Let’s talk about White stuff

[Coddy]

Was passing today and I saw this lovely pair of glittery socks in the window suitable for a Christmas present.
Went in there to buy them and remembered what a pile of old shit it is.
Back in the early 2000s it was the place to go for young mums- , who remembers the velvet coats, the a line printed skirts, endless layering , the knitted tights that was quite the look then?

However, it does not seem to have moved on at all. Whilst there is the odd nice thing in there, glittery socks and a lovely gold bag I saw (can’t afford mustn’t buy) It’s just a riot of print with no kind of theme and really poor display.

Do you go to White stuff? What do you rate in there, do you think it’s lost its way?

I'm like this with River Island. I want to like their stuff but it's just too OTT and in your face, like the designer popped some drugs before they started work.

The high street in my nearby well to do market town has a white stuff, a fatface and a seasalt and they all kind of merge into each other for me. I often see things I like in autumn/winter, especially cords and velvets, but spring/summer seems to be wall to wall droopy printed jersey, which I avoid. White stuff shoes and boots have been great this season, though.

Also love them for bits and bobs, like the teal velvet scarf I got last winter.

So, whitestuff also have a store on ebay which is very reasonably priced when it goes on sale. You can also get 10% cash back via complete savings.

Now the savings part aside, I got a few dresses for my 10 YO daughter from there and safe to say they are her favourite dresses. Yes they are more traditional but....hang in there....they have pockets! So yeah. My daughter obviously rates them very highly just because of that but the quality isn't so bad either. And they have different fun colours which you do not see at some high street brands which are beige and boring colours.

Used to have great quality stuff in the 90's, lovely thick cotton sweaters etc. Now there is just far too much in the shop and really garish patterned poor quality expensive junk.

I don't get Seasalt.

I do have one summer dress rom there which I feel screams Seasalt.

For me, SS seems like clothes for Barbara Hepworth or other arty types in Cornwall who wear smock type tunics, or baggy trousers.

They have some ok jumpers but not cheap.

The dresses are , on the whole, the type of styles my mum's friends in their 80s wear.

Awful 70s tabard

We could play a game! Top Frump!

I like Seasalt knitwear, some Tshirts and their linen summer dresses. I’m not too keen on their printed jersey dresses. Their coats are practical.

I used to live in Fatface and Whitestuff but haven’t found much in the last couple of years. I have had a couple of pairs of Whitestuff jeans that seem to be a far sturdier denim that I can find elsewhere. There have been a tendency for Fatface tops to have baggy or puffed sleeves recently which I don’t like. I did see a nice jumper in the sale a couple of weeks ago but they’d sold out of my size both in store and online.

I don't, I just suspect it was mentioned because she has short hair. Short hair=lesbian , over 55=frumpy. It's pretty disingenuous to pretend it wasn't said in a negative way.

I used to shop at White Stuff but find a lot of the tops too short. And they have low necklines - I’m an age where I want to cover up my wrinkly décolletage. Also, my DM recently discovered it and I don’t want to wear the same clothes as her (we already wear the same shoes!).

I also used to shop at Fatface but a lot of their tops are either smocked or have that weird flat panel in them so that the attached fabric gathers by your boobs (I’m sure there’s a proper term for it) - which makes me look even more busty. They also often have a low v-neckline.

I have a colleague who shops there and pretty much that’s her whole wardrobe. She is early 60s. Sorry to say but everything does look so frumpy on her - I think she could look so much younger if she changed her wardrobe, it’s just all so shapeless and stretchy!!

I like WS ankle boots and trainers - I've got 3 pairs of trainers in various colours, and yes I wear them with dresses and skirts I like that smart casual look and they're really padded and comfortable when you're on your feet all day like I am, doing 10,000 steps a day walking round our site to different meeting rooms etc.

I also like their denim skirts and dresses - soft fabrics, last really well and don't rumple or crease, and look stylish with short sleeved collared top (called Penny Pocket) and bright colour cardi. Pinafores and dungarees, no way urgh, I'm not on Play Away.

Tights are lovely, I've just bought some black ones with a bit of glitter.

PJs - lovely styles each year, I only wear plain jersey tops with floral bottoms not both floral.

Christmas felt decos, I've bought a couple each year and now have quite a collection.

we have a WS in our local town and they do 25% off events which are great for getting Christmas presents for family and friends and me

I don't mind Seasalt, good for tunics and the occasional Larissa Shirt.

Fat Face, not keen - they've gone downhill over the past few years, since COVID.

I don't feel frumpy in WS, quite the opposite, I'm very choosey though - I only buy styles that suit me rather than wear styles for the sake of it. Low V neck, no way as I'm only a 34A. I don't support the cheapo fast fashion brands often on MN, on principle- nasty shiny fabrics and colours and last 1 season before they look tatty.

I think the people who were wearing in their 40s twenty years ago are still wearing it so it’s now mostly worn by people in their 60s. Whereas M&S has got younger!

Maybe she's one of those people who lack the ability to style an outfit, and who'd not look great in anything.

My Great Auntie Doris shops there and she's eleventy nine. But I really like my Auntie Doris so that's not a negative thing, oh no.

I will continue to use it, and throw in ‘mumsy’ too. In RL, women do not get offended by such terms. I regularly hear my friends saying ‘is this frumpy/mumsy/dowdy…?’ about their clothes and they’re not betraying the sisterhood.

They are saying it about a clothing choice they are making for themselves. Very different from declaring that everyone who shops at a particular shop is frumpy.

I love them. They're my go too for nice coloured work cardis and jumpers.
But I guess you'd consider me frumpy as I also love fat face and seasalt. Don't care though, I like what I like.

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I think their clothes are kind of okay and well made and will last...but when I go in there, I get this kind of depressed feeling....I think it's the entire colour scheme. There doesn't seem to be anything bright or colourful and the shops themselves are dark. And the staff always pounce on me.

I used to love white stuff in the early 2000s now it’s all so frumpy, and reminds me of primary school teacher work outfits! (no offence to primary school teachers lol)

I shop there sometimes in the online sales. I love their linen tunics, I have 3 lovely pairns of linen wide leg trousers and the most comfortable pair of slouchy joggers, all of which I wear very regularly.

Whenever I wear WS items, I get positive comments and compliments.

I don't shop from them nearly as much as I used to as their Customer Service is shockingly bad

White stuff stuff is now sold on the M&S website - well matched maybe? I found their stuff recently to be poor quality. I dont buy much from there now.

I have found the WS linen to be very good, it washes very well and doesn't end up looking a crumpled mess, as PP I also have a couple of the linen tunics which I have worn a lot