If you have no interest in style or beauty why post?

[TheDead]

I ask this in all seriousness and not to start an argument but it occurred to me that pretty every post at the moment on S&B has several posters essentially saying 'who cares...wear what you like'.

And we all know that's true and actually exactly what does happen but I think S&B IS a place to talk about....well...style & beauty related things!

I don't see the point in opening a thread about 'what should I wear to x, y or z' to post 'no-one cares, wear what you like'

It's just not in the spirit!

I want to chat to fellow posters about all manner of trivial S&B things without being made feel I'm being trivial! My life is stressful & this is an escape at times.

Does anyone else feel the same or am I just feeling cranky?

@SocksAndTheCity that's true! I have a 17 year old dd & I have no desire to dress like her & she doesn't want to dress like me!

I’m mid thirties and when I think of what’s “in” I’m thinking of what’s in for women my age. I have no desire to dress like a teenager as I know I’d look really sad trying to wear a crop top, cargo pants and AF1s 😭😆 I always assume when people say they don’t want to look “mumsy” they mean they don’t want to look like THEIR mums! It’s only been a recent thing for mums of young kids to have their own style (possibly thanks to the internet in part?) - my own mum’s generation cut their hair short when they had kids and dressed like their own mothers. Gen X and Millennials don’t want to do that! Think about it, “mum boots” aren’t the chunky Chelsea boots or Docs or cowboy boots that women with kids these days wear. When people use that term they’re referring to Hotter and Clarks!

I have two blazers from the late 1980s that I love and still wear. But I have removed the gigantic shoulder pads, reshaped the shoulders, and eased out the modified peplum effect they both had.

Speaking of which, I sew and have from an early age, although I don't have the patience for much dressmaking these days. But I can alter pretty much anything and do so on a regular basis. I do think that people who sew tend to keep up with fashion. Some of the best real life conversations about style, fashion, and beauty happen in fabric shops.

I have a beautiful emerald green Harris tweed jacket from Jigsaw I bought in the 80s. It is unwearable today because the shoulder pads are HUGE. Seriously, you forget how enormous shoulder pads were in the 80s. Styles come back round, but there is always a contemporary twist - if you cling dogmatically onto old styles you will look old fashioned. Which is fine, of course people can wear what they want. But this is a Style and Beauty board so I come here to get ideas, not to be told I am frivolous for even noticing.

I end up more on this board due to the skincare / makeup type
posts

but on a similar vein a poster will ask for some recommendations for products or things to try as have found their skin to be looking dry for example and wondering if it’s due to age and they are feeling down about it and posters will pile in how everybody ages and just accept it

or post that roald Dahl quote about a person who has good thoughts can never be ugly

like thanks that’s great but maybe they are just wanting recommendations for a decent moisturiser 😂

@HeadNorth A good tailor can likely re-fashion the shoulders in your jacket.

I would have no idea where to find a 'good tailor' - where does one start looking for such a person?

Closely followed by "are you drinking enough water?"

I'm not in the UK. I'm in a mid-size city in the US and there are several tailor shops near me that specialize in alterations. I used one for one of my projects that I thought was beyond my skill level. As I recall, I got a recommendation from someone at a fabric shop. If you are on Facebook, there might be some recommendations there as well.

I’m in rural Scotland, so I long way from a mid sized American city . I don’t think I have ever seen a ‘tailor shop’. I keep the jacket purely for nostalgia - I was a bridesmaid at my lovely friends register office wedding over 30 years ago - but it would be cool to tweak the shoulders.

My tailor (which isn't half as grand as it sounds) was recommended by a vintage shop round the corner: 'Go and tell him Jackie sent you'. I can do basic alterations myself now but I still find shoulders tricky.

There might be someone who does alterations from their home. Also (easy for me to say, I know) but depending where you are, maybe you could go to a larger town or city in Scotland. I lived in Scotland once upon a time and try to go back when I can so I know rural could mean anything from a 45-minute train ride from Glasgow or a day or more's journey from one of the islands.

