Remember the ‘If Monty Don were a woman’ thread? Here’s Monty Don himself on his clothes and style …

[TheFarriersDaughter]

A moment of sheer ecstasy.

Though I had to laugh when he dismissed any notion that he might care about or even notice brands - whilst reeling off some fabulous designer names.

Brief but lovely:

Monty Don: ‘I weed the carrots wearing my old suits’

https://www.thetimes.com/article/7e98282a-cff7-4404-84d5-2df381d344c3?shareToken=c8ddc3f121e9f01733802815905eb81b

You're right, it is an adorable interview - and a tad self-deluding, maybe? "I’m not interested in brands or what other people think. I’m not remotely interested in fashion" says the owner of Comme des Garcons, Yohji, Muji, Toast, Paul Smith and more he can name with ease 😂
Thank you for the share token. It didn't work, so here's an archive copy:
<a class="break-all" href="https://archive.is/20260314224227/www.thetimes.com/life-style/fashion/article/monty-don-interview-clothing-mullet-n7blpg3zg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://tinyurl.com/3hfews6r

Sorry, NM's playing sillybuggers with the link. Here's the short version as text:
<a class="break-all" href="https://archive.is/20260314224227/www.thetimes.com/life-style/fashion/article/monty-don-interview-clothing-mullet-n7blpg3zg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://tinyurl.com/3hfews6r

(If that share token doesn’t work I want all my subscription fees back for innumerable years!)

Was he serious about his hair?

Argh. Sometimes it just isn't worth it!

tinyurl.com/3hfews6r

Last try. I'm going to bed.

Demand a refund!

Probably, he says it was the 80s and I think every man with hair had a mullet. Lots of women did, too, there's a great picture of my incredibly fashionable sister-in-law with black lipstick and a bleached-out mullet.

Not the mullet! The never brushing or combing since whenever?

Ah - to be fair, brushing or combing that wouldn't make much difference.

We’re the same age, we both got into vintage clothes at 19 and we’ve both had mullets….. maybe he’s my long lost twin. Except I don’t pretend I’m not interested in fashion. Don’t be so disingenuous Monty.

Great article to wake up to, thanks both for the links. I might go and dig out the thread now.

https://www.thetimes.com/article/7e98282a-cff7-4404-84d5-2df381d344c3?shareToken=acf40cc760e93f339a0a705958e2237e

Sorry, none of the links work for me! Neither did copying and pasting the link text.

I just wish he’d wear the right size. Half his clothes are too big for him

Garlic’s second link worked for me but try this one.
https://archive.ph/Fu3bI

What is going on? Can you try just googling the article headline, @1000StrawberryLollies. (I’m very sorry, share tokens usually work but sometimes there’s a breakdown somewhere.)

GarlicFound's link worked for me (second one). Very funny article - a man without an interest in fashion will just buy functional clothes from M&S.

I love the thought of you and MD growing up in tandem, @Floisme!

And I’m pleased that all our observations on the original thread were correct - his look certainly isn’t one than can be properly replicated cheaply.

My heart breaks all over again for Old Town though. Not even such regular ordering from him could keep them afloat? Anyway, prompted by his fairly deliberate promotion (?) I’ve signed up to their newsletter again, as they seem to have plans.

https://www.old-town.co.uk/

I expect he's going for 'artistically saggy'

@JudgementalCat's link worked (I cross-posted with that post!). Thanks.
I love that he saw a style he liked in 1974, copied it and has stuck with it for 50 years!

I think we might struggle to get that thread off the ground now. Old Town gone, Cabbages & Roses gone, Toast mostly made in China....

I'm intrigued by the 'If Monty Don were a woman' thread. Tried an advanced search, but to no avail!

Oh wait - I found it! https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/style_and_beauty/4281220-If-Monty-Don-was-a-woman?page=1

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/style_and_beauty/4281220-If-Monty-Don-was-a-woman?utm_campaign=thread&utm_medium=app_share

😄

I really like Monty Don. He is a very stylish man.

My sister had a pair of his big earrings with bows on them in the 80s that I was never allowed to borrow.

I wonder if he really has stuck with the same style for 50 years or if that's just the image he likes to (excuse the pun) cultivate, along with not being interested in fashion. I can picture him as a New Romantic - I think the founder of Old Town was too?

I totally agree with Monty about older men in shorts - they look pathetic. Thankfully my (old-ish) husband agrees!!!! Lovely article.

It's challenging being stylish but appropriate as you get older. I've recently discovered Linda V Wright, who lives in Paris and runs a cashmere shop called Crimson. I like her understated style - bit of a female Monty really, in my opinion!!!

I just don’t understand the concept of ‘appropriateness’ as a theoretical thing related to age. (I quite like old men in shorts!)

Surely every individual looks in a mirror and decides whether they look good in what they’ve got on? Yes, ‘looking good’, or not, might encompass what you feel an outfit conveys to others - but it’s a personal judgement, not something delivered from on high. Or from MN.