To think it’s really hard to be fashionable when you live rurally…?

[LastMile]

As title really.

I’ve never thought of myself as unfashionable before and can look ‘trendy’ (eurgh, hate that word) on a night out etc, but in terms of day to day wear, I’ve come to realise that I don’t really have anything ‘fashionable’ to wear as I live in skinny jeans as these go under wellies well and look good under wellies, whereas baggy legged jeans just look ridiculous and bulge all out to the sides.

I WFH so not much point in dressing up for work and then I walk the dog across muddy fields/ footpaths on my lunch break each day which means, again that ideally I need to be in wellies and suitable trousers for that.

My weekends during the day now tend to be spent at local farms/ children’s attractions etc and I just feel like, especially during winter, baggier style jeans and trainers are just a a bit impractical and would get filthy within 5 mins.

I do have a couple of pairs of mom/ boyfriend jeans that I wear in the Spring and Summer, but even then, I struggle to find tops that go with them so that the overall effect isn’t making me look huge when I’m not.

Am I alone in this? I’ve just been on the ‘what are you buying this spring’ thread in style and beauty and people are linking all sorts of ‘trendy’ looking things, some of it lovely, but I just think, where would I wear any of it? Where do these women wear any of it?! I’m wondering if it’s just because I live rurally, surrounded by mud or if other country bumpkin women on here manage to still be ‘fashionable’ day to day?!

It’s the mid that stops me buying anything nice.

I could have written this! Live rurally, WFH and need appropriate clothes to walk my dog at lunch too!! Have no suggestions but following.

Absolutely agree. I do think knitwear can make the difference. I have a cashmere jumper in a perfect shade of red, slap on a red lip and you look much better put together. Layers, nice scarves etc. It’s pissing it down though so have just walked the dog in a dry robe looking like a bag lady. Sunny Scoyy to land so that happens a lot.

‘Twas ever thus. We used to walk to the station in wellies carrying our skechers, then change shoes and stuff the wellies behind a tree to (if we remembered) pick them up on the way home. If you think that straight leg jeans look daft tucked into wellies just try it with full on flared combats.

I was thinking this earlier! I live in long sleeve black tops, the same pair of jeans or thick black leggings, black rubber boots and a massive black raincoat (not even a cool duvet type). 2 small kids and any time outdoors is park, beach, woods or farm.

I feel like insta fashion is very much geared toward ‘brunch’ type events and i don’t do that so…

I live rurally.
It's hard for me to be fashionable... beacuse I am very unfashionable!

I would like to dress better, I guess, but it's difficult for me to get it right, so I mostly dress in comfortable and practical clothes. (I'm on quite a tight budget, too). But I have rural friends that dress nicer than me! Nicer jackets/coats, nicer sweaters, practical but still trendy shoes, etc.

I think I would be unfashionable in a city too.

I do get what you're saying, though, OP.

I agree, but I don't care. 😆 I don't want or need to be 'fashionable.' I prefer comfort. And living in the sticks, going for lots of walks, and doing several outdoor activities, I won't be wearing stilettos and stockings and a short skirt!

Im semi rural. Live in an affluent village.What I find is people dress for the job theyre getting done, and dress classically, rather than trendy. So walking the dogs will be done in walking boots and walking gear. Exercising in exercise gear. Horses go past, riders in riding gear. We moved here is a spring and it was months before we saw anyone wear jeans during the day.

It's not even living rurally. I live in a small northern city with cobbled streets in the city centre. The footpaths, locally, are muddy for half the year. I own coats that aren't waterproof and/or windproof and they rarely get worn. If anyone turns up in town wearing shoes that aren't at least sensible, everyone stops and stares, waiting for the inevitable stumble.

Well yes, it is pointless being fashionable in the sticks (I always feel overdressed when I make an effort for e.g. a weekend lunch, and everyone else is invariably wearing flip flops and an old t-shirt), but at least it's inexpensive.

I agree but I think it's quite nice. We dress for the lives we lead, and I think the fact that I spend a lot of time outdoors means that I dress seasonally and practically. The trend for white trainers, for instance, is quite funny to me because they'd be covered in mud as soon as I left the house! Also, so many coats are impractical for rural living.

There’s a uniform in my town. I noticed it at the checkout in Booths the other day, especially on women of my age. It’s outdoor type leggings, trail runner type shoes, Rab microlite jackets, and woolly hats. I chuckled to myself because there were four of us wearing almost identical clothes.

Mine are usually muddy too.

