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?

To be fair though we shouldn't be judging women for what they wear at all - I couldn't get over what my 18 year old niece was wearing on New Year's eve as I just see her in baggy clothes all the time and remember her in corduroy pinafore dresses. However, I checked myself and realised she looked stunning and could pull it off, she had a famer style coat on top so it was a real mix.

[quote walchesterweasel]I'm not au fait with the look of many of the brands named so I just checked two mentioned, Mint Velvet and Hush on ebay . I really feel like I haven't missed anything . This was the third iem for Hush -
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/234367330029?hash=item369161a6ed:g:3JYAAOSwMgFhzwqg[/quote]
That looks as if somebody undid all the seams and then sewed it back together blindfold in the dark! I'd pay to have it taken away.

it’s a sad day if we’re still judging women for not wearing something “a bit more flattering/pretty/feminine”.
Exactly and as for the posters describing themselves as babe and slut - gross.

@RoyalFamilyFan

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

I’m not a massive fan of most of the Toast/ Biden dresses you’ve posted but to me this example of what you like is the ugliest dress you’ve posted by a mile! It is awful, ugly pattern and weird shape, so I guess it just goes to show that one persons idea of a nice outfit could be another persons idea of an ugly outfit.

That said I admit I am a fan of what others have described as the ‘toddler’ look, including Lucy & Yak patterned dungarees and bright patterned jersey dresses from places like Frugi, Duns and Piccalilly.

@MrsMadderRose

I sort of know what you mean OP.

Toast and also (especially) Plumo have some stuff that you would have to be VERY confident to wear without looking completely deranged. I meant to start a thread about these trousers when I saw them a few months ago but didn't get round to it. Now they're ugly! (/ludicrous/what possessed them) If I wore them I'd look like a baby oompa loompa. I can't imagine who would look good in them or has the guts to wear them.

But, I don't think that's middle-class clothes in general, just one style. With Toast, a lot of the clothes are very sack-like or amish-like but for some women, that's what they want, a lot of older women (not all of course) are done with trying to look sexy and prefer comfort, nice fabrics or an arty look.

I find the Boden "little girl" style less appealing, as it's not really stylish or sexy, just kind of repressed. That said I've had some nice things from Boden, it's not all like that.

Then you have the printed white stuff tunic that can make any woman look like a sack of potatoes – but again they have some better things.

And there are other middle-class looks that aren't like this, like nicely cut suits, silk shirts, classy dresses. Brands like Hobbs and Reiss, Vivienne Westwood, and boutiques like Iris have more of this kind of thing.

Oh wow, the audacity of those trousers! I think I get it now. And I want them.

I'm probably a 'middle class mummie' (shudder) but don't relate at all to your dowdy description, it's a shocking bit of inverted snobbery there- I'm really insulted!

[grin[ at those purple trousers. I sort of like them as well but how do you cross your legs when you sit down in them?

I'm watching Countdown at the moment and I really like the style of the new numbers woman. Think she looks fabulous! No clingy dresses or high heels.

It is actually true that most clothes now are hideous.
I don't really follow fashion as such but am drawn to things that are beautiful. Lovely fabrics like thick cotton, wool and velvet, nice colours, interesting abstract prints (not florals) well made and flattering.
There's not much about that ticks any of those boxes.
Most high street shops seem to be in a competition to produce the evilest polyester shite in the ugliest colours/prints possible.

@tectonicplates

Okay, I've finally had a look through the Toast website. Frumpy AF, totally shapeless, and the models have literally no breasts so that's of no help to me.

Like I said earlier, the point of paying more for the clothing is to get a better fit. If I want something shapeless, or something comfortable for hanging around the house, that's what cheap shops are for. Why would I need to pay that much for something that looks that bad?

Because there are reasons to spend more money outside of better fit.

People might want to spend more money to support smaller, local or sustainable businesses rather than buy cheap, mass produced items from supermarkets or Primark etc. They might want to spend more to get clothes made of organic and/ or natural fabrics such as 100% cotton, bamboo or wool rather than plastic-based polyester or nylon etc and might pay more for these materials to be sourced ethically and sustainably from companies who can trace materials from farm to end product, are fair trade and/ or don’t use sweatshops. You might pay more to have something you see as more unique/ unusual than mass produced items. They might want to spend more to buy durable clothes that are designed to last years rather than clothes which will start to fade, bobble or fall apart after a few washes.

