Toasties looking forward to sun, summer and sales ☀️

[IlovePond]

Hi,
As promised, here is the new thread.

All are welcome to chat about all things Toast, and any related topics!

@ScottishMouse - not sure when they changed the sizing, but I think it might have been called an Easy Tee?

Oh thanks @faustina, that should help me track it down. How do people find the quality of the Alda generally? Does its softness work against it longer term do we think?

Finally managed to get myself to the place where my last parcel was waiting. Suki jeans are perfect summer jeans for me, thanks for tip on here!

I like the walking trouser vibe belted cotton trousers too. And I got the orange quilted skirt in a size down because I bought the 12 last year and love it but it’s too big.

Also got a set of those little glasses but have t opened them yet. Hope they’re not the faulty ones someone returned!

@ToastSafeFromMothsAndDogs - that was me with the glasses. I was so disappointed as I have wanted them for ages. Hopefully they are not the same ones I returned. (There’s artisan and then there’s faulty!)

I wasn’t very happy with the condition of the small green glasses DS1 got me for Xmas, either. Only a couple were in what I would regard as ‘saleable’ condition and they were full price. I couldn’t say anything though as DS would have been upset, so I am just using the couple that are ok.

The little linen knitted vest in butterscotch and cream that I ordered arrived yesterday and I really quite like it. I had liked the green one that’s full price but seeing this one I think it might be better for me.
At the very last stroke of the sale clock I ordered the boiled wool green, blue and ecru scarf. I kept looking at it and I’m glad I’ve ordered it in the end.
The Chie Mihara boots will arrive tomorrow. I’m not sure how I’ll like them. They look lovely but very different from what I wear now.

@ScallopShellWalk I love it when something in the sale turns out to exceed expectations.
I have those Chie Mihara boots, I was offered a 20 % discount last Winter and I used it to buy those as I always liked them a lot.
I find them very stylish , definately add pizazz to long skirts and ankle length trousers . They are quite heavy compared to many of today’s footwear , but for walking around town etc I find them comfortable.Hope you like!

@OftenOrange thank you for letting me know how you get on with the boots. That’s what I’m hoping to get out of them. I sometimes would like to feel a little more refined and dressed, I think these could do that for me. I’m not sure about heels or a heavy weight but hopefully it’ll be fine. I’ll come back about them. They are due to arrive soon.

@ScottishMouse i have two Alda tees and they have worn very well. I have worn them a lot this summer. I wash them very lightly, 20°c or cold and 15 minute wash. I don’t know if that makes a difference. I am considering another.

@IlovePond these glasses were fine! Phew. Definitely rustic, but I wanted them for a rustic use so that’s fine

Boots arrived. Comfy and look lovely. Wearing them for 5-10 mins to see how my body wants to respond. Is this back niggle and knee niggle new and because of the boots or something else? 🤔

Glad the glasses worked out - they are so nice @ToastSafeFromMothsAndDogs

@ScottishMouse the wide leg denim trousers have arrived and I love them. I think they look really cool 😁. I ordered medium though and they are too big, so ordered small to try. I think I will get a lot of wear out of them.

I also ordered the Flower Mountain trainers. Love these. I would keep no matter what they looked like as they feel blissful underfoot!

Final thing was Selma Totem dress. I wanted to get the other style but I don’t think neckline will work for me. As I opened it my first thought was that it was going back as I didn’t like the colour. It looks lovely on though so am keeping. Sized down from my last Selma dress and the fit looks much better.

That’s me done for this month now.

That’s a nice wee haul @MsDastardley. The denim trousers are really great. I tried them for a second time to make sure, but they do not work for me. I also tried the FM trainers and they didn’t fit me well.
I am struggling to find anything I like that I also feel comfortable in these days. I feel like I have tried on so many things from the current season but bought/kept nothing. This is mostly a result of perimenopausal weight gain over the last 5 or so years that I am finding it so hard to adjust to. Nothing looks the way I feel it should, I feel incredibly self-conscious and unhappy about it, and so I reject most everything. And then the cycle just continues as I try something else instead. I know I need to be able to embrace my new shape and be happy with good enough pieces, but I’m a perfectionist. It’s kind of driving me crazy.

