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?

I hate the way that stripey tops are referred to as "Breton". I know there's a history behind the name, but going by today's standards it just sounds pretentious and makes it sound like something more than it is. It's just a stripey top FGS.

At last, someone has said it.

Someone says it about once a week. It's second only to "middle class people drive old cars and smell of dog" in the MN cliche stakes.

When I changed jobs last year, one of the things I was very happy to do was weed out the bulk of my 'respectable' clothes and take them back to the charity shop. (Of course I buy work clothes from charity shops - you can pick up any amount of boring stuff there for only a few quid: I'm not paying shop prices for Gap, Next, M&S etc...)

But I don't like 'classic' clothes anyway. I don't want to fade into the background or go unnoticed (other than when it's necessary for work reasons).

Do you think these everyday dresses are hideous OP?

Clothkits still exists? It was the goto resource for Earthmother types in the 1970s. I’m amazed.

In my experience very few men like a dungaree. I love a dungaree , practical, hard-wearing, comfortable but I would never have worn it to go on a date. Spending time with friends, clearing out the shed....nothing will ever be as perfect as a dungaree. My mum wears them too and she is 82.

You know what is pretentious is referring to dungarees as "a dungaree", or referring to trousers as "a trouser" They are plural. Unless you genuinely only have one leg and only wear half of them, dungarees are plural and "a dungaree" is wannabe fashion industry nonsense.

Definitely dungarees!! It’s like when people refer to lipstick “a red lip”

Bloody love dungarees until I’m bursting for a wee and can’t get out quick enough

Know what you mean. I love SadBeige on tiktok for that exact reason.

the beige and the bold

sad beige xmas clothes

cups of sadness

YANBU!

I’m a very generous 12 at the moment. Christmas happened, and all the carbs/cheeses/wine.

Definitely not tall, willowy and small breasted these days! I have dressed/not dressed for the male gaze as I please, according to what I want and how I feel, for years now, ever since I was a young woman and had my feminist awakening. Whether I was or am young/older/middle aged, skinny/mid-range/larger (a size 8 to 16, back down again & everything in-between) didn’t, and doesn’t, change that.

I do have to say, though, that the prairie dresses aren’t my thing at all...I don’t just indiscriminately buy whatever a given brand happens to want to sell to me!

Sadly I’m on a no-buy for clothing at the moment. Haven’t even looked at this year’s sales.

@Momicrone oh my gosh I snorted my tea laughing at that dress!! It’s ideal for site visits…. It’s hi vis too!! That and my builders hat - what an outfit 😂

Now that’s “architectural”

Ok so Boden. If you shop carefully it can be good! They can have some amazing pieces. I completely agree about Toast. It is just sack like.

"a dungaree" is wannabe fashion industry nonsense
a bit like that video you posted earlier.

@Isababybel

Yanbu Who would wear this: www.toa.st/products/swingy-denim-dress-indigo?gclid=CjwKCAiA5t-OBhByEiwAhR-hm9Z9CnmiBr1nrrS2MNp-kyYcULaAk0CASlJi0O8xpLPAXyBV7NlIZhoC7J4QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds An art teacher??

Older woman - 50s/60s - creative and stylish - probably an artist with own home studio - lives Pembrokeshire, North London, Norfolk - teamed with bright pops of colourful, chunky and expensive jewellery plus scarf. Wear to lunch or gallery with friends in town. No judgement, just know a few and they’re fab. Their lifestyle is very different from mine but they do their thing and I do mine to suit my body shape. As we all try to.

I do think the class thing often throws the conversation off somewhat but I do agree, I wouldn’t see many girls my way wearing the kind of things you see on Toast. Not to say none of them would, but still. I’m sure someone can make them look good but it would take some doing I think

YES! It’s literally why their kids cosplay as poor.

@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.

Do not ever let anyone make you feel bad about what you wear.

1. You thought you looked nice = you felt good wearing it

1. Your husband liked you in it = a compliment and confirmation

1. Never let anyone on the internet (random strangers) impose their opinions or “tastes” or baseless prejudices on you.

1. I’ve considered you might have been sarcastic in your post but am treating it as if it was genuine—I loathe the idea of someone feeling bad because the internet said so.

1. Wear your dress, feel great in it. If you love it and it makes you happy, enjoy. That’s where confidence comes from—being yourself and owning it.

(As an aside, my observation is when people denounce something as hideous or ugly, all they really mean in fashion terms is “it would look terrible on me” or “I don’t understand” or “I don’t know what I’m doing” or “nobody I know know wears this and I want to fit in” or “I was reared to think this is wrong.”

Other feelings can also apply, but often it’s “this frightens me” in one way or another.

Dress as you wish.

The other thing about that sort of crap (and I do get what OP means about 'middle class' clothing) is how EXPENSIVE it is for such boring, boring, unflattering junk. If I'm going to spend more than about a tenner on anything to wear I want bright colours, shiny bits, weird trimmings etc.

OP I know what you mean. The city I live in has a very hip, expensive, studenty area near the centre and there's a definite uniform to the 30-something mummies there which to my clearly plebian eyes appears to be as determinedly unattractive as possible. It features a lot of dungarees, horizontal stripes, mustard colours, clumpy Mary Janes and and generally teamed up with entirely make-up free faces and hairstyles that look as if they were done at home with kitchen scissors. Or possibly a breadknife.
However I'm no style icon either so who am I to judge really.

To be fair, I don't think it's just posh clothes. This is on H&M

There must be a script somewhere in the fashion industry saying that we are cartoon characters...?!

You are ridiculous to define clothes by class - what about those of us who live in countries where class isn't really a thing. We just buy clothes!

Surely you can understand that not everyone likes the same things? What a boring world we would live in if we all dressed the same. Also, do remember that while you are judging other people's taste in clothing, they may well be judging yours.

@MaxNormal

OP I know what you mean. The city I live in has a very hip, expensive, studenty area near the centre and there's a definite uniform to the 30-something mummies there which to my clearly plebian eyes appears to be as determinedly unattractive as possible. It features a lot of dungarees, horizontal stripes, mustard colours, clumpy Mary Janes and and generally teamed up with entirely make-up free faces and hairstyles that look as if they were done at home with kitchen scissors. Or possibly a breadknife. However I'm no style icon either so who am I to judge really.

I think they sound fabulous. Nothing unattractive about a makeup free face.

@tectonicplates

In my experience very few men like a dungaree. I love a dungaree , practical, hard-wearing, comfortable but I would never have worn it to go on a date. Spending time with friends, clearing out the shed....nothing will ever be as perfect as a dungaree. My mum wears them too and she is 82.

You know what is pretentious is referring to dungarees as "a dungaree", or referring to trousers as "a trouser" They are plural. Unless you genuinely only have one leg and only wear half of them, dungarees are plural and "a dungaree" is wannabe fashion industry nonsense.

Ouch

I’m 58 and love clumpy shoes.

[quote RoyalFamilyFan]@MrsMadderRose Yes classy dresses and silk shirts is what I would buy if I had the money and figure. Not these ugly things.
I mean you can all wear what you want of course, I am sure of you wear ugly clothes my views won't stop you. But I really don't understand the attraction.
There are so many lovely clothes out there whatever your personal style. Why buy ugly clothes and then try and make them look okayish with the use of accessories? Why not just buy nice clothes?[/quote]
This is a long thread and I haven't read all of it but I think the point of some of these dresses for some people will be to allow the accessories to shine. So some big earrings, maybe one of those bandana type headscarves, some funky boots etc. All of which would lose their impact against a more interesting main garment.