Where do 45 year olds shop?

[teenyweenytadpole]

Hi, just wondering which shops are the best to try for a fairly curvy 45 year old with a fairly limited budget wanting to look a bit trendy but not too mutton-dressed-as-lambish? I am finding the high street a bit of a minefield - shops like New Look, DP, H&M are too "young" and their quality and sizing are a bit iffy, but shops like M&S, East etc too "Mumsy". I do like Phase 8 but it's a bit pricey, also their clothes tend to be on the evening wear/dressy side. I quite like Mantaray from Debenhams but that can tend to be a bit mumsy as well. Don't even think about Evans. Any suggestions? I am thinking mostly casual/smart daytime clothes, I don't work in an office or go out in the evening much so don't need anything too smart. Thanks!

GAP is quite good and also has a fair few offers, I went in there today and there was 30% off everything.

I wear a lot of vintage , so a different style to you, but my friend who is rather smarter than me, and always looks beautiful likes jigsaw and Hobbs. (they have got stunningly more expensive in recent years though). I buy some bits from Toast, and I like Petit Bateau for basic t shirts and jumpers. Don't go down the mumsy shoe route, have look at Camper, Toast, Russel and Bromley etc.

Zara is good - has that balance between vaguely fashionable, reasonable quality and not too young.

Boden...I have just bought the Pretty Trimmed Dress- I don't like all of their stuff but one or two pieces usually catch my eye and with the old 10% or 15% off codes (someone on here usually can help out)they are not too pricey.
Great Plains good sales.
White Stuff usually skirts only as a lot of their stuff is poor quality
TKmaxx for knitwear and brilliant bags
Joules...hated on here but I bought the 'Julia' dress in the summer it's gorgeous and their dresses are very flattering if you are an hour glass like me or curvy.
Ebay I have a lovely Vivienne Westwood dress that I got for next to nothing and some Orla Kiely tops I got for bargain prices.
Tesco....don't laugh...best ever wrap dress £16 .
Agree GAP for jeans and basics
Not keen on Zara funny sizing for me
Many on here rave about Dotty Ps but my local one is a sea of man made fabrics.
Agree M&S is dire although have picked up a couple of 'naice' Autograph dresses in the outlet stores.
Reiss/ Hobbs etc all a bit TV presenter chic for me but a friend of similar maturity swears by them for quality.
Occassional second hand shops...very occassional...I have to try very hard to overcome the smell factor.
Monsoon sale when they go to the 75% off stage is always worth a browse however they need to pull their socks up last year was horrrendous ...explosion in a crayola factory.
Not so much where you shop but how you wear it...the scarf, the bag, the combination of what you put together.
I am 44 BTW and just getting to that mutton v mumsy stage
I am sure one of the resident fashionista crew will be along soon ...they will keep you right

Am 45 and usually buy from
Phase Eight,def upped their game recently and have more casual stuff
White Company
Boden,nothing loud or prints though
Mint Velvet
Autograph
French Connection,especially like their drapey/cowl neck tops
Dorothy Perkins,sometimes,ditto TopShop/Warehouse/Oasis
Independant boutiques that sell Nougat,Noa Noa,Avoca,Sandwich etc

I hear great things about Zara but only occasionally get anything there,do most of my shopping online and I find their service slow and returns a faff,but that is just me
Primark have good scarves and long cami/vest tops great for layering,otherwise I don't see anything in tere for me.

I think it depends a lot on shape and what you do, I am short apple shape and need reasonably respectable but not too formal work clothes, so what works for me may not work for you. Also i dont do frills or cute! But I shop at Gap, Zara, Jigsaw, Massimo Dutti, Cos, Boden, Great Plains. Secret extravagance John Smedley for work tops (in sales).

I'm 42 and a size 12 hourglass.

M&S - for skinny jeans and occasional Autograph slouchy t-shirts, plus knickers and tights.

Hobbs - full price or sales for basic plain tops and their Outlet bit for jackets, bags, etc. Their dresses, trousers and skirts are genrally too long for me and I don't like many of them anyway.

Oasis - for jeans only. I also got a fab biker jacket there. But most of their stuff is made from really horrible fabrics and v expensive for what it is.

Vivienne Westwood sales - great for hourglasses!

The White Company - for v plain jersey dresses

V occasional bits in Topshop, especially a brilliant plain black column maxi skirt. I had to search through lots and lots of rubbish to find it though.

Warehouse for silk camis, tops and occasionally dresses - they are not as good at these as they used to be though, sadly.

H&M for cotton blazers and cheapo scarves.

V occasional bits in French Connection, but again I find it v overpriced for the quality.

Tbh I'd rather shop in more 'old lady' shops like Hobbs and The White Company and get the quality, then mix with cheap scarves etc to dress things down.

