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 have been painting watercolour flowers recently, more in the style of Elizabeth Blackadder than a precise botanical rendering. It's as close to monsieur Don as I am going to get at the moment. I am currently sporting roll up straight leg jeans from Crewe clothing and a lovely second hand Toast Guernsey. I dearly coveted those dutch trousers at Carrier Co but felt drowned alive in them.

Have you tried the dutch trousers @DancingFroglet? I've vented about the sizing instructions before so I won't repeat it all but I'd love to hear a report from someone who's seen them for real.

I'm afraid I can't link as there'll be a paywall to navigate (I read it the old fashioned way in the newspaper) but The Times had a whole piece yesterday on where to find a jacket like Monty Don's. We were way ahead of the curve, Ladies!

Excellent, @Floisme! I saw it and thought of this thread - but my thinking went no further.

This should work (though I miss paper…):

Why we all want Monty Don’s chore jacket

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/e4b43593-c9b8-4573-be71-c8e9a5403571?shareToken=2b29c9e3c5094a03aa48aba4d6fecdc4

For fans of this style, a new name from California: Jess Kamm. Unfortunately WAY above my means!

Oh yes, I’m always stumbling across Jess Kamm on

https://aimelondon.com/

Rebooting for autumn shopping inspiration.

Signing in and needing some Monty inspiration.

Cabbages and Roses gone.

Toast still appeals onscreen but the fabrics are thinner and I don't trust the sizing any more (although I've just bought a second hand skirt with a pleasing Margaret Howell vibe).

And the blessed Margaret herself is right out of my league now. I didn't even dare check her sales.

I'm wearing more and more vintage but I need contemporary things too - I don't want to look like I'm off to Goodwood.

In the last month I have, finally, made my first purchases from two brands I mentioned here - but they’re both such tiny enterprises I’d be reluctant to draw attention to them for fear of unlimited MN generated competition for scarce goods.

Both online, and both offered immaculate, personalised service. In a Monty Don life my new coat would have to be reserved for participating in State Visits to foreign gardens, but I’m very much hoping that in about a decade the linen trousers will be ready for a second life as gardening wear!

(NB - there was nothing I wanted from the MH sale this summer - but it is still the case that if you hold your nerve until the very final days some of the MHL prices are essentially … Zara. 🤫)

I have very little money and a lifestyle that centres gardening and walking my dog, so much as I wish I’d bought Margaret Howell when I worked, truth is I had a lot of children and even less money for me. I have bought this jumper in the H&M sale- £14.00. It’s a 60/40 cotton/acrylic mix, but it feels heavenly and has washed well. It’s orange though, but a really juicy orange.
I’ve also bought some lovely barefoot Merrells, , pull on jeans from Cos, a long sleeved, navy blue dress from And/or in cotton poplin, and a blue cotton jacket from the same brand, all in the sale. All definitely Monty worthy. So that’s me sorted.

I still have that Rowan book, knitted a couple of things out of it at the time but a mouse chewed through them in storage to make an artisanal nest!

You never sound as if you need inspiration - I always want to see a photo when you describe what you wear going out for lunch etc!!!

I still buy Toast. Occasionally in the sale - but otherwise via Vinted/eBay as a) the environment, b) I'm poor these days, & c) I love the thrill of the hunt! I know lots of people on here talk about the quality getting much worse, but I have some older pieces & don't find it drastically changed?

I have some knitwear, but have never found trousers to fit/suit (especially since my waist disappeared!). It's mainly the skirts & dresses that I buy. I recently found this inky navy cotton/linen shirtdress, with a pleated waist (which actually makes me look as if I have one!). If the red version pops up, I will grab that too!

(Btw, unlike the photo, I have not worn mine over trousers! Feeling slightly hesitant about this trend, as I'm old enough to have worn - & loved - it first time around. That's usually my rule as to whether or not I should wear it now ... but then I think fuck it, I never was very good at following rules!!! Still havering about it though ... what would Monty do?!!!)

Do you follow any fashion/style stuff on Insta, @Floisme ? My Insta is mostly garden-design-related (inspirational professional stuff), but there are a few people I enjoy. Not necessarily my style as such (& it would be very worrying if I had a doppelgänger out there!), but I find them good for making me think about my existing wardrobe & wearing what I have slightly differently.

I like this woman's account - especially for her use of colour. I think some of the posters on this thread - & maybe even the man himself - might enjoy her posts ... She has also introduced me to some brands like World of Crow & Girls of Dust that I hadn't come across before.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DbxhfI2DRoj/?igsi=MTg0NTZsejdiOWZ5Mg==

She has, however, also MADE me hunt down & finally get hold of this skirt, after spotting it on one of her posts!

