Do you dress depending upon where you live? Urban/rural?

[beatrixpotterspencil]

And does this affect your choices and relationship with 'style'?

I used to really love COS, Toast, White Company, etc, occasionally H&M - and then moved to a fairly wind swept, rain soaked more rural place.
There are some photos of me at the beginning, staunchly wearing my skirts and tucked in shirts, various tights and good shoes. And it quickly went to hell ;)

Several weeks in, after one too many drenchings and a terror of hypothermia (even my 100% wool Max Mara coat was a futile barrier), I slowly unfurled into a mountain warehouse bumpkin.

So I dress largely for the weather, the elements, fear of snagging (im not a farmer!) and water damage. It's waterproof pants and a secure hood, even often in summer.

Did changing your environment alter what you thought you liked, clothes-wise? and do you think your environment has an effect upon where you will ultimately shop?

I spend many months per year in a n urban town with family, and I don't bother to leave the mountains stuff behind. I just take a pared down version of it with me. I sure cut down my prevaricating over clothes so that's something but I do sometimes miss midi skirts and nice shoes...

No such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing!

Not weather-related but I've noticed a real difference in going out clothes in London and other towns/cities. I live in London now but have lived in the midlands and the north and from my observations, the idea of getting 'dressed up' to go out doesn't really exist to the same degree in London.

The ubiquitous "nice top, jeans and heels" often mentioned on here as a going out staple would probably make you stand out more than trainers and a sweater in London – people purposely put together scruffy/edgy outfits or wear trainers with everything, whereas when I lived up north there were definitely more people dressed up in the conventional sense. There are of course 'edgier' bars and areas in Leeds, Manchester etc but London style on the whole I find much more casual but in a kind of artful way

Yes definitely. and actually, I can appreciate others' amazing outfits but I now only consider the person in question to be properly stylish if they're actually dressed for the weather and their environment.

It can be a bit of a bummer having to be always waterproof but it does beat getting wet.

In general I feel heels will soon be a thing of the past, whether in cities or offices or rural life. In the post-Covid era they just don't seem right at all.

interesting isn't it?
I was always really comfy in knee to midi skirts, and moving to the hills just destroyed it. Whether an evening at a pub, or shopping, you very rarely see a skirt here anywhere, even in summer. Well maybe a small few in Kendal, etc, but it isn't the norm.
Wool coats don't seem to cut it either, as it is very damp and can be strikingly cold. The only way I can keep warm in winter here is a base layer under a mid layer, and an insulated jacket on top.

I also spend a lot of time in greater. manchester, an urban town, and people there seem much more relaxed about the weather! Some often don't even wear a coat in winter, even though it obviously gets very cold - it is still 'north'.

I sometimes miss my nordic minimalist look, ahaha. Now I really do look like Julia Bradbury in her Lakes series from the 90's (or was it early 2000's?)

ah, I never wore heels - always wore docs, either Chelsea or classic, so that hasn't changed much. Sometimes regret leaving my leather brogues though, the soles were so slippy and thin even though they were really expensive.

I would never choose to move anywhere rural so that's not really an issue for me. But yes even an urban environment dictates things to some extent e.g. I don't see the point of a bad weather coat that doesn't have a hood or reach your knees. And as previous posters have said, there are differences between cities too - give me Liverpool or Newcastle any day over the self congratulatory 'too cool to dress up' London vibe.

I have lived in a number of different places, not all in the UK. I dress according to what l am doing, not where l live.

I love dresses and they are my wardrobe go to, but some things just don’t suit a dress. And neither do some weather conditions.

I laughed out loud at your post OP! I started a similar thread around a month ago although the focus was more on dressing for your actual life vs dressing for your fantasy life. I also live semi-rurally and I'm trying to embrace a more practical style. So to answer your question, yes, my environment affects my clothing choices. And to echo a pp, it never looks stylish when someone is wearing something inappropriate for the situation.

I was in Cornwall a few weeks ago and the majority of people were dressed really casually and most were in surf brands or Fat Face, Sea Salt type clothing. The kind of thing that always gets really slated on Mumsnet. But to me it just looked "right", because of the context.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/style_and_beauty/4000135-Children-thwarting-my-attempts-at-stylishness-Lighthearted

Might be of interest!

Totally. I live in a mountain town and it’s wall to wall yoga and high tech tech active mountain wear. No one even wears shoes - it’s all hiking boots, walking sandals or flip flops. My footwear has sat idle for ten years.

great link, I can relate! Didn't read comments, im certain they may have taken her too seriously, as is often the way on MN

I think we all have possibly many variants on what we a drawn to aesthetically, and the challenge is how to blend that into our every day life. I admit I do seem to look better in the clothes I wear now, perhaps because they suit the environment and are associated with doing things that I love.

If I lived and worked in a city, I would likely have a different approach and tastes.
Simplification is the key, for me, I did used to dramatically over think my style.

Ooooooh and another thing!

I have soft curly hair, pale blond. Have always straightened it for over 30 years and since going rural.....oh god that is a battle that cannot be won! I have learned to embrace my frizz and not stress it.

As time has gone on, my hair has grown a lot (it used to be slow going) and calmed down. When I straighten it now I feel somewhat at odd with it.

For some reason the weather bullied me into this form, but it turned out to my benefit in many unforeseen ways.

Yes!!!!

I lived in London for 6 glorious years but then moved to rural Scotland. My life consists of a reduced income, bad weather and dog walking so I dress accordingly. Our 300 year old house can be cosy but my health has taken a turn for the worse and I feel the cold terribly now.

