap about clothes ages ago. Middle class, working class, upper class, whatever - I wear the styles I like in the colours I like in the sizes that fit me. It pisses me off if I'm invited to something where I feel I should wear makeup. I just do what I'm happy with.

RoyalFamilyFan

I like the dress you linked to (although I wouldn't wear it myself), not so much the other stuff but I love Toast and Cos clothes. I like plain and simple things which are good quality with natural fabrics and those brands have many items which tick that box. I also wear Whistles, Jigsaw, Me and Em and some basics from Boden. I am probably MC but I buy most of my clothes from charity shops or from Preloved sites.

I don't buy supermarket clothes or anything from the likes of Primark as the quality is rubbish and it ends up looking cheap and shapeless. To me that is ugly.

SwanShaped I really like that jumper which I would wear with a pair of black wool wide legged trousers. Each to their own hey!

I’m sitting here in an outfit that includes a pair of patterned socks, crying with laughter.

I’d be wearing my Toast dungarees but they’re in the wash.

It’s so much harder to find nice clothes nowadays. The high street just doesn’t deliver, how it used to. I don’t like a lot of what’s out there, so I tend to buy things I find on holiday or at outlet stores.

@ArabellaScott

Sat here in a shapeless grey dress feeling all deflated.

Knowing you from FWR I can't imagine you'll be deflated for long !

I can pop over there and say something contrary if that would help to perk you up?

This is the Woolovers shirt I bought for the summer. Is it very dull? Def v middle class:) www.woolovers.com/womens/shirts/loose-fit-linen-shirt-pink-18021

I don;t mind anyone saying it is. I have already bought it and will wear it with some slightly more exciting jewellery.

Kimikos go for it. I am fully reflated now, having just had lunch.

@Bideshi

This thread made me cry. I was really looking forward to wearing my new Toast dress. I thought I looked really nice and so did DH. I'm 5'4 with a bosom and not thin. So I seen now that I must have been mistaken.

No, you will still look lovely

[quote steff13]Here's an example of stuff Target had last year:
www.boredpanda.com/target-dress-challenge/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic[/quote]
That is amazing! Wonder if Asda will sell some this year

@cam22 I actually think they work well as nice pyjamas, but not as daytime clothes. It isn't because they ate black, it is the shapelessness of them that make them look cult like. As if a cult leader has designed a garment that can be worn by any shape of body.

20 years ago my NYC friend a realtor came to visit every outfit accessory screamed funeral. Even cream was tarty. I was bemused. Amish fashion palette is depressing. If the royal family wear colour that's cheerful that's good enough for me

@RoyalFamilyFan I love the shapeless look! the CEO of Boden openly said that his customers are not obsessed with appearances, they don't want to look too attractive, they like quality'.

I think thats true. I just want easy to wear comfy dresses that cover me up. MC women tend to be more socially conservative esp as they get older, thats just an observation. I have always been, i never liked wearing sleeveless dresses. I grew up going to church on sunday and religious classes on saturday. Now I am a synagogue goer and a frequent visitor at my MIL's home sometimes on saturday and sunday; she is an orthodox jew who doesn't even expose her collarbones. I need frumpy! I have no use for figure hugging dresses, they just wind up in the charity shop pile.

I can't remember when I last laughed out loud, I've been pretty miserable. Today has been the day that I finally did, when I clicked @MrsMadderRose's link and saw the plum velvet pants from Plumo. The only thing better than the pic would to see someone wearing them in the flesh. Even the model can't look the camera in the face.

I have zero fashion sense though.

@Hornetfarmer interesting! What do you like about it? Y

[quote phishy]@RoyalFamilyFan

I like navabi for special buys. But mainly Isolde Roth. Some of the other designers are ugly.

I've just looked at the dresses on Navabi and 95% of them have very deep cleavages.

For me not showing cleavage doesn't make one 'frumpy', far from it.[/quote]
I’ve just looked and it’s really not my cup of tea. Just looks like very generic ‘mum’ type clothing, although Toast / Cos etc aren’t my thing (I’d look awful), in my opinion they’re certainly more stylish than Navabi stuff.

@RoyalFamilyFan

The toddler's clothes on adult women is an interesting look. I remember a training session at work. Lots of ordinary people for the training and the training was delivered by two women from London who looked like they had wandered off the set of Playschool. I mean wear what you want in your own time, but I really don't think it was suitable for work.

Someone has said she’s a solicitor. I have never seen a solicitor dressed in anything other than the female version of the male dark suit.

Bideshi

This thread made me cry. I was really looking forward to wearing my new Toast dress. I thought I looked really nice and so did DH. I'm 5'4 with a bosom and not thin. So I seen now that I must have been mistaken

Of course you aren't mistaken- wear it and love it.

People keep asking what I like. I cant imagine I would go somewhere where I would ever wear this, but I like this.

@RoyalFamilyFan it could be MC women (in their 30s) have more occasions where accidentally showing cleavage would be a faux pas. They may regularly interact with more religious family members. Maybe they are more likely to be regular church goers (for little Frognella's admission to an outstanding CofE village primary! Maybe they are on the parish council with people wearing tweed from 1930s and old ladies in lumpy cardigans.

@Hellolittlestar

I love shapeless dresses. Super comfy. I’m wearing a grey shapeless woolen dress today with a bright blue coat and yellow boots. I’m not sorry that my style hurts your eyes. I hate anything tight and find bodycon atrocious.

Your outfit sounds fabulous. Can I see the boots please?

These are tedious and get where you're coming from as I live in area full of people who dress like this. I tend to buy from Cos, Massimo Dutti and occasionally from Hobbs without the dog prints and from Jigsaw, Uniqlo, American Vintage and Mint Velvet. I think some of the dresses you have shown are nice in principle but the cuts are awful and very unflattering.

The brands I have shared also have some unflattering stuff in them, I buy from them only because I would say only about 20% of their items represents my style but i could probably dig through and share some unflattering stuff from their website but then again I'm guessing the remaining 80% of their clothes which I call unflattering still sell as they are still in business so people are still buying them. Maybe it's me that's the problem.

I like some of the shapeless dresses that have been posted!

Didn’t like the dungarees with the big collar but on a young person it could work well!

My good friend is an art teacher and she has amazing dress sense

Ooo but I'd love a Toast fair isle knit... I always think Cos clothes are ugly AF but I have a couple of friends who wear a lot of Cos and look super stylish. I can't deal with Boden or Joules, too twee (love it for toddler DD tho!) but my DSis who is v curvy looks great in Boden jersey dresses and cardis. Also, every mum round here seems to wear Lucy and Yak and I am just not a fan, to put it mildly.

My go to is Hush and I'm sure some people can't stand that either. Each to their own!

@ineedsun I have said upthread that I haven't bought from that site for 2 years and just looked at it again. I don't like anything there now.