I have a very important question to ask about UK style....

[EconomyClassRockstar]

What is with all the dresses?!! Especially the flowery ones. I've just got home from 6 weeks back in the UK and I've never seen so many women in ugly dresses in my life! Is it just because they're cooler in the heat or has Me+Em just brainwashed the entire country?

This is meant pretty tongue in cheek before everyone starts coming at me with their pitchforks...which they're entirely dressed appropriately for! 😂

For the record (no pun intended) I have a big soft spot for Rod Stewart, even though I think it's been largely downhill since The Faces broke up.

The first 5 Mercury albums were phenomally good, although I agree it was downhill thereafter, [the Glastonbury set wasn't great either] but tbf that was some height to come down from.

I really disliked that sneering comment about "Rod Stewart of all people"- it rather displayed an ignorance about music than any great indicator of style sense.

Sneering at Rod is a bit of a self own as far as I'm concerned (although it did take me a long time to get over 'Sailing').

Well it's a bit hot for urchinanigans which is why I've moved to secret pyjamas, also known as linen co-ords, but in the spring I was loving these:

stompy boots: https://www.clarks.com/en-gb/page-lace/26178410-p
swishy coat: https://jackmurphy.ie/products/fran-tweed-coat-deep-green-herringbone <== similar to this but a few seasons past
and a cap...

I like tweed, and cords, and knitted woolly jumpers! There's definitely shops that provoke styles of comment. 😂Too much Toast is hobbits go to London. I am bidden to carefully limit the quantity of Toast clothes I wear at the same time, much like carbs. Palava trousers and Oliver Bonas jumpers brings out the CBeebies (fair! she's bang on!). A preponderance of gorgeous, dirt coloured Margaret Howell, plus my airpods and niche tech conference merch, caused the technopeasant assessment. (I'm always entertained by these comments - she wouldn't say them nastily.)

I really love the feeling of fabrics and choose mainly based on the texture and then colour of clothes, as well as the fit - I won't be uncomfortable. I think that's not so uncommon. She's much more attuned to the semiotics. I think it's really interesting! She's always pretty much right about the... costume story?

I agree, there are nice posts, and many nice PPs.

I have no problem saying flowery dresses are hideous and people who wear them have zero style or self respect.

I have no problem saying anyone who feels so strongly about an item of clothing probably needs to get a life.

What is your go to fashion style?

I hate big flowery dresses on me, the completely drown me, they look fine on some people though and as summer dresses go an awful lot on the market do seem to be flowery

I never told you what you should be wearing. I was saying what I thought. As far as I know we still have freedom of speech. I don't wear dresses with trainers because as far as I'm concerned if I need to wear practical shoes then a dress isn't practical either (unless I'm commuting but then I change my shoes once I get there).

This is my opinion, you do you, I'll do me.

All flowery dresses? Literally anybody wearing a dress with flowers on has zero self respect?
Kate Winslet?
Helen Mirren?
Michelle Obama?
Serena Williams?
Malala Yousafzai?

That's fine. You say that. It says an awful lot more about you than anyone in a dress.

That's good to hear - I'm going up soon for the festival and have a long floral dress I'm looking forward to debuting!

As a few posters have already mentioned ditsy print floral dresses have been around for at least a couple of centuries in Britain so unlikely to ever die out completely. I’d go so far as to say they may even be part of our cultural heritage.
But a floral dress is a super feminine look so not for everyone. Fortunately lots of other summer clothes are available :)

What I don't get is when the fashion police spout floral dresses are dated, skinny jeans are dated, other popular items are dated, yet I see women wearing said items everywhere.

There must be a lot of women out there who don't subscribe to fast fashion and are happy to wear "dated" clothing.

Thank god there are so many women out there who aren’t stupid enough to change their wardrobe every year just because someone has sold them that their clothes aren’t ’in’ anymore. Actually gives me hope for mankind!

I enjoy fashion, which I guess in some eyes makes me one of these stupid women, but one thing I don’t understand is why some (again not all) posters on the one hand profess not to care whether or not clothes are dated (perfectly reasonable) and yet on the other hand get so annoyed whenever there’s a discussion on here about it.

I’m not talking about responding to obviously goady posts, (although personally I’ve learned the hard way that as soon as you give them your attention, you’ve lost). I’m talking more about how, whenever someone tries to start a chat on, for example, what’s new this season, it’s inevitably spammed by posters going ‘Who cares’. And then all that’s left is to place bets on how long it’ll be before we get to, ‘This is the style and beauty not the fashion board’.

I know that’s a bit of a digression from this thread but I think it’s arguably why the discussion was only ever going to go one way, and why I’m starting to think this board is becoming unusable.

I’ve recently come back from holiday and honestly women were wearing all sorts and looking great. Shorts, dresses, wide legged trousers can all look fabulous, especially when suited to people’s body type and colouring.

What I’m less keen on is Sports Direct Chic: grey, shapeless t-shirts paired with a long black cardie isn’t a look that flatters anyone. Leave dresses alone.

I don't see what's wrong with a floral dress though. TBH I think anybody who hates them without exception must be very small minded and lacking in imagination.
It's like everything else IMO, there are beautiful stylish versions and ugly matronly ones out there....I just hope I'm picking the right ones!

Not a flowery dress for sure. They look horrible on people my age. Only the young can really rock a flowery dress. I'd look like a flower pot.

What nonsense.

But come on, what is your style?

Basically I try a lot of things on and wear only what suits me whether it's fashion or not.
I used to be fat and a biker so all I wore was biker gear, leathers, camo, jeans and a uniform at work. I can't ride bikes any more after an accident.
I've since lost 5 stone and I'm finding my style. I wear uniqlo dresses but mostly trousers, I like a lot of this years fashions, broderie bouses with large sleeves with sleeveless jackets or vests, some boho, well I do live in Glastonbury. Love wide leg trousers particularly leisure wear. My style is mostly casual I'm not keen on formal wear I like to be comfortable because I have a disability. I love my wide leg puma leopard trousers. Hate big loud patterns but love colour so not keen on beige/brown. I don't dress for my age (63) but I know if I look daft. It's an ongoing developing thing.

This is really interesting after your blunt comments about what other people shouldn't wear. I can't bear animal print and think it looks ugly but I wouldn't dream of imposing that on anyone else. Same goes for biker style. People wear what seems good to them.

It didn’t used to be this way for sure. I definitely think im
geekier than my friends when it comes to clothes. I like contemplating outfits, considering trends, faffing about in my wardrobe reorganising things, recording outfits. I used to feel there were like minded people around but not so much.

I suppose the op asked a question and people answered it. They explained why they wore floral dresses in the summer. Some posters then responded saying these posters clothes are ugly and lacked style, unlike them of course. Then the same posters got all pissy when they were told well wearing shorts and a vest wouldn’t work for everyone because of x and y. They also got pissy to be told that shorts and a vest are basic wear.
Nobody appears to be able to answer what the shorts and vest wearers wear for work.
If I turned up for work wearing shorts and a vest, I would be told to get the fuck changed.
Wearing one of the dresses the op spoke about would not cause my boss to have the same reaction.
Maybe that’s a valid reason for wearing such clothing.
Disclaimer: I don’t wear a denim jacket with a floral dress. I have lots of clothes. Lots of dresses, some of which may be floral, many of which are not. At work if I wear a dress it’s currently with wooden block heeled sandals, not trainers.

I’m just glad she’s come back to tell us what people with self respect wear.

I like a floral dress but I also like leopard print and wide legged trousers so I guess I don’t entirely lack self respect which is a reassuring way to start the week.