If Monty Don was a woman....

[WeirdArchitecture]

Where would he shop?

I really want some lovely cotton or linen stuff, in my mind I see a loose fitting linen jumpsuit with scrappy straps and a side zip. It wouldn't be 'fashion' or ridiculously wide or show a silly amount of side boob. Simple and not humongous.

I search everywhere and can never find what im after, I can't be fussed with trends, but want some more choice. I used to like toast but they fit me horribly and the colour palettes don't suit me.

Are there any shops I don't know about that can do me a Monty style wardrobe? Natural fabrics that could see me gardening or walking by the lake, etc...

I didn't know what a gansey is and now I've seen it I want one!

Found me a terrific gansey in a charity shop. Might even wear it today….maybe with cords! Who knows? Glad to see this thread is thriving.

@SnowyPheasants I have bought two merino wool cardigans from the -unglamorously named (!) Aran sweater market website. Arrived in UK within a few days with no issues. The yellow one I bought is very like a toast offering from a few seasons ago but not as overly- large and half the price!
I've also ordered a custom made cardigan in donegal merino wool from irish inspiration knitwear which is based, I think, in England though knitted in Ireland. Also worth looking at The Croft House- their fairisle merino jumpers are beautiful and soft ( I find Shetland wool to scratchy)

I would also recommend Nysgardanna, from where I've just ordered a very monty- sequence hooded harris tweed duffle coat.[Here]

Also this etsy company has lots of lovely knitted and linen pieces. Which are very similar to nygardsanna and I suspect manufactured in the same factory [Here]

Thank you for the info! I will definitely check out the Aran's.
I have a couple of items from Nygårdsanna - and to be honest I can't quite reconcile the price with the quality (unlined,, stitching, etc). One wool item warped during a short, mild rainfall so haven't purchased since.

What I’m looking for is a longer version of this Seasalt cardigan. One in the blue from the Donegal website would be perfect.

@BestIsWest - you could try asking them? They were very helpful when I ordered mine

I was in a shop yesterday where they sold knitwear by Fisherman of Ireland and it was truly gorgeous - chunky, soft and the kind of generous, boxy shape I love. Pricey at £150-ish an item though. Website is here, but I don't think the photos do the pieces justice.

indd.adobe.com/view/82114078-e119-4c7c-9006-c5a2611d7143

The first jumper in the women's section of the lookbook (grey with red trim) was really beautiful. I wish I could justify the investment, but sadly can't just now with everything else going on.

I find most knits at the moment to be quite short. The only long ones I have seen are at Poetry (£££!!!) or overseas. It is this presumption that everyone follows trends, even at the higher end. I can't find a classic long aran cardi anywhere in the UK that is made of wool.
Celtic & Co are overpriced for the quality, imo. I have had two items just sag and loose shape regardless how carefully I treat them.
The only knit quality that has held up for me in recent years is from Finisterre and Toast. At this point I am running out of trust in general. The entire market has gone insane - either phenomenally priced basics or complete tat.

I can't stretch to a big spend like that but I'm focusing on smaller details at the moment. I'm obsessed with vintage men's paisley scarves which are often wool/silk and typically cost a tenner or less. And last week I found some lovely wool (I think) fair isle socks on a craft market - everyone's getting them for Christmas so watch out.

Just come across this thread. Has it yet featured this wonderful small shop in Penzance:

thehandworkedshop.com/shop

I popped in during the summer, and the quality is excellent.

I absolutely love this store! Thank you for sharing. A bit on the expensive side but I could mooch through these images forever.

If anyone can recommend any similar places in the UK I would be so grateful!

I seem to recall @PoppySeedBagelRedux‘s link sent me down many absorbing rabbit holes and took out an entire morning that was probably earmarked for a work deadline.

@BestIsWest is this any good? I bought it recently off the back of this thread and it is soft, comfortable and a sensible length (proper cardi length not cropped) www.oliveclothing.com/new/women/p-oliveunique-20220830-013-blue-melange-v-neck-cardigan-blue

Will probably seem like a strange question but forgive me, I am intrigued! How do you ladies wear your hair? It is the one style element we haven't discussed in this thread, and I am currently going through a crisis of indecision with mine

Interested in people's preferences. I used to wear mine long and straight but prefer a more wild, tousled look as I have grown older. I also prefer to wear it pinned up or in a loose knot, ponytail. I suppose it depends on our hair texture and our individual preferences, but I don't think I'd quite suit a Monty Don crop at this juncture!

@LarkRize that is very close to what I’m looking for! Perfect colour. How generous is it size wise. I really need a 16-18.

Ah might not be what you want as it’s one size - but does give actual dimensions on the website which may help? Colour and quality are both lovely.

There are also some lovely things from [MamaOwl] which I covet and from where I bought a few bits and pieces last year.

Mine is short - just above chin length - cut into lots of layers and tousled or, when it's in the mood, out-and-out curly. I've had pretty much the same style all my adult life, occasionally tried to grow it but always come back to this one because my hair is very wilful and I am very lazy.

Thanks all for the new links, that's my Sunday spoken for

Short crop here. I’ve given up colouring it so it’s streaky white at the temples but light brown elsewhere. Sometimes I tease it up to into a quiff. I love it. Very like this. This isn’t me though, I’m not as fierce looking.

Mine is short, not quite pixie cut, and curly. At 66, I've got used to wrangling it.

Loving the quiff, you look perfect for this thread:) I have straggly fine bendy hair that won't ever match the image I have of myself rolling around the coast in my chunky fisherman's knits and donegal cap. One whiff of humidity and my hair puffs up like a bloated fuzzy felt.

I fight to wear it down/loose as I either have to apply heat to smooth it, and then it still looks weird and dry no matter the expense of the product, or go with the flow and have a mass of fuzzy looking mismatched waves. I have tried everything from curly girl (just no) to keratin and would like to just give up and trust nature.

And lol, our Monty sure embraced his lovely curls! I wonder why we women always seem to have stress and expense with our hair yet men tend to just go with it? I know some of them are fussier than others, but they always look great whether long, curly, grey or bald. I think we might be conditioned (excuse the pun) to judge ourselves too harshly.

I also think the trends in recent decades for excessively shiny hair are due a turnabout.

I’ve my eye on www.adaysmarch.com/uk/women/categories/core-uniform for a linen suit next year, for my Margaret Howell-esque fancies…

I’ve bought myself this jacket, from Seasalt. I absolutely love it, put it on and it felt like coming home. I know it will only get better with age. And I do think it’s very Monty. But I’m not sure what to wear it with apart from everything and to hell with whether it works. I’m hoping for a beautiful fairisle jumper for Christmas, but meanwhile denim wrap skirt and plain navy jumper?
curly shoulder length hair here. I’ve never straightened it altho hairdressers sometimes have, as if they were doing me a favour. I think I look old and stern with straight hair.1