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!

Agree Australians exist in a total fashion vacuum

I've read that the average French or Italian person spends more than twice as much on clothing as the average Brit, but buys less than half as much. The answer's in there somewhere.

I lived abroad in east asia for years, winters so bitter and chilling it gets to minus 12 degrees, torrential rain in monsoon season, and mosquito filled hot humid summers. The locals were always dressed beautifully every season. Bit of reverse culture shock coming home. People in the UK arent just poorly dressed, they often look washed out, greasy, and in need of a good wash.

I think a lot of British people just don’t care how they look (not saying they should care) so they don’t put much thought into it. Or they prioritise comfort over looks so will happily go out in mismatched, bobbly clothes as long as they feel comfortable and warm and have layers.

Re weather, don’t most of us check the forecast? I wouldn’t lug a waterproof coat and umbrella around if rain was unlikely.

I’m not the most stylish but I do try to match my bag and boots/shoes, and I avoid garish patterns or clashing prints or cheap synthetic clothes.

Fast fashion might be to blame; people ending up with more cheap clothes than they know what to do with? No space to store them neatly or time to take care of them. Clothes going baggy or faded quickly unlike quality items.

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.

This happened to me... in Wigan.

Started a new job, treated with a great deal of suspicion by the FD up until I left my suit jacket on the back of my chair while away from the desk, and watched him walk over, pick it up and look at the label (Aquascutum, since nobody asked).

I was so bemused I actually shouted across the room "my tie is Armani if you're interested."

He was fine with me after that.

I'm glad of the relaxed culture here about clothes and that no-one gives a shit.

LOL, I gotta say I agree with TomPinch re NZ - and I say that as a proud Kiwi!

One of the things me and my girls have loved about being in the UK is being able to be a bit more dressy when we feel like it, and not being looked askance for being out of the 'uniform' of jeans and t-shirt.

I would say that Wellingtonians and Aucklanders are more styley.

I actually wear dresses over here. Dresses. And not just for going out - for everyday wear. Shocking, I tells you.

I do think Europeans (in my very limited experience) seem to have an innate sense of style, and perhaps place more emphasis on being well put together. I love to see it. I just couldn't be arsed to emulate it.

Many different nationalities do eg French, Spanish, Italian.

I think that often we are not comparing like with like.

We go frequently to rural France. Small towns and villages, wuite along way from a large city.

The clothes people wear are dowdy, baggy, layers of warmth. Dark colours, unattractive fit. Practicality and warmth are the key.
In the summer the women are mostly in baggy summer dresses which they have had for 20 years. If there are summer visitors eg from Paris, they stand out liek a sore thumb.

BUT most of those people rarely if ever travel outside of their area.
In the UK, even poorer end of society go on package holidsy to Spain etc. So the same level of society as rural France, but they travel more.

@Fridafever

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.

Was going to say this. Cities throughout the world, including the UK, have plenty of wealthy, well dressed people along with people dressed smartly for work.

Outside cities, and office environments people dress to suit themselves.

We are not a 'visual tribe'
We built horrid buildings that look like bunkers.
We buy so many clothes that are grey or dark blue and cannot appreciate the difference in cut/shape of work jeans compared to designer.
Many buy smart coloured undies though.

@mbosnz - I live in a rural NZ town, and I can assure you dresses are worn by many women here, and yes, for every day wear (shocking). In fact I can see no difference between what women in NZ wear and what women in the UK wear in most cases. Although I will say I don't see nearly as many young women here dressed in the skin tight dresses, fake tans, false eyelashes that some in the UK seem to favour (thank goodness). And are you seriously telling me women in the UK don't wear jeans and tee-shirts???

[quote SquirrelG]@mbosnz - I live in a rural NZ town, and I can assure you dresses are worn by many women here, and yes, for every day wear (shocking). In fact I can see no difference between what women in NZ wear and what women in the UK wear in most cases. Although I will say I don't see nearly as many young women here dressed in the skin tight dresses, fake tans, false eyelashes that some in the UK seem to favour (thank goodness). And are you seriously telling me women in the UK don't wear jeans and tee-shirts???[/quote]
No, not saying that at all! Just that it doesn't seem to be all they wear.

I totally agree with you re the skin tight dresses, fake tans etc - they're turrible Muriel. . .

@Celiamary

We are not a 'visual tribe' We built horrid buildings that look like bunkers. We buy so many clothes that are grey or dark blue and cannot appreciate the difference in cut/shape of work jeans compared to designer. Many buy smart coloured undies though.

Can you use “I” here rather than we? I don’t do any of those things maybe you do.

@steppemum

Many different nationalities do eg French, Spanish, Italian.

I think that often we are not comparing like with like.

We go frequently to rural France. Small towns and villages, wuite along way from a large city.