I googled "dress alterations plus name of the village/ small town in rural Scotland I grew up in"

That brought up 2 results in a town of less than 2,000 population.

There were loads of results for Skye and Lewis. I think you'd struggle to be so remote you couldn't find anyone.

I love the style and beauty board, although it did make me ditch my waterfall cardigans that I still miss
I don't really understand the obsession on grown women of having the right trainers. Teens yes, because they're a tribal thing, but adult women should buy what they personally like and find comfortable to wear. Since comfort is the purpose of trainers!
I've had Converse and Nike AF1 and Adidas Gazelles and in the Nike especially the back wore away really quickly to expose feet to in padded back of the trainer. This happened with the ones DS and DD had too, which is pretty shit for something that cost around £100.
Same with the converse boots. The Gazelles lasted a while iirc but when you look at trainers in a sports shop, if they didn't have a logo, they often look much of a much. I can't see what male one fool and one frumpy.

I bought guy Skechers yesterday- they are sooo comfy. And to my eye they don't look worse than any other kind of trainer. I think I've decided that I don't care what other people seem cool in this respect.

But I do still love S&B. The discussions are fascinating and because of this board I've discovered some lovely products.

but when you look at trainers in a sports shop, if they didn't have a logo, they often look much of a much. I can't see what male one fool and one frumpy.

I bought guy Skechers yesterday- they are sooo comfy. And to my eye they don't look worse than any other kind of trainer. I think I've decided that I don't care what other people seem cool in this respect.

I agree with you about trainers. Like you I have benefitted a lot from the S and B boards, and love the "how to look expensive" threads, except for the advice to buy a camel coat , but I still maintain that if you removed the logo from all the trainers, that some of the more "frumpy" styles might not be considered frumpy at all.

Does anyone remember the Next "mum boots" many years ago?

What are "mum boots" exactly?

Example of a 'mum boot'

Usually a low heel, unadventurous looking black boot.

Usually worn with bootcut blue jeans

Like the people who go on threads about trainers and declare no-one should wear trainers if they aren't doing a sport (I have totally different ones for running or the gym), or declare them impractical - lots of mine are leather , so water resistant and wipeable, as well as flat and comfortable. If you don't like trainers as fashion, don't bother going on a fucking thread about them.

Because people think they’re being cutting and aloof and so much cooler than everyone else

Or the posters who think they are cool because they will only wear the latest trend, and sneer at people who wear "frumpy" trainers?

I'm glad trainers are now considered acceptable day to day wear as I have worn them with jeans since the 1980s.

You've got such a great memory! I love your descriptions.

@TheDead
I remember around the same time as you are discussing rushing to the shops straight after the gym wearing my leggings, trainers etc as I was in a rush. People actually took a second glance because wearing that stuff in public was a bit weird.

@RampantIvy but do people actually sneer at people wearing frumpy trainers?

I'm on these boards a long time now under various usernames & what prompted me to start this post in the first place was observing a change in behaviour in the past 12 months or so.

Using the current trainers debate as a good example, there was a time when someone could post asking 'what's the latest thing in trainers & they would get lots of responses with people engaging with the question. This would sometimes include pictures of some outlandish catwalk version of whatever was being discussed & by and large the chat was interesting & amicable. You might get the odd poster who would suggest sketchers or the like but the overall thread would be a good chat about new trends in trainers (or whatever)

Now, someone asks what's new & almost instantly the thread derails with volumes of people who are not actually interested in the topic but come on to day stuff like 'oh how childish to even consider what you put on your feet', or 'since when are trainers a thing to wear' or 'who cares, wear what you like' etc etc and it's very dull.

People having a discussion about latest trends in any particular thing is not sneering at others who wear a different type. It's simply a chat, for those who are interested in the subject, about new styles / trends etc

And I asked a question about 7 pages ago - if you see a subject that you are not in the least bit interested in why would you post with no intention of adding anything of value to the discussion other than to make the people who are interested feel bad ?

So far not one person has come back to day why they do it but throughout even this thread we have example after example of people still doing it....