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 ...'

[sailawaywithme]

Sprinklestar I'm in the US too, have you tried Ann Taylor or Loft? Pretty decent, although with a fair few of the aforementioned monstrosities, this is true.

Agree with Sali completely!

[Floisme]

Moving Fair enough - I don't have small children any more and I admit I love clothes so, for me it's worth the hunt and I actually quite enjoy it. All I'm just saying that there's still good stuff out there, new and old and jeez there's certainly a lot more than there was when I was young.

[TheEmojiFormerlyKnownAsPrince]

I went into Cos in Leeds the other day. It was packed with women who weren't in the first flush of youth.

M and S by contrast was empty. We need more shops with the quality of Cos, but slightly less dramatic. If they can get it right at a manageable price then so can others.

Although l don't like FatFace or Whitestuff they manage to use natural fibres at a manageable price. The quality is crap though, and the styling is even worse.

[PenguinOfDoom]

Another Cos fan here. I've bought tons of stuff from there because the clothes don't cling and hang really nicely. I'm not keen on some of their high necks and Bod-esque dresses, but the fabrics and colours are fab and the clothes aren't covered in pointless and cheap-looking embellishments.

Me&Em are good too, I've bought a few really nice things from there.

[SchnitzelVonKrumm]

Cos is actually rubbish (mostly) for tits.

[littleredpear]

I have a lot of disposable income and I want to spend it on nice clothes.

I'm currently arguing with Hobbs about a £120 dress that shrunk on first hand wash and Mint Velvet £69 top that's fallen to bits in 2 wears.

Kurt Geiger shoes cut my feet so badly at the weekend I've been in flip flops since.

I completely agree with Sali. The British high street is a waste of time for anyone over the age 35 who wants sleeves, boob accommodation, decent fit and quality.

[SingaSong12]

Agree so much with the article, also with PP about petite sections being pretty rubbish. I've lost some weight but finding new clothes especially trousers or jeans is a nightmare.

[littleredpear]

Sorry yes, some cos is ok for me but I struggle with the bulk of it. It's still the first place I go though.

[PenguinOfDoom]

I dunno. I have a decent pair and I don't have a problem with a lot of their tops. I bought this recently and I've had so many compliments on it, it's untrue:

www.cosstores.com/gb/Women/Shirts/Oversized_shirt/10898847-64656863.1#c-24480

I think the problem with the Cos website is they get the models to stand in weird poses and all the clothes look baggy and weird. When you try them on in the shop, they look totally different. I've never seen a clothes retainer try so hard to make their stuff look unflattering on their own website.

[Ktown]

Other stories, uniqlo, cos and whistles all work for me
I actually love m and s for boots and some shoes and they have great trousers but it is badly laid out
They are great for cashmere
I am 39

[PacificDogwod]

Oh, I have tits and I love COS - only recently discovered them.

Also Baujken.

Sali Hughes must live in my head.
She has written almost word for word what I have thought recently.
I am 51.
I have spare cash.
I am a size 10/12.
I have a very busy life.
I need clothes that fit, are comfortable, simple with a wee nod to fashion, that show aforementioned tits and waist off to their best advantage (mainly because my legs are crap ).
I detest polyester and shall never buy anything made of it.

So, come ON, high street, get yer game on!

[wiltingfast]

I'm just bored of cos. I happen to think it's great.

But I do not want to wear it all the time .

[SwedishEdith]

I need to start looking at Cos. But I do think Uniqlo is pretty good if you order a lot to try on at home. Lots of cotton, short sleeve tops this year with longer short sleeves and winter dresses that are Cos-like. Having said that, I'm a flabby size 12 and I had to order Large in a top. So, God, knows what you wear if you're larger and don't want to wear clingy tops. Oh, and they have great high waisted jeans.

[PenguinOfDoom]

Morris I virtually lived in Ted Baker in the 90s and early 2000s. I cannot remember the last time I saw something in there that I would consider wearing. It's like Per Una in polyester for 20 year olds now.

[Lunaballoon]

I hope Sali Hughes' article and similar threads on here get read by the buyers at M&S, etc. I have a sizeable disposable income, would love some new smart/casual work clothes but I'm really struggling. I popped into my local M&S branch today and there was literally nothing for me ... oh and there was that god awful pink dress displayed in pride of place in the entrance!

[PickAChew]

Wasn't Mary Portas supposed to be sorting it all out with her range for House of Fraser ?
What happened?

That was all polyester. Before cotton prices even went up.

