Style & Beauty
Can we talk about clothing brands and target demographics?
CrkdLttrCrkdLttr · 28/02/2023 13:33
Because I’m thinking about the brands that form the core of my ‘going out to meet other grown ups’ wardrobe, and laughing at the Margaret Howell mail shot I’ve just opened. (Socks and sandals photo.) Beautiful young model, and each garment will be wonderfully well made - but I know no one under fifty who wears MH. That’s fine - but I wish the marketing acknowledged the fact.
When a brand does make an effort to engage with the real buyers of its clothes I’m full of awe and gratitude - Raey at Matches is usually great at this.
Studio Nicholson hovers somewhere in between. Again, everyone I know (in the UK) who wears their clothes is older and richer than me, probably in a creative profession. Not a wispy 20 year old.
I never used to care. But I’m wondering if marketing is the reason 99% of the middle aged and older women on MN exclaim that there are no decent clothes for them. There are - but not every brand tells you so.
botemp · 28/02/2023 13:46
Margaret Howell is a difficult one, it has a huge demographic of young 20-30 something year olds in Asia, it's a huge part of their income and the emails tend to cater to that imo. They probably could cater it differently by refion, but they probably don't have the budget for it so they focus on the demographic that earns them the most now or long term. You see this with more brands, Europe is nice to lean on for origin stories and heritage prestige but from a marketing point we're not a priority.
Studio Nicholson is definitely popular among young-ish creative types I know, primarily men, the women's clothes seem a bit of side gig tbh. I only buy it secondhand, it's nice enough but I'm just too short for the more signature pieces so don't really feel inclined to pay a premium for dull items.
Sofie d'Hoore is an interesting one, they pitch older but I know a lot of young women who adore it and save up for it.
missmoon · 28/02/2023 13:51
This is an interesting point, and I've often wondered about MH, especially the dresses, which look very odd on the younger models. However, I think this is true of many mid- to high-end brands, because of the cost, which this limits who can afford them to the older demographics. I have seen quite a range of ages in the MH shops and sample sales, although come to think of it, most of the younger customers might have been Asian tourists.
CrkdLttrCrkdLttr · 28/02/2023 14:07
Yes - I probably should have added ‘in the UK’ to my first paragraph as well. I know MH has a wider base elsewhere. (I was once involved in an UK event where a group of relatively young people were gifted MH vouchers. They’d never heard of the brand and were a bit 
- while all the middle aged people were spitting because we missed out.)
Interested that you know young men who wear SN, @botemp ! I’d assumed they were as rare as unicorns - whereas I’m always spotting successful mature women in their clothes. I adore their knitwear but (as with too many brands) the general standard of design seems to have fallen off a cliff since Covid.
I almost cried after failing to nail down some Sofie d'Hoore jeans last year. There’s too much of a disconnect between the full collection and what’s available from the UK based sites I frequent for me to invest an immoderate amount of love in the brand.
I used to recommend a host of European designers to despairing women of my own age - Brexit has knocked my confidence in carefree ordering now. (And somehow, stupidly, when I’m in Europe, actual physical shops just don’t enter my mind.)
botemp · 28/02/2023 14:40
Men are simple beings, if the 'cool' looking shop with the 'interesting' brands run by that 'friendly old dude' carries something they wear it. It's really endearing when they do the whole deep serious meaningful chat about 'discovering' something or the other.
Tbh there's lots of great brands out there, but on MN price is always a deterring factor and budgets don't seem to move along with age unless you've always been an eager spender when it comes to clothes/fashion. We don't live in a time where high quality indestructible clothes for unrealistic low prices exist anymore but people seem undeterred to keep looking for that unicorn on here. I mean styling definitely doesn't help with seeing past things (see all the OMG what was Zara thinking with their editorial photography threads) but I think it mostly comes down to price on here.
CrkdLttrCrkdLttr · 28/02/2023 14:58
I absolutely love Zara’s styling! Not most of the thin, meanly cut, un-weighty clothes, but the photos are gorgeous. 
I have exhausted myself - here - on the subject of spending money on clothes. Sometimes I’m certain the most vituperative scoffing over a dress costing more than £40 comes from posters married to men with £7k bikes, £10k golf habits, and £50k cars …
CrkdLttrCrkdLttr · 28/02/2023 15:01
@missmoon I’m always thrilled to see someone very young and clearly not English, wearing, say, a completely traditional (and not even vintage!) MaxMara camel coat with tiny shorts and an artfully distressed t shirt. It’s so at odds with the way ‘classic’ clothes are perceived in this country.
MerryChristmasToYou · 28/02/2023 15:13
I bought a fashion magazine for the first time in years this month, and was quite surprised at the adverts for fairly luxurious brands (MaxMara, LoroPiana ...)
They didn't look stuffy.
I thought that the demographic for the brands in your OP were more creatives with the budget, not a particular age. None of the photos has convinced me that I like the clothes.
My budget is more Zara than SN/MH, but by careful shopping, I think I manage to get a similar vibe, even if it's only me who thinks so.
botemp · 28/02/2023 16:15
And sneer at people for caring about brand names yet sneer with the same passion about a university that isn't Oxfordshire or the Russell Group.
I love Zara editorial styling photography too, I mean the clothes really aren't that interesting most of the time. But there's a lot of what I don't understand must be ridiculed on here, it's tiring. Nothing more annoying than a poster asking for £350 knitwear recommendations to be told they can buy ten at the supermarket for that. Or that they would spend that kind of money on a holiday week away.