I find Mantaray v 'mumsy' and over-colourful, and Phase 8 just doesn't do much for me and is stupidly expensive for what it is, and not v good quality. I refuse to go into New Look and Dorothy Perkins anymore as I just think they are awful. Zara seems to have a few nice things online but their sizing is ridiculous and I loathe the shops, so have given up on those too. Don't like Great Plains stuff, as again I think the fabrics are mostly pretty horrible. In fact, I'm frequently surprised that I have anything to wear at all!

Agree Warehouse dresses not as good as they were.
Phase Eight have good sales and often codes available which I make use of.

I'm 39 so not too far off 45. I like Gap, Uniqlo, Phase Eight, Zara, Reiss, TK Maxx, Next, Monsoon.

This is the perfect thread for me. I am just about to turn 43 and starting to worry that I'm dressing way too young for my age.
Still tend to wander in to Next, Dorothy Perkins, River Island etc. and then feel ancient and huge - at least compared to all the skinny teens who work there.
Need to be smart-ish for work and would be willing to spend a bit more for workwear as that's what I wear 5 days a week. Think I maybe need to start looking at Hobbs - although that'll probably need to be in the sales.

i am 45 and john lewis's own make is quite good. their jeans seem to fit me.

also like fat face, white stuff, boden, some indigo in marks.

i tend to stick to fairly safe stuff in plain colours with the odd print. i am quite slender but some trousers give me a muffin top as they are so low in the waist.

i love betty jackson in debenhams but pricey

I am older than you but I get some tops from wraponline
bit £££ but I have a few great long vests that have lasted yrs.

Karen millen (although have to be selective), ted baker and Kookai too.

I'm 43. I buy from Jigsaw, Hush, Joules, Boden, Isabella Oliver, Phase Eight, Russell and Bromley, White Company. Great stuff! I draw the line at Brora (too pricey!) but I love their stuff.

Wow, lots of replies - thanks. I think my problem is I want a Hobbs/Whistles wardrobe at New Look prices. See I think shops like Joules and Toast are hideously expensive. Perhaps I am just out of touch with how much things cost. Maybe I need to buy just one or two things but better quality then they will last. I tend to get fed up, buy a new top from H&M or somewhere to perk me up, but then it looks shit within a few weeks. Money very limited but as you say there are things like sales and outlet stores. I think I need to be more selective and savvy in my shopping and maybe set myself a budget for the season rather than buying bits and bobs - a Sainsburys t-shirt chucked in with the weekly shop is never going to look stylish is it?!

I'm 44 (size 10/12) and have champagne tastes on a beer income. I've also concluded that cheap clothes look particularly rubbish on me now, even though I could get away with them when I was younger. If you're careful, you can do really well on Ebay, providing you don't mind 2nd hand. I've just bought 2 pairs of hardly-worn 7 for all Mankind jeans for £55 - got the measurements off the website. Other recent Ebay buys include Brora, Mulberry, Boden, Max Mara and the Really Wild Company. just make sure you ask the seller for detailed measurements.

I'm 53 so a bit older,
M & S basics are very well made and have a great fit

I bought M & S Jeggings as a result of a thread a couple of days ago and they are so well fitting and reasonable.
other shops are Next, H & M, Coast, Primark Peacocks I love Zara but it doesn't love me I think I am too tall for most of their stuff. Also House of Frazer Linea is nice.

M&S, indigo or general not autograph, debenham's, next (although not much except trousers recently due to frilly polyester virus), white stuff, animal, local boutique that sells sea salt and minstrel.
Dotty p's useful for plain tops to layer under the above.

Nicest top I've found recently came from Evans of all places (i'm a 16) DSIS thinks being able to use both mainstream and her limited shopping choice is cheating.

Joules is too £££

First post KateB727? Have reported.

God it's a conundrum init?
I am celebrating the 3rd anniversary of my 45th birthday
I like colour but am being drawn more and more to a navy griege and white palette.
I do buy a fair bit if Boden but either in the sale or eBay .
I do a bit if La Redoute too white Stuff seasalt and

Fat Face.
Starting to like East and landsend.
But honestly I haven't the money to buy much these days either. I tend to look at all the catalogues and then put together bits and bobs 'in the style of' Boden etc from Primark and Dunnes and Tkmaxx
I spend a bit more on good basics like well cut trousers and leather boots and pumps.
The rest is mix and match.
Apples ( like me) should avoid drawing attention to the waist( belts are no go for me)accentuate your glorious pins and wear v necks balanced with A line skirts to balance biggish norkage.
Try Dressipi for fun suggestions for ur shape and then buy similar in cheaper shops or eBay .

Nice try KateB. Reported.