Toasties - still loving the knitwear and the chat!

[IlovePond]

I have set up a new Toastie thread, guys.

I did love the shape of the Gia shirt. Sent back the other one in the sale because I loved it but it refused to work with much of my current skirts & trousers, I'm trying hard not to house orphans in the wardrobe.
But there's a new Gia in town..

@Poplinskirt Oh my! The Curse of the Wonky Collar strikes again.

I think socks are the photocopier paper of Toast. Supposedly just an add-on to the main collection, but where all the real money is made :D

@TosstTastic That yarn is so gorgeous that my brain assumes knitting needles, just off-camera.

Oh yes I've clocked it already -gorgeous !
Had a nice mooch around the new stuff
Love that Gia
The indigo crinkle skirt
The check side pocket trousers
The organic cotton button dress
Pondering the crinkle cotton trousers but potential for emphasising my rear.

Is it me or is the current collection now huge!
So much would have gone in the sale previously , unless another sale reduction is on the way?
It's a while until 22/23rd ...

@Stravaig I wondering why I just didn't ask my mum to run me up a little number.but this is what Toast do so well. It is hand knitted but the yarn, the fit, the style are just that bit more 2025 without me having to convince her that this is the modern way. I love the different colour on the waist without that being mirrored on sleeves and neckline.

Haha!!! It's bonkers isn't it? @Stravaig
How is this getting through I wonder?

Socks are a lovely little treat -I add a pair to every order.

@TosstTastic That's really well put - all the charm of hand knit but with clean contemporary lines (and no coaxing required :)

Oh @Poplinskirt that collar! Nooooo!!!

I have just placed an order for the sale mittens, and have added a few new things too. I definitely won’t keep all -or even any at this point, but I like to try at home with what’s in my wardrobe and then plan purchases for the season. I’ve ordered the denim smock, the indigo side-tie vest, the oat linen shirt & the navy buttoned cotton dress. I will report back tomorrow on them. I forked out for next day delivery which feels ridiculously extravagant, but I need the mittens asap and I am having a tricky time at the moment which is really getting me down so I need a cheering up before the weekend.

@ScottishMouse - I do hope you find something to love in your order, and please do show and tell. As you know, I have my eye on the shirt (in navy) and the dress. I think the minako shape works so well for our height and the Toast barrel legs aren't so great because it's quite hard to shorten them because they use quite light fabrics and you also lose the barrel shapping at the bottom hem

@Stravaig - that is a beautiful notebook. I always find at least one small thing by Toast which brings me joy out of all proportion to its size. If you have any urge to go in again, I really recommend the olive wood pinch pots which have so many other uses (I use one for putting morning supplements in and will put the others on my bedside table as cache touts). They are so lovely and tactile too.

That is definitely right @faustina re shortening the barrel legs. I shortened both pairs I bought - navy and onyx stripe - and I think the navy just look a bit meh. The minako trousers are also too long for me, but I can just turn them up as shortening them would be tricky.

Yes I turn mine up too! The barrel legs all seem to be quite flowy so you can't do that

@ScottishMouse It's dreadful isn't it .
I've just looked up the original price £235 😱 zero quality control.
Will just send it back, cba to complain

It will be blah blah artisans, natural charm, blah blah sigh
Hope you are OK and your troubles will resolve

I know what you mean @Poplinskirt , I have just returned things in the past without complaining about quality issues, because that is more hassle than it is worth.
Thanks for your good wishes - a combo of some long-standing health issues that are really getting me down, and some very difficult family circumstances that are spiralling just all feels too much. I’m starting 2025 again next month because so far it has been total pants.

@Poplinskirt I’ve put a note in with some returns when there’s been a quality issue. I don’t know if anyone ever reads them but it makes me feel better without the hassle of cs.

I thought it was only me with toast socks, I’ve got so many pairs that my sock drawer is overflowing.

