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?

Our small market town has a Seasalt, Whitestuff and Fat Face! Like Fat face as well. Bought a lovely red leather bag white stuff for about £50!

Please can people be less judgy. Maybe WS isn’t to your taste, but others love it. We all have different tastes .

If I buy a black v-neck too, it will look ‘grumpy’ on me whether I buy it from Harvey Nics or Oliver Bonas - it just doesn’t suit me.

What shops do you like? Maybe we can then all comment on your taste, and see whether mn ‘approves’ of it or not.

I got a lovely teal handbag from White Stuff last year.

I find that both White Stuff and Seasalt occasionally come up with some excellent gems. I recently bought a pair of navy cord trousers from Seasalt. The are so comfortable and look great.

Most stuff go up to a size 22 and some styles 24.

I buy the Crackington cords from Seasalt and they are really nice, they also do them in a longer length, I'm quite tall and they fit lovely, I was so pleased when they opened Seasalt in our outdoor retail park so now I have all the shops I like within a few minutes of each other, There are a couple of cardigans I like in WS and I'm hoping for some Black Friday discounts.

I have that coat too,I love it and fits really nicely, I got it from Vinted for 20 quid,it was brand new. I have a teal colour one too. I always get compliments when I wear them.

Yes, they are what I have @BobnLen
The regular were too short on my, and the long are too long, but I will take them up after a few washes.

I have the navy blue.

I've noticed Seasalt are doing more plain clothes recently which is good.

Well, I did use to buy most of my dresses from White Stuff as they're reasonably priced and good quality.

Lately they've changed the style of their clothes to a more eighties vibe. I was a child in the 80s. I think it looks ugly, unflattering and it makes me feel old, so I don't buy it. That's my opinion. My choice to buy elsewhere.

Perhaps White Stuff's new style is more popular than the previous style I liked (botanical prints), perhaps not. If it's not selling well, I would be pleased to see them go back to a style that's not derivative of another time, or perhaps nod to a more flattering era than the unflattering eighties.

I used to always find something there, 20 years ago, usually lovely summer tops or cardis.

Now, I'm underwhelmed. My local branch is always full of very elderly women (I'm talking 75+) who may have bought Per Una .

I always think of it as the primary school teachers' uniform (partly as I have neighbours who seem to live in their stuff.)

My DD used to buy a bit there but even she's given up saying everything gets holes in it very quickly . A cardigan I had did come away at a shoulder seam eventually and I've never had this before with other brands.

I think their bags are rubbish. They're poor quality leather and badly made.

What shops do you like? Maybe we can then all comment on your taste, and see whether mn ‘approves’ of it or not.

Lots of places but not WS.

I have been liking white stuff recently. Seasalt is usually my shop of choice - I like natural fibres and I like a print, it's getting harder and harder to find non polyester clothing these days. Also they do a petite range that fits me really well.

As with seasalt though I find you have to be really judicious about choices - a lot of is is a bit left field and frumpy.

https://www.whitestuff.com/p/4326/rua-midi-jersey-shirt-dress/PINK_PR

Whilst there is much I wouldn’t buy, these dresses, with a jacket are ideal for work.

What I take from this thread, like so many in S&B, is that different people have different taste and different budgets. Also, different body types and styles suit different people. One person's dowdy is another person's epitome of elegance.
There are many, many things that people drool over in this section of MN that I look at and think I would never be seen dead in at any age or stage of my life. Others would look amazing in them, I would look ridiculous. Ditto, there are things I look awesome in that wouldn't suit others.

As a general point, it can be very hard to hear clothes you like described as frumpy because it is a word that is loaded with dismissal into invisibility, it is a judgement on how you present yourself to the world and more than just a description of the clothes themselves.

I never go in these shops, but White Stuff, Fat Face and Sea Salt seem to be the same clothes but with different labels.

There is a retail park near me and all three of these shops are there and I couldn't walk past any one of them and tell them apart.

Don’t care 🤷🏼‍♀️ I’m still using it. Frumpy does indeed mean dowdy and unfashionable, and that’s the way I use it.

😂😂😂 that’s really not why I choose my clothes!

I'm 60 & haven't shopped there for years.
15 years ago I loved the printed t shirts & tunics with jeans. Sadly White Stuff hasn't moved on from that but fashion has .... & prints aren't that popular any more. I would also categorise Seasalt, Mistral, Joules & Fat face as similar. Their time has gone.

I completely agree.

I agree, I have a black jumper with silver thread running trough it and a ruff style neck on it (hard to describe) but it's one of my favourites. They don't do anything like it anymore...all v boring

Maybe what the OP meant was that WS isn't what it used to be?

I'm older than most people on MN and I consider it 'frumpy' meaning most of the stuff is dowdy, usually grungy colours and prints but not cheap.

I think WS, Fat Face and (almost) Seasalt are very similar.

Oliver Bonas is over priced, garish polyester.

I prefer simple and minimalist styles & would usually buy from The White Company, tops from Mint Velvet, Jigsaw, Any Day (J Lewis and their cheaper own brand) the odd dress from Nobody's Child, and the 'dreaded' Boden.

I rarely see anything in Seasalt and consider it very much for the (very) older woman who likes 'sensible' clothes for a rural lifestyle.

I’ve got DM one of their quilted jackets which is really nice and a couple of tops.

She and another relative got them mixed up with The White Company which suits the relative but not DM.

So pleased to see other people don't like WS's colours. I don't like their prints but their plainer stuff has been reliably good quality for me over the years. Now I seem to be stuck in a cycle of thinking "Oo white stuff, yes" and then after twenty minutes' browsing I'm empty handed and disappointed. White Stuff if you're reading, not everyone likes orange and peach!!!

Oliver Bonas, I’ve noticed that too, Roses!
White Stuff, I did get a nice leather handbag.
Seasalt, I still like the stripy t-shirts etc…
Frumpy. It works as a word. And I often am!

As a general point, it can be very hard to hear clothes you like described as frumpy because it is a word that is loaded with dismissal into invisibility, it is a judgement on how you present yourself to the world and more than just a description of the clothes themselves.

Well said @KnigCnut
I prefer the term old fashioned to frumpy.