Agree about viscose being awful. Good quality viscose doesn't crumple when you look at it, like cheaper stuff, but it hangs weirdly and makes me feel frumpy, even by my own comfort over fashion standards. And Tencel. Good tencel behaves a bit like silk (and I was sold some yarn, once, as "silk", which upon doing a burn test turned out to be tencel!) but it's invariably used in weird blends that just cling to every lump and bump, of which I have more than enough, thank you very much.

I've had some good stuff from seasalt, but their Spring colours and prints aren't quite right for me. I have some great stuff from Fatface - fab loose but nicely cut "boyfriend" shirts, in particular, but this season is all brown and viscose and just plain horrible. A weird fish outlet has opened near me, which is great for tops to wear with jeans - cotton, gathered to expand a little over boobs without stretching too much and cut to nip in slightly below and skim where my waist should be. I think this is the style, only mine is a dark green/teal and was £12! It's really nice cotton
www.weirdfish.co.uk/p/women/tshirts-and-tops/i/orbison-3-4-sleeve-jersey-t-shirt-denim-16wl003

I manage to keep myself in enough casual clothes to not end up wearing shabby old stuff, but I would really struggle if I needed to be properly smart on a daily basis.

[MovingOnUpMovingOnOut]

Mary Portas was not just oodles of man made fibres but expensive ones. It was also oddly formal and seemed aimed at women 50+

[littleredpear]

Yes to &otherstories but I'm in a rural location so it takes an age by post.

I tend to save all my shopping up and fly to London 3/4 times a year.

I'm exactly the same as pacific but I'd also like to go into the local m&s or H&M and find a couple of things.

It's not hard.

[PenguinOfDoom]

The Mary Portas range was just very odd. I looked at it numerous times because it was apparently promised to be the saviour of fashion of the over 30s, but all I saw was strange colours in thin polyester with a vaguely 70s influence. There wasn't one thing I felt I could have worn.

Jeans are my bête noire. All I want is a couple of pairs of skinnies and a pair of boyfriends without paying £££ but Gap (which I've always recommended) have such vastly inconsistent sizing, it's nearly impossible to find something that fits, but then doesn't immediately stretch and become unwearable.

[Oriunda]

I get most of my stuff from The Finery - love it.

[SwedishEdith]

This top from Uniqlo is great if you like a high neck. Only a few left but lovely cotton jersey, is keeping its shape and only 4.90!

www.uniqlo.com/uk/en/product/women-striped-ribbed-high-neck-half-sleeve-t-shirt-199304.html?dwvar_199304_size=SMA003&dwvar_199304_color=COL69&cgid=IDstripes12107

[shinynewusername]

Sorry, but Seasalt, White Stuff & Fatface etc sap my will to live. They are what women are forced to buy because the high street only offers two choices: teenage gypsy nymphette or The Older Woman who has given up on style in favour of comfort.

Cos can be great but you have to kiss a lot of frogs to find the good stuff so it's a pain for online shopping because you end up returning loads. Personally I don't get the love for The Other Stories - it's all such poor quality.

[SchnitzelVonKrumm]

Uniqlo is great for really basic stuff (though all designed for tiny Japanese people so even if your size range is commendably broad, which it is, it's a bit limited for actually tall or wide persons). But I don't want to wear myself out chasing basics. I'm 5'9" and a size 12, all in proportion, nothing to "fix", if shopping's not easy for me then who the hell is the High St working for?

[IfYouGoDownToTheWoodsToday]

I went up to London last week and spent 2 days on Regent Street, Oxford Street and streets in between, willing and able to spend a lot of money. DD is getting married and I need an outfit.

I came back with 2 pairs of superga shoes and a jacket form Zara. DH was most perplexed but there was nothing suitable for all the reasons SH mentions. I'm 51, slim BUT I have boobs, which are obviously not allowed. I came back so fed up - Goodness knows what I'm going to wear to this wedding- it's so frustrating and depressing!

[SirVixofVixHall]

I so agree with everything posted here. I'm tallish, but sadly not as slender as I used to be. I've had two c-sections, I'm a GG cup and my arms are a bit worse for wear. I like Toast but when I went in a few months ago, ready to spend some money (my mother had just died, I wanted to treat myself to something new not saturated with grief) NOTHING fitted me. It all hung horribly, and made me look two sizes larger than I am. Their clothes don't suit my body shape at all, not for the busty, and so expensive. I buy the odd thing from Cos. I have bought some really flattering trousers from Weekday. I used to buy dresses from Cath Kidston but they are all too short now. I'm wearing a Toast maxi skirt from a sample sale years ago, and a T-shirt from Pepperberry that as least fits and is flattering.
Tall, busty women, where on earth do you shop? Try finding a swimsuit if you are tall and busty for a start. You can be either, but not both it seems. Ditto wetsuits.