That’s shocking @Poplinskirt. I’ve just noticed a shirt with an obvious fault on the actual Toast website! There is no way that fold under the button placket and the bunching to the right is a design feature. Someone made a mistake when they sewed that placket and it’s hurting my eyes!

Only thing I bought in the sale is the Neat Mouline Tank in amber. It’s the one thing I really wanted, so was happy to see that making an appearance in the sale. I’ll be making a shirt to go with it and I suspect it will look better than this 😂

I was just thinking to myself since Christmas how I have reached the age where socks genuinely give me a lot of joy.

Isn't that the waistband and button of the trousers underneath pushing against the shirt fabric?

@faustina I'd not noticed those before, such gorgeous wee things!

The issue is visible on the photo of just the garment. If you look at the bottom of the button band there’s a fold of excess fabric on the left and a little fabric bubble on the right. Neither of those should be there. Toast may be able to sell that fold as a “design feature”: but it’s caused by the same thing that’s causing that bubbling on the right (and bunching when worn). It’s shoddy and never should have made onto the website.

https://www.toa.st/collections/womens-shirts/products/organic-cord-patch-pocket-shirt-stone

Socks is not the worst thing to find joy in, there are far more dangerous vices 😂
yarn,fabric,books,cats

Instagram : yesterday several people ( including Angharad Jones, That’s not my Age etc etc)extolling Toast Circle and suggesting that, as that they donate items they no longer wear , we should too !
Obviously an incentive for them (payment) but as for myself I prefer to give to Oxfam .
I find this really patronising and unpleasant, I’ve already deleted those Instagram accounts .
I do like seeing Toast clothes on others but it ends there, I do not rush out to buy things I see on social media , and nor do I want to be influenced by others decision making .

All this plus the idea that Toast are trying to reel us into a ersatz lifestyle is nauseating , it’s making me look at other labels!

I would rather give my old clothes to charity shops too @OftenOrange I love the thought of someone finding a nice bargain gem in the charity shop. I know how much I appreciated it when I had a tight-to-no-budget. I think it’s great that Toast will repair for free though. I have sold things occasionally on eBay and Vinted but find the effort you need to put in compared to the money you get back often makes it not worthwhile. I sold a dress for which I’d paid £138 for £12 and the buyer returned it because of a tear in the lining. I thought the dress was in perfect condition but when I got it back saw that there was a very small rip in the outer edge of the lining that didn’t even go up to the seam- if that makes any sense!

@OrangeyLemon Yes, it’s brilliant that Toast offer the repair service.
Also agree about EBay ,listing is such a faff as well as posting etc, it has to be worth it .

What got me this morning was this idea that I can’t think for myself and could be led by the nose by ‘ influencers’ ….I hate that word and that aspect of the internet.

I sell my Toast clothes (Toast FB site and eBay) because they tend to go quickly and I can get a reasonable amount for them (which then tends to be spent on more preloved Toast creating a circular economy that keeps me out of mischief). Other clothes go to charity shops (some good brands) and homewares.

I've not had problems (so far) selling but I have received a couple of jumpers with moth holes (beautifully patched up by Toast - great service). In both cases, seller would have given a refund. I did take three nearly new items to a Toast exhange event but have never managed to exchange my tickets for anything I want - so not again.

I agree with you @OftenOrange - I also don’t believe that any more than a handful of people - if any - are ‘giving’ their clothes to Toast specifically via this initiative.

Instead, we are handing clothes over at exchange events, (and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that they are now making people hand over stuff before entry to the exchange).

I suspect they are taking stuff for Reworn from the Circle rails as well as from their own photo shoots. (They can do this, as long as six months has passed since the item was handed over at an exchange events.)

I can’t stand ‘influencers’ and am not on Instagram so Toast’s efforts in this regard are wasted on me, but all these ‘begging’ emails are getting annoying.

I follow some influencers, but I do wonder how many of them feel that they have sold their soul at all, or feel guilty about trying to sell us stuff and a lifestyle we might not be able to afford. It’s all dressed up and very pretty, but is it any different from QVC at heart?