I had seen it at the time on Toast but it was when I went freelance - a zero purchase period of impecunity in my life! I'm very glad I saw it again as it's been one of my best purchases this summer - & it pairs beautifully with a navy jersey & poplin top with big puffed 3/4 sleeves from Jigsaw, which I'd bought on Vinted the month before & couldn't find a way to wear it well. The overall effect is Spanish flamenco dancer meets Cornish potter ... but it works (I think)!!!

https://worldofcrow.com/collections/dresses US-based though.

https://www.eatdustclothing.com/?gadsource=1&gadcampaignid=11426853330&gclid=CjwKCAjw-rTUBhAiEiwADv8gBPBtOTipxZ3F9c5QoK6dRNSi3ATAjuX138TlBMpLD4O6M7MphxH4hoCtHsQAvDBwE It's actually Eat Dust Clothing, Girls of Dust. Nice workwear-style pieces.

Havent bought from either, but they're enjoyable to browse through!

I liked that Toast skirt when I first saw it - but just couldn’t see the necessity for it in my wardrobe. It reminded me wonderfully of photos of my mother in the 1950s.

And I’m always recommending Girls of Dust here. Deathly silence ensues … 😂

Oh there's never a necessity - just desire!!!

Yes, the print is very much abstract 50s - I love that type of print (& have several curtains languishing in a box somewhere, waiting to be made into skirts ... soon, soon!!!).

I've still to have a proper look at the Girls of Dust site, but it looks great for denim/shirts/workwear-style pieces. My own personal frustration on S&B is when I post photos of/links to "proper" vintage clothing/jewellery etc - I can hear the wind whistling then too!

And yet people will happily spend £200-600 for a special occasion on a polyester/nylon hastily-stitched dress that's one of thousands, made in a factory in China - when they could have an original & silk/cashmere/velvet Hardy Amies/Bernat Klein/Leonard Paris that's often hand-stitched & one-of-a-kind - for less??!!

What a nice thing to say, thank you! It sounds like you're more into Toast dresses whereas I'm a long standing fan of their trousers - either stalked into the sales or second hand. But I've sent back the last two pairs (bought in the sales) - badly fitting (and I'd never had trouble with their sizing before then) and in much flimsier fabric than before. I still look out for their older stuff second hand but I find the going rate for Toast on Vinted ridiculous given that you can't try on or return, especially now I don't trust their sizing any more. (Plus I've learned the hard way that, when it's cheaper, there's usually a reason for it.) A local dress agency sometimes has the odd thing and I've had some success with Toast Reworn (who do accept returns) but it's limited.

Also, and more troublingly, I think I might be starting to tire of that signature Toast style of barrel leg and cropped to the ankle. But they still seem wedded to it. So Toast and I are at a crosswords!

I mostly use Insta for vintage and fashion history but I'll check her out, thank you!

I remember that green Toast skirt that you link in your next post. I tracked it but it either never made it into the sales or never got reduced enough for me. I have a 1950s jacket in similar colours but a different print that I'm sure would have worked with it beautifully, so I'm very envious. I think they did one in a brown print that season too that I also coveted.

Hmm maybe I should switch to skirts - they're also easier to alter when they don't fit.

Just noticed a silly typo and it's far too late to edit:
Toast and I are at a crossroads. We've never had any crosswords..... yet...

I agree about the sizing inconsistency making it harder to get a good fit on 2nd hand items@Floisme, especially with the prices as they are. For new I find the 'whats my size' tool a lot of websites use pretty good though. E.g on Community Clothing where it directed me to different sizes in a pair of trousers vs. a pair of shorts, and Toast use the same one I think.

@EleanorMc67 Ive been reading this thread with interest (the recent updates) as I’m partial to a bit of MHL myself and Carrier Compnay for the garden, but I’m wondering if you are the poster who said they enjoy rooting out vintage finds online for people. If that’s the case I was hoping you could help me. I’ll start a separate thread for it though because I don’t want to derail this one.

I do - though I'm sure there are others on here! I know Floisme loves her vintage, & others too.

My very first purchase on eBay, in 2004, was actually on behalf of a friend who was going to a Studio 54 party - & I found her a one-shouldered draped slinky black jersey 70s dress with diamante edging. It was fabulous!!!

Do post what you are after, though I've no idea whether I can help or not. But the search might be fun!! 😁

There used to be a few good dress agencies here in Edinburgh but I think most of them have disappeared, sadly ...

Still quite a few good vintage shops though, & charity shops with high-quality items. And there are a couple of very good vintage fairs. The pickings have become more slender as I've become fatter though!!!