TOAST

[goldpendant]

Now I never thought I'd say this, not until my mid 40's at least, but I feel like celebrating the wonders of TOAST! I'm not sure I'm game for the wintry stuff but their summer dresses are just perfect. For years I've longed for the undone, easy linen look but usually end up looking like a sack of potatoes... not this summer my friends!

My dad earlier said I looked "outrageously well sorted" in my new orange linen number - I think he meant well put together, and I've just got the navy on sale on JL. Yipppeeeee!

@GazeboParty, I bought my Ivar jacket on Sunday for £73.50.

@Railingsohno I have the Toast ticking stripe bed linen in several colours. It's amazing quality- I think I bought the first set almost ten years ago and it looks good as new.
However, I also find the Toast look a bit spartan and boring, so haven't ventured beyond bed linen.
This year, for the first time since my original ticking stripe purchase, I departed from Toast stripes and have splashed out on some liberty tana lawn cotton bed linen from Coco and Wolf. It's really beautiful... but I'm a bit obsessed with liberty prints, both at home and for dress making. Doesnt really accord with the minimalist Toast aesthetic!

£58 back in my bank within one hour!! I love this thread.... and TOAST! Oh and JL 😍

I'm tall, I'm usually a 12, but sometimes a 14 on the bottom half and I'm a 28HH. I definitely have curves - I'd say I was a slim hourglass or maybe a slight pear? But I don't like fitted clothes. I like the tailoring of Toast - especially their trousers, and I don't mind their sack like tops/dresses - I like space to move! I'm a big OSKA/Margaret Howell fan as well and their style is quite 'baggy'. I guess the slightly Japanese aesthetic of the tailoring is what appeals to me - now I'm thinking about it, I don't tend to buy Toast's patterned things, or indeed any patterned things, I'm a strictly plain colours, or stripes kind of person. I sound so boring!

Re interiors - DH and I are architects so definitely into interiors! My interior style is much less rustic than Toast though - more towards the slightly minimalist Scandinavian/Japanese/Northern Californian/Mid-Century type of interior. Although I do like Toast Home things - just not quite the overall look.

@goldpendant, that’s great! I got a slew of refunds as well (decided to take my own advice for a change!), especially considering I’d spent a small fortune on children’s shoes prior to the JL sale.

Since I’m quids in, and I’m returning the denim v-neck dress, I can totally justify snaffling the last size 10 cotton linen coat dress in ash green (£250 reduced to £75)! 😀 I’m really hoping it will work as a dress as much as a coat.

Aw Railing, you are lovely. I’m touchy because according to half of MN I should be dressing ‘like a nana’ and I’m written off as an ‘old dear’. Add in the madness brought by shielding (not me, my student dd, but we’ve done it as a household so she isn’t more isolated than she needs to be), and I’m easily discombobulated. Although my own gran was very stylish till the day she died at 90. I’m also touchy as I’m a 32G POST breast reduction last year. I was a 32K before.

As you say though, it’s good to challenge ourselves in a thoughtful way. This thread is lovely.

[quote goldpendant]@Railingsohno do you remember what is reduced to on JL by chance??[/quote]
I got a price match on it. It’s final price was 30% of the original. Would that be £39? I’d paid £65 but got the difference back yesterday.

I re-joined Mumsnet specifically to join in with this thread, I’ve been reading it, loving it and just feeling so happy there are other people who love Toast like I do! @ToastCosILoveIt your post was just gorgeous, any brand should be over the moon with such a long-term devotee. I started buying Toast (only ever in the sale) about 15 years ago when I was around 30. I’ve always loved the ethos, values and quality of the clothes but a lot of the time my hit rate of finding something flattering was dismally low - too many gathers/too much voluminousness. I do still have a beautiful - BEAUTIFUL- coat bought 12 years ago in an archive sale, at 90% off - £20. Still looks like new.

I went away for a few years, only really rediscovering it with purpose about 5 years ago when I bought two fabulous, flattering shirt dresses at a John Lewis concession that I have worn to work in rotation ever since - they show no signs of wear. I then bought (again in JL) 2 denim pinafore dresses, black and denim. Yes the buttons fall off all the time but still 😉. Over the past year or so, I am finally doing what I’ve been talking about doing for years - buying less but buying better. I’ve bought 5 Toast dresses in that time - some full price, some mega heap in the sale, all beautiful. And they are helping me as I love the quality, feel fabulous in them, with no whiff (I don’t think...) of heavy-hipped Russian peasant. Which if you love it, good, it’s just not for me!

