Quality dresses for older women.

[sunshineonmonday]

Hi, can anyone recommend somewhere I can buy dresses for an older woman please? Just everyday wear, good quality, natural fabric, simple but not old fashioned, maybe plain colours, maybe not, but nothing ditsy floral, flouncey or revealing. I'm well into middle age, have a nice figure, I need new clothes for Spring/Summer.

Two more I forgot:

https://www.toa.st/collections/womens-dresses

https://int.toteme.com/collections/dresses-and-skirts

That’s the 25 that have sprung to my mind most readily - not including several of the brands mentioned by other posters. There’s definitely no shortage of decent frocks.

(But the vast, vast majority can no longer be found in everyday High St shops, as a friend of mine discovered when she needed something last minute. Two days trawling a thriving city outside London (city centre and nearby huge shopping mall) yielded one acceptable dress, nowhere near the quality she’s accustomed to finding online. It was sobering.)

(And I haven’t included the first half a dozen purveyors of very pretty, printed cotton or silk summer dresses that are all perfect for holidays and leisure wear.)

How old is old @sunshineonmonday ?

I don't think you should choose dresses by age.

I am old.

I wear

Whistles
Boden (plain not patterned)
Jigsaw
Nobodys Child

For very smart or occasion wear I'd go to Me+Em

I hate Seasalt - it appeals to my Mum's friends in their mid 80s.
I also don't see the appeal of Toast- most look like sacks and at a size 8 I'd disappear in them.

Came on to suggest this shop too Sahara | Unique Womens Clothing & Accessories https://share.google/8P9dj3mliLwOvFxlH

What age is older?

Don’t think anyone has mentioned This Is Unfolded?
Really nice dresses which are comfortable, practical, look good and aren’t ridiculously expensive.

Crew clothing. But just filter all shops by fabric. I have had beautiful 100 per cent cotton dresses from H&M premium range and ordinary range too. Jigsaw used to be good and cut and style still are, but the fabrics are often very poor now.

She wont tell us her age. Weird. If she says something like 49 I'll die laughing.

Surely the whole point of this thread is that the range of ways of dressing open to adult women is pretty much unlimited?

The OP mentioned needing quality dresses for work and travel - so the thread leans towards what each poster might consider suitable for those activities. Before I saw her second post, and answering ‘what else is out there?’ I responded with some of the designers who are always in my six decade old head, many of which I have in my wardrobe and wear. I don’t choose them with the thought This is what sixty year olds wear. I choose them because they’re what I want to wear.

(My lists leave out places that are best for knitwear or separates - and I wear those much more than dresses. Again, there’s no ‘Older Woman’ label above the door or on the websites. I completely acknowledge it’s all a matter of perception.)

Sahara every time

I’ve seen some nice dresses on the website for Sam Cameron’s company, but can’t remember the name.Not ridiculous prices but looked wearable with sleeves which I prefer these days.

Thought they went bust, @MrsFaustus? Were they rescued?

Popsy do some lovely plain dresses and Roman

No, all closed down. They sold off as much reduced stock as possible, but it's officially finished up now.

I'm obviously missing something because I've just looked hopefully at the Sahara web site and thought they all looked like waistless sacks.

I'm 69 and I don't buy clothes with my age in mind, I look for things that suit me as an individual, I applaud you, North, for making this point. If anyone suggested to me that I should be looking at Seasalt or Cotton Traders I might feel a strong urge to descend into unladylike violence. My mother died at 92 and those were the two of the brands she refused to countenance on her last birthday clothes shopping outing.

@Astrabees it’s an argument that’s been had on this board countless times …

I don't think you should choose dresses by age....
I hate Seasalt - it appeals to my Mum's friends in their mid 80s.

Hmm. OK.

Anyway I see no need for the op to be more specific about her age if she doesn't want to. I thought the brief was pretty clear and - refreshingly - used 'middle age' as a factual descriptor rather than as a thinly veiled insult as is so often the case on here.

'well into middle age ' means nothing.

some women here think 40 is middle age.
In theory it might be but that's now how most folks see it.

Anyway my point still stands and lots of posters have agreed with it.
Choose what suits you, not what your age is.

Hear hear.
I wear what suits my shape and colouring.
That's the good thing about getting older- you get your eye into what colours work, what shapes and how if you look at any brand you can say it's a yes or a no!

If I'm stuck, I look online at (example) J Lewis and use the filters - sleeves, neckline, length, colour, fabric etc.
That way you access hundreds of brands.

Yes, but there is a degree of truth in it, in that I don't wear exactly the same sort of clothes as in my 20s, 30s or even 40s? I'm 59, so well past true "middle age" (though it's how I still think of myself!!).

My taste has evolved, my budget has increased (& now decreased!), my colouring has faded, my size has increased & my shape is now a bit more apple than rectangle.

There are certain things that HAVE stayed more or less the same - my love of vintage, buying secondhand, tactile fabrics like silk & velvet etc.

When someone asks about a poster's age, it's not necessarily derogatory. MN is full of posts in S&B asking about how to dress for a disappearing midriff, or to cover upper arms, which often relate to menopause, changing muscle tone etc.

I no longer go braless or backless, wear dresses that are fitted at the waist, or wear such strong colours as I did when auburn (I've now faded to strawberry blonde).

I just choose differently now. And will buy clothes from H&M or Zara as happily as I will Me & Em or Toast. But I do buy almost entirely via eBay/Vinted etc. Partly for sustainability, partly freelance poverty!

I'm not interested any more in what's supposed to suit my shape or colouring. I'm interested in clothes that draw me to them, sometimes in ways I don't fully understand.

But while I hate seeing 'middle aged' and 'older' used as code for 'dated' or 'frumpy' as happens pretty regularly on here, I also think it's a bit silly to ignore how middle age can herald bodily changes that can be a bit discombobulating and lead to losing confidence in how to dress, not to mention a renewed interest in natural fabrics.

Yes, but age is not a good descriptor of appearance. Amongst my friends there are the sporty athletic ones, the tall willowy ones, the apples, the pears and that is before you add in whether they are arty, boho, minimal, big spenders, vintage lovers, etc. etc. I’m not sure suggesting Seasalt as a go to really cuts it.

I'm 73 and like The Fold and Lilysilk. For day to day things a few things from Uniqulo.

I agree age is not a descriptor of appearance, style, taste or personality. I detest any attempt to do that - pisses me right off. But often on this board it can be an indicator of change and uncertainty and loss of confidence and I'm sympathetic to that