Also, I would stand out if I overdressed here - there are a few extremely rich people here and there but you'd never know it to look at them. It's just not that kind of place.

What I meant about house is it's not the kind of cosy you'd get in a modern house. There are still cold bits.

I live in a town and the dress here is casual to say the least. I go to London and immediately feel like a slob, so I dress much more smartly and make sure I have make up on. I do think the people round here just take no care whatsoever, I probably look quite dressed up compared to many, but London is in another league altogether.

I guess my OP was about how I tried, unknowingly to cling on to my old 'style' after moving and it was impossible. Environment does really determine a lot of what we wear - which is obvious really, but I think we often overlook it in S&B type discussions.

Ive never lived in the south, or London, but I imagine it is much less harsh? I would feel a lot more freedom with clothing I suppose. Now, whether this would be good for me or not (spending/prevaricating) I have no idea!

I live in London and (in normal times) work in an office so a lot of my wardrobe is more about what I like to wear rather than what’s super practical. If it’s awful weather, I only have a few minutes walk to the station to get to work, so I don’t need to worry too much about what I’m wearing - I don’t need super reliable waterproofs etc. An umbrella is generally fine.

The only complication for me is that I do spend a fair bit of time outdoors. I have a dog, and also regularly visit friends and family in both Ireland and Scotland. So I do need some weatherproof clothes! I’ve managed to find some good stuff that’s sensible but doesn’t only get worn when I’m outside of London as I’d feel that’s a bit of a waste, things like a stylish but still warm and waterproof parka and boots that I can wear if it’s rainy but also don’t look out of place in the pub at home. I can wear these for a dog walk and pub visit in London on a Sunday but also for a long walk in the West Coast of Ireland.

I also love the London dressed down approach. And it’s not because I think I’m too cool to make any effort (do get where you’re coming from though @Floisme) but I spent my teens and early twenties wearing heels and little dresses on nights out so when trainers and boots started becoming the standard, I loved it. Nothing beats being able to go out til 5am in the morning and have pain free feet!

I travel quite a lot in the UK and abroad and I love looking at what people are wearing, what’s popular in different areas, so fascinating!

Oh yes OP I know what you mean. When I look at style magazines they seem to think that everyone lives in Madrid or Barcelona, whereas when you live in Dublin you need to wear wellies and raincoats (proper waterproof) most of the year. And no one looks stylish when they are soaking wet in the wrong shoes.

I too think the changes invoked by Covid will change the way we wear clothes for good - I foresee the demise of the suit for men and high heels for women of all ages. My teen DD would not dream of wearing heels and Covid has made her rethink even wearing tight dresses - since there are no clubs to go to, there is no need to dress up to meet up in the park.

And all of this is good - you can still be super stylish, just in a different way. It makes me laugh when people on here say skinny jeans are over - they tuck into wellies so they will never be "over" where I live. Try looking up Copenhagen street style on Pinterest - great inspiration for wet cold weather dressing.

yes as much as I like a flare. (I have flared leggings for variation) they are utterly useless in my day to day life.

@Floisme

I would never choose to move anywhere rural so that's not really an issue for me. But yes even an urban environment dictates things to some extent e.g. I don't see the point of a bad weather coat that doesn't have a hood or reach your knees. And as previous posters have said, there are differences between cities too - give me Liverpool or Newcastle any day over the self congratulatory 'too cool to dress up' London vibe.

Some people in London definitely give off a wankerish hipster too cool to dress up vibe but for me personally I feel more comfortable in comfy casual clothes so I just happen to fit in with that look without doing it on purpose, I don’t judge anyone who likes to dress up though.

I always felt an element of needing to dress safely in London as I'd be going on public transport so didn't want to sit on the bus/tube in a short dress and heels whereas at uni we got taxis straight to the bar/club (taxi between five was cheaper than £1.80 bus fare each). Also in London I walk alot so again heels not that practical compared to getting a taxi straight to the door.

I try to keep my dresses and skirts despite being a SAHM throwing myself around the playground/softplay with a toddler when jeans would be far more practical 😂

I went from London to Home Counties to rural (maybe near you OP, since you mentioned Kendal and I'm not far from there!).
I'm definitely more of an outdoorsy-clothed bumpkin too now, though I do wear smart casual for work (including skirts). Never heels though, because think they're the work of the devil!

Some people in London definitely give off a wankerish hipster too cool to dress up vibe but for me personally I feel more comfortable in comfy casual clothes
Oh so do I for the most part, and I never wear heels and haven't for years. But I also like to look at what other people are wearing - it's how I get most of my ideas - and watching London hipster style bores me senseless compared to, say Liverpool.

Yes, definitely.

I live in rural Cumbria now, and definitely dress for the weather! I still wear things like skinny jeans but I always take a waterproof jacket, don't wear open shoes etc. It's no fun being out and about if you're soaked through and freezing cold. I haven't worn heels or a skirt since I moved here four years ago! I very, very occasionally wear a dress but only if I'm going straight into a restaurant from the car!

Yep - live rurally and I, and everyone I know, dresses very practically. I make more of an effort with clothes if I'm going to a town so I have things in my wardrobe which I think of as "urban".

I've been furloughed from work for months and have been wearing shorts or leggings since April. I recently bought some smart trousers in my excitement about going back to my office job soon which is ridiculous as our work dress code is also casual with most people wearing outdoor gear

I think I'm just desperate for a change so have started shopping for a fantasy office job I don't even have!