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?

@pansiesareyellow that jumper is hideous.

Of course ASDS leggings are the height of style , a triumph for the larger working class lady

I thought middle class (or people who like others to think they are middle class ) wore country style clothing from brands like Barbour and Fairfax & Favor because dressing like a farmer is somehow seen as higher class these days

And another corker from Plumo

@Ninkanink "their aesthetic which is driven by the tribe they exist within."
Yes, they care about fashion within their particular middle-class circle.

@justasking111 It's not just about men, it's about dressing appropriately for work. Women can be just as judgemental. Women with small breasts have no idea of the levels of stress and disappointment we have to go through just finding something suitable for work.

@anniegun nobody thinks leggings are fashionable. Women wear them because they are cheap and super comfy.

@Ninkanink

It’s not that they (we) don’t care. Typically (I can’t speak for everyone, obviously) it’s that they don’t care what you (or particularly men) think. They dress to please themselves and their aesthetic which is driven by the tribe they exist within.

It's not strictly true that they (you) don't care though is it? You dress to please yourselves everyone does but there is definitely an aspirational element to it. Basically it boils down to "wanting to look middle class".

Nothing wrong with that per se, and certainly no worse than wanting to be a label queen, but let's be honest, its not really about individualism. These sorts of clothes are actually remarkably uniform in their style.

The thing I find striking is how they seem to go out of their way to hide the natural attractiveness of a woman's body. I don't mean in a sexual way. But the tailoring in these pieces seems to deliberately work against the natural curves of a woman's body.

@pansiesareyellow

And another corker from Plumo

Beautiful! Thank you.

[quote RoyalFamilyFan]@pansiesareyellow that jumper is hideous.[/quote]
£169 worth of hideous....

@RoyalFamilyFan

This is the cult look.

I like this and I’m well stylish 🥳

But if you're skint its understandable that you might wear hideous sportswear and shellsuits.
Do you realise how much football jerseys cost?!

@ArabellaScott I’m more of a buttress kind of girl

@LovesColourGreen

I thought middle class (or people who like others to think they are middle class ) wore country style clothing from brands like Barbour and Fairfax & Favor because dressing like a farmer is somehow seen as higher class these days

Different part of the middle class. This is North London (media) North Oxford (academia) type middle class. Not the Barbour-wearers.

@pansiesareyellow yes it is so ugly. Shapeless and sludgy colours. Clothes do not have to be tightly fitted, but so many of these clothes are sack like.

COS clothes make me look like a rectangle. A tall joyless rectangle.

@JaneJeffer

But if you're skint its understandable that you might wear hideous sportswear and shellsuits. Do you realise how much football jerseys cost?!

Not if they're knock-offs...

That mustard palm tree dress is - in my entirely subjective opinion - twee and awful. The black and white asymmetric thing with the rivets is just...no.

Give me a black cord sack anyday

@PickAChew thank you

One thing I cannot wear anymore is knitwear. Whether it's polyester or cashmere, Primark or Prada, it's all hot and itchy.

Does anyone else feel like this or is this the onset of peri-menopause or my sensory issues?

[quote RoyalFamilyFan]@Bitofachinwag I was talking about myself! I am a fat woman in her late fifties.[/quote]
:) I am fat too! Those sack dresses would flap very nicely round my collection of spare tyres.

I’m still chuckling about the purple Plumo trousers, they look like fancy dress!

@Gonnagetgoing

I know a mother and daughter (daughter worked in TV, had 2 young boys), Toast is their preferred brand to wear (amongst others). They're both quite tall and slim and a certain 'look' if you know what I mean.

I’m tall and thin I still don’t wear Toast as it’s dowdy beyond measure.

There is nothing that could ever persuade me to wear a corduroy tent.

@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.

It's yours and your DH's personal opinions, so how can you be mistaken?

If you like it, wear it.

I like quirky clothes, but the Plumo trousers look like a genuine circus clown cut trousers.