I have the green tie-neck dress currently in the sale and it’s a joy to wear (36DD and no fit issues). Earlier this year I also bought a dress n the same style as the lattice print yellow dress, but in a black patterned fabric and it is my absolute Best Dress. Unusual, stylish, super comfy, makes me feel like an interesting woman in the best way. And my latest purchase arrived this morning - navy jersey Franca dress. Reader, she’s a beaut. Soft, comfy, stretchy but not slumpy. And the final thing I’d like to add (for now) is - how great it is that all the dresses have proper, big enough to actually hold things, pockets. Need to get back to work now - has been lovely to chat about Toast though 😊

My JL Jude trousers have arrived - they're gorgeous. Horrifically creased though, despite being on a hanger, but I'm definitely keeping them - it would almost be rude not to at 70% off!

I'm just submitting my price match thing now... How did you all input the prices? For some reason the keyboard isn't offering a decimal place, so £82.50 isn't an option - do I put £8250?! I'm doing it on my phone, I might try the iPad and see if that's different....

Just put in 8250. My phone did the same thing. JL worked out I wasn’t asking for £7000 odd back

@Saurus72 welcome to the thread, long time devotee here too. The archive sales used to be EPIC, I miss them!

They did - but there was ALOT if to-ing and fro-ing for me. I had to kiss a lot of frogs to get to the prince, but totally worth it when it happened!

Thank you @whatthefoxgoingon ! All submitted now.

I predict knowing about the JL Price Match might prove to be very dangerous in future!

Good luck! @HieronymusBoschLAPD

Welcome Saurus. For me dresses have a much higher hit rate than skirts or trousers. To fit the waist I often end up with too much fabric round the waist. Have been considering the Gabi pull on trousers but when I looked in JL (didn’t try), the rise looked very long.

Too much fabric round the hips, I mean.

I’ve never bought a Toast skirt - I’m hourglass shape and look like a ship in sail. Always - every Autumn - think about buying a wool long-sleeved t-shirt because they are so so lovely, warm, cosy. But they’re also £75, just haven’t been able to justify that cost yet. Maybe this year...

Hmm well the Crosshatch dress has arrived in the 10, I almost didn’t try it on, as the 12 was gapey and felt almost too small. ( I am normally a ten in Toast at the moment, 8 when thinner) . However the ten gapes less. You can still see cleavage but it sits better and is a better fit overall. DH really likes it.
For ref of others, I am five foot eight, long waisted, narrow back 28GG/H bra.

@Saurus72

I’ve never bought a Toast skirt - I’m hourglass shape and look like a ship in sail. Always - every Autumn - think about buying a wool long-sleeved t-shirt because they are so so lovely, warm, cosy. But they’re also £75, just haven’t been able to justify that cost yet. Maybe this year...

HI Saurus - welcome to the thread. I bought a wool long sleeved t shirt in Zara of all places - didn't get as much wear as the uniqlo heatteach stuff. As another hourglass I can get away with skirts that are fitted to mid hip - after that I can take loads of fabric.

Just applied for a discount on my jacket- very excited to find I can do this - will stop me waiting for further discounts in future.

Interiors wise - the toast aesthetic doesn't suit my house - which is more modern detached than minimalist chateau. My style would be simple, modern with mismatched bits of furniture mostly picked up from ebay or the charity shop and recovered. I've had some of their bedlinen - very weighty and the fabric was great quality. Like their wooden butter knives, very scandinavian and a joy to use.

@SirVixofVixHall

Hmm well the Crosshatch dress has arrived in the 10, I almost didn’t try it on, as the 12 was gapey and felt almost too small. ( I am normally a ten in Toast at the moment, 8 when thinner) . However the ten gapes less. You can still see cleavage but it sits better and is a better fit overall. DH really likes it. For ref of others, I am five foot eight, long waisted, narrow back 28GG/H bra.

Love this on you!

Me too. It looks lovely.

Oh thank you ! I was quite disappointed with the 12, but this is a much better fit. I don’t like being quite so busty and I have put on weight during lockdown, two teenage daughters at home eating biscuits and ice cream and me joining in...

It is quite high waisted on me, but all Toast dresses are like that.

That’s lovely SirVix

And looks lovely, vix