Is Joules 'mumsy'?

[Ladycocobrazil]

Bought a new top from Joules, tunic with bright flowers on and my husband says I look mumsy. To be fair I am a mum of 2 and 40 but just wanted to know what the consensus was about Joules stuff?

troubled by

I hate Joules.

And love Fat Face and a White Stuff!

Please can you let me know where you shop if you hate Joules and shops of a similar ilk?

Lady have a look in zara, stradivarius, cos, h&m if you are on a budget.

I find all this angst about stuff being 'mumsy' actually quite irritating. It is saying to women that they need to find clothes that look younger in some way to be attractive and that anything worn by lots of women their age must be inherently unattractive and dull. Liking or disliking the clothes and whether they suit your shape or lifestyle seem to be irrelevant. Plus the message seems to be that women must always try harder to find things outside this list of forbidden shops: fat face Boden, white stuff, joules, next, monsoon etc. I keep reading threads where people actually say I like these but am worried they are mumsy or whatever. I like to look and feel good. I like to choose stuff that suits me, my purse and my shape and lifestyle. Fuck whether or not people think it is too mumsy (weird turn of abuse on a site called mumsnet too) or not!

Thank you cansu, I actually like my top and other stuff from Joules so irrespective of what my husband thinks I'm going to wear it.

What cansu said

I know what you mean and I agree that there is a deeply sinister pressure on women to feel almost a responsibility to try to look young and 'attractive'.
At the same time there are whole swathes of the High Street that cater for women who choose to be invisible or alternatively to infantilise themselves with the 'perky' 'jolly' 'fun' items identified earlier in the thread.
It should be - and indeed is - possible for grown-up women to dress in a stylish, grown-up, assertive way without resorting to camouflage or disguise.

Joules, White Stuff, Fat Face and Seasalt are essentially the same stuff, in my opinion. I wish I did like them, because there are so few places selling natural fibres in reasonable prices, but none of them are more sort of thing, except for the very occasional item.

I like a lot of stuff in Jigsaw, but it is eye-wateringly expensive.

Not my taste - I find the cuts and colours of WS / FF / Boden / Joules unflattering and drab on my. Just not my (late 40's) style.

I shop at:

Zara
And Other Stories
ASOS
The Outnet
Massimo Dutti (sometimes)
Top Shop
Whistles
Jaeger (sometimes - I bought a classic pea coat from them)
French Connection
Selfridges
H&M
Mango (really good this season)
Zara
Zara
Zara

I too hate the phrase and I really don't understand why anyone thinks it's ok to sneer at women just for being who they are.

I do like Joules for working with Harris Tweed although I'm not sure if they still do? I've never actually bought and I'm not keen tunics or florals but I sometimes like the look of individual pieces.

I shop all over and I keep moving but at the moment my top three would be Uniqlo for their collaborations, H&M and Cos. I used to like Whistles but I've recently sacked them because I got fed up of the poor quality. And I buy quite a bit of second hand / vintage or whatever it's called these days.

I've had a love affair with Oasis for a few years now, I also like River Island, Warehouse and occasionally Topshop. I think it's because I know their sizes and I particularly like Oasis as I love florals, patterns and skater/fit and flare shapes.

Zara has really nice T shirts etc for summer this year.

Whistles quality is getting worse and worse. I bought a top in January and have worn it three times. It's already got a hole in it. :(

I love a bit of joules, white stuff, fat face and Boden- they are my wardrobe staples. I do t give a monkeys if they look mumsy though. After all I am of two and middle aged.

It's like a uniform same styles every year in a different colour. I feel it's frumpy and uninspired. But I feel like that about fat face too.

My enormously practical (waterproof! With pockets! Lined! Washable! Hood!) winter coat is from Joules. I love it, but slinky it ain't.