Toasties springing into Spring 🌼

[IlovePond]

Hi,

As promised, here is the new thread. All are welcome to chat about all things Toast, znd any related topics!

No worries @Snowyowl78. Hope the black one works out for you.

I’m returning the black pepper dress to Reworn if anyone wants to try it. It just didn’t go with enough in my wardrobe to justify keeping it.

I bought this linen shirt in Massimo Dutti which seems to be like the Toast silk linen one (but considerably cheaper) The sleeve is different but I’m wearing it (well will be when the weather is warm enough) with them turned up a bit. I hope it doesn’t make my neck too short.
And I agree Lisa’s neck is rather nice.

Ooh thanks that’s interesting @Countmeout - I love the Toast version of that top but the price is 😵‍💫. I need to visit a Massimo shop and try a few things on as I find their sizing unpredictable.

Ok, this is a real “Am I weird?” moment (niche reference for those who listen to Graham Norton’s Wanging on podcast (would recommend, very amusing). Anyway, back to my point. In an attempt to find some sandals that are fairly enclosed, aren’t a mule type back, are wide enough, have decent soles and support for tramping the Edinburgh cobbles, I tried on the suede Fracap Fred sandals the other day. Love a lot about them (prefer to the dark brown leather both for a lighter colour for summer but also the leather was very stiff), they fit most of my criteria. But…..does anyone else find it weird when the insole of a sandal is a different colour to the upper? Obvs in this case it couldn’t really be the light taupe suede of the upper, but to me there is something that cheapens the look about it. Or maybe it is specific to this case and the colours seem to clash a little, because I have worn Birkenstocks in the past that had the suede insole but dark straps and it never bothered me. Am I overthinking this and should just buy the bloody sandals??

@ScottishMouse i think they look lovely and the insole has the appearance of quality leather to me. Maybe it will darken over time. The sizing does seem to be difficult though.

To me the leather insole colour is just 'good leather' (as a colour), like clearsky. It wouldn't bother me @ScottishMouse

Ok, thank you. I am just weird then. I found the sizing small - I am usually a 38, rarely a 39, but the 39 was snug - but unusually for me wide enough. I find it so hard to find shoes that fit so I should just buy them.

Has anyone any experience of buying from An Acre of Land? A couple of things are interesting me but not sure what quality / fit is like.

Is anyone going to the kindred breakfast event in Harrogate? I've never been to a Toast event before but looks like a fab opportunity to meet the CEO.

@Yorkshirelass04 - I went to one in London with the CEO; it was very interesting.

I wonder if they will get the cakes from Betty’s for the Harrogate event as it’s almost next door to Toast.

Look out for a freebie. They sometimes give them out at these events but can be a bit lackadaisical about it. For example, when I went to one at the King’s Road, they were super-organised and gave a gift regardless of whether you purchased anything.

By contrast: When I went to an event at Shoreditch, they were giving out a freebie but only if you bought something AND they were forgetting to give them out so I had to ask.

When I met Suzie at the Richmond event I don’t think they gave us, (anything for except the nice food, of course!)

I received the Tablier stripe pinafore dress today as well as the patchwork stripe top in blue.
The pinafore which I consider a sundress is nice and bright. What does anyone think of this fabric? I think @ScottishMouse (?) bought the skirt. It’s supposed to be cotton but it doesn’t have a very cottony feel iykwim. I intend to keep it as I think it’s the best contender as a lightweight dress for an upcoming holiday in June. I wondered if anyone had washed it yet ( unlikely). I wondered if it went like a rag or the finish changed . Lots of wondering about this obvs! It’s quite long - 2 inches above my ankle but had great pockets and looks good over a white T-shirt too so more likely to be worn at home. Is it some sort of seersucker fabric perhaps but with a different feel to my Alder dress?
The patchwork stripe top is a weighty cotton. I bought my Toast sort of normal size after referring to the measurements. I find it a bit neat. It’s quite high at the neck, I am debating whether the next size up would hang too much from my bust. In any case the blue is not a great match for last years skirt. It looked lovely with a pair of washed denim jeans I had on ( but I don’t wear jeans in summer) . So this is going back and I don’t think I’ll bother to reorder atm . A few other things more worth a try.

The sleeveless button top is due Friday.

Yes, I did order the skirt @Countmeout I know what you mean about the fabric but I like the lightness and the drape and the fact that it will not need ironing as it is a little crinkly. I am actually wondering about returning the red skirt and ordering the blue instead as although I love the red colour, it actually doesn’t go with that much in my wardrobe.

Yes it will pack well @ScottishMouse . I think I’m over thinking the fabric. I like the tomato.
posting the top compared to last years blue skirt if anyone is interested in the difference in colour

I recently watched the Paddington musical and noticed a few Toast items on Mrs Brown, including a Gia shirt (was it called irregular check with the teal type colours?).

I quite like the look of the Moismont striped bag - really good for every day casual use. Does anyone have any experience with their items?

I tried the alpaca poncho on yesterday at Kilver Court and was strangely drawn to it - despite it being a) a hot day and b) it not being my sort of thing at all!

I will definitely look out for it in the next sale as I found myself ‘missing it’ on the way home!

