Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Style and beauty

Looking for style advice? Chat all about it here. For the latest discounts on fashion and beauty, sign up for Mumsnet Moneysaver emails.

Original poster

When did TOAST get so horribly expensive?

76 replies

SirVixofVixHall · 12/08/2017 20:00

Looked at some things last week- everything seemed at least fifty quid more than I would have expected. I haven't bought anything for a few seasons because nothing suited me, and now it seems eye wateringly pricey for what it is. £170 for a really basic needlecord dress that will be worn out pretty quickly? £135 for a simple jumper...I used to buy a few bits every season but a few bits now would be six hundred quid or more. Think I need to make my own things!

OP posts:
taybert · 13/08/2017 14:38

I've never had anything from toast but prompted by this thread have had a look at the sale and there seem to be a few things there that would work through to autumn/winter as well as a British summer! I'm quite tempted by a denim shirt dress. Are the clothes very long? Are they likely to reduce things further?

Some of it looks nice but I agree more expensive that we're used to. Their sale prices look about the same as Cos full price. Is the quality that much better?

Themostannoyingperson · 13/08/2017 14:44

But plain androgynous clothes require very little in the way of a designer or stylist.
Toast currently have a green polka dot bikini in their sale. A similar bikini style will have been around 30 years or more. It was £80 original price! Just why?

Floisme · 13/08/2017 15:12

But plain androgynous clothes require very little in the way of a designer or stylist.
I'm not a dressmaker but as someone who quite likes androgynous clothes, I think they need to be just as well made as any other style, otherwise they go saggy very quickly. Toast use decent, heavy fabrics so the clothes hang properly and keep their shape. (There is a shape to them even if it's not to your liking.)

From what I've bought from Cos so far, I'd say the quality is pretty decent and certainly better than most at that price range, but still inconsistent e.g. one of their merino jumpers shrunk after a couple of (very careful) washes. For me, what makes Toast stand out is that they're consistently good quality. Like I've said, I've never once had anything from them hasn't worn brilliantly and I don't think I can say that for any other brand.

MsRinky · 13/08/2017 15:18

Oooh, thanks for the heads up on Merchant and Mills, it is making me want to get to grips with my ancient sewing machine.

Floisme · 13/08/2017 15:33

I didn't quite nail what I was trying to say in that last post. When I buy cheaper clothes e.g. H&M (of whom I've been a big fan until recently) I never really know what I'm getting in terms of quality. On a good day it's excellent but equally it might turn out to be trash. I only find out once I've worn it and washed it. Because it's cheap, I tend to forget about the shockers but the cost still adds up.

When I buy Toast (and I'm talking sale prices - the only thing I've ever paid for in full was a T shirt) I'm paying a premium, not just for quality but for consistent quality. That's what sets them apart in my book.

PollyPerky · 13/08/2017 15:54

But quality is irrelevant is the style is horrible.

Floisme · 13/08/2017 16:16

I think the quality is entirely relevant to this thread because it's about why they might be so expensive. Whether or not people like the style is down to personal taste.

MaudesMum · 13/08/2017 17:01

If anyone is in Somerset, or driving down the A37, there's a Toast outlet shop in the Kilver Court Village (or something similar) in Shepton Mallet, which is well worth a visit. It has a good range of clothes and some lovely accessories...

JennyHolzersGhost · 13/08/2017 17:10

I got the BEST pair of black crepe work trousers from Toast a few years ago. I literally wore them to pieces. Then I wanted to replace them with the same again but do they still make them? Do they buggery. It's not faaaaaaaaaair wails

FrenchRoast · 13/08/2017 17:39

I've bought a few of their things that despite the price and the quality they still lose their shape after a few hours wear - very frustrating as they look great initially.

woodhill · 13/08/2017 17:49

Ditto edible toast Smile

OCSockOrphanage · 13/08/2017 19:00

I think Toast make garments in the way that was once standard. Now, the cost of doing that has gone through the roof. If you have a sewing machine and ANY interest at all, I think you would be better off reading fashion blogs and sewing for yourself, using lovely fabric.

Squashit · 13/08/2017 19:00

I have had a few bits and they have not worn well. Firstly I loved the shape of the AMA tunic they made but they developed holes with very little wear in all four and that was when worn with jeggings with no zips and vests over the top.. I also bought a heavier tunic dress and that bobbled hideously so it looked shabby very quickly and it was a woven cotton so couldn't be debobbled.

This year I tried on a denim tunic and the cut was off and the material stiff and restrictive.

I have found The White Company to be better quality except even their material seems to have deteriorated that they use for their maxi dresses- it is sheer now.

Niminy · 13/08/2017 19:30

I like Toast, though I certainly don't like everything they make - I'll never wear a shirt-dress so 90% of the dresses in their last couple of seasons have been out. But I like that Japanese-workwear-androgynous look that they do. If you don't like it, fair enough. There's plenty more feminine styles out there on the high street.

Their knitwear has a reputation for bobbling, because they use very soft yarns. But I do buy the occasional piece at full price because I think they are very, very well made. I really like their jeans in non-stretch denim and non-skinny cuts. In general I think their trousers are great. But I wouldn't buy something from them unless it looked and felt beautiful. I don't buy clothes that often any more and when I do my purchases have to be really justifiable.

