What happened to S&B?

[janlevinson]

I used to browse this topic regularly several years ago and I enjoyed the recommendations of Ash high tops, Net A Porter sale items and high end make up, amongst other things. Loved reading what LetThemEatCake had been buying.
I've been having migrating over to here again recently after a long time away and it's all Roman Originals, granny sandals and things that "wash well".
WTF happened?
~lighthearted~

I'm a size 14-16, have 38E tits, no waist and a rounded tum I always have to hide. Basically I have the torso of a breezeblock.

How the fuck do I look stylish?? The only influencers that are built like me wear 1950s dresses 365 days a year. With a denim jacket over the top.

I have literally no style icons that are shaped like me and actually look cool. It's very frustrating.

I'm in a strop now so I'm going to flounce off and buy a band T shirt.

Your gonna hate me @ElspethFlashman but I’d suggest

You get a bra fitting . I’m guessing you are not 38 inches around your rib cage if you are only a size 14-16.

You don’t wear t shirts. Round high necks are not flattering to large boobs. Short sleeves draw a line across the body at boob height. The masculine cut is not good for apple shapes.

Lockdown

It’s loungewear or nothing

I’m torn on this
But , comfortable

Sadly I had a bra fitting last week. 😂

Aye but was it an M&S style bra fitting?

On skinny jeans going out of fashion, @Divebar2021 and @Floisme are spot on. It takes a while for people to accept new styles.

I'm 40 and I don't think any of my friends have adopted wider leg jeans yet, or any of my similar-aged neighbours. I'm only wearing them for about a year and a half, as have my sisters. I work in a large city and am around young adults for my job which helps normalise a look.

I don't feel I'm a fashion victim and definitely only wear what suits me, but I also like experimenting and trying out new looks. I remember back in 2005 wearing v dark skinny jeans, a loose black top, pointy black stiletto heels and red lippy on a night out and an acquaintance of mine mentioned she had been on the fence about skinny jeans but once she saw them on me that night she started to like them. I was so flattered!

I have to say I'm still a bit nostalgic about that Kate Moss chic kind of look. I wonder is she still wearing skinnies?

Kate moss was clinging on to skinnies, but I noticed the last few times I’ve seen her she’s been wearing a straight leg.

@Floisme, I suspect that your vacillations on trouser shapes depends on the emphasis placed on waist or leg length at a particular moment, and that a neat arse ranks higher in other seasons. IMO it changes with the shifting silhouette you're aiming at whether it looks right.

Swimming I think your skinnies, shirt and heels was a great look. I miss wearing heels - they made my legs look great and I remember being young enough not to care about the pain.

Wrt bra fitting, I'm a 14-16 and wear a 38dd. I've no idea if this is my 'correct' size but anything smaller makes me feel like I'm bruising my ribs. It's so uncomfortable. How do people force themselves to wear them?

@MrsHuntGeneNotJeremyObviously

Swimming I think your skinnies, shirt and heels was a great look. I miss wearing heels - they made my legs look great and I remember being young enough not to care about the pain.

Wrt bra fitting, I'm a 14-16 and wear a 38dd. I've no idea if this is my 'correct' size but anything smaller makes me feel like I'm bruising my ribs. It's so uncomfortable. How do people force themselves to wear them?

The band and the cup size need to be right. If you go down a band you go up a cup size. The central gore should be right next to your chest, not away from it.

Thank you. Am going shopping on Saturday, might try a 36 E and see how it feels. At the moment I just live in sloggi type non wired ones.

Xing you've put it far more elegantly than I could but yes, it's about the shifting emphasis. For years my waist was shrouded under the slouchy tops I wore to balance out the skinny jeans. Now it's back centre stage and I'm very happy about that because I probably won't have one for much longer so want to show it off while I can.

Interesting thread. I mainly post on this board and generally find it diverse, kind, supportive and friendly. I am not interested in - or have the budget for - designer handbags, so scroll past those posts. Equally, I am not a new mum or going to many weddings, so likewise. I think you need to “curate” the threads/boards you want to read.

