Middle Class Ugly Clothing part two

[RoyalFamilyFan]

Original thread here.
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4446999-To-think-so-many-middle-class-clothes-are-ugly?pg=40

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?

Think Saffy (sp) in absolutely fabulous .

Like this

I have certainly seen the trend for modest dressing even in stalwarts like M&S. Most of the dresses are nearly ankle length, down to the wrist and high-necked. “On the farm” dresses as mentioned in previous thread.

YANBU

Toast clothes are MINGING.

I have even ordered some before in case I was missing something, but it turns out I wasn't. They are hideous both online and in real life.

I completely agree, fine if you like that sort of thing but trying to find a waist on any form of clothing and it not be designed for Instagram influencers and 2" short is a nightmare. I just want a fit and flare dress, and if that makes me awfully unfashionable then fine.

Following! Going back to read the first thread

www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/81064862016469138/#details?amp_client_id=amp-9i58Bapgiw1xdUt9_q0t6Q&mweb_unauth_id=1345bda0d94b4fa1a563f9a0f5b853fc&amp_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinterest.co.uk%2Famp%2Fpin%2F81064862016469138%2F

According to this it's an 1840's vibe

Following

On the other thread, someone said that shops like fat face/sea salt are mumsy but toast is arty. But that's just being sucked into the marketing. They're much of a much in terms of ugliness. Same with the links at the end of the other thread to that hideous ill-fitting 'vintage' site. There was a pair of green swirly patterned culottes linked to at the end of the thread that if you saw them in Asda you'd laugh, but are somehow stylish if bought from a 'cool' looking retailer.
It is literally just buying into an image, but once you own that item all anyone sees is the item itself and not the image on your head!
Idk, maybe I'm just clueless but having clicked these links I'm starting to conclude that I don't like clothes!

Oh this thread is still going:) I haven't read all the posts but I took a look at Little Lies and it is very much not to my taste. As PP said, I would not have worn it even if I was the size I was in my twenties: prob a 6. I dont want to look like Marilyn Manson when I am buying toilet paper in Tesco's or running for a bus.

I think this thread shows there are many women like me of average size ( 12) with medium brow tastes and a medium budget who are looking for the right clothes. The clothes need to suit a life which is wfh, getting on the Tube, going to the supermarket, hoovering, walking by the river, and occ sitting in cafes. I don't need the clothes I once did for the office and events. Everything has to go with trainers. Nothing to do with modesty in my case ( though I do come from a culture that prizes it but I have left that culture). They just need to be somewhere between "on an Amish farm" and showing my knickers when I sit down. At the moment, I just wear jeans and Uniqlo trousers everywhere.

I think this thread has shown me I am probably too old for fashion. I cannot imagine a world where I would ever have worn stuff from little lies, what one earth happened to legs or cleavage. I am old and out of touch (46 this month). But that is fine and almost certainly as it should be.

Have reported the the 'bame supremacy' bullshit.

There is no trend towards 'modesty dressing'. Anyone who thinks that clearly hasn't been out in virtually any city centre on a Saturday night, or seen the adverts for Pretty Little Thing or whatever it's called that are plastered everywhere. It's never ever been difficult (at least in my lifetime) to buy a dress with sleeves or a skirt that falls below the knee, on any high street.

I must have missed any "bame supremacy" discussion! What?

I am reading this thread with a face like a slapped arse because this is exactly my style (if I could afford Toast). The fabrics are so beautiful. Margaret Howell is the dream, though.
I have a collection of long vintage Laura Ashley skirts and never show my cleavage as it makes me self conscious. I’m never happier than when I look like I could be a 1920s lady writer as someone said earlier on the thread.
I find high street clothes depressing and dull - nothing worse than cheap polyester.
I am a middle class art teacher though, so you’ve got me 😂

@IncognitoBurrito

I am reading this thread with a face like a slapped arse because this is exactly my style (if I could afford Toast). The fabrics are so beautiful. Margaret Howell is the dream, though. I have a collection of long vintage Laura Ashley skirts and never show my cleavage as it makes me self conscious. I’m never happier than when I look like I could be a 1920s lady writer as someone said earlier on the thread. I find high street clothes depressing and dull - nothing worse than cheap polyester. I am a middle class art teacher though, so you’ve got me 😂

All the cool, interesting fashion posted here as an alternative to boring fashion appears flammable. I won't wear polyester even if it is designer. It gives me the itch.

