People who criticise how we dress in the UK

[LadyHenryofRawlinsonEnd]

I think it is due to the weather!

Today, quite mild here if you step out of the wind. If you step into it (as you will) and walk for any distance it cuts right through to your bones, intolerable.
So we went out for an hour's walk, padded jackets and wool hats. A bit depressing in April, but nothing new. I came home with something like a splitting ear migraine, it had cut right through my rather fetching little cashmere bonnet like a scythe

I don't run a vehicle at the moment, so it's good fun trying to determine how to clothe oneself when the bright, warming sun might topple out of existence 5 mins after you've rummaged around for an hour in the wardrobe, finally settling on a decent dress and light jacket.
Birkenstock sandals? But what if it rains!?
The care instructions advise you not to get them wet, perhaps they are volatile, like gremlins..

To carry an umbrella or not? Mmmm, decisions. Sometimes I might need to employ a well sized sack for all of those weather associated accoutrements I shall require - brolly, hat, gloves, mac, small tent

During the early springtime of 2013 I noticed more than one individual wearing plastic bags between their socks and shoes. This was the Lake District though.

So maybe this is why we dress as we do, we don't have the most laid back weather, it's so insanely changeable. Any decent combination of clothing can turn out to be wholly inappropriate in a heartbeat.

I wonder if that changeability affects our sense of style, our moods and expectations. People often seem more impatient and agitated on windy days. Aggressive even.
So it usually ends up being some sort of trouser/top/coat - men and women.
It's just safer isn't it?
I am a dress wearer myself, so today's swingy number tried blowing up my back for most of my time outdoors, thank heavens for thick tights!

I love living in a country with seasons, but they rarely behave as we expect them to, do they? I also love clothes, and I have come to the conclusion that we either obsess over our wardrobes to a shocking degree (and who could blame us?) or just give up entirely.

I am NOT being unreasonable!

People often seem more impatient and agitated on windy days. This is certainly true for children. Breaktimes on a windy day get them all whipped up and the younger ones in particular can be like wild things for the rest of the day.

You have a point, OP!

Who criticises the way U.K. people dress?? No-one.

What a straw man.

@WalltoWallBtards

Who criticises the way U.K. people dress?? No-one.

Many different nationalities do eg French, Spanish, Italian.

To be fair they also criticise Germans, Irish and Australians.

I disagree. I think it is a variety of factors. The level of poverty in the UK (we are a very unequal society), the nature of our high street retailing (a disgrace), and cultural factors, to name three.

The French and Italians do not dress the way we do. You can easily play 'spot the person from the UK' if you are in either country.

@balalake

I disagree. I think it is a variety of factors. The level of poverty in the UK (we are a very unequal society), the nature of our high street retailing (a disgrace), and cultural factors, to name three.

The French and Italians do not dress the way we do. You can easily play 'spot the person from the UK' if you are in either country.

I’m not sure we want to emulate Italy, A dd had an Italian boyfriend for several years, a charming, highly educated architect, who always dressed casually. He once told me that in Italian workplaces you are judged by the cost and brand (must be designer) of everything you’re wearing ‘even your belt!’ If it doesn’t all measure up, you’re of no account. I said he must be wildly exaggerating, but he insisted that he wasn’t.

I later asked a young Italian colleague of dh’s (working in the U.K.) whether that was true. He said yes, absolutely.

@GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER I used to know someone who had Italian cousins. She said more or less the same. Everything you wore had to be perfect, you couldn't go out with a hair out of place.

I'd be really interested to hear more about how other nationalities consider the way the British dress. I do think it's very hard with the weather. It's much easier to look pulled together and stylish in good weather and particularly in dry countries. The temperature doesn't matter to me that much but it's hard to look good when you're wet. Interesting comments above re the French. I was always horrified as a teenager at how unstylish they were when we visited every summer holiday. To my mind, there was no evidence of French chic at all.

I agree, I spend about 80% of my time in boots and a very unflattering waterproof. I have a wardrobe full of lovely clothes but the reality is wet and windy weather, and the mud, so I opt for practical every time. And since covid I've had to add one of those padded activewear jackets to my work wardrobe due to all the ventilation in my freezing classroom.

I am sure if I lived in Milan I would be much more glamorous. Fewer muddy puddles!

I do think it's very hard with the weather. It's much easier to look pulled together and stylish in good weather and particularly in dry countries

I think Australia shows the above is untrue.

A PP said one one of the reasons is cultural. That is true.

I agree.

I work outdoors and it's impossible to look good. It's either hot and sweaty in summer (never dry heat), muggy and rainy (spring and autumn) bitingly cold and windy in the winter.

I find there are only a handful of days a year where you can dress nicely and look smart (and be comfortable) all at the same time!

It's too cold to look good. I tend to wear 4or 5 layers round the house. It looks shit. I never, ever know how many layers to wear outside. Will I be waking fast? Standing in parks? Will it rain? Does the wind cut through this?