Just because the only reason you can see to spend more on clothing is to get a better fit doesn’t mean that everybody will feel the same and there are plenty of good reasons to avoid cheap mass-produced supermarket etc clothes outside of price, the ethical and environmental impact of your purchases being two obvious ones.

I agree it’s all very Amish as well. I would add John Lewis to the list. Totally frumpy.

@JaneJeffer

it’s a sad day if we’re still judging women for not wearing something “a bit more flattering/pretty/feminine”. Exactly and as for the posters describing themselves as babe and slut - gross.

Hear hear, @JaneJeffer and @BrightYellowDaffodilI. I like and wear those oversized dark Margaret Howell and Cos type things. I like stuff that is understated and functional. ‘Does this fatter me and make me look pretty and feminine?’ is not the first question in my head when I look in the mirror.

RoyalFamilyFan

For those questioning the class aspect, every single clothing firm has a type of customer they are marketing to. Toast and other clothing shops are deliberately marketing to a certain kind of middle-class woman. Thta shows in their website design, marketing, how they pose the models.
This is marketing 101.

Yes well I’m sure you’re right there. I’ve sometimes received a Toast brochure through the letterbox, but never bought anything from them. I suspect they might sell quite a lot of their stuff simply because people have the catalogues lying round and it’s easier than going shopping? Basically, they wear people down with their brochure mailing campaigns maybe? Same with Boden. I did buy the odd toddler / child coat from them years ago when the kids were little. But not after that.

I wore some slightly heeled boots to the playground after school the other day and definitely got a couple of looks as it is a Lucy and Yak area. I think their noise drew attention. I had taken my DD and her friends straight after work so normally would have some thick based black boots on or trainers but I found that quite comical.

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

it’s daft to think if you go shopping in Blackpool or Bradford or somewhere the shops will be the same as in very affluent ones

Although we don't have a single one of these shops in our affluent aspirational middle class town. The chains are missing a trick.

Years ago someone put a link to a website on MN where you could put in your postcode and get its deprivation index. Mine was the lowest - lower than Guildford, St Albans etc! But no "middle class" chains like Seasalt, Crew or Fatface at all. I guess they don't care anymore as "everyone" buys online.

Oh I'm at the hairdressers next week for the first time in 3 years, what is a middle class haircut style I can show the hairdresser

If I was skinny enough I'd wear purple trousers from that link as a statement piece with a black turtleneck and a very long black cardigan. Add a pair of quirky earings and voila. I'd wear it to an art gallery or museum outing.

Most of my middle class friends would shop in these stores but never for an outfit - always for a single piece to pair up with something else. Materials are good, making is solid and they last forever. Some of it would not be my choice but then that's a matter of taste. Re: shapeless clothes - it suits tall, skinny people and it never looks dull on them as its paired with good hairstyles or statement jewelry/shoes/bags.

You should your own hair if you want to look like the upper middle classes or upper classes- they don't care, why do you?

Hahahaha you would hate all of my clothes then!

Thank you @Hellolittlestar they are beautiful! Sadly none in my size!

I hate seasalt (the irony is that I once applied for a job there!)

Of course there's a middle class uniform! Of course Boden and toast are middle class... I know this because only middle class people wear them.

I usually think wtf at Mumsnet's obsession with class, but this one is legit.

I'm early 30s and I have a few things from Seasalt. My coat from there is FANTASTIC and the best coat I've ever owned. Seasalt is a certain "look" (ie baggy, windswept, rumpled). I don't like the dresses or tops for me, though my mum wears them.

Hush and Cos are out of my price range so never really looked.

One thing that's always slated of S&B is brecon tops esp from Boden... I wear loads of breton tops, probably from Boden. I love them and they look great on me. I'll never give them up.

@JuergenSchwarzwald

it’s daft to think if you go shopping in Blackpool or Bradford or somewhere the shops will be the same as in very affluent ones

Although we don't have a single one of these shops in our affluent aspirational middle class town. The chains are missing a trick.

Years ago someone put a link to a website on MN where you could put in your postcode and get its deprivation index. Mine was the lowest - lower than Guildford, St Albans etc! But no "middle class" chains like Seasalt, Crew or Fatface at all. I guess they don't care anymore as "everyone" buys online.

It's so easy to buy that sort of clothes online, as you don't need to try it on because it doesn't matter if it fits!

oh fgs ,another nasty thread berating middle aged women for being frumpy and unsexy (wtf is that about - you can only be sexy in tight clothes from New Look?!) .

and fwiw shapeless dresses aren't the preserve of the middle aged/middle class asos