I just don't like the current clothes fashion

[Jourdain11]

I've been on a few clothes-shopping expeditions lately - trying to replenish my Covid-depleted wardrobe - and I've come away virtually empty-handed because I cannot find any clothes I like or which look good on me. I don't know whether my perception is weird, but the current fashion seems to be for women to wear clothing shaped like sacks! Some women look amazing in it, but unfortunately I am not one of them.

Am I being weird about this, or does anyone else wish they could find clothing with some semblance of shape? Even dresses seem to be either shapeless or like something out of Little House on the Prairie!

I'm not very 'girly', but nor do I wish to dress in a duvet cover with holes for the arms and neck 🤔

I went to my big local shopping centre last weekend with a view to getting a few new things for work. I got ONE new dress which is ok, not the right length and not in a colour I love but it'll do. So many bloody wide legged trousers which do sod all for me. And yes to the linen - if it looks like crumpled shit on the hanger what the hell's it going to look like after a day working & commuting?!

I'm not "mindlessly buying what's in fashion", I'm trying to find stuff I like, but I can't!

My vague rule of thumb used to be loose top OR loose bottoms, but never both together. Now, the choice seems to be a large sack (dress), or two smaller sacks together.

I'm a size 6 1m70 tall, and quite straight up and down. I can assure you that some tall, thin people may look good in Laura Ingalls dresses but I do not! I'm 34 but have a bit of a baby face, so I don't like to dress like a teenager as people may think I am one 😀

I think the thing about tall, slim people and sacks may be a myth. They make me look like a collection of sticks in a bag.

Thanks for all the empathy and suggestions. I hope it will improve soon!

Has anyone had any luck with the stylist boxes such as stitch fix or lookeiro?

Stitch fix is always popping up on my Facebook.

I think you're right about the loose top or bottoms, not both. Definitely size down, that's what I do.
I've bought a couple of nice things from Massimo Dutti, I don't know if you have one near you. Not so much prairie wear.

I have had this same clothes problem for absolutely forever so not particularly sympathetic to those suffering from withdrawal of fast fashion rubbish. I have no wish to put anything on show for the delight of men: I just want plain styles in natural fabrics in decent colours or prints, that I can actually walk down the streets in, rather than looking like I’m off for a party and one night stand. It’s very difficult. On the plus side I can now make my own.

Welcome to my boat. I've been adrift on it for about 10 years now. Just about every stitch I own is either ancient or from Primark (or ancient Primark) because I refuse to spend proper money on clothes I just don't like, in all these horrendous patterns with all the puffiness and drab colours... Dreadful.
If I'm going to look crap I'd rather not spend much money looking that way.
Money to burn when they want to start making nice clothes again.

I've tried Lookiero and was quite impressed. I kept everything they sent. The more detail you give them as possible as to your likes and dislikes the better it is. They email you few times while putting your items together to ask if you like certain styles. I wondered what I'd get as I said no to 80% of the styles they asked me about but was pleasantly surprised. Worth a try!

I went shopping the other day with my kids and it was like the shops were full of fancy dress.

Most my recent clothes have come from the charity shops in town for this reason. Before my holiday I went to the mall with up to £300 more even to spend and found nothing. Last week went with dd who is about to start work and there wasn't a single shop selling smart work clothes not even John Lewis

Yep, there are so many beautiful prints that I think I would buy if it was just sleeveless

Oh I agree! Younger shops stock all looks like it would fit right in on the cast of Scooby Do, grown up shops looks like the wardrobe from Little House on The Prairie. Hideous.

Thankfully I buy most of my clothes second hand. If I was dressing myself from
the high street I would look awful.

Sizing down is good advice but works less well if you're already at the bottom of the size range!

I’m the opposite. I’m a a pear shape, so the high waisted trousers are good for me, and I love the midi dresses, puff sleeves (but not too voluminous), shirred tops etc.

I much prefer loose clothes so there's more for me now than in the skinny jeans or jeggings eras.

But if I don't see clothes I don't want to wear I just don't buy them and keep wearing the clothes I already own. Have never understood why people need to buy every year.

My summer wardrobe this year consists of a couple of pairs of Brax white trousers, rolled a little, worn with Emu pumps or a pair of leather ballet flats from M&S. On top a couple of Breton tops from Baukjen, a striped navy/white slightly oversized shirt (m&s), a pale blue linen shirt, a Great Plains sweatshirt and a slipover to wear with the shirt get rotated, washed and worn again. I also have two dresses for weddings and smarter events.
Its quite liberating having just a few items and I get many compliments on my appearance. 😄
Im going to have a similar approach to Autumn/Winter. It also means I’m getting loads of wear from each item and the trousers, which are quite expensive, are earning their keep.

I realised what the multitude of ‘sister wife’ baggy printed dresses in the shops reminded me of. My art teacher at school in the 1980s who carried a straw basket and was always swathed in Viyella. Except her clothes were better made!

Fear not, OP. The backlash (sacklash?) is on its way. Think about what happened between the late 1970s and early 1980s. The young always shake fashion up, especially in changing times.

I laughed at this, from a PP:

The shoes fugly Uncle Fester monstrosities.

I was just thinking this the other day, I hate current clothes and have no idea what to wear! I'm 27 and I feel most clothes are either too young for me or too old for me if that makes sense. I'm slim, but a curvy slim, so sack style clothes don't look good on me, I also don't want to wear crop tops. It's okay in winter, as can get nice jumpers but in summer it's so hard to find clothes to wear! My main problem is in finding nice tops, that aren't jumpers or t shirts

Maybe they are preparing us for re entry to the Victorian era where all we can afford to wear is rags once when we no longer have any money to spend on clothes as it’s been used to pay massive energy bills….

I just keep looking at all the hideous floral print and thinking "my nan used to wear stuff like that" I'm 43, I can't get away with wearing such stuff ironically or whimsical - I literally look like my nan did in the 80s!

I voted YANBU because it's a preference/choice and you know yours, but I love the trend and will keep up with it for many years to come. I've never been so comfortable in all my life - and that's a key feature for me in anything I'm wearing!

I think some high end designers do, it's the only possible explanation for some of the stuff they design.. they're trolling us and testing how far they can go lol

I can't remember when I bought anything more elaborate than some vest tops and harem pants from the supermarket. Probably pre-cold shoulder tops.

What do you do with puff sleeves when it's cardigan time?

I'm short, and fairly slim in a curvy way. Midi looks like I either just grew out of it or have growing room. It's too easy for bad clothes choices to make me look like a little girl playing dress-up in a 70s nighite. The curves I have are either easily drowned or cut off in the wrong place to make me look stumpy.

I don't buy what doesn't suit me.
I hope that fashion changes into something half sensible before the High Street is totally dead.

God, I went into primark for the first time in about 6 years the other week (it's effort to get to a primark in London for some reason) I used to shop there when I was 20/21 and now 27 and I could not believe the stuff they were selling!! I felt so old!! Lol

If you know your style have a hunt on eBay! There used to he loads of brand new with tags stuff on there for a fraction of the price.

Why are there items with tags on? Why haven't they been returned? Seems suspicious to me.