Am I unreasonable to enjoy being challenged by my clothes?

[TroubledBloodyMary]

Prompted by this:

Lyst article

and by reactions on a current H&M thread, I’m wondering if I’m the weird one, rather than everyone else on the Style & Beauty board.

To be fair, I grew up reading Vogue, so am perhaps more accustomed to wildly stylised fashion images and exaggerated clothes than someone younger whose yardstick might be an insta influencer pouting in the mirror whilst showing off her beige leggings. But I’m honestly astonished at the number of perfectly unexceptional things - colourful dresses or furry shoes for example - that people react to with horror here. I do sometimes wonder what S&B is for …

Er…nope.

You clearly don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.

They’re really not. They’re women with a decent clothes budget who just want to enjoy being able to get dressed easily in a coherent style that will last them a while.

They know their Toast, I see no evangelism.

If its not for you, then yes, best ‘unwatch’ 🙄

Eh! Not need for dissent.

I do think most people just wear clothes and that's absolutely fine.

Others see the body as a frame for clothes.

You either do clothes or you don't.

Let's be honest, there are very few people when you're out and about who one notices clothes-wise.

Re Toast, it was good about 15 years ago. Then went a bit...

I break my own rules far too often to judge other people’s shopping habits, especially when I don’t know anyone’s financial circumstances.

What I do think is that there are some very unrealistic expectations on S&B about the price of well made clothes. I put it down to the age profile of this board with, I imagine, many posters reaching their teens / twenties in the 90s and cutting their fashion teeth while the British high street was in its Marie Antoinette phase. It was a totally unsustainable period but, if that was the norm when you were young, then I guess it can leave a skewed idea of what clothes cost.

Edited cos I forgot to say thank you to the poster (and now I’ve forgotten your name, sorry!) for the Raeburn intel - love the Wombles outfit.

I wholeheartedly agree, I love seeing people who have thought about what they’re wearing and are enjoying their clothes. Appreciate lots of people don’t care or have the time.

I have an opinion and a view on things like fast fashion. Is that not allowed?

The post commented on isn't an opinion- it's a scenario made up by you.

Whatever. As my teen would say - it's not that deep.

I'm 15-20 years younger than you OP and I don't recognise the designers you've mentioned I agree wholeheartedly with everything you've said. I also grew up on a solid diet of Vogue.

Choosing an outfit, taking a risk, experimenting with different looks is one of my greatest joys and always has been. Playing it safe, matchy-matchy (ugh!) is a missed opportunity.

@BankfieldForever . I see no evangelism. If its not for you, then yes, best ‘unwatch’ You might not but I did. I quite like Toast but not that much.
You seem to object to posters having an opinion that doesn't match yours. 🙄

Exactly, I can't get excited by baggy, drab clothes that don't even look good on the model.

I quite like the look of some of the Sisterjane clothes.

It’s not an opinion, it’s nonsense that has no relevance to anything anyone actually said in this thread.

Correct, I don’t agree with a lot of what you’re saying. That’s what happens on a discussion forum.

Eyerolls are completely unnecessary…unless they are to indicate that you think everyone here should just agree with you, which is, oddly, what you just accused me of.

@BankfieldForever , I copied the emoji from your post, so perhaps you should heed your own advice.

Nice to see reference to Christopher Raeburn! I have one or two of his stuffed animals - and it’s the first place I look for interesting clothing gifts for my relatives, who then go on to shop there for themselves.

And I recommend Community Clothing here so often people must be certain I’m a major backer (rather than just someone whose family members annually find their Christmas stockings stuffed with CC beanies, scarves, gloves and socks.)

I’m sorry but those of you insisting that a liking for fabulous clothes must go hand in hand with a throw-away attitude and a reckless disregard for ethics or the environment have just gone wrong somewhere. I wasn’t brought up in an atmosphere of heedless waste and I don’t practise it now. Just as others have said - I shop with a huge amount of care and thought (mostly) and spend my money on things I want to be wearing for a long time. I don’t give a fig if someone else doesn’t like what I’m wearing (though it’s a very rare day when I’m not complimented by a stranger on my probably haphazard outfit) and it makes me happy to combine a ten year old jacket with a skirt bought last week.

I'd probably wear more challenging clothes if I was 3 stone lighter and much wealthier. The kind of challenges I currently have with clothes are not to be aspired to.