Can we talk about clothing brands and target demographics?

[CrkdLttrCrkdLttr]

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.

I love Cabbages and Roses, although can't always justify the cost. Haven't purchased anything though so difficult to judge.

I wonder who, exactly, their target is?
I am definitely in there, to some degree, albeit not so flouncy.

I can definitely see Helena Bonham Carter in this stuff, with a more downtrodden edge. I have long aspired to her hair 'don'ts' (as opposed to 'do's), so perhaps worth some more perusal?
Perhaps the C&R woman is financially carefree, although not exactly concerned about the ethical. I see someone who wishes to denounce trends, with an eye for updated traditional. You can go either way here, both femme and masc, and quite beautifully so.
They pretend to imagine their customers in a sprawling country house, as unrealistic, statistically as that is. Some of us can envisage this, nonetheless, from either our new builds or our city centre flats.

Quite a few pieces at C&R are made in China. It's a tricky one...

The blue brocade dress was dry clean only with a white cotton collar!

I thought they might have made the collar removable by buttoning it on rather than sewing it on. Dresses don't need to be cleaned or washed after every way, but not being able to wash the collar made it very impractical.

Quite a few pieces at C&R are made in China. It's a tricky one...

i haven't checked everything on the site but I didn't find anything which wasn't listed as "made in the UK" or "sewn in the UK" . My dress and long cotton coat say made in the UK

This is one example.

Great thread

I do love a clothes rumination.

I'm drawn to almost aggressively simple clothes.

I've just bought this dress. It's so brilliantly simple.

Dress heaven, Natasha! Especially the blue one. Love that style. I also loved The English, and was fascinated to read that they changed the colour of her wardrobe to reference a bruise - from pale pink when she arrived in the US, her dresses getting darker from scarlet to deep purple by the end.

Love the Plumo one too - those embroidered flowers! I love details like that, and am a sucker for embroidery.

Love that dress and it's simplicity Rhadamanth, the armscye is really nicely done, just a bit lower and further in than you anticipate and perceive initially, it's a really nice detail. I have a lovely jumper from that brand, they do have quite a few pieces with super expensive innovative Japanese fabrics. The brand name makes it a pain to Google though, but it's one of those that silently just showed up out of nowhere and follows me around saying buy me.

Weirdly enough the first time I came across Cabbages & Roses was on a Japanese influencer who wore it somewhat ironically, then I saw it mentioned on MN so at that point I assumed it was a bit like MH, older British women and a niche base in Asia.

Oh! I’ve admired all your dresses (fluted sleeves, knitted roses!) - but I’m sitting in bed wrestling with how I might make my best beloved Co dress suitable for a day of Tube and taxis. Having spent most of the year so far confined by a million viruses, I’ve had almost no chance to wear it. But I suspect it really isn’t a practical choice for my week.

Yours looks perfect for a Summer city day, @RhadamanthNemes. I still perceive most of the Co stuff as rather too heavy and grown up (not to speak of £££ outside sales) for me (proud Senior Railcard holder) - it maybe needs a judicious admixture of something rakish from Ann Demeulemeester.

I love Ann Demeulemeester (but let's ignore the random sizing) and have quite the collection now but I absolutely hated the latest show with the new designer. I'm still pissed about the direction they seem to want to take the brand and I'm aware I really shouldn't care this much but I hate it when a good thing gets ruined. (I'm not over Hedi Slimane at Celine either, thankfully PP looks to finally have gotten her brand going so I may finally get over it).

You'll wear that forever. It'll be really easy to wear. It's also a "blimey I look awful today, what will instantly improve me with no or minimal effort" dress. (If you ever feel that way)

This thread is such a happy space! I'm having a coffee & enjoying looking up all the links / suggestions immensely! Tjabk you all.
Can I ask what bags & shoes you all love? I'm sure there's a wealth of new brands to discover from you all.
@NatashaDancing has already shared some boots she has & they were both boots I'd already looked at & noted & loved.

I have some gorgeous Tracey Neuls boots which I adore & currently loving some block heel ankle boots from BA&SH for evenings

I'm so curious to see what you all have

Ha! Read this in the Vogue runway review:

De Saint Sernin has carved a niche for himself with sex-positive crystal chainmail tanks and leather micro shorts for all genders, but Demeulemeester’s fans are fiercely loyal, and not likely to be easily won over by the new kid on the block—especially perhaps if that new kid isn’t a woman.

Lordy … Some of the Autumn collection does look as if he’s hoping to dress the next season of P-Valley (I am bereft at the moment - all the characters left in limbo …). I hope there’ll still be some boots left for the day I finally reach a birthday significant enough to merit them.

People were relating above how they go about choosing outfits - and I thought I had nothing to say because my ‘process’ feels so random. ‘Buy gorgeous, irresistible garment; force it to play nicely with what I already have …’ I’ve fallen in love with more La Fetiche knitwear and have been thinking constantly about how it might work for various entertainments later this year. But every time I see something exciting a voice in my head says - wait, Phoebe Philo is coming … 😻 (In truth I’ll probably find myself dashing into TK Maxx the day before any event, but the dreaming is fun.🙄)

I'm not hugely fussed about bags. I've got 5 Longchamp Pliage which I've had for ages. I like Radley cross body pocket bags. Particularly like them when I'm in London or other big cities as they're very secure and safe. They're ancient too.