@ScottishMouse I’ve just bought a pair of those sandals , I like the colour and the dark soles. I am also fussy though my bête noire is whitish soles . The lining inside is fine I think as it blends in nicely.
They are a bit wide on me but I think I’ll keep them as I’ve trawled JL and Selfridges and can’t find anything I like as well.

That’s interesting that you say they are wide on you @OftenOrange. I went back to buy them the other day but they had sold my size, so I ordered online. They arrived today and feel ridiculously narrow in comparison to the pair I tried in store. I have wide feet so was pleased to find sandals that fit, and now I am not sure if I should persist with the pair that arrived. Maybe the ones in store had been tried on and stretched, but who knows. And I thought sizing issues were just with Toast’s own pieces!
I also ordered the navy silk linen top which I have been lusting over since it arrived a few months back. The reviews are very varied on sizing, some sizing up and some sizing down. I ordered my usual M and also L. I think I might be between sizes sadly. The M shows the shape well but feels a little short and pulls slightly at the top button when I move about. The L feels more comfy but the nice shape is kind of lost and so it doesn’t look so special. Has anyone got this and how did you find the sizing?

I received the sleeveless button top @Snowyowl78 and @ToastSafeFromMothsAndDogs .
The colour is just as I expected/hoped. Looks great with white shorts/culottes.
it’s their usual poplin weight (not light) - I am busty and really would have liked better placement of the buttons but that is the usual too.
length reaches the pocket of my shorts.
armhole are fine for me although as I said I have a bust . I ordered my usual 10 in this one - website says 107 cm I think . I think a size up would be too big and I still have half a stone to lose - eggs not helping. not sure what to blame the rest of the year 😳
When closed the neck is quite high but I think I will wear with 2 buttons undone on holiday.
I would be tempted by a skirt in this fabric /pattern if it appeared.

The big magazine shows a dress with checks like draught board and one with fish to come so who knows. I wish all the summer stuff appeared at once. . Do they not realise people have holidays all year round ?

@Countmeout thanks for the info! Which colour did you buy? I’m not sure about sizing normally I buy a toast 12 but recently I’ve been having to buy a large in tops. Are you usually a toast 10?

I bought the green one @Snowyowl78 .

I have 10s or 12s depending on the top. However in the Lia t shirt I have a large (a lot of difference between M and L in this one.
In dresses I generally buy 10 unless it’s buttoned. I have just sent for the 10 in the Tablier dress (I ordered 12 and 14 because I’ve found that style small in the past) I thought I was going to keep the 12 but bits of it feel very big so I’m giving the 10 a try.

You may have to experiment.
10 in the patchwork blue top was too neat.
The sleeveless button top is more forgiving I think.

Hi I follow the thread but rarely post. Has anyone else received the emailed survey from Toast? It was so wide ranging including whether we would welcome personal shopping. I said I buy less because the prices are too high and I can no longer find thing I like although the knitwear remains great. I wonder if they feel like they don’t know what their customers want any more. At the end I asked for basic items at more affordable prices and Gabis in a long option!

@Duckpond123 yes I got the questionnaire email and completed. So many questions and so many options!! I also said I am buying less due to high prices and that I use second hand websites etc to purchase in the main.

I also said some of their garments are incredibly hard wearing as is their bedding.

@Duckpond123 - yes, did the survey. My feedback was mixed but also complimented longevity of some garments like @mizu. Also shared my appreciation of some lovely (and beloved) homeware items bought over the years - colanders, cushion covers, blankets, coasters, vases, bowls, linens, quilts etc. The homeware makes great gifts too.

@Duckpond123 - thank you! It was sitting in my inbox waiting for a spare five minutes and I'd completely forgotten about it. Have filled it in now, added a plea for flat sheets to come back, the discount codes they used to have at the start of each season and fewer drops (they annoy me). I loved their question about the idea of alterations - I'd be very much in favour of that!

Yes, as someone who often has to take up trousers and skirts, I would definitely appreciate alterations.
I also hate the monthly drops. I don’t think it helps with planning for the season, and I think it also feeds my emotional shopping cycles.
I complained in the survey about the fact that quality control regarding sizing has gone out the window. So often recently I have found that two identical items (same item in same size) are quite different size-wise, and many times I have ordered multiples in order to get the best fit. I found this most recently with the new striped skirt. The red and the blue were vastly different sizing, and I ended up returning both and giving up on it entirely.
Given these sizing frustrations recently, and the fact that nearly everything I have bought has been returned, I had a shop elsewhere today and was very successful. I bought a Harley sweater, a Merz B Schwanen linen tee, and a jacket and pair of culottes from Pas de Calais - all gorgeous brands, some a little more reasonable or around Toast prices, one much pricier. What I realised was that as soon as I put all these pieces on, I felt good in them, they were cut amazingly well and fit exceptionally well on my body, I was not tugging at anything, wondering why it was so neat in the shoulders or long in length or short in the body or tight on the arms and so on. I didn’t feel like there were any compromises in fit. Well made, quality wise better than Toast has been in a long time. It made me feel like I have to try too hard at Toast, it is rare that I try something on and it is just right in the way these pieces are. It feels very often like a frustrating shopping experience, not an enjoyable one. I think this is making me fall out of love a little.