Therealslimshady1 · 13/08/2017 20:06

I used to love Toast clothes, bought a lovely skirt there last year.

I was always able to find some feminine stuff in the archive sales (swishy skirts, flattering tops and jumpers), but no longer....Sad

Original poster
SirVixofVixHall · 13/08/2017 21:18

I don't agree with the wear thing either, it is very hit and miss. I have some things that have worn well, others not, and I've been buying from them since they started. The fine needlecord they use a lot (e.g. the £170 dress I like in the new season's stuff) wears out really fast. Some jersey fabrics seem to bobble quickly. I stopped buying because they have always cut terribly for anyone with a bust, and the Japanese styles they've had recently have been horribly unflattering on me (tall, busty, size 10/12). They have never been cheap, but they have become incrementally more expensive. I used to buy the odd skirt, knitwear, coats, a dress here and there, but mainly trousers when they fitted me (which wasn't a given). Now everything seems prohibitively expensive. There seems to have been a leap from expensive but worth the odd splurge, to really expensive, without any hike in quality.

OP posts:
TealStar · 13/08/2017 21:19

Slimshady I think you're right actually. There used to be beautiful shot silk skirts, boat necked tops, feminine pumps. I don't notice any of that stuff when I do the odd browse through the sales nowadays. Maybe I'm missing it but the stuff I do see is all a bit Gulag-esque (to coin a phrase I once heard on MN used to describe another retailer - Me & Em?)

Original poster
SirVixofVixHall · 13/08/2017 21:24

It can creep towards frumpy really easily unless you are 20 with very glossy straight hair, pink cheeks and no bosom.

OP posts:
Original poster
SirVixofVixHall · 13/08/2017 21:25

I have worn some trousers this week that I bought in the sale. They are comfortable and a nice fabric, but not hugely flattering. I like them, but don't love them enough to pay over £100 for them!

OP posts:
mizu · 13/08/2017 21:40

I adore TOAST but have never bought anything full price. It's really too expensive, eye wateringly so.

I regularly look on eBay and have found some lovely things. The denim Dora dress that was last season was a great find on eBay and I wore it so much last winter, such good quality. It will be worn I hope for many years to come.

I also have a blue Lydia dress with the buttons down the back which I go from a car boot sale for £2.50 Grin

I wish I could afford to go in there and buy a whole season of bits and pieces.

I do appreciate though that it is not to everyone's taste and I do think maybe I look frumpy sometimes but I love the style and quality of so much of it.

I too would love an outlet shop, Somerset is not near me though.

Floisme · 13/08/2017 22:47

Well that is troubling if some people have found the quality hit and miss even it it's not been my experience at all.

Lately I've become quite bored with a lot of fashion, including a lot of my own clothes. I used to like nothing better than a nice frock but now I'm bored with dresses, bored with feminine, bored with body-con, bored with swishy, bored with prints, hell I may even be getting bored with colour Shock Plus I'm trying to stay one step ahead of my aging, sagging body. I'm finding myself drawn to androgyny, to suiting and a bit of tweediness. I've said on another thread that I find menswear more interesting than women's clothing these days.

I think some of Toast - not all - does that quite well so I'll be sticking with their sales for now. If the quality starts letting me down too then I guess I really well have to either learn to sew or start buying menswear and find a good tailor.

Therealslimshady1 · 14/08/2017 22:36

Teal, yes gulag-y!

I have some red and turquoise party shoes with a slight heel, from Toast 3 years ago.

They are cool and a bit edgy, a bit fashion, a bit feminine, and a bit different...AND comfy

Holy grail in shoes (someone else might think them hideous, shall I post a pic?/

Never see things like that anymore Sad

I had to say goodbye to Whitecompany as well, as the quality of their jersey has really gone downhill.

Buying decent stuff for a 40 something is so flippin hard! Don't want to look Boden mummy (does not suit me), nor a Gulag-librarian (Toast!) And Jigsaw have lost the plot as well

Or maybe it's me who has changed? No, it's them!

FrenchRoast · 15/08/2017 07:12

I like Me&Em but it's so expensive and too often dry clean only. I am dressing the impossible - a tall hour glass who doesn't like overly feminine shapes except for tailoring which just isn't lifestyle appropriate! I like the slight anti fashion feel to Toast...I am desperate for a pair of the chesney lace up brogue boots in navy - they went out of stock too quickly last year.

IDismyname · 15/08/2017 08:20

@FrenchRoast We may be twins! ( although I may be the shorter one Grin)

I'm tall-ish, not into flounces or frills, DO have a waist and a bosom, and want to dress more simply. I'm heading back into my old career, in Design.

The ethos around Toast really appeals to me, but most of the clothes don't. I've returned everything I've ordered, rather reluctantly TBH.

I'm having more luck in Cos, but have to make the effort to go and try stuff on, as their website shows everything in such an unattractive way.

If you find anywhere else, do let me know! (I'm a 16-18 so no skinnie minnie, alas)

FrenchRoast · 15/08/2017 08:32

The problem I have is that while simple appeals, classic cuts do not. They just look frumpy on me or maybe I just feel too grown up and frumpy when I wear them! I'm on a clothes diet (i.e. not buying any) at the moment - so I'm trying to not look at the new season...it's my usual splurge time, especially Autumn wear.

Swipe left for the next trending thread