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?

Of course people care

No one cares about being seen as being MC more than those who are MC.

Like working class who have made money we like to show this and as much as some may try to appear MC the cracks will show

Wouldn't Johnny Boden be upset if we thought his clothes would be worn in co**l houses?

I’m mc, I don’t wear anything like on the Toast website as I like thermals and colourful stuff. But I probably do look dowdy… and I like it. Spent 20 years wearing tight clothes and my hair flapping annoyingly in my face, now I’ll dress how I like and I feel fucking great. So if other peoples version of that is to wear a shapeless grey potato sack and old boots then more power to them.

I don’t like Toast it is boring and bland and worn by old hippies. I’m an 80s babe and still love a bit of colour. I’m am firmly in the middle class grouping and there is a tendency to over Biden, probably because they offload locally at cut price sales. I don’t actually know anyone who buys it full price.
I wear styles of clothes that suit me rather than what’s in fashion. I buy for quality so often drag out dresses that are older than my teenage son.
I was walking through M&S the other day and saw a mannequin with a blue and white spotted pleated skirt just below the knee. I have a Betty Barclay one that is 30 yrs old this year. It quietly sits in my wardrobe waiting to be recycled maybe this year it will have an outing if not on me, on one of my nieces.

Given that that dress is sold out in the larger sizes, I think the answer to ' 'who would wear that' is ' larger women'.

Not necessarily. A lot of companies only make one or two in the larger sizes, or, in my opinion none at all and they've always "mysteriously" sold out (Gymshark are definitely guilty of this). Half the time, I'm pretty sure the larger size never existed in the first place, and they put it on their website in an attempt to appear size-inclusive, except that nobody of that size ever finds anything in their size, as there's never any left.

I think Plumo clothes are pretty dire though - even on someone tall
I wear things from Plumo and Cos.I'm between 5'3" and 5'4"

@HardbackWriter

Given that that dress is sold out in the larger sizes, I think the answer to ' 'who would wear that' is ' larger women'.

I actually quite like it, it looks really comfy and I like the colour. But it would drown me.

That might be who is wearing it, but I don't think it's the aimed-for aesthetic. The idea of that sort of thing is that you can see that the wearer is a whispy, ethereal thing under the volume - that there are long, slender legs and delicate, slim wrists reminding you of that. It's therefore not actually nearly as forgiving a look as it first seems.

That might be the image they want you to hold in mind in the advertising, but being as that Margaret Howell dress is also sold out in the larger sizes only, its definitely larger women who have found their thing in these dresses.

Just like expensive face creams use 14 year old models but they are bought by 40+ women.

@FatCatSkinnyRat

I work at a regional university. This Toast look is definitely one embraced by a lot of my female academic colleagues. I must say they make it work - the clothes look interesting and they look serious in a "don't think i am not intelligent" way. In my experience these types of clothes are often paired with the super short fringe.

Like the old lady on the Sewing Bee??

I like Toast. My preference is to wear clothes that aren''t tight and which are in natural fibres. Relatively muted colours flatter me, while I look washed-out in very bright shades.

@Cornisharchitect

Hush! Now that’s a blast from the past!

Are they still around? haven’t thought about Hush since 2019!

I just cancelled their catalogue, which I inadvertently subscribed to when I followed a Mumsnet link . Every time it dropped on to the mat it was like a special delivery of depression and bleakness.

That said, how old are the people shopping in these types of dresses/clothes? Perhaps they’re in their 60’s or older?

I buy the occasional thing from Toast and I’m early 40s. I wear what I like and I’m sure there are people who wonder what I’m wearing. Difference is, I don’t care. I dress for me and not for others. I certainly don't feel the need to dress in a certain way to be “attractive”.

I like some of the clothes on Massimo Dutti. I have a couple of tops from them and they have worn really well. www.massimodutti.com/gb/sale/w-dresses-n1783

I must admit, I have got a few second hand bits from white Stuff, Phase Eight and Fat Face, mainly because I have a frumpy figure after having kids, but some of it isn't very flattering. If I had my pre kids body I wouldn't consider it at all. FWIW, I am definitely not middle class, just dressed according to how I felt, which is frumpy!

What unfrumpy, un-middle class shops can a 40 year old buy from though?

I think you will find a lot of posters who rave about Boden are older ladies in their fifties, so it probably suits them more than a 30 year old.

I do see women with banging figures wear this stuff though and it's such a waste of a good figure. They don't have to have much on show, but just wear something a bit more flattering for their age. Still, it's upto them though as it's their body.

I'm all about the jewellery, I think people don't actually want to 'look' middle-class as it shows a lack of imagination. My DH is an Architect but hates all these stereotypes and loves trainers- preferably ones that remind him of his Hip Hop past. He has read The Girl Before but couldn't watch the BBC adaptation as he said that from the adverts he already knew it was going to be lots of clichés about the average Architect in looks and dress sense! I have suddenly developed a cleavage in early 40s having been a 34A most of my life. 2 stone heavier than 10 years ago and I love it. However, I don't have the body shape to wear narrow fairly tight dresses to show it off

[quote phishy]@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]
Menopause in my case. I have to wear several thin layers so I can whip a few off every so often.

Dont love weight gain but cleavage is good!

@pansiesareyellow

And another corker from Plumo

I like that.

I work in cyber security/data protection but don't dress like the stereotypes for those jobs.

I think you're just as likely to find hideous clothes in primark or next.

Interested in the amount of comments about 'shapeless' or 'dowdy' .... should women only wear figure hugging bright things ?

If budget allowed I’d happily dress head-to-toe in Toast.

I never really dress to be sexy or attractive. Comfortable and subtly stylish is more my cup of tea.

I find it difficult to find well made clothing in natural fabrics so tend to avoid most high street offerings and even some of the better brands such as Whistles and Reiss are still full of polyester.

@Goldenbear

I'm all about the jewellery, I think people don't actually want to 'look' middle-class as it shows a lack of imagination. My DH is an Architect but hates all these stereotypes and loves trainers- preferably ones that remind him of his Hip Hop past. He has read The Girl Before but couldn't watch the BBC adaptation as he said that from the adverts he already knew it was going to be lots of clichés about the average Architect in looks and dress sense! I have suddenly developed a cleavage in early 40s having been a 34A most of my life. 2 stone heavier than 10 years ago and I love it. However, I don't have the body shape to wear narrow fairly tight dresses to show it off

But this is an interesting misconception: a lot of people think that baggy, flowing clothes are more flattering if you are carrying a bit too much weight.

In fact the reverse is true: baggy tends to make people look bigger.

Far better to go with tailored stuff: not skimpy but well fitting.

They are strange clothes, but then I live in a very MC area/world, and I never see anyone dressed like that.

I think you could find equally hideous egs from cheap shop websites though, and I doubt you see people dressed like that either.

I don’t think many people wear whole looks of any label, they just pick out pieces.

@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.

@Goldenbear absolutely yes!! I like your DH already!