I too love in bottoms that work with wellies for dog walking and horses but I don't live rurally. You can have a nod to fashion with the right coat, hat, bag for the activity.

Its not a lifestyle that lends itself to fashion unless fashion is currently practical, at least trainers are still in!

I go for style. Try to look like I've thought about it unless it is destined to be soaked through and covered in mud.

Yep, only ever dress up if I go into the city. Otherwise, it’s mud splattered dog walking wear.

Everything I wear is caked in mud at the moment.

I also WFH and have 3 dogs, my landie is caked, wellies are caked, leggings, jeans, coats all covered in mud.

So I'm exactly the same and the fashion magazines they show the women in chunky knits and tweet or Barbour but I'd totally overheat in a roll neck and I can't stand the slime texture of was jackets and don't find them warm.

So I'm also stuck in just practical clothes and when I do go out it's to my local pub, so no real reason to dress up? Just wear what I have without mud on it.

You don't dress up in the country, you improve the quality of your practical wear. By the time your wellies are £300, your coat is hand-made tweed and your jumpers are cashmere you've peaked! Don't forget a silk scarf that cost at least a hundred pounds 😄
You save all that for best though and wear your usual rubber wellies and acrylic jumpers!

It's more lifestyle isn't it? I live pretty rurally but don't have dogs or horses so don't spend huge amounts of time in muddy fields. I wear boots in winter on my own land or if I go for a walk but get changed when I get in just like I did when we lived in town.
Most of the time I wear jeans and trainers because that's what I like wearing and I don't want the boots, leggings and fleeces to creep in to my daily wardrobe.

Completely agree! I have a love/hate relationship with countryside living. Everyone looks dull and unfashionable. The only solution is to go to Alo yoga and pretty much buy out their entire season collection, and rock stylish loungewear (waffle flared knitted trousers, and jumpers). We tend to spend the summers in London and I’m instantly just more stylish there. Everyone makes more of an effort to dress up, and look their best whereas in the countryside everyone just wears skinny jeans with a Fair Isle Jumper (which they think is really on trend).
I have some pieces which would be perfect for the countryside; tweed midi skirt paired with doc martens style boots, and jumper, tweed McQueen dress again paired with chunky boots but I would stick out like a sore thumb. In the city no one would bat an eye lid if I rocked up for coffee in a gypsy style Ulla Johnson dress with waistcoat whereas in the countryside it would be featured in the local facebook page.
Maybe its because everyone in the countryside is old or aging, whereas in the city there’s a greater ratio of younger people, and people are more expressive and experimental with their personal style.

Ha! Yes you’ve described the issue well. I usually look a right state as I’m usually doing something which involves dogs and mud. I have a few pairs of baggy jeans but they never see the light of day as they don’t work with my long country boots that I wear for walking.

My uniform is yoga style leggings and a hoody or sweatshirt. I come unstuck on the very rare occasions I need to go out socially as I just don’t really have other clothes, not from the last 5 years anyway. I’m not out to impress anyone though so I don’t really care 🤷‍♀️

Old and ageing? Did you base this post on watching Last of the Summer Wine?

I live in the country (well, sort of semi rural) and don’t think I’m very stylish.

I do wear baggier style jeans because I cannot stand the feel of skinny jeans, honestly I hate them so much. But they do tend to get muddy if I’m out walking the dog. I’ve come to terms with it.

I like what I like and don’t really care what others think of me. I can scrub up ok for a night out, but not height of fashion stylish. Just presentable 😂.

"They think it's on trend"? I think (semi rural with dogs) there's more a feeling of why buy new or trendy when it'll be covered in mud by next week. You need a lot of "don't mind if it gets muddy" clothes.

Ha ha, yes to white trainers.

On the how to look expensive threads the beige trench or camel coat is often suggested.

Erm no. I wear a black waterproof parka most of the year. Like a pp I have a nice wool coat and a nice wool jacket but they rarely get worn because we get a lot of rain. I'm not carrying an umbrella to the pub because I will forget it.

I bought some lovely wide leg jeans the other week. I haven't worn them yet because it has been too wet.

People still wear skinnies here because they tucked into boots.

Maybe its because everyone in the countryside is old or aging

Piss off with your ageist comment!

I live in a city but a fashionable coat is the one thing I have had to eschew. I walk everywhere (a joy if city living) so coat has to be waterproof and warm. Those are my only considerations at purchase. I have no idea where people are wearing these camel wool coats you see on insta.