I find it easier to go running!
Is there ice on the ground/sleet/ cold rain?
Yes. Long sleeves and legs.
No. Short sleeves.

Do I feel warm?
Yes.
Shorts and vest.

I do think there's something to be said about how much we value looking 'put-together'. The UK is definitely more casual in its approach to fashion than a lot of other countries, since people aren't judged as harshly as they would be elsewhere. It's equally great and not so great - leaving your house in a dressing gown or pyjamas would be unthinkable in a lot of other countries, but while not accepted in the UK, can definitely be observed. I feel like this is one of those major culture shocks that a lot of people experience when they see it for the first time!

@balalake

I disagree. I think it is a variety of factors. The level of poverty in the UK (we are a very unequal society), the nature of our high street retailing (a disgrace), and cultural factors, to name three.

The French and Italians do not dress the way we do. You can easily play 'spot the person from the UK' if you are in either country.

I agree with you there, I suppose my post is a bit lighthearted and meant to be vaguely amusing. Our choices are abysmal. Sadly even if we can afford good clothes, there's the issue of where to find them.

If I spoke about those elements there would soon be a froth on MN!

@Squidlette

It's too cold to look good. I tend to wear 4or 5 layers round the house. It looks shit. I never, ever know how many layers to wear outside. Will I be waking fast? Standing in parks? Will it rain? Does the wind cut through this?

I find it easier to go running!
Is there ice on the ground/sleet/ cold rain?
Yes. Long sleeves and legs.
No. Short sleeves.

Do I feel warm?
Yes.
Shorts and vest.

Yes, my imaginary wardrobe looks nothing like the reality!

To be honest,, most people in the Uk dress badly, look bad. Its about the availability of our clothing though, nothing is shaped right or has a nice cut about it. We are also overly keen on the 'leisure casual' side of things, me included

I do feel embarrassed when we're around europeans, we just look slobby and slouchy and they rarely do.

I’m always baffled by people who insist continental Europe is much more stylish. Have you actually spent much time outside the major cities? Plenty of casually dressed people in France - maybe less so in the centre of Paris.

It's cultural bit weather related. I lived in the USA, lovely weather but most peoples dress sense was a car crash! Ditto Australians (note some dress well I'm generalising!).

My French friend says people have less clothes in france but far more emphasis on designers etc

@WlNDMlLL

I'd be really interested to hear more about how other nationalities consider the way the British dress. I do think it's very hard with the weather. It's much easier to look pulled together and stylish in good weather and particularly in dry countries. The temperature doesn't matter to me that much but it's hard to look good when you're wet. Interesting comments above re the French. I was always horrified as a teenager at how unstylish they were when we visited every summer holiday. To my mind, there was no evidence of French chic at all.

I find it a bit odd. The largest groups seem to be the tiny dress, tottering heels and fake tan crew and the frumpy shapeless dress and jumper crew. The only things tying those two groups together appears to be a lack of understanding of their body shapes and an almost pathological fear of both colour and standing out.

This isn’t to say everyone dresses like that, but it’s a lot more common in the U.K. than in any other European country.

I don’t understand why people wear flip flops and a cardigan; surely if it’s hot enough for the first then you don’t need the second?!

@WalltoWallBtards

Who criticises the way U.K. people dress?? No-one.

Have you never seen the threads on mumsnet where people insist they spend 90% of their time at airports instantly pointing out the sloppy frumpy brits amongst the linen wearing, fashionable, and elegant Europeans?

I presume these people actually haven’t traveled much because in my experience most places have a mix of very stylish and fashionable people and normally dressed people wearing jeans for school run/work etc.

@bellac11

To be honest,, most people in the Uk dress badly, look bad. Its about the availability of our clothing though, nothing is shaped right or has a nice cut about it. We are also overly keen on the 'leisure casual' side of things, me included

I do feel embarrassed when we're around europeans, we just look slobby and slouchy and they rarely do.

Where in Europe was this? My experience in Italy, Germany, France, Spain, Greece, the Netherlands etc was that in the big cities of an evening people might be dressed up. The everyday people - mums on school run, women and men heading to work, people doing the shopping of a weekend, all dress much like we do. Jeans and jumpers etc.

Not just clothing, but hair too. Any kind of moisture or humidity and I look ridiculous.

I’ve spent a lot of time in Spain. People dress very well.

They spend a lot of time window shopping (it’s practically a national pastime) and styling clothes down to whether their socks match their shoes/boots. They get clothes altered to fit them well. They spend time and money on accessorises to go with each and every well thought out outfit. Every pair of clean shoes is carefully chosen to go with their selected outfit.

It helps the majority have naturally dark features and tanned skin and there are many Spanish stores, stores that sell clothes designed by Spanish people that suit their colouring.

I wear the same pair of shoes with everything. I wear the same bag with everything. It’s a very different mindset.

@WalltoWallBtards

Who criticises the way U.K. people dress?? No-one.

They really do!