I often think threads pop up in the sidebar, and then go a bit off course. There was one a wee while ago about how many products had you put on your face that morning which I was enjoying. It then started to pull in the “I wash my face with carbolic soap and comb my hair with a twig, why do you feel you need to clart yourself in makeup?” brigade. I don’t drive, and would never pop up commenting on a thread about cars, for example. It’s just rude!

There was one a wee while ago about how many products had you put on your face that morning which I was enjoying. It then started to pull in the “I wash my face with carbolic soap and comb my hair with a twig, why do you feel you need to clart yourself in makeup?” brigade. I don’t drive, and would never pop up commenting on a thread about cars, for example. It’s just rude!

Thats very funny and you are right. :) :) :)

I found the number of facial products fascinating, and I must admit at being surprised that some women use so many products. I'm not judging at all, but the endless lists were mind boggling and I admit to wondering if they really needed to use them all.

I do wear make up BTW.

I would recommend anyone with a bra size approaching a D cup to go to Bravissimo or good independent retailer for a bra fit. They do it by eye rather than relying on a tape measure. I went in to mine a D and came out an F. Getting the right fit will support your boobs better and give you more of a waist. bravissimo definitely fit quite snugly but they definitely ease after a few days. I’ve generally found M&S to be largely hopeless for larger cup sizes which have massive full coverage cups and thick straps. Amazingly other brands manage to provide pretty bras without resorting to industrial grade scaffolding.

@RampantIvy I did too, and equally I'm sure people were aghast at the number of products I put on my own face! But I think it's like me going onto a thread called "Five cutest things your cats have done" and commenting that I hate cats and people shouldn't keep them as pets at all. I know everyone can express opinions, but manners.

(I have a cat, who does many cute things, in case anyone wonders.)

Really interesting thread. I've been reading this board since my early 20s and always found it quite aspirational, but now I'm early 30s and can actually afford the brands I don't enjoy the recommendations. I know lockdown has had an impact but it feels like so many threads are derailed with practical advice. I just posted on a thread where a poster was looking for shorts for a UK beach holiday. It didn't take long before people were coming on telling her she needs a coat and trousers. Now I'm pretty sure the OP wasn't beamed down from Mars and is aware of UK weather and probably will also shove in a pair of jeans and a jumper. But on that thread she was specifically looking for a pair of shorts, not life advice! It gets annoying.

I've enjoyed (most of) this thread. I've been loathe to give up my skinny jeans but PPs make good points. Time to embrace change I think.

the “I wash my face with carbolic soap and comb my hair with a twig, why do you feel you need to clart yourself in makeup?” brigade

Are they the same people that insist they have never had so many compliments since they started wearing actual sackcloth and ashes?

@ElspethFlashman

the “I wash my face with carbolic soap and comb my hair with a twig, why do you feel you need to clart yourself in makeup?” brigade

Are they the same people that insist they have never had so many compliments since they started wearing actual sackcloth and ashes?

Yup, especially when they exfoliate with a Brillo pad and moisturise with lard.

I get so fed up with them. S&B is about the enjoyment, whether you want advice on a dress for a wedding or a hand hold out of toddler-wrangling. I just love the enthusiasm that posters bring to helping you find what you need, whether it's outfits to hit the dating scene again or thoughts on where one's elderly mother can buy shoes that tick both her teen instincts and her octogenarian needs at under £40. This is generally the kindest and most interesting segment of MN.

@Ashmets, I agree totally, and I am 64... I come here for fun and chat and to help and be helped, and when it works it's kind, supportive and very enjoyably sisterly. Brillo pads and lard are for the housekeeping threads, where they have a place.

I suppose to be fair I occasionally wander onto skincare threads myself with lurid stories of what happened to my face when I tried too many random products (I've had sensitive skin ever since) and to urge caution. But there does seem to be something about women talking about things they enjoy that incites this disapproval - and what's bizarre is it's often other women doing the finger wagging.

@Floisme I really hate this idea that women shouldn’t be interested in “frivolous” things, and end up judged as silly and superficial - often by other women - for caring about how they look, and spending money on themselves.

And yet from what I can gather you don't get the same disapproval on certain other equally 'frivolous' boards do you? Sports forums let's say, or motoring. I wonder what's different about them? Hmm.