I have 2 black patent bags from Lulu Guinness which I use for ultra smart/ evening - again ancient , and a stone, patent very "handbaggy" traditional handbag, also Lulu Guinness also ancient.

Shoes- lots of Pretty Ballerina flat and low heeled pumps and LKB Bennet and Hobbs , mainly low heeled courts, with delicate heels. Basically

I have lots of shoes but as they get circulation of use they last for ages. The PB pumps I'm wearing just now (black suede with pointy patent toe and a velvet bow) made their first appearance at Hogmanay 2009.

I've still got Helen Bateman courts (Edinburgh and Perth posters will recognise the name) and they shut up shot about 10 years ago. At a formal dinner last month a pair of black, high heeled, round toed courts with pink trims were perfect for a black and pink Eponine dress. They were bought sometime before 2008.

Thanks @NatashaDancing !
I've fallen down a La Fetiche knitwear rabbit hole 😍

NatashaDancing has already shared some boots she has & they were both boots I'd already looked at & noted & loved.

Credit is due to an MNetter for pointing me towards those brands.

Ha, that Vogue coverage is me in a nutshell, that type of forced sexiness is boring and has been done a zillion times before, I doubt Ann's great muse Patti Smith is interested either. Thank god for Haider Ackermann, if he aborts ship I'll have to hunt him down and force him back to work.

I'm also weighing every purchase against 'but what about Phoebe's new brand', reality is, when I finally get my hands on some the upper arms will be murderously tight and I will be desperately trying to love something else but I will really love the thing with the too tight arms...

Shoes and bags, ahem, let's not discuss where all that money went 😑 it's where I go most out there and probably deviate out of what most of MN is into, and I am happy to suffer in the name of sheer beauty while I still can. I'd divulge but I doubt anyone here is really interested.

@CrunchyCarrot , they're rather lovely, aren't they. Thanks for the photo.

I'm really interested @botemp. Seriously.

Well of course we’re interested …

I admit my shoe buying has been decimated by the turn to online ordering. It’s so much more likely to be wrong. And since I rarely go into shops any more I just don’t see shoes to buy. Luckily, several years ago, through YBD and LN-CC I stumbled upon a shoemaker at the start of her career. I bought Chelsea boots and two pairs of shoes. They’ve sustained me for nearly a decade (with repeated re-heeling and soling). Pointless to name as all trace of designer and brand has disappeared, even from Google. (First photo below - they look close to these from Gabriela Hearst.)

So apart from random emergency pairs of sandals and activity specific things I’m pretty abstemious. I long for boots from Guidi and Paul Harnden - longing must feed me for now … Trainers have almost completely passed me by.

I can’t talk about bags. I threw away a treasure about 20 years ago and will spend the rest of my life regretting it.😾😹

A new joiner. I love this thread. Lots of wonderful respectful discussion. Some reactions previously I can understand especially as debate or discussion doesn’t seem to be MN norm.

i loved the sub topics- historical clothes reminds me of a friend whose dad worked in the British Museum and seemed to imbibe a level or careful curiosity about about textiles.

And “uniforms” are something that’s stuck with e from a teen and the tribal divisions. I’m in the MN default of young children, permanent illness and a feeling of no time ( though no feckless husband). My approach has been to slowly upgrade defaults with something more interesting, researched lying next to a bed or mildly bleary at 5am. Ideally I’d be wearing knitted hotpants as pjs but my track record on shrinking….

cos was a saviour- I love navy blue and the occasional patterns and pops of neon are right up my street. Vinted has been very fruitful for me- sell kids jacket, buy a knitted bias cut skirt. But the beyond is so exciting! I’m not ethereal but lots of lovely open idea here.

LN-CC I loved and had forgotten. Thank you for that.

Shoes are a tricky one- I think Tracey neuls now has a store in kings x which is better than our local stocking 2 (lovely) styles. There used to be a big place in Covent Garden ( natural shoe shop) which did some good brands. I’ve acquired 2 church’s about 10years back and they have done me good.

I LOVE those shoes @Enheduanna ! They look glamorous & comfortable- not an easy feat!

I've been eyeing up Nomasei shoes online they're ex Chloe designer apparently & I love the look of some of their shoes / sandals but I haven't taken the plunge so far.

Have any of you come across them? Would love to hear feedback

I really love both of these

@Enheduanna not quite!

I never answered the thread topic though. I have a rocky relationship with being marketed to from a clothes perspective. I’m early 40s SE Asian, not lean as standard, and when some fundamental aesthetic sensibilities were being formed, brands didn’t market to me, or so i felt. Quite liberating in hindsight. I wish all brands would embrace the fact that people don’t have to live and breathe their vision of their brand

I spent youth traipsing around Rokit and Camden market, forming identity and taste and clothes are tied up with that for me. Different type of “branding”. Though no purple cord flares anymore.