Sali Hughes on high street fashion for women over 35

[elotrolado]

Just read this - so true.

www.the-pool.com/fashion/fashion-honestly/2017/20/sali-hughes-on-the-british-high-street-dressing-women-over-35

I too long for those 'flattering frocks, neat at the shoulders, sleeves and neck, but with enough fabric around the middle to invisibly accommodate a bottle of red and more than 19 calories ...'

Airborne those dresses are exquisitely lovely

But they are made in this country. That doesn't come cheap!

Yes that's what well made, non sweatshop clothes are going to cost.

I hadn't realised they were made in the UK.

If you like that sort of vintage vibe, Nancy Mac is beautiful. Typically £130 - 199 ish for a dress. I have the lace jacket and two of the silk shrugs; they are exquisite.

Ok, that's fair enough Airborne. I just clicked on the guest one which I thought would suit me.

I have a Bombshell dress bought about 6/7yrs ago to wear to a wedding - 100% cotton, made in UK and extremely flattering. Highly recommended.

Explains why my favourite dress - for which I still get compliments every time I wear it which is most smart/smart casual events during the winter as it can be dressed up and down is a simple, dark grey heavy merino wool knit dress (long sleeved, v-neck) that dh bought me from Laura Ashley over 20 years ago It has coped with all my weight fluctuations (even up to 6 months pregnant), just needing a wash to pull it back into shape.

I'm way way up at the top end of my weight so literally nothing fits at all at the moment and it's too warm for my old faithfull and I have a wedding to go to on Friday.

I've just spent a very depressing afternoon going round the shops trying to find something - extra depressing as I don't want to spend too much on something I may not wear again much.

Eventually found something not too bad in Wallis: an asymmetric wrap v-necked top (so it both enhances my boobs and cover/distracts from my stomach while still showing off some waist. It's in a nice heavy jersey so it drapes well, even if it is polyestery, and in one of "my" colours (a nice rich coral).I bought some white palazzo trousers - polyester too, but at least it meant the whole outfit came to just over £40 (they were both 30% off).

I already have some nice LK Bennett small platform high heels, so at least I have a half decent outfit now.

All in all it was a depressing experience

Many of us remember when Next burst on to the scene and brought stylish clothes to the high street at a reasonable price (and back then, actually used reasonable fabrics).

Where is the new version of Next for the slightly older generation?

Back in the [cough] 1980s I used to buy Agnes B in the sales - are they any good now?

Airborne thank you so much for posting that Coco pattern. The funnel-neck version is almost identical to a wonderful top that I bought from Monsoon in the early 2000s. It was a lovely heavy black jersey ponte, unbelievably flattering and literally wearable anywhere. I wore it until it fell apart and I have never found the like again; every year Boden has something that looks promising but the fabric is never right and they're always too short in the body.

Time to get the sewing machine out!

I have a Bombshell dress and it's really georgeous. I've got a wedding to go to and had spent weeks looking on the high street- nothing!

The Bombshell dress is fab especially if you have big boobs like me, it fits perfectly and that rarely happens from dresses on the high street.

Place marking - this is a great thread.

Particularly interested to read ppl saying Me & Em has gone off the boil with pussy bows and weird trapeze dresses. I have always loved Me & Em and spent a lot of money there but their weird flat chested, tall tall tall models and even weirder clothes have begun to grate.

Please Me & Em go back to more wearable stuff - I need to spend money!

Hush is crap quality. I like Gap and the Outnet and local boutiques where they buy a lot of Danish and British designers.

Well thank you back at' cha Angelica!
Love the Nancy Mac stuff. Just wish I had an occasion to buy for. Will keep a note of that website.
Meanwhile, happy sewing.

I'd gone off Me and Em too but I like quite a few things at the moment, although not the pussy bows. I'm not sure if they've changed or me - probably me as I've got very bored with the bodycon look.

I'm small and a 28F so not sure how it'll look on me (and won't know till the sales start).

At 50... I'm left to wearing hotter shoes and elastic backed trousers...there is no hope
The high street wonders why fashions are losing £££ because your styles are shit!!

Notreallyhappy, that can't be true!

Am late 40s and can find nice clothes (just not on the high street), there is no excuse for hotter shoes

why does being 50 mean Hotter shoes? I'm older than that and like Dune and Geox. If I wanted to spend more I'd go for other brands.

to be fair Polly - Hotter do a few decent designs, but I am a Geox fan too, and if you are prepared to trawll through some frankly strange designs, then Think! do fabulously comfy stuff too, but hard to find in shops.
Yesterday, I got out a top I bought last year from Masai, and was about to post on here to say that most of their stuff is cotton ( very summery stuff mostly though) - went to have a look at this years range and it all seems to be viscose ...
Back to Poetry for me , and I will now be double checking everything. But I miss going and trying things on in a shop and feeling the material. Even natural stuff has to have a nice texture for me.

I've bought a few really nice things from Me&Em this SS. Gutted though because I wanted the wide leg cream trousers with the pinstripe but they appear to have sold out.

Just managed to read the whole thread and have been nodding furiously in my head. I am in my 40s, busty with a big belly. I also have money burning a hole in my pocket but have abandoned the high street as nothing ever looks good on me.

My latest purchases have been from Nomads Clothing and for the first time ever I did not have to return a single item. Good quality, natural fabrics with an ethical slant, nice colours and prints and not too pricy, especially in the sale.

Any MeandEm shoppers, can I ask whether you need to be tall and long of limb to wear their clothes? I have always been put off ordering from them as the models are so tall, as a PP noted. I'm 5ft2in, size 8-10, large bust for frame.

Me and Ems vanity sizing is off the scale, the last few things I bought were massive. Combined with the incredibly slow exchange and returns service and that it takes ages and usually a phone call to get a refund, I gave up and haven't bought anything from them for months.

I glance at their new stuff but certainly don't visit their site seriously looking to buy anymore. That may also be because they have changed their look too, as a PP said. It used to be lovely quality jersey dresses and separates which could be worn for lots of occasions. Now its all silk and crepe fussy blouses and wide leg jogging style trousers.

I have a couple of pairs of trousers from Me+Em. One is a smallish 12 and the other more generous but not overly so. They both come up long: one pair are cropped cigarette pants and I turned them up a little to make them ankle length; the other pair are cropped wide legs which are just at ankle length on me. I'm 5'4" by the way, but have short legs relative to my height. They are lovely quality though, and washable, and I wear them all the time.

I've just bought a lovely DVF Megan dress at tk maxx today for £99.00 , perfect ! Sleeveless black heavy ponte , I don't need it but had to have it, a classic. There was only 1 and it was my size , I took that as a sign I should buy it :)

And has anyone tried Patra? I always thought they were all silk and underwear, but some of their jersey dresses look as if they'd tick all the boxes for me. They advertise in the WI magazine, so are clearly expecting the slightly more mature customer.

Mightyming, lucky you!!!

I have only ever tried Patra for silk thermals (hopeless as too thin and too small, but then again, I am 6ft) They won't stop sending me catalogues!