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.

@Enheduanna Hahahaha!

I had some horrendous adverts appearing after clicking on a wedding guest thread.

The Mrs Danvers dress point is interesting. I used to have quite a stock of Mrs Danvers #2 tailored dresses and suits. Mixture of Planet, Alexon, Windsmoor et al, Laura Ashley (along with floral frocks they did really nice tailored wear) Jaeger and Paddy Campbell. So upper end of high street to lower end of what might be a "label" but nothing outrageously expensive.

All the skirts and dresses were wool crepe or wool flannel and all were lined and mostly made in UK. None of these brands exist now, other than Jaeger (which is a shadow of what it used to be)

Lined dresses are like hen's teeth. Following the post of the Mrs Danvers dress I looked for similar wool dresses (I can't justify £3,500) but couldn't only find one at around £1,000.

😁

It's not quite the same but Loulou studio Albane's dress is similar. In winter they did it in solid tweed. But they tend to only do black and white and some other colours but not usually navy.

I use adblockers but if I've switched it off for something and then come on MN having forgot to switch it on again, I get ads for 50k fur coats from Mytheresa, secondhand shipping containers and artificial limbs from China 🤣 I've concocted a narrative that Google thinks I'm a higher up drug dealer, the coat speaks for itself (money laundering), the shipping container is to use as a torture chamber and the limbs to scare whoever crossed me with...

Enheduanna what is this your cat nonsense, the cat keeps you, not the other way round.

I only think recycled polyester is a preferred choice if you were going to buy polyester anyhow (like tights, athletic stuff, swimwear). There was a lot of marketing around the harvested from ocean recycled plastic, it had a teeny tiny amount of actual ocean plastic in. Most recycled polyester usually has a percentage new polyester mixed in as well.

Very pleased it’s been resolved without escalation, @CrunchyCarrot! It was a lovely dress but not worth having your brain / lungs fried for. (I hope the actual physical return isn’t inconvenient for you. I was pleased to find that my own frock return was made easier by the shop sending it with a return address label for the courier. In the past they’ve always required the customer to print one out at home. Which is rubbish if you’ve dispensed with your printer.)

One part of of a hastily cobbled together outfit a few days ago has brought me particular delight - a Budd shirt (from the Bailey & Budd laydee offshoot). It’s maybe two or three years old now and becoming better and better - after each laundering it’s both softer and amazingly, slightly brighter in colour. I hadn’t bought anything from them before. (Decades ago career success was marked by a progression from off-the-shelf Pink to bespoke Turnbull & Asser …) At around the same time I bought an emergency lockdown shirt from Uniqlo that cost one tenth of the Budd price - and shook my head at my own profligacy. I have to say the Uniqlo shirt - from the Jil Sander collab - is beautifully designed, but the fabric was, and remains really pretty horrible. Don’t know what they did to the cotton but it’s vaguely shiny and has never softened one iota; still crackly and ungiving. Anyway, the better one is leading me back to being in love with stripy shirts - I’ve rather missed them.

@AdventFridgeOfShame , they're not for me. Far too voluminous.

This morning my DKitten curled her front paws around my wrist and started licking me and biting me gently. It was so sweet.

Here's a better pic of the dress than on their site.

That's lovely but not as nice as The Row Mrs Danvers.

This is the one I found. £795 not £1,000. It's not as nice either.

www.beulahlondon.com/collections/dresses/products/ahana-black-dress

From what I understand, recycling as a process isn't all that green, and once recycled it can't be re-recycled. I can't quote a source.
I do wear polyester, but I try to re-use it before it goes to recycling.
The polyester I wear is technical clothing and the thread that is used in cotton clothing.

Of course it's not as nice as The Row but it's also a tenth of the price of The Row 🤷

I’m really enjoying browsing this thread! I’m trying to be more mindful with my spending and buying more second hand etc. Have had some luck with vinted (just got a thick pure linen maxi dress that seems quite well made and beautifully tailored for £3). Some lovely brands to look out for (and a lot more interesting than what you can get in my increasingly depressing town centre).

