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...

Toast, Old Town, vintage work wear...

My local garden centre has a big section of women's clothing - lots of linen tunics and trousers.

For full disclosure, when I was gardening almost full time I wore mostly a favoured man's cast offs, or stuff from the farm shop down the road, or t shirts picked up from Somerset markets, for all the actual labour. Those were all magnificent clothes ...

[quote GlubGlubGlub]@WeirdArchitecture are you originally from the highlands/Shetland by any chance? I don’t think that most posters will know what a Gansey is!

They do great ones here www.shetlandknitwear.com/[/quote]
I happen to know Monty gets his ganzies from a shop in Hoswick @GlubGlubGlub !

Well, this is a great thread!
I agree with the last poster, and would look at some men's clothing too.
I am smaller than you (just 5'0"!) and find that a small at Sainsbury's men's fits perfectly. They have lots of Monty Don type clothing - soft twill trousers and shorts (I haven't tried trousers as I'm too short, just tops), brushed cotton shirts- the country type, Tattersall check/rydale type- gilets, cords, hats etc. Lovely lambswool jumpers too.

OP, greetings from Australia. You might find some joy in Eva's Sunday, a Melbourne label with lots of cotton and linen pieces that you can layer for the seasons. I love their clothes, as they're beautifully made and suit all ages.
The caveat is that you need a good pair of shoulders to wear them ... and as I don't have that physique, I admire them on my broad-shouldered, boobaceous friend, who looks amazing.

To further the point about garden centres, quite a lot of this sort of clothing is sold at country fairs and the big equestrian events and similar. Lots of them aren't happening right now, but what try a look if you ever get the urge to go to one.

If you're in the north, for the plain, practical more rugged stuff, don't overlook places like the Richmond Trading Company (there are probably similar round the country, a sort of 'sells everything' place, including clothes and haberdashery, alongside garden and household stuff. Also what I call 'hippy' shops (joss sticks, crystals, cheap jewellery from India, probably bongs) usually have clothes and although you might have to dig through some weird stuff with a completely different vibe, you can find great stuff in there.

Main purveyor of linen (wafts, layerable) round here is an independent boutique, so if you're shopping in RL drop to any you see. I have some recollection of recommendations for some shops in Brighton that sell linen clothes but I can't remember the names - but I mention then in case someone else knows

Finally, Poetry www.poetryfashion.co.uk/
which almost certainly won't have dungarees, but which does seem to fit what you're after in general.

Yy to Margaret Howell

Well I have in the past bought small men’s linen stuff and his jacket in partic. For utility/gardening general mooching about. Why not ? Amazon ‘workwear’ search comes up with some interesting unisex stuff. Agree with women’s designers mentioned above.

@frogswimming

Would you say he's like the male Charlie Dimmock? Where does she shop?

No! Carole Klein would be the female equivalent.

Not in type of clothes, but in having their own style

I also like Monty Dons style but DH won't cooperate, in his defence he's tall slim and bald so I'm not sure it would suit him!
When I garden i tend to wear overalls from the farm shop but i have similar aspirations to the OP for off duty clothes. I used to buy Toast but my budget is tighter these days I've been mulling over buying sewing patterns and fabric from Merchant & Mills and making some, the virtue in this being i can just keep making than if i like them in different colours etc.
If you can find a local dressmaker you could get someone else to do the sewing for you, often not as expensive as you'd think.
I just have to finish repointing some walls, painting some windows, replanting half the back garden first... Wish I had Monty's staff/budget.

Hmm ... Monty Don's female equivalent (Edmontine) would probably need some London clothes, too - for in person (!) studio interviews, Chelsea Flower Show hobnobbing, lunches with agents and producers ...

For all those she'd wear Studio Nicholson.

For meeting London friends she'd wear La Fetiche.

Gosh, she leads a lovely life ...

Love this. Try also De Toujours.

Stonecrop - how could you? De Toujours is a secret!

I forgot to do a clicky link merchantandmills.com/

Blimey just looked at de toujours. I bought something v similar when I owned a wild flower field and an Austrian scythe. I did NOT pay £500 ?!?

I'm trying to remember the name of the company that used to sell traditional ethnic /regional clothing in the late eighties early nineties. They used to advertise in Country Living and the Sunday supplements, I had a traditional Hungarian horsemans shirt from them... Why did i get rid of that?

@Wbeezer Wealth of Nations?
Did a lot of traditional work clothes from around the globe.

Liking the contrast between those who buy their workwear from the farm supplies shop and those who would buy from De Toujours and probably fling a tulle ballet skirt in their basket.
I enjoy looking at lovely things, I trained as an artist, then a gardener but these days the benefit of working outdoors is that my overalls mean nobody is looking at my clothes!

That's it @Postdatedpandemic, i had a couple of things from them (and so did my mother!).

Oh I love this thread. Definitely Margaret Howel. Also accessories from Ally Capellino

Seasalt

Toast

No not sea salt surely ? Sorry have a (possibly irrational) hatred. Mimsy cutesy twee (used to have some interesting prints every now and then). Aware the mn love of seasalt is sometimes strong.