So what precisely constitutes Frump?

[linmanuel]

Inspired by the thread about cardigans
I am wondering what makes something frumpy

Shapeless clothes designed to prevent nakedness rather than flatter or enhance.

I like shapeless clothes. Though I love Japanese design. I hate body con. I would say that's a dated look.

I don't think there is a precise definition as it's person specific a lot of the time

Also what one person constitutes frumpy another person might see as being practical for example

For me it's normally leggings or poorly fitting clothing, well worn out clothing like sweat shirts and concert T-shirts or free T-shirt's from events you've been to. Plus un-brushed or un-styled hair. Basically looking like you put zero effort into getting dressed for the day.

I would say shapeless clothes work on the thin but they just look sloppy on a fat person - I say this as someone who is losing weight and had lots of shapeless clothes at my largest.

It varies. If I wore a floral tea dress and flat shoes I’d look frumpy because I’m a short, booby, middle aged lady. If a willowy young woman wore the same thing she’d look elegant and stylish. I regularly wear skinny jeans and a long, flowy, silky top and it looks fine because that’s pretty much the uniform of middle aged women now but if the same willowy youngster were to wear an outfit like that she’d look very frumpy as if she were dressing up as a granny.

I think it's hard to define. I guess mainly clothes that are utilitarian without any regard to the aesthetic. But it's not just that.

Shapeless baggy clothes could look amazing on someone tall and slim with fabulous bone structure and an edgy haircut (think catwalk model), but just shapeless and baggy on the more average person.

I would look incredibly frumpy in any sort of ditsy print, any sort of trousers/jeans that fell to mid calf, and pretty much anything from Fat Face. Other people might look great in these. Some people can make an anorak look edgy - not me.

There's no hope for waterfall cardis though.

Drab colours must feature. Especially clothes that were nice but all colour has been washed out.

@soruff

Drab colours must feature. Especially clothes that were nice but all colour has been washed out.

Yes - this is the issue I have with Fat Face and White Stuff. Example here of a top that in a million years I could not wear without looking frumpy. It looks like it's already been through the wash too many times.

I like lots of muted colours but muted doesn't have to equal drab.

Another example of a different top in the same pattern from Fat Face. It must be to someone's taste but there's so much about this that looks frumpy.

Interesting.

I want to look a bit fresher, I used to wear tunics and longer line but after watching Trinny I do more tucking in. Have just bought some crisper type shirts too.

All of Fat Face stuff starts out looking like it’s been through the wash too many times! That said, some of the stuff on their website is Oasis rip offs - the lobster and palm foil t shirts.

Frumpy is like the outside your home version of comfy. Dull, ill-considered clothes.

I always associate the word frumpy with clothing usually worn by older people.

For me it's not having a style and looking a bit "Matalan", so wearing a poorly cut item in the wrong fabric and colour, just because it was easy to buy.
So a gaudy coloured cold shoulder top in a clingy fabric for example. It's not about the money spent at all, but the thought that's gone into it.

Clothes that make you look a lot less attractive than you are. However, there has to be an element of drabness and shapelessness about it, so a baggy beige acrylic cardy would be frumpy, but a too-tight neon mini skirt would be...something else.

Oops I'm officially a frumpy, I love baggy shirts and leggings, Jean's and trainers. I always thought of frumpy as wearing clothes older than your age group and shapeless. Like enormous floral tents and flat sandals. Maybe frumpy is a state of mind?

The word comes from 'frum'. It is possible to be 'frum' without being dowdy, however most of us would be frumpy if we decided to dress 'frum'.

Frumpy to me means someone dressing older than their years in dowdy clothes. I once found some old photos of an Aunt, she was wearing an elasticated pleated nylon skirt, a homemade knitted cardigan, sensible slip on shoes, and she had a tight perm, she looked way older than her 42 years.

For me, its clothes that have been bought to wear clothes and with a "this will do" view. Not to flatter. As our bodies are different, what will flatter one wont flatter another etc, but shapeless thats not because its shapeless as a fashion statement, but shapeless as a "can't be arsed thinking about what body shape this is going on" way is usually frumpy.

I agree frumpy is more of an attitude, i don't care about myself. I am not worth spending money time and attention on.
Frumpy should not describe clothed suited to an occupation , age or price range. I believe you can wear anything with pride and aplomb.

I don't think it's particular items of clothing that are frumpy it's more how they are put together!

So the example above of leggings, and a band T shirt - on some people that would look frumpy but a band T shirt, leggings trainers on some people with a good hair style, nice jewellery etc can look really cool!

So it's about style I think!

I don't really like the word, it's like mutton - it's about doing women down!

Shoes that look like Cornish pasties. Sandals with tyre tread soles and thick straps. Beige windcheater jackets and toning jersey blouses with elastic waist trousers.

If I wear a coat over a midi dress or skirt, I look frumpy. Something about the length of the mid thigh coat then the skirt just screams "pigeon lady from Home Alone 2."

I think sadly it does go hand in hand with a more plus size figure.