My friend is ruining my Wimbledon experience!!!

[LadyGarcia]

So I managed to get tickets for Wimbledon, during the finals weekend and am going with my university friend and it's something we've been planning for a long time - to go Wimbledon.

Now I'm quite simple and I'm happy put on some makeup and a dress, head out and enjoy my day and the experience.

However since the tickets have been booked, my friend has done nothing but hammer my phone day and night about how she will be dressing up on the day from ordering Hermes Sandals to a Dior Bag to even looking for a GOLD sunglasses chain etc...

I really regret asking her now, I just want to go and enjoy my day - I love Wimbledon and it's my happy place (as in the tournament itself) so be actually be in the grounds is just a dream come true but now I feel almost like I need to dress up just as much as her and look good on the day, I don't want to burn my money and on designer sandals and a designer bag (not that I will) but I can't help care now about how ugly I'll look next to her!

AIBU?

I think you ought to choose another friend, or a very nice internet aquaintance who also loves tennis……

I'm getting the smell of a reverse.

My sister did that on a recent trip to France for my birthday. Her luggage was SO heavy. She took four outerwear for 10 days: a trench coat, a puffy gilet, a faux leather Moto jacket and a heavy denim jacket. And umpteen different pairs of shoes, etc. We went to several different cities, and hoisting that luggage off and on trains, and up hotel stairways, was a real downer.

Meanwhile I wore a small selections of jeans, black tops and black trainers, with scarves/jewelry to dress it up a bit, and took one belted rain coat. I had a pair of black flat dressy slingbacks to perk up the jeans for restaurant dinners.

She also had a carryon that weighed about 15 pounds and was loaded with cosmetics, facial masks, bath bombs and other "treats we can do in the hotel rooms." FFS!

I try to be compassionate because she's always struggled with her weight and I know that taking pains with makeup, clothing, jewelry, hair etc. helps her feel good about her appearance but my god. Even porters and taxi men who are accustomed to heavy lifting were taken aback.

My mother was like that too; if I were assigned, when younger, to a business conference or something her first question was always "ooh, what are you going to wear!?" Never "what will you learn?" "who will you network with?" "what is your role?" Always about the clothing. It made me so self-conscious and paranoid.

Perhaps you should just remind her, that as it's Wimbledon, it is highly likely that it will pour down with rain, which will ruin all the designer stuff and that she'd be better off buying herself a decent rain mac and brolly, perhaps wellies too.

Have a lovely day OP, I hope the weather's nice. Dress for your comfort, not your friend's and enjoy the tennis.

Unless she is hounding you to dress the same then YABU. You dress how you want to and let her dress how she wants to. If you're so anxious about her being all dressed up, more so than you then you need to examine what's making you feel insecure. Just go and enjoy it.

I’m going on Friday and intend to wear trainers, my primark shorts and a nice top 😂 it’s quite a slog from tube stop to Wimbledon itself and a long day so would rather be comfy, especially in the heat forecast. I did end up sitting next to a player’s gorgeous model girlfriend one year though so could have been wearing millions in brands and would still have looked rubbish in comparison.

Unless you're in the Royal Box no one will care what you're wearing.

If anyone does spend 2 seconds looking at your outfits the most likely impression will be that your friend is a bit over dressed.

There's a lot of walking around.

It can go from scorching hot to really very chilly (it can be particularly cold at the end of the day or if it rains at all).

What you really need is comfortable shoes and layers.

The vast majority of people will be casually dressed.

If she wants to dress up and buy new stuff, why does it matter to you? Just wear what you want.

I go most years and the majority of people are pretty casual as there’s a fair amount of walking, weather changes all the time etc!

Yes, do be mindful of potential rain. One year
my (flat) shoes got so wet, I had to try to dry them under a hand drier in a restaurant bathroom!

She’s enjoying it her way, you enjoy it yours.

YABU. Your issues are all your own, and not her fault.

I love this!

She does realise it's Wimbledon and not Ascot doesn't she?

Just checked and weather for Saturday is thunderstorms so you’ll probably want something waterproof not designer!

Agree with all the PP there is a lot of walking. We're going next week and are lucky enough to have centre court tickets. I don't own any designer stuff and will be wearing trainers. I have bought a new sun hat, from TKMaxx. I'd say wear something breathable as sitting in direct sunshine on a plastic seat for hours can lead to clammy legs.

I used to go to big matches on centre and no 1 courts with 2 colleagues as one of them knew someone at AETC who always got us front seat tickets for big names like Federer, Williams, Nadal, Murray etc and one of them lived nearby too. We both worked in a Wimbledon so either took the afternoon off or went to a daytime or evening match. Finishing off in the Village or Wimbledon town bars and restaurants.

They both wore standard non designer gear (usually navy and white jackets and trousers/skirts) and one liked designer handbags and the other didn’t.

I used to either carry a designer handbag (whichever I could afford or was trendy at the time) but I’ve always been happy with a bog standard non designer leather bag too! Plus I don’t like obvious metal hardware or logos on bags.

Some people at big tennis Wimbledon matches dress up and are in designer gear plus bags, some aren’t.

I’d just get on with it and enjoy the tennis!

Wear what you are most comfortable in, you're not dressing for your friend's benefit. People always look prettiest when they are happy and relaxed so you'll look chilled and she's going to look like Aunt Sally.

That's spiteful.

Such an eye opening post.

Didn't realise some grown women enjoy tearing down other women, especially ones that are perfect strangers, over their style preferences.

This - absolutely shocking.

YABU. She's not ruining anything, you're ruining it for yourself.

No walking or not much if you were with my colleagues and their AETC contact.

When did designer sandals and a bag make you a drag queen haha