I agree with all the comments re quality and lining etc. I buy a lot of vintage. Got a late 1950/60s sundress with a little matching cape/jacket today for a wedding. It’s not lined but the print is matched perfectly which you just don’t see anymore, even in high end brands!

Oh how disappointing to read that about sea plastic. My specs are made of that stuff.

Enjoying the cat chat.

Deutsche Welle's Planet channel is good for journalism on sustainability but it does get a bit depressing. Here was their report on recycled ocean plastic:

@Enheduanna your ds’s suit sounds gorgeous. My ds would be in seventh heaven, but as he’s only 10 he will have to just dream. He did go to World Book Day last week in a very classy linen jacket though (thank you Vinted).

He was Aziraphale the angel from Good Omens, and he definitely stood out from the football shirt wearers and throngs of Harry Potters. In fact he came home still in full outfit, dickie bow, wings and all, telling me he was the only one to get changed back into his outfit after PE, because it made him happy. I told him that a good outfit should do that.

Wow Botemp that video is an eye opener. I’ve just looked up my specs’ manufacturer (Sea 2 See) and they claim the specs are made of only ocean plastic. I wonder if they actually are.

Your ds sounds lovely. Mine does fencing too! Clearly cut from the same cloth.

Oooh, I have found a small, green (dead stock fabric), made in Europe place. And I want one of their items. cossac.co/pages/factories-suppliers

Linings are weird, there used to be until about 7 years ago a dress shop in town that sold mother of the bride, sloggi, triumph, a few day dresses and even fewer work dresses. Most dresses had linings, I picked up a knee length, fitted, wool dress or about £100 and it really did compare with far more expensive ones. It was most definitely the sort of shop that people who wear half slips went to.

This Winter I got a long, teddy fleece gilet from Matalan (yes it was me buying them ) and was rather surprised how well made it was. It has even survived a good few washes as it is a smell magnet.

@Enheduanna , she's quite old for a kitten at 8 months, but it was so sweet.
DCat, RIP, used to lick my ears when I was asleep. That was not so pleasant. DCat's elderly tongue was rough. Fortunately, I usually sleep with my head covered so it was a rare event. I still miss DCat, so DKitten will probably remain DKitten.

Loving the 10 year-old son who loved his world book day outfit. When my son was his age, Stella, McCartney did a range of children's clothes for Gap, and I managed to get him the most gorgeous little jacket.In fact, Carla Bruni wore the jacket on TV: (about halfway down).

https://archive.nytimes.com/runway.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/31/cool-condensed/

Gosh, he loved that jacket! He still got it hanging up in his cupboard. He still likes clothes…

@NatashaDancing I used to have those sorts of dresses too, and wool suits, with lined skirts. You're right, it is ridiculous that you can't get decent wool things, in general, these days.

I did manage to get a long, surprisingly good quality long black wool skirt from Cos recently, but it wasn't lined. Last weekend I had a rummage through my old clothes in the loft, and found my beautiful sky blue Jean Muir dress from about 1998. I am slightly too large for it at the moment, but it's so classic, I could wear it now if I could fit into it comfortably. And it's lined wool crepe.

I do have one polyester dress, which I got from Agnes B years ago. That always looks good, washes well, and I don't think I've ever known it get static but last summer I succumbed to a sale bargain in the form of a polyester blouse from scotch and soda, and it's dreadful. I think at full price, it was something like £160, but even with fabric conditioner, it gets static.

Not very Mrs Danvers, but this is quite lovely and a (relative) bargain

www.theoutnet.com/en-gb/shop/product/oscar-de-la-renta/dresses/midi-dress/printed-wool-and-silk-blend-midi-dress/1647597305299502

www.suzannah.com/collections/dresses/products/hunter-coat-dress-navy-velvet-1

Another Mrs Danvers dress. This is navy velvet.