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?

Thank you for this thread OP. Was a very enjoyable lunchtime read. YANBU.

I grew up working class in the 80s and my style role models were / are Madonna, Joan Collins, Bet Lynch and Paula Hamilton in the VW ads. If it's not skin tight, cleavage showing, micromini or animal print I ain't wearing it. I am now middle class (and old) and it will be a cold day in hell before I wear Toast / COS / Seasalt.

Navabi seems to be plus sized clothing. Is that the case?

Today I have jeans and a jumper on though

@problembottom fair isle knit jumpers are lovely. They are a pretty classic design though.

@Cam22 Yes I am fat.

@Watchingpeppa12

Yes!!! I feel the same about Lucy and yak jumpsuit things, perfect for a 3 year old girl, not a grown woman 😫

I'm 31 and live in a variety of lucy and yak things, perfect for chasing my toddler around! Isn't it nice to live in a world where people like different things

Yanbu I think this regularly. They want to look sexless and frumpy. Not too daring oooh might attract a man! A man might look at you -if so report him to 101!

Cos is very reliable.

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow

I think Cos and Toast are minimalist in terms of design. So what people call shapeless, someone else might call architectural.

I love my Cos clothes. I was a design teacher though not an art teacher. There are huge differences.

Cos is my absolute fave shop too. Beautifully cut white shirts, boxy type tops, shirt dresses, lovely knit wear. Some of their stuff looks shite even on the models but the majority is well made and lasts a long time. The likes of Primark, Next, new look is just cheap fast fashion. I would rather spend £70 on a shirt that will last me for years than a cheap one from H&M that I have to throw after one season. I am not wealthy either and mostly wait until sale time.

Each to their own.

@CaliforniaDrumming

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.

Looks fine. But I no longer buy lined blouses. Too much ironing and you have to use lots of spray starch to stop them looking creased 5 minutes after you put them on.

@RoyalFamilyFan

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

See, I like the Toast dress much better. And I am being diplomatic.

I find many many modern clothes unbelievably drab and dowdy. But I think it's mostly the colours. Especially people's coats in winter. A sea of khaki and black and brown and grey. Bring me all the colours of the rainbow 🌈 I love when I see someone in a cheery red or yellow coat. I love dressing in rich jewel like colours and sensory textures like velvet. I tend to get stopped and complimented on my clothes in the street quite a lot. There's nothing as good as a compliment from another woman to brighten up your day ☺️

Team frumpy here. @RoyalFamilyFan

I just ordered this: www.gudrunsjoden.com/en-gb/clothes/tunics/product-109557-black-m
Wearing without the patterned tights obviously, would team it with M & S black tights.

www.gudrunsjoden.com/en-gb/clothes/dresses-tunics-kaftans/product-109551-indigo-blue-s
Favourite dress

Dh thinks i look pretty in this:
www.boden.co.uk/en-gb/nellie-jersey-dress/sty-j0875

This is great in winter:
www.monsoon.co.uk/jenna-balloon-sleeve-knitted-dress-in-recycled-polyester-8528507953.html

But i wear a strappy silk slip at home if its only me and DH...

I love cos too, not all of the stuff but when I walk in and right now on winter greeted with their flawless coats and jumpers that are excellent quality makes me want to buy them all. I don't particularly like the summer designs though with their weird balloon upper arms designs and cult like dresses.

@RoyalFamilyFan

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

That would wear me.

I like the shapeless style dresses.

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

Me. I wouldn't wear that dress to work as it's denim but what you're describing is soo 1990s. I'm in private practice in what would be a "blue chip" firm if Scotland had that concept. Before lock down it was a mixture of skirts and trousers with jackets , but not suits, or dresses , definitely not what you've described.

These are from & Daughter- I wear them to work

@Siameasy

Yanbu I think this regularly. They want to look sexless and frumpy. Not too daring oooh might attract a man! A man might look at you -if so report him to 101!

Or - and I realise this might come as a shock - maybe they don't actually think about what men would think of their clothes at all? I think it's really sad that you appear to think the purpose of clothes is to either attract or repel men.

You might not realise that clothes have a class, but the companies who make them know that they do, although MC is much too broad a label — they segment far more than that.
You might think that you yourself don’t have a class or that you are indefinable but the people marketing to you know exactly what class you are. So does Mumsnet — look at their info for potential advertisers.
Just think how clever and effective the marketing all around you must be if you haven’t noticed that.

Has OP shown us what she likes to wear, yet.

I love the toast aesthetic but not the price tag (and I can do without the puffy sleeves posted) and make most of my own clothes, these days, anyhow. I have a few "shapeless" and body skimming items that I love to wear and I couldn't give a shit about getting laid, anyhow.

I'm wondering if & daughter pay their hand knitters a living wage, rather than exploitative piecework rates.

What a sad person to have started this thread.
Each to their own.
Ive seen plenty of sights in many high fashion items.
Some things imo are ugly but what gives other the right to judge.
Clearly the OP is happy to bash other women.

I agree. Though I'm not the most stylish. My favourite outfit is my dressing gown.
Do love sweaty Betty though

I was just coming on to say this! If a women wants to wear a sack dress why not? It’s not our job to look pretty. If you want to then crack on and enjoy it. But some people don’t give a crap.

The people that wear the type of clothes the OP posted don't wear it because they don't care how they look. Quite the opposite.

Agree with other posters that OP is being naive to say 'Why buy ugly when you could buy nice?' Your nice might be my ugly...

My personal biggest no-no when choosing clothes is to err on the side of 'tarty'. That, rather than frumpy, would be my idea of a nightmare. I don't show cleavage (who wants to see mine?) or much flesh at all if I can help it, but I like beautiful fabrics and flowing lines. This might sound Amish (sorry, Amish!) but it really doesn't translate to that and I do get compliments, so I'm not completely deluded.

As to the male gaze, I suppose, thinking about it, I've only ever wanted to attract certain male gazes...and get very uncomfortable if my clothes attract generalised attention from random men. I care about what other women think, perhaps even more.

Each to their own! And I agree about clothing and fashion tribes - we are signalling, whether we intend to or not, to like-minded people.

@RoyalFamilyFan

This dress! It might look okay on a three-year-old. Or a woman who is part of a Christian cult who has 19 children and bakes her own bread after hand milling the grains.

Oh my god I have this dress!! I am a size 16-18 and the Toast oversized look works for me. I accessorise well and feel good in their clothes. I work in a creative/design environment and lots of people I work with wear Toast and look fabulous. The clothes last forever (as in still wearing regularly clothes 10 years later) and I always buy from their sale so never full price. Each to their own!