I am almost 40. Should I just give in and become 'White Stuff woman'?

[MrsSeanBean]

All my contemporaries seem to be clad head to toe in the stuff (no pun intended).

The annoying thing is, it actually seems to suit them with their happy days skirts, lacy tights and cobweb knits.

Whenever I buy/wear it I just look like a crumpled mess. The shape of the skirts especially seems odd and makes me look like a barrell or something - not a good look anyway.

Sometimes it's all too much effort (sigh) and I think I should just join the hordes and become 'safe, rural, middle aged woman'.

The only woman who keeps me going is Mary Portas. She would not be seen dead in White Stuff items.

< Disclaimer: I am sure there are MNers who wear White Stuff and look lovely and not middle aged etc. >

Help me!

Smallwhitecat: Here's a typical 'look

I quite like some of it:

Also on that page you linked to was this

doesn't look too middle aged to me....

Ha, ha, my SIL asked for White Stuff vouchers for her 40th... I don't mind their clothes but they look dreadful on me so I will keep ploughing my own furrow in Cos.

Smallwhitecat - no just a random click - honest!

Curly - I agree the do seem to have 'youngified' some of the looks this season. But that's the opposite problem for me - too 'mutton-like'.

smallwhitecate: you cant just leave it at that - you have to play Gok and show us what we should be wearing at that age!

The only saving grace is that whenever I have succombed and bought White Stuff clothing (and then tried and failed to make it look good on me, every time) it always sells for a handsome price on ebay. There's clearly a devoted following.

The thing that perplexes me is that it does look good on a certain type of 'other people' (just not me!! )

I'm 41 and I think it's all really boring and bland and only looks good on tall thin people who'd look good (better in fact) in something else.

I havea couple of nice White Stuff dresses. Am 26.

I have a few nice pieces from White Stuff and I am nearly 46.

Valium: an example today: 5ft 4 / approx 38 / size 12ish - looked pretty (to my admittedly tired, maybe jaded eyes).

I felt somehow plain and boring in my black Uniqlo cord skirt and grey Jigsaw top.

I just cannot seem to 'do' patterns in shades of raspberry. Maybe I am wearing what suits me. Maybe I am boring. Who knows?!

It's true thatit only looks good on tall thin people. The same goes for most "quirky prints" and pseudo washed out looking shapeless crap like that.

I wear what I like. Bugger evryone else.

MrsSeanBean I don't think those patterns work unless you're tall and thin because they take over you...I love prints but at 5.6 and a size 12 to 14 I avoid them.

42 nearly 43 - no White Stuff clothing. Must admit it is hard wondering what to wear these days, used to do 'grunge' but at my age that is getting a bit embarrassing. Am wearing some of the less floaty Joe Brown stuff. Don't know if that is bad or good

BTW I am 5ft 5 and size 10. But it is a well known problem that I have a very odd shaped body.
My body is too long for my legs. And my hips are not only at the wrong point vertically, making trousers v tricky, they are much wider than my waist.

The stuff I have is patterned but not shapeless or washed-out. Yuck.

TrillianAstra - is there a knack to wearing patterns successfully? Is it a confidence thing?