MerryChristmasToYou · 28/02/2023 19:50
@botemp , are there lots of Oxfordshire universities?
LimeCheesecake · 28/02/2023 20:12
@botemp - a holiday for the whole family, or at least a partner. It’s very very important to some posters on MN that women never spend (relatively) large sums on items that benefit just that woman, women should make sure their money is spent in a way that benefits others. Ideally their children.
botemp · 28/02/2023 20:20
Apologies for that gross oversight, lime, I thought that was a given but specifics matter. I shall self flagellate and buy a community bench for the whole family (that I'm obviously not allowed to sit on) to atone.
MerryChristmasToYou · 28/02/2023 20:25
Thanks @botemp . I think I knew what you meant but I went to a RG uni and will admit to being a bit of a snob.
I will also admit to owning at least one expensive item of clothing. I knew when I saw it that it was perfect for me, and that I would always love it. I still do. It doesn't particularly scream 'brand name' and at a glance probably looks quite boring, but I love it and that's what matters. I had the money at the time.
If I bought MH or SN, it would need to be perfect. If it's from somewhere like Primark, then it's probably an it'll do.
MerryChristmasToYou · 28/02/2023 20:41
Weird post.
Sneering, humorous, facile or whatever?
astarsheis · 28/02/2023 20:42
TBH Margret Howell my styling and I can afford it. Studio Nicholson, I like but am just too small for this type of styling.
As far as demographic is concerned I don't really take much notice.
If I look in my wardrobe, I have a whole mix of High Street, from H&M, Zara, All Saints, COS , Reiss etc but then I also like a bit of designer here and there Moncler, Prada, Z&V, Isabel Marant, YSL and love a bit of Maxmara too. I just mix stuff up and also buy a bit pre-loved now. I just wear and buy what I like.
And I am the one with the £7000 road bike...not the husband.
CrkdLttrCrkdLttr · 28/02/2023 20:54
It’s very very important to some posters on MN that women never spend (relatively) large sums on items that benefit just that woman,
Indeed. It makes a mockery of having a Style & Beauty board. Particularly where a thread is focussed on someone who may not be 25 and may not be a size 10 and is convinced they’re too old to wear … pretty much anything.
More expensive clothing brands aren’t going to market themselves as being designed to flatter more mature bodies - (or at least a wider range of bodies) so their clothes are read, instead, as ‘luxury’. Which means threads full of posters proclaiming there are no suitable clothes in any shop, anywhere.
Lykia · 28/02/2023 21:14
A while back NM had a Clothes topic as well as style and beauty. It wasn't very busy so they got rid of it. I suppose Clothes is too vague a topic.
I think NM needs a Fashion and Style topic for posters who want to discuss these and are interested in discussing F&S.
Beauty should be separate topic and there should be another one to discuss clothes ie where to find good quality tees/well fitting jeans/ a V neck jumper./ comfortable trainers etc ie Good functional basics but not necessarily fashion and style.
roundcork · 28/02/2023 21:19
Interesting.
im probably thay demographic. Late 40's, more cash to spend and don't want to look like the stripy joules school mum anymore. Where would you send me?
NatashaDancing · 28/02/2023 22:20
I can afford Margaret Howell. I'm probably their demographic. I own cotton dresses which are in the price range of this. No way would I pay £565 for it
www.margarethowell.co.uk/womens/all/dresses/drawcord-dress-washed-cotton-black
Who is the demographic for Batsheva?
batsheva.com/en-gb/collections/dresses/products/clemmie-dress-in-medium-blue-denim?variant=43584983236857
thedevilinablackdress · 28/02/2023 22:48
Who is the demographic for Batsheva?
People looking for a more daytime version of The Vampire's Wife?
NatashaDancing · 28/02/2023 22:54
thedevilinablackdress · 28/02/2023 22:48
Who is the demographic for Batsheva?
People looking for a more daytime version of The Vampire's Wife?
Good point. Batsheva is bonkers but more wearable than The Vampire's Wife.
I'm very tempted by the denim dress or this Laura Ashley one
batsheva.com/en-gb/collections/batsheva-x-laura-ashley/products/laura-ashley-x-batsheva-waverly-dress-in-blue-manafon?variant=43238764740857
mewkins · 28/02/2023 23:43
NatashaDancing · 28/02/2023 22:20
I can afford Margaret Howell. I'm probably their demographic. I own cotton dresses which are in the price range of this. No way would I pay £565 for it
www.margarethowell.co.uk/womens/all/dresses/drawcord-dress-washed-cotton-black
Who is the demographic for Batsheva?
batsheva.com/en-gb/collections/dresses/products/clemmie-dress-in-medium-blue-denim?variant=43584983236857
Wet Leg (the band)? 😄
I quite like both of those dresses though.
NatashaDancing · 01/03/2023 00:46
I've got all of these bookmarked. I do wonder as others have said, who the demographic is. Very expensive dresses modelled on very young women. I like all of them and I've got some similar dresses.
Most of the links are very expensive and some quite OTT. The designers are all well established so somebody is buying them but who and where are they?
www.high-everydaycouture.com/gb_en/woman/spring-summer/categories/dresses.html
opioneers.co.uk/shop
daydress.co.uk/collections/the-dresses
www.justinetabak.co.uk/collections/dresses
www.renlisu.com/collections/blouses-1
horror-vacui.com/collections/dresses
NatashaDancing · 01/03/2023 01:18
Just noticed the Batsheva Laura Ashley dress is £290 on Matches.com, £262 direct from Batsheva and £240 on Coggles.
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