There is a gap in the market for well made, practical, stylish clothes

[Notcontent]

I recently realised that I had not really updated my wardrobe in ages. As a 50 year old slim, petite woman I face challenges finding stuff that actually fits (never had that problem 10 years ago) and had a separate thread in that. But I recently realise that actually, the problem is much bigger - it’s actually really hard to find interesting, good quality clothes.

i actually have a decent budget. I don’t have the budget to spend £500 on a dress or jacket. But would be happy to spend £150 on a well made pair of trousers. I suddenly see the attraction of some Boden clothes, which I never thought I would say…

I keep looking on Sezane, for example, but I think they used to have better quality things - but recently all their dresses, for example, seem to have a “young model on holiday” vibe, so not for me.

Me and em seems really expansive for what it is. They also seem to cater for only incredibly tall women…

What I am looking for is something like Boden, but a bit better quality and with fewer “fun prints”. Looking at what goes out of stock, I think there are a lot of women looking for something similar.

Can anyone relate?

I agree, I'm not petite but my sisters and daughter are.
My mind immediately sprang to Uniqlo. Karen Millen has a petite section, M&S can be quite good. Poetry inner leg length is 29" so it depends on how petite you are.

Thanks @ReadingTrain
i guess my comment was about clothes in general, not just petite sizes, although that is an additional challenge!!

I do actually really like Uniqlo - but more for basics (e.g. their heattech range) rather than anything else.

I'm doing 'no buy' this year and its been very easy because there isnt that much i actually want. I used to buy Boden but that has also morphed into the too long/short/polyester/garish prints movement as well.

I just make my own. I can make what I like and it fits me.

Community Clothing and Palava. Palava's dresses are slightly over that budget and probably not what you're looking for but trousers and dungarees well within it.

Everything except some outerwear is well within it at Community Clothing.

Both use only natural fibres, cotton, linen, wool or tencel. Both make all their clothes in the UK , apart from Palava's cotton knitwear which is made in one tested and inspected factory in Turkey but wool knitwear is made in the UK.

Palava

Community Clothing

Toast, Cos, Whistles, White Company?

I like lands end. Not always the most stylish but comfy and good quality.

Cos for me. Plus me&em shirts via ebay.

The gap in the market has been filled you just need to go shopping and try stuff on.

Yes, I definitely agree. I got some really nice trousers from Poetry recently. I'm a similar shape/age to you, it's the first time I've bought anything from there. But I really struggle with dresses. I hate wearing synthetics but often find there are limited choices in cotton/linen for summer and many are really baggy or I don't like the style or print, or they don't suit me. I also like silk, but only of it is washable. Open to suggestions here too, especially for interesting dresses for short women in natural fibres (but not keen on Tencel or Viscose).

it’s actually really hard to find interesting, good quality clothes.

I haven’t found that. (I’m a decade older than you.) It does require an element of constant vigilance and reappraising of sources that were fine last year but seem to be rubbish this year.

I would also have suggested Community Clothing as a good place to start for better than Uniqlo basics. Seems a bit marmite on MN but that’s fair enough - I dislike the vast majority of brands that are popular here. But I mostly can’t relate because I’m not much attracted to sensible clothes at sensible prices. I like high and low, and not much in between.

I am on a no- buy this year and finding it pretty damn easy! I hear you.

I've had no trouble finding well made clothes this year. So much so that my supposedly low-buy year has been a bit of a washout. What I am finding is I can't rely on one shop for everything. So it's a question of shopping around. Plus trying on or ordering in new shapes. I follow a couple of Instagram sites & there's always lots of recommendations on these. So there's no shortage of items I would like to try. Currently I'm shopping for Winter in the last of the sales. Like many I've bought very few summer clothes.

OP - I do think the sizing massively reduces choice for smaller women and that’s part of the problem.

It’s the cheaper brands aimed at a younger market that make clothes smaller - so I’m stuck with New Look, H&M, Mango, online brands aimed at teens. As a 50 year old woman it’s not ideal.

I really like some of the clothes at Cos and quality can be good - the sizing however is huge. Same with Whistles, Me & Em, Massimo Dutti etc.
&Other stories is a bit better but again choice is limited if you don’t want super tight skinny rib tops (and I don’t).

I’ve lost count of the size 6/xs tops I’ve tried on that are far too long/baggy. The sleeveless tops that gape at the arm holes showing half my chest. The v necks that end somewhere below my bra band.

As the OP has said, it wasn’t always like this. I was physically the same size 20 yrs ago but a clothes size 8 fit fine.

I'm finding some nice stuff in M&S at the moment- after years of not being able to find anything I liked!

it’s actually really hard to find interesting, good quality clothes.

I wish I had that problem- even allowing for the fact I have a larger budget I have no difficulty in finding interesting good quality clothes- some of which are in OP's budget.

I can relate 100% to the OP. My grandfather was a tailor and would be horrified at the retail clothes offering nowadays.

Part of the reason is the lack of any style of most British people.

Maybe I am just fussy or have the wrong body. But, for example, I just had a quick look at dresses on the Toast website. To look good in any of them you have to be very tall, preferably slim and have very striking looks.

Community Clothing for classic staples....

I like Brora for every day clothes.

Busby and Fox any good?

Hmm - maybe the difficulty is that I am trying to find slightly smarter, well cut (but not formal) clothes.

Oversized dresses, loose trousers and baggy tops are easy to find.

My favourite recent buy was a casual trouser suit from Wyse, to wear to work.

I don't have any Toast dresses as I think other brands do that sort of thing better but I don't get this obsession on MN about how almost nothing is any good unless you are very tall, preferably slim and have very striking looks

I'm 5'2" / 3", size 14 or 16 and 65- just about everything I own has been declared on here to be completely unsuitable for these reasons. In real life, there won't be a week goes past without at least one compliment about what I'm wearing.

I'm petite in my 60s and finding it harder to shop now more then ever, I think I'm becoming to fussy, I'm doing the buy less but better, there's a thread on here, so far this year have been buying more quality things, just brought from next sale a celtic & co 100% wool coat , it's great quality, never brought from them before, anyone know if the brand is good.

🤔

Margaret Howell
Totême
Massimo Alba
Studio Nicholson
Teurn Studios
Loulou Studio
Weekend MaxMara

All seem to me to produce the sort of informal but smart work clothes that might appeal to you, @Notcontent - and if you care to spend the time tracking their sales or searching for them on pre-owned sites they could be within touching distance of your budget. But you’re not going to be able to access most of their output at full price with the spending limit you’ve set. I’m afraid that’s a fact of life.

(Sezanne, Me and Em, Boden - all on a different style planet. One I’ve never visited.)

Toast is nothing like what you seem to want - though I have to agree with @IHaveNeverLivedintheCastle re your sadly (forgive me!) banal argument against them. People on MN use it against every possible brand - and I’ve never found my 5 ft 3, optimistic size 10 frame prevented me from wearing anything I want to wear.

Did you ever buy anything from Raey @ Matches? It was surely just what you would want. (At sale prices.)

I love Poetry for well made clothes. Similar price point to Boden and timeless so last for years.