Help I’m desperate. Where does one go for neutral,well cut,flattering clothes for size 14+ 50 year olds( high street/ mail order?

[M1Mountain]

I have looked everywhere.

Ah ... Its the opposite for me - I have to size down in most Toast clothes.

Frankly, (and Im hesitating to say this on MN!) I’m worrying slightly about Top Shop. Setting aside their leadership, (although I like proper, grown up suppliers for tailoring and ‘important’ stuff) I’ve found one or two of my favourite dresses there in the past few years. (During my 40s/50s.) And it’s great for ‘breezy’ (whatever that means) of-the-moment, one season only holiday clothes - where I just want to be cool (temperature) and vaguely fashionable rather than to invest for a decade.

OP - Arket is another place worth looking. (Online and concrete.) Stylish basics at surprisingly reasonable prices. Their dresses all seem made for people twice my height but may suit you.

Boden has 30% off until the end of today

Absolutely everywhere you just need to put a bit of work in deciding what shapes and colour palette will suit you work out a bit of a capsule wish list and look for them online in the shops that meet your budget

Start now you can get some lovely basic bits in the sale

Thank you for all these ideas they're great.

Re the high street I went round our small John Lewis,Fat Face( there was 1 dress but showed my knees I now hate),Debenhams,House of Fraser and Gap. Zilch

Trying to not buy too much Seasalt as like the odd thing in there but find I rarely find anything anywhere else so end up Seasalt heavy and trying to avoid looking frumpy iykwim. White Stuff doesn't seem to fit or suit me anymore and I find it a tad fussy iykwim.

Quite like Uniqulo and Cos after recommendations on here, have liked the idea of Toast but the few things in our JL have seemed very thick/ heavy and long. Have bought Phase 8 before but it all seems very garish this season ditto Boden.😩

There was a dress I just saw in Cos but it was sold out. The rest would look strange on my non willowy body.

Go to Nordstrom in NYC.

I like the US store Talbots.
They have an online catalog. Excellent size options.
Might be worth looking online and buying once over there visiting.

Have you looked in jigsaw? Their tee shirts are the best around imo. Some nice dresses in their too

Sundress-wise I think that Gap usually has quite a few, and shorts too - it might be worth you buying in the US though.

Mailorder, look at Me & Em - (expensive though) - and also Baukjen - the boyfriend jeans are nice, and again, lots of tee shirts/vest tops.

Many fab recommendations already, I’d add Massimo Dutti - well tailored, reasonably priced clothing

I know what you mean. I ordered a lot of clothes this spring from Boden but found most didn't flatter my size 14 body with mummy tummy (aged 51). It annoys me that all their models are stick thin. I have had some success with clothes from George (Asda) and M&S recently. And white stuff. But I have to try a lot of clothes on to find anything half flattering.

If you have a naice town within shopping range, go there, park and wander into the shops you like looking at. Small town independent shops have to specialise in pleasing customers and work very hard at doing so, to stay in business. And while they may have M&S and all the chain stores, you will find a better range if you avoid the mass market. A few nice items will do more to extend your wardrobe tlhan a truckload of stuff. If you can, shop when the town is quiet and be prepared to spend time and a (little) bit more than M&S prices. Uniqlo fills a lot of basic gaps inexpensively, unless you need an extreme size.

I tried an amazing dress on in Cos yesterday, but it was about a foot too long for me and probable;y too daffy to take up. Very annoying - it was basically my perfect dress, if I didn't have hobbit proportions.

Yes to Boden trousers. I find the very occasional nice thing in Fatface, but their fabrics are getting worse and worse.

Arket is beautiful, but most stuff is too long for me, and most necklines are too high.

If you are busty and need boring dresses for work, the Bravissimo jersey dresses can be decent.

I hate Seasalt, but lots of people on here like it. I also really don't get the Uniqlo love.

Probably
Faffy
'Scuse typos - wasn't concentrating! Was eating roast potatoes!

I would say Arket and Massimo Dutti. Boden for some things but don’t pay full price. M&S do have some decent linen as does Jaeger.

so many of those sites look artsy, i just don't see 14+ and 50.

You’ll have to be more specific Knitclubchatter! Really intrigued by this. (Read as ‘trying not to overreact’.)

artsy ...

Who makes art? Human beings. (For now, mostly.) Half of whom are women. Think of all the best known female artists of the past however many centuries. Mostly we ‘know’ of them as middle-aged or elderly (because they were rarely accorded the easy, early success of men). Ultimate example Louise Borgeois. But think of ... Zaha Hadid, Toni Morrison, Lubaina Himid ... Are they famous for being young and thin? No. They’re famous for being brilliant women. Who, no doubt, wore clothes every day. Just as I do. Just as you do.

Damn stupid probably male phone!

Louise Bourgeois.

@knitclubchatter I do t see why women who are size 14+ and ogled 50 and over can't be 'artsy' but the thing with shopping is to browse, try on and decide what you like. High fashion isn't to most people's taste but it can be fun and you can pull stuff out that works with how you like to look

I'm nearing 50 and a size 12 but I am really loving Cos at the moment. DH jokes I am always happiest when looking like a Danish architect. But I am quite tall with a bleached pixie crop so I can carry of their angular, very lengthy styling.

I have to steer clear of 95% of Boden, White Stuff and Seasalt because it just makes me look matronly.

Have you looked at The White Company?

But not a single brand so far mentioned on this thread is ‘high fashion’. Not even close.