I bought a white coat in the sales to look like Olivia Pope, but I actually resemble a middle aged taekwando instructor

[DollyMixtureLulus]

I bought a long drab-coloured but flowery dress I thought made me look sort of free wheeling pretty hippie boho chic type and I wore it visiting Argentina in the 90s. No less than 3 random people approached me on the streets of Buenos Aires and asked if I was a Mormon. I probably could have made some nice friends if I had said yes. But boy did I feel like I had misfired on the sex appeal front.

One day I fear I might leave the house trying to 'work' a silk headscarf, aka the Queen. My outspoken daughters are likely to avert this disaster but I still hanker to be able to pull it off.

I can't stop buying leopard print. Did anyone else buy that Boden code a couple of years back? Quite bulky. It came on, it came off, and went straight back into the box. Had waited for it to come on sale as well.

@Gmom

I bought a long drab-coloured but flowery dress I thought made me look sort of free wheeling pretty hippie boho chic type and I wore it visiting Argentina in the 90s. No less than 3 random people approached me on the streets of Buenos Aires and asked if I was a Mormon. I probably could have made some nice friends if I had said yes. But boy did I feel like I had misfired on the sex appeal front.

Mormon??? Lol.

I went through my phone looked at photos of me . Any ones with disgusting outfits I binned them . Brutal but true we don’t always get what we want !!

I've been there too 🙈
I bought a black cape type coat influenced by Olivia Pope. Suffice to say I did not pull it off 😆

I bought a red coat, wore it, went out. My mum took a photo of me. I looked like a giant bottle of Ketchup.

Nothing to add but thank you to all the lovely posters who have shared their stories and made me laugh more than I have in ages.

Shoutout to the Viet Cong pp who really made me snicker like Muttley. And the fat bat!

@Howsrainbows

I bought a pair of wide legged floral trousers that I teamed with a white tshirt, Cant lie I thought I looked great. Wore it for the school run and my kid asked me why I was wearing my pyjamas to pick him up 😳

I wore a very similar outfit to my ILs for dinner one night. My MIL said “you’re definitely one of the family now, coming round in your pjs!” She was absolutely mortified when I told her they were normal trousers 😂

Just laughed at loud at your thread title, brilliant !!🤣🤣🤣

@Purplethrow

I also bought a white trilby for a holiday, I looked like a bloody fishmonger.

I can't stop laughing at this.

I was being all co-ordinated casual - forest green long-sleeved top, black sleeveless cotton dress over the top, black woolly tights and knee-high dark brown suede slouchy boots.

My colleague: "Why have you come to work dressed as Robin Hood?"

A crowd of us at work were invited to a member of staff's big birthday party. I bought a new dress and was really pleased with how I looked. Walked into the party to meet the birthday girl wearing the same dress! Only problem is she is v v slim and I'm an 18. Cue my best friend commenting we looked like a before and after advert for Weightwatchers. I was crushed but we all had a good laugh about it.

I once bought a light brown suede jacket, with a tie waist. Naturally I looked like I’d missed the casting call for Young Guns and never wore the bloody thing.

Years ago (I'm talking 1990s) I had a Head&Shoulders Shampoo Coloured South Lodge tracksuit ( epitome of style , yeah ?)

Twice in Sainsbury I was asked for help.
One a lady who asked me "where your fruit scones were" and once a very elderly gentleman who was confused between vegetable oil/sunflower oil.
(Maybe I have a Helpful Face)

They were both Oh sorry I thought you worked here after I helped .
Sainsbury uniform was Brown&Orange !

@GloriaTeasdale

Love this thread! Back in the 80s I spent all my Saturday job money on a Miss Selfridge grey double breasted overcoat with epaulettes and metallic buttons. Was going for the "military chic" look, but everyone called me Herr Flick. (Yes I did wear round glasses at the time...)

I think I had the same coat. My friends all did a Sieg Heil salute when I walked into the classroom, never wore it again.

See I have the right face for hats but with curly hair I end up with the most ridiculous hat head ever

Thought I looked good in my new white coat till my dad asked if I sold ice cream and he used to call me Bob Ross after a bad 80’s perm.

I share your pain... I bought myself a pair of dungarees. They have since been returned as I looked like a butch farmers wife, not the look I was going for!! 😂

@Purplethrow

I also bought a white trilby for a holiday, I looked like a bloody fishmonger.

I can't stop laughing at this

@MLMsuperfan

Why should I be silenced? The 'joke' is at the expense of older people. It's harmful.

Then stop working on being offended by continuing to read this post and read something else.

I’ve enjoyed the thread enormously. Thanks for the fab laugh op,

@NovemberR

Brilliant title! Some brilliant comments.

I do think magazines/internet sites should be banned from showing pictures of celebs in lovely clothes unless they also display a photo of a 53 year old, size 18, 5ft 2in, woman with no make up and jowls like a basset hound wearing the same garment.

It needs the subtitle this is what it will look like on you, Janet next to it.

Spat out tea laughing at this. Totally should be a thing.

@Councilworker

Oh this thread has cheered me up.

My poor mum once spent a fortune on a beautiful wool coat from Jaeger. It was brown wool and the front had a sort of Cape fastening that you threw over your shoulder to close it. The first time she wore it I started whistling the theme tune from The Good The Bad and The Ugly. She never wore the coat again. I still feel awful about it 24 years later.

My mum had a beautiful navy wool cape from Jaeger too! (Mid-late 1980s.) I coveted it desperately, but when she finally let me try it on, I looked like an adolescent Bow Street Runner

I bought a full length black leather coat from Hobbs in about 1999.

Yes, that’s right. The year The Matrix came out.

Sadly, I was oblivious until I watched Will and Grace a few years later and the attached moment happened.

It felt like the universe had intervened. I never wore the coat again.

Find memories of my mum in the 90s picking me up from school in her nude coloured leggings. Obviously I thought she was naked from the waist down. She couldn't believe it. Never wore them again.

This thread has been an absolute laugh!

I remember going to the sixth form disco (early 80s) with my new knee-high black boots, black cords, white jumper with a chunky black belt. I thought I looked amazing until one of the lads said I looked like I was in the gestapo. Mortified wasn’t in it.

And as for those long puffer coats, I tried one on in Sainsbury’s, my eldest and I nearly died laughing, I looked like a big lumpy brown worm in it. Whereas my slimmer sister has a navy one that really suits her. I didn’t achieve her look.