Cotton Traders - for what age group?

[Trinkopl]

I'm 39 and ended up buying a few tshirts and jumpers from Cotton Traders recently. Just basics in the sale, in colours that I know suit me.

Was commenting to a friend a few years younger than me and she seemed horrified, saying that's clothing for over 50s.

I'm not really into fashion or fancy brands and am quite practical about clothing. CT just seemed like a good choice for wardrobe basics for running errands or working from home.

Are they going to make me look like I'm in my 50s? Have I committed a terrible fashion faux pas?

Late 30s is hard with clothing. I can't really do the PLT and Fashion Nova stuff I was wearing 10 years ago so I just default to simple basic jeans and tshirts.

I think it's mostly clothes for ladies who buy from adverts in the back of the Sunday newspaper's magazines, but if it's basic t shirts and jumpers who will know?

I always thought they were a brand for an older people

I've been buying there for awhile and I'm mid thirties. I don't shop there exclusively but if I see something I like I'll buy it. That's the same for any shop really. I saw a lovely jumper in bon marche and I've got some jeans from Edinburgh wollen mill.

The little magazines tend to target older people

I have worked as a domestic ironer for a lot of years ! I'm 54 I wouldn't wear it now. Never would and I hope never to. It's awful.

I know what you are saying I think when I was 39 I started looking at M&S but now I look in there and think who is it for as I see really old ladies buying stuff they are designing for 24 year olds. They are clueless.
Don't go to Whitestuff it's frumpy.
I've gone back to Next online this last month but like I say I'm 54 !
Just send it back and never look at cotton traders again.

I’ve bought the odd thing in there, but I’m not exactly enamoured with most of the stuff they sell

My MIL shops there, and her style very much suits her age. She’s 71.

Im 54 and I wouldn't wear it. I hope I won't suddenly feel the need to wear it when im 64 or 74 or 84 to be honest

Yeah there’s literally nothing more horrifying than being over 50. I mean, imagine.

I personally don’t care what age group people think a brand is for! If I see something I like I just buy it 🤦‍♀️

I'd never dismiss anywhere but do associate them with a certain kind of older person styling. Landsend is similar. The latter is known for good wintry waterproofs and the former for value and quality simple tops and t shirts. I'm over 60 but I'd never dress head to toe in oldies brands.

What I do like is browsing in shops and picking up the odd exceptional thing in the most unexpected place. In sea of super frump and petit (I'm tall) at Bonmarche I once found a great pair of sale rail jeans for £20

I'm 58. I certainly wouldn't wear it.

Thanks for the comments. It seems it is quite an oldies brand! The stuff I bought is quite generic and doesn'tfeature their logo, could be something you'd find in Primark so hopefully it doesn't look too awful 😅

I just never know where to shop for clothes these days

No, it is a brand for people of any age who are uninterested in fashion or style.

My nonagenarian parent would never have shopped there. I suspect she didn’t even know it existed. She was interested in fashion until the day she died.

I’m afraid I have no idea where 39 year olds shop when they wish to avoid sharing clothes with people of fifty.

But it may be that you will provoke less horror amongst those even younger than you, if you take a look at

Zara
American Vintage
Uniqlo
& Other Stories
Damson Madder
Community Clothing
Massimo Dutti
Cos
YMC

Plus the approximately fifty million gym wear brands currently available.

(Burn the CT stuff …)

(Not literally.)

No it is not an oldies' brand. It's a brand for people who have no interest in clothes beyond the purely functional of covering their body with temperature appropriate clothing and don't want to spend much.

I'm 66. I can't imagine ever buying clothes there.

my View is very different here. A shirt or t shirt isn’t going to make you look like a CT model. Perhaps wearing a whole outfit might- but it also might really suit you (or not). The point is you are wearing it so it might look different. You sound like you have an approach ( practical). If you want to change it, then inspo from styling on different brands’ websites can help for ideas ( Zara and those mid-high range high st brands are good).

Buy from wherever catches your eye. On these particular brands, I have a landsend cardigan (pretty exactly the same as a sezane one but more cotton) and a raincoat (Barbour a like but longer cut). Edinburgh WM has sone corkers! Especially on vinted.

Basically long live little catalogue brands! There is overlap with the lovely brands PP hsvr mentioned). ( edited to add EWN)

That’s an arguable point of view, @Lurkingshark,and I wish I could agree. But for myself I take an if I tolerate this, the rest of my wardrobe will be next approach. I prefer to stay off the slippery slope …

I would say it's aimed at people who want practical, functional clothes and who aren't interested in (or who may positively dislike) fashion which I think would fit quite a lot of posters on his board.

And to anyone who thinks thirties is hard, all I can say is just you wait.

Does it matter? I bought a couple of nice and very cheap dresses from there recently in a sale. I have never got the little magazines.

And I'm definitely interested in style and fashion and got a lot of compliments about them.

I got some great boots from there a couple of years ago. This thread is really making me laugh. Slippery slope You’re doomed, OP!

I have a few things from there which has been reasonable quality and seem to get their mailings. I probably wouldn’t wear 70%+ of what they sell and yeah I’m probably more on the functional end of clothes purchasers but the idea of being all ewww yuk about where someone buys standard T shirts and the like feels rather teenager to me.

Like you I wouldn’t be seen dead in most of their clothing but I have a plain top and cardigan from
the outlet that I really like and I don’t think you’d know where they’re from!

My 80 year old Mum loves CT.

And once you order from them, you keep getting their brochures sent to you through the mail. I had to phone up and ask them to stop!