The clothes people wear are dowdy, baggy, layers of warmth. Dark colours, unattractive fit. Practicality and warmth are the key.
In the summer the women are mostly in baggy summer dresses which they have had for 20 years. If there are summer visitors eg from Paris, they stand out liek a sore thumb.

BUT most of those people rarely if ever travel outside of their area.
In the UK, even poorer end of society go on package holidsy to Spain etc. So the same level of society as rural France, but they travel more.

Agree with this re France. Same tat in the supermarkets and on market stalls they've had since the 80s. I've lived in rural France, it's very insular. When I lived in the Dordogne a lot of the locals had never left the Dordogne. Even some "cities" feel very provincial e.g. Limoges.

The British people I know who live there used to come up England to buy their clothes now they can order online, they don't buy from the local shops as the quality and range are rubbish.

In my experience there are stylish people in European cities but also plenty of people who don't dress particularly well. I've never been to any city outside the UK and been struck by how elegant everyone is in comparison.
There are plenty of well dressed people out and about in the UK. I really don't get the whole Parisienne style thing either. I've been to Paris many times and never thought that it was particularly different to any other European city in terms of how people dress.

Well there I was thinking I'd start a thread about the climate, hoping we could have a laugh about the weather!

I must say though, I agree with the poster who said the UK has some terrible architecture - different subject entirely - but to my mind quite true since mid century at least.
However, I do love our earlier approach to building and adore Edwardian, some Victorian and our thatched cottages of old. Not too fond of classical styles, too grandiose for me, but today's building pales in comparison.

New Zealand is an incredibly expensive place to dress stylishly, so most people don’t, they just go to the same few shops that sell the same poor to average quality basics that everyone else wears, hopefully in a colour they like. It really is a supply and demand thing. You often can’t get petite cut or tall cuts for example, because the shops don’t order them in because the market isn’t big enough to make it a viable option. Even things like teenage boys having to go to the women’s section for jeans because there is an awkward stage of not fitting into child sizing anymore but being too small still for the mens xs or s. There just aren’t enough skinny 13-15 year old pre-massive growth spurt boys in the country who want particular cuts or styles of jeans to merit the shops having them on the shelves. Anyone who doesn’t quite fit the standard sizes in the shops that exist struggles.

DP's family are from Sweden, and their weather is equally as bananas and changeable as the UK.

And yet they're known for their style, no? (Not really my type, but they're definitely held up as a stylish bunch).

How do they (supposedly) do it while we (supposedly) can't?

There's a big difference between countries with a Puritan, Protestant, Lutheran traditions, where you are encouraged not to be ostentatious, and those with Catholic backgrounds, where everything is a bit grand. In Spain, a lot of people dress to show off what they have. There's this worry about "que diran?", as in "what will they say?". That's why we have blinds - to stop the sun and the nosey neighbors peaking through. Whereas in more northern countries, there's a tendency to "I have nothing to hide", so you can peak into my house if you wish.

France is a bit of both - super stylish in big cities, and just standard anywhere else

The clothes people wear are dowdy, baggy, layers of warmth. Dark colours, unattractive fit.

When did we start talking about the Toast catalogue?

@LadyHenryofRawlinsonEnd

Well there I was thinking I'd start a thread about the climate, hoping we could have a laugh about the weather!

I must say though, I agree with the poster who said the UK has some terrible architecture - different subject entirely - but to my mind quite true since mid century at least.
However, I do love our earlier approach to building and adore Edwardian, some Victorian and our thatched cottages of old. Not too fond of classical styles, too grandiose for me, but today's building pales in comparison.

You’ve started a really interesting and great thread. I keep coming back to it. This topic has been reflected on many time in Style and Beauty and it’s really interesting to read the views of people maybe less focussed on clothes than the people who post in Style and Beauty.

@fromagreatheight

DP's family are from Sweden, and their weather is equally as bananas and changeable as the UK.

And yet they're known for their style, no? (Not really my type, but they're definitely held up as a stylish bunch).

How do they (supposedly) do it while we (supposedly) can't?

It’s their height and they dress to flatter it.

We are neither slim like the Spanish nor tall like the Scandinavians. Our shapes are bumpy and lumpy really.

I'm British and slim and tall! However I am very pale and burn easily so some of the stuff that Spanish women wear just wouldn't suit me. I do like desigual in moderation, too much and it just looks like you're wearing the clothes version of a particularly hectic acid trip...

Can I just say, the whole French style thing is a myth. I’m a total Francophile and have spent a lot of time In France. In Paris, yes some of the women are truly stylish, but this is also the case in many cities. Is everyone chic in rural France? Non!

Is everyone chic in rural France? Non!

Quite and A LOT of France is rural. Much more than the UK, and towns and villages are much more isolated from one another.