Current season despair

[eurochick]

So. On Sunday I ventured to the shops for the first time in a few weeks with a bit of my bonus burning a hole in my wallet.

I came home with....some shoes and some moisturiser. I went to Oasis, Zara, Reiss, Whistles, French Connection, Ted Baker - all my usual haunts - and I couldn't find a single garment I wanted to buy. All the shops are filled with nasty 80s style pastel coloured shyte. The 80s was bad enough the first time around. Now I can see how an 18 yr old Hoxton art student could look good in this stuff, but a 36 year old lawyer?

I've just given a load of stuff to the clothes bank and could do with restocking. I generally favour well-made simple clothes with a nod to current fashion. But there didn't seem to be any way to do that with this seasons offerings. Everything looked like it had fallen off Madonna in her Desperately Seeking Susan era. Incidentally, I noticed no one was buying. Maybe that is because the summer stuff is in and the weather was miserable. Or maybe because others are having the same reaction as me!

Any hints and tips? I am 5'6, 10-12 and in reasonable shape.

Mmmmm, unicorn t-shirt....

I'm imagining it with some gold/metallic on the horn

Perhaps your t-shirt could start a MN trend?

It gets worse ladies.

Try being 51.

We might need a link to that unicorn shirt ;)

Banana Republic? Good simple basics.
Uniqlo for cheap basics.
Jaeger online sale, on the offchance.
Nicole Farhi for last for ever classics.

Totally agree re sleeves and re polyester. I am a teacher too - I don't want to be flashing my arms around and nor do I want to be stinking in polyester in a classroom that can hit 40 degrees in summer.

I know it is possible to find decent stuff if you hunt it down in B Republic, etc, but I want to just wander down the high street and find something nice for that evening. Cheaply. It always used to be possible.

Agree - far too much cheap looking, unflattering stuff that you just know won't ever be wearable after this season. I consoled myself by blowing budget on a stunning gold sequinned jacket from Zadig & Voltaire, I love it and think its probably one DD will be stealing in about 14 years (least that's what I told DH when he asked the price ).

I usually like Banana Republic but I popped in for a quick lunchtime browse recently and thought everything looked a bit cheap...

You could try J Crew (I think it's available here online now) but other than that, the only labels I can think of are all in a much more expensive price bracket. Bummer, isn't it?

Agree on the wish wash pastels that seem to be everywhere at the moment... And as for floral print skinny jeans... Eek!
I think French connection has some nice jersey dresses in. Various shades and subtle patterns.
Cos are awash with lovely simple designs and colours.
I also got a nice substantial breton with elbow length sleeves from lands end. Not somewhere I normally go.
Zara has some good basic longer length tops and ts.
Kew.159 and white stuff have some nice accessories, as do anthropologie and hobby nw3.

My unicorn t-shirt....

dear lord

I like Cos, Whistles and Zara, but I cant always justify £30 and up for a top. Obviously I am making fashion errorssee above but when did the teens monopolise the chea/fast fashion of H&M, New Look. To shop has been dire for ages and over priced.

About the nicest thing I can think of to say about that t-shirt is that at least it was only a fiver.

Checked Cos, but at least according to their website all the dresses are totally shapeless, like a sack of potatoes with armholes. Are they different in real life?

www.cosstores.com/Store/Women/Dresses

I thought that too, Hazle I was in there a few weeks ago and although the quality was good everything was really shapeless. I work flippng hard at the gym sometimes to maintain my figure. I don't want to make it look like a sack of spuds.

This is a lovely Cos dress that needs some coloured accessories (yellow bag, silver shoes...).

I've bought my entire spring wardrobe from e-bay. It was that or look like Melanie Griffiths in Working Girl, or Don Johnstone in Miami Vice...

I agree, Cos dresses always seem to look like shapeless sacks. Even Bonsoirs, though I'm sure she styles it to look the height of Parisien chic

I am also underwhelmed by what is in the shops, which isn't necessarily a bad thing as I have more than enough in my wardrobe!

I just don't get the attraction to Cos - all shapeless and also made for people at least a foot taller than I am! And really expensive for the sack cloth and ashes look too. Deffo not for me.

Although having said that, I really like this. Can't imagine it working on norkage though.

Bonsoir I'm sure it would be a lovely dress on certain figures that can work this straight line. If I wore it and added colour, I would just look like a massive sack of spuds. In yellow heels.

I am tall and not overweight, but I can't work their look. That dress is nice Remus, but I bet it would be too short on me (no tights = footballers knees on show = not a good look at my age!)

Thank you herbie

I found the same thing shopping yesterday. I thought it must've been me and that I had become so old and boring. I normally shop in oasis, next, warehouse etc but didn't like anything. There were lots of nice dresses for evenings out in oasis or even lovely work ones. But as I don't go out much nor work anywhere worthy of a dress they were no good. I also saw lots of lovely wedding outfits which would be ok if I needed one. But nothing for day to day wear that you feel nice in or pubbing it nice stuff.
I want nice jeans with coordinated pretty tops. Nothing glam but something that you can doll up if needed. The ice cream colours around look blurgh and I'm too old for any flamingo printed stuff!

Arf at 'new puke' Gapants
some woman tried to tell me yesterday that a flappy polyester tabard batwingy thing top with chinese dragons on would suit me
Erm, no, not with 34 GG baps dear.
I was 18 in 1980 so have horrid memories of what I wore. Thank God there are very few photos.
And where are all the little wrap/tie cardis gone? Mine are falling apart and they are so flattering for my 'curvy' figure.

With these thighs, I couldn't do skinny jeans when they were dark and flattering; I definitely can't do them now they're lavender, cropped at the ankle and worn with a boxy broderie anglaise top. My shopping mojo has withered and died through lack of stimulation over the past few seasons - which is where that great fall-back of inoffensive, vaguely fashionable basics, M&S has also failed me by being unremittingly awful too.

On the plus side, I'm saving lots of money.