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! 😂

Noooo it was absolutely everywhere by covid so came in around 2018/19, 7 years ago! (Although it doesn't feel like it)

Coloured trainers came back within the last year or two as a reaction because the pure white ones had had a chokehold for so long!

What you said was unkind and has obviously upset people.

Do ya think?! Clearly a lot of floral dress wearers. I have some floral dresses that I love, I still think the floral dress & white trainers/denim is dated. And I also leave the house in shorts and wear loads of tanks.

Personally I cant stand floral dresses, and favour block colours. However do wear dots, swirls etc. Where are you from OP? Each to their own.

I don't wear dresses because they don't suit me but I wish I could.
I love to see flowery dresses. Not only do they look nice they are practical in the summer, they are cool and comfortable to wear. And what is nicer to look at than flowers in the summer?
How are they ugly?

You shouldn't care what someone thinks if you are happy that's all that matters. People will always have an opinion as long as you feel good ignore the haters.

But they all tend to wear the same clothes in NY! When I went in winter 2024 half of this demographic was wearing leggings, boxy coat, ugly New Balance Shoes and alo socks pulled as high as possible so everyone knew where they went for a workout. All leggings were black and coats were grey, navy or camel.

Dressing homogeneously is pretty normal here too though. And loads were wearing the white socks pulled up trend here...

I wear dresses a lot. I had a long white and black dress on yesterday. I wear them because they are cool in summer and I like them. I bought another long summer dress in the M&S sale this week.
I also bought some denim shorts. I don’t think shorts are stylish neither are vest tops. I tend to wear them abroad or in the garden. They are basic wear. They only ever look slightly more than basic on young, thin, very toned women. Even then, a good dress will always look more stylish. There is a reason people don’t wear shorts and vests/tank tops to such events as weddings.
What do you mean by good shoes? In the Uk people walk a lot, hence the comfortable pumps/trainers. The city I was in yesterday is very opposed to car drivers, hence this need for comfortable shoes.

but either way I personally find oversized dresses (and ones that look like they're made out of sacks) really unflattering

I agree. So many of the independent shops round here sell those one size shapeless linen "Italian look" clothes with huge necklines that really only fit if you are a size 16 or 18. I swerve those.

Do Italians really wear shapeless ill fitting linen?

You've clearly lived in NY too long given your inability to recognise that lumping women in the UK together into one homogenous mass and criticising their 'ugly' floral dresses makes you look stupid.

Not meaning to be goady or anything.....

Vinted! I filter for cotton and linen and if you spend time browsing there’s some lovely ones for just a few quid.

I used to wear floral dresses all the time, still have some hanging up. I do like them, I've just been wearing them for years and years and I'm a bit bored and would love a change. The problem is, as an extreme hourglass, there isn't much that suits me and the feminine vintage look is one of the few things that does (I don't go full on but there's a definite flavour). I'd love to shake it up a bit but I look awful in most stuff. I remember reading once that Nigella Lawson had bought the same dress in about 12 colours. I don't look like her (I bloody wish) but I totally understood it.

Were these people wearing these gross floral dressses layered with a denim or leather jacket and white trainers? If so they are tasteless and don’t follow fashion, just ignore them. 😂

Although I quite like the look, I do see what you mean op. I also wonder if Brits abroad this summer are recognisable for wearing highly patterned short pyjamas everywhere (aka co-ords). I haven't been away yet so don't know if they're a thing in Europe or not

I've never used fake tan. I don't find tanned skin attractive. I think fake tan looks obvious, especially if it's only applied on legs.

I’ve just got back from 36 degree heat in Japan and the majority of Japanese ladies are wearing long skirts or dresses. Ok - they are not flowery as most Japanese style tends to block colours (which I love), but long dresses and skirts can be very cooling in the heat. They let the air flow.
I love a long dress or skirt, but not a fan of floral. I prefer gingham, tartan, polka dots, stripes or plain.
Tanks and shorts are not flattering in all body types and that outfit can definitely make you look like a scout leader from behind. The look isn’t very stylish either

Summer and flowers go together! Gorgeous!

a celebration of nature, in fabric, what’s not to love!

I’m intrigued by your reference to Me + Em! Most people couldn't afford one of their floral dresses! (Not even in the sale) so I doubt they are influencing the whole country.
Sadly I’ve never had the legs to pull off shorts and prefer to keep them hidden!

I'm happy to ignore the opinion of you and your daughter.

I grew up in Australia wearing shorts and vests, which, as I noted when I travelled to NY, is much the same ‘uniform’ women wear - and results in most women having a rather homogenous look, clothing wise. I moved to the UK many years ago and one of the first things I noticed is the diversity in clothing women wear here and I bloody love it. To my mind (and my much larger thighs now 20 years later) shorts are fine if that’s what you like but I’d rather not set my fanny on fire with the bunching of fabric caused by said larger thighs, but give me a dress/skirt anyday. I don’t wear floral because sadly, I look like a sister wife when I attempt it, but I envy women who wear floral well and I like the look of it, and I’m happy they’re happy with it. Live and let live I say, and you can keep your fanny-fire-setting shorts.

Also, @Falseknock,with a bit of luck, your daughter too, will one day get ‘old’, and may even achieve ‘old hag’ status. Let’s hope she takes it with the same grace when she gets there herself. 🤦🏻‍♀️

I’ve seen a lot of thick lumpy wobbly legs this past month, coming out of shorts. All of them covered in fake tan. It’s a thing, I guess. Body positivity!

Can you please show some examples?
I wonder what dress type you're talking about.

I like Japanese style. I have a lot of Muji and Uniqlo block colour dresses.

Admittedly a bit utilitarian for some people. I wear interesting jewellery or bright sandals.

It’s so odd I remember lots of threads having a bit of a laugh at the Amish dresses that were/are a thing. The po has definitely taken over

Dresses are much cooler than shorts and vest tops are unflattering to most women over 40 and they expose too much skin to the sun

It's comfortable, cool, flattering for all shapes and I'm not going to held to ransom by a fast fashion cycle that dictates that something I own is dated and I need to buy a whole new wardrobe every couple of years to keep up with whatever a buyer at Zara has decided we should all look like.