I love sleeved dresses!

But they have to have some shape.

On the last thread I said Gandalf dresses like he’s been shopping in Toast. I take that back - he looks more like a Cos dresser….

If you haven’t noticed the trend towards modesty dressing then you are sleepwalking. It’s everywhere.

This thread is fascinating, even to see how much our tastes differ. I love those Little Lies clothes but I'm not young or slim. I know I wouldn't look ok in them but I love them. I also love some of the Toast clothing, but I think they only work on certain people. I'm not one of them.

I'm in my 50s and a bit overweight. My wardrobe is mostly M&S, Me & Em (sale stuff), occasional bits from Cos, Baukjen, & Other stories (great for accessories), White Company (sale stuff), Uniqlo, Whistles. A few bits from Primark. And over the last couple of years I'm made some surprisingly good purchases from Tu at Sainsbury's. Really nice stuff.

I never find anything I like in Joules, Fat Face, White Stuff. I'm not sure what their target market is but it doesn't feel like me.

I miss Top Shop.

ASOS has a “modest fashion” category

@RoyalFamilyFan

Someone mentioned Pru at the end of the other thread as someone who uses big accessories.

Yep. Preferably wooden, involving animals and (ideally) based on African art.

clathers.com/products/adjustable-wooden-disc-necklace?variant=33288180793432&currency=GBP&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&utm_campaign=gs-2018-10-09&utm_source=google&utm_medium=smart_campaign&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI3fv26-Sh9QIVB7DtCh3JBgF9EAQYBSABEgKHm_D_BwE

@IncognitoBurrito

I am reading this thread with a face like a slapped arse because this is exactly my style (if I could afford Toast). The fabrics are so beautiful. Margaret Howell is the dream, though. I have a collection of long vintage Laura Ashley skirts and never show my cleavage as it makes me self conscious. I’m never happier than when I look like I could be a 1920s lady writer as someone said earlier on the thread. I find high street clothes depressing and dull - nothing worse than cheap polyester. I am a middle class art teacher though, so you’ve got me 😂

That's interesting @IncognitoBurrito

But in fact a 1920s lady writer wouldn't have been seen dead in Toast. They did like masculine cuts etc in those days but always nicely tailored. No way would the peasant's sack tunic (exhibit A) have been tolerated.

www.toa.st/products/swingy-denim-dress-indigo?gclid=CjwKCAiA5t-OBhByEiwAhR-hm9Z9CnmiBr1nrrS2MNp-kyYcULaAk0CASlJi0O8xpLPAXyBV7NlIZhoC7J4QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

For me that's much more mid 1970s.

Love this from Other Stories. Maybe I should go the Scandi way. Seems a nice middle ground. www.stories.com/en_gbp/productpage.1061825001.html

I think it is unfair to single out middle class clothes. We should accept that the clothing offering in the UK via the high street, online or largely anywhere else is simply awful.

One of the things I like about visiting France or Italy is that style and quality still exist.

@PattyPan

I haven’t read the other thread and don’t like shapeless clothes. But I want to defend dressing modestly. I like to wear my dresses/skirts below the knee because then I don’t have to worry about accidentally flashing someone! And I like covering my décolletage likewise to avoid the risk of nip slips. And covering the shoulders is just more flattering and helps avoid sunburn. Dressing modestly just makes me more comfortable. I’m currently in a knee length dress from Thought and their opaque bamboo tights - extra benefit of modesty in this case is also extra warmth!

I'm the same. I feel much more comfortable showing no skin. Nothing to do with modesty, it's a sensory thing. I can't stand bare legs and hate the feel of the breeze or feeling cold. I mainly wear dresses but always with a high neck and with sleeves or a cardigan over the top. Underneath I wear thick tights. In summer I generally wear a maxi or midi with shorts under.

@Cornisharchitect

ASOS has a “modest fashion” category

I know, but that is marketing towards a particular demographic, not a suggestion that every woman should be dressing in that way. As a pp says, why should religiously-observant women have to shop in specialist shops, which are usually more expensive / harder to access? It's great that clothing appropriate for Jewish / Muslim women (for example) is available on ASOS.

The OP has suggested however, that there is some kind of worrying trend towards making all women dress 'modestly'. I disagree that that's the case. What is now termed 'modest' clothing has always been available and is not new. It's just been branded, repackaged and categorised.