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!

Er, I just put the clothes on. Not sure if I succeed. How does one fail at wearing patterns? Do they fall off?

For example this dress I would wear, with tights and a cardigan (unpatterned).

No but it can be a disaster with shades / clashing / multiple patterns etc.

Can you wear two prints for example (or is Vogue conning me)?

Oh yes, dresses not such a problem. I am thinking seperates. That's where my pattern angst happens.

separates

GUILTY.
I wear lots of clashing patterns and colour clashing too. I just like it.

Today I had denim skirt grey tights/grey patent boots, teal blue wrap cardi, bright yellow mac,bright orange handbag and neon bright pink scarf.

I think I was rocking that eccentric pottery teacher dhic

I don't like the stuff personally but know lots of ladies that is looks brill on!

So (sorry to crash thread MrsSeanBean) can someone tell me if it is just plain wrong to do grunge at 43?...and whether Joe Browns is okay? (have no satorial sense)

sartorial

Joe Browns in very similar vein to WS IMO.

Pottery teacher spot on - that's the look it suits. If you have one length slightly streaked and artfully dishevelled hair, so much the better.

Not so much artfully dishevelled so much as completely dishevelled - but thanks, will work on that!

I've bought a few dresses from WS and I always get particularly complimented when I wear them. I'm similar sized to OP and don't have any (I think) patterned separates.

Christ, I certainly do not want to be resigned to plain suits - sounds dreadful.

No! No! No! Horrid stuff. Somehow makes me think of patchouli and straw bags.

I am older than you but can't afford white stuff - however I do sometimes browse in a white stuff store - some of the items I like but would mix them up with other pieces - that's the key.

Sort of stuff I wear on a regular basis - tunics and leggings, knitted dresses and opaque tights and boots and interesting and unusual knitwear and jeans or with leggings and long cardigan. Plus lots of layering - cami, dress/tunic and then cardi/jumper/zip cardi

Summer clothes would be white leggings and dresses/tunics, white linen trousers and interesting tops, birkenstocks or wedge sandals.

I buy my clothes from everywhere including supermarkets and markets. Find fantastic and different stuff on markets.

I would like to think Im stylish but not in a vintage/classic way more of a feisty/slightly edgy way. Maybe Im deluded!!

Im lucky to work in a semi casual work environment but when Im required to be formal would no longer wear a suit but would wear a jacket with formal trousers or skirt.

The best work trousers I ever bought have been a stretch grey pair from Per Una.

It's tough being a product of the grunge era, huh?

WS is supremely unsexy.

WS is poor quality and over-priced tat

I have no WS in my wardrobe. It all looks like dusting cloths to me. I actually think it makes you look older that you actually are.

I live in a typical southern Boden town and recognise this phenomenon. I went to a playgroup the other day, and literally every woman there had at least one item of WS spring range on. They all looked nice, to be fair. Like you, whenever I wear anything I look dreadful. It's also expensive for what it is, IMO.

I agree with smallwhitecat and think classics look best on some people. It's also easier to buy stuff that the rest of your wardrobe will go with. If that's you, then don't feel obliged to buy White Stuff clothes!

I quite like their skirts, though I tend to avoid the ones that scream "White Stuff" from 100 paces away.

The skirts I think suit me (though I am tall and thin). I wear them with plain tops and cardis, plain tights and boots (in winter). The dresses don't fit me in any way at all, cos they all have that empire line thing going on, and on a tall person with big norks the seam comes somewhere around the nipple area. Foxy. Even ones without seams are either too short on me or look like milk-maid smocks. I don't even bother trying them on now.

WS knitwear is poor quality, imo - I bought a cotton cardigan from there once (new, grr) and within a couple of washes it looked like a faded dishrag.

But the skirts can be good if they work for you. I've bought some from ebay or charity shops, which avoids the risk of you and half the rest of the mums at school wearing this season's WS must-have. And is cheaper, obv. AND they resell well on ebay.

I have this one for example, which is a nice winter skirt.

This is nice, and this is pretty too.

Winter things better than summer ones, I think.

No not its shit. Utterly unsexy

Just noticed a White Stuff banner ad at the top of the page!

God No! I was in Jigsaw and FConnection yesterday and there are lots of gorgeous clothes for the older woman .

Posypoo, I can imagine, in my neck of the woods though it is Greenhouse Clothes. It's basically catalogue stuff too, but slightly different because you get these greenhouse agents who get all the stock to their home and then have greenhouse parties to show it off. Ive been invited to one or two but the stuff isn't for me. AGain, it's all designed for taller women. Anything I tried on looked like a maternity top on me. Other people rave about the stuff though. The bit that makes me retch is that the more beautiful one's home, the more likely one seems to be to host a greenhouse party! anybody who might genuinely need the cash couldn't have people snooping around their cramped 3 bed semi with decor from the last owners.... no no no.
God I sound biter. I'm only jokin'