@ScottishMouse sorry you’re feeling like that. My shape has changed too, and I am now inverted triangle. I don’t have a huge bust but I feel big in comparison to the bottom half. I don’t like seeing my side profile in gym wear, and I have to choose carefully with tops

I don’t much like my side profile in anything @MsDastardley!
Part of the problem at the moment is dressing for warm weather. I have never been good at it, I kind of hate both summer weather and summer clothes. In winter I seem to have fewer issues - stick on a nice knit and I am good to go.
I thought I’d just get some Alda tees, but then wore my very old one yesterday and remembered that I kind of hate tshirts - I hate how they cling, even more oversized ones. So now I am back to searching for alternative tops for summer. I’m going to go to my local store today and try the stubby check short sleeve shirt (again - I rejected it for some reason I cannot now remember when it first appeared, but now I am more desperate!), and the linen cotton knit tee - might be too heavy for warm weather though? The navy seersucker top is not my style of choice, but my style of choice doesn’t seem to work for my body these days, and it was super in the heat when I was on holidays. I wish they had it in other colours. The red Jamdani version is £££ but even if it wasn’t, I’m not sure red is for me - anyone tried it who doesn’t usually wear red? The white embroidered shirt also looks lovely, but I know the neck will be too high for me.
Roll on sweater weather!!

@ScottishMouse - nothing worse than nothing feeling quite right. Hope you find something soon. Maybe buy another of the seersucker tops in navy to get you through? I would (and have) done the same. I think any shape changes, bigger and smaller, take a while to get one's head around and it's really unsettling

I said I'd update on the Harper try before you buy: I'm very pleased with it and would use again. My order arrived on Friday, I sent it back the next day and I was refunded yesterday. Totally fuss free and my credit card was none the wiser.

My final order arrives today (not try before you buy) so hopefully something from that will work

@ScottishMouse I feel similar. I’ve probably only gone from 10-12 to a solid 12, I never weigh myself but feel that’s about right. In this weather I am pretty much alternating 3 linen dresses.

Currently in London so visited the Notting Hill shop and had a quick browse but didn’t have the energy
to try anything on! The vibae shoes look good. There was a short sleeved striped cashmere jumper that looked gorgeous. It all looks so good in the actual shop.

The exchange rail looked pitiful; around 5 or 6 items on it, all old or size 6. I’ve still got a voucher thing but definitely keeping hold of it.

@ScottishMouse I like a capped-sleeved cotton shirt. They are looser than a t shirt but nice and cool and cover the top of the arms a bit. Not easy to find though.

That’s a shame about the exchange rail @mizu. The one in Edinburgh is always well stocked but a lot of very tired looking things. I take such good care of my clothes and it always disappoints me that other people don’t do the same.
I have gone from an 8 to a 12-14 in the past few years and I just don’t feel me anymore. ☹️

@ScottishMouse I don’t feel me anymore either. I keep losing a bit of weight then see it come back. My old style doesn’t work at all now. Clothes don’t fit or look awful. I’m enjoying toast clothes as most, if not all, is loose and good quality so I think it looks nice.

I sent the Chie Mihara boots back today. Lovely boots but don’t fit in with my clothes and how I want to look. It was nice to try them and good to get them out of my system. I’ll get a flat chunky pair sometime.

I had some success in store today, although I had to push myself to buy things that are not 100% perfect. I bought the stubby check shirt which is airy and lovely. It is a little long but can be tucked in or maybe tied at the waist, and although the 14 felt more comfy, the 12 looked better and does fit, so I went for that. I have a terrible habit of sizing up for comfort and thinking that if I can feel the piece touch my body at all when I move then it is too small. I also bought the knit cotton linen tee. Again I forced myself to go for M and not for L even though I felt more physically and psychologically comfortable in a bigger size where everything is well hidden. L didn’t look good on me though. I also bought the washed black linen skirt which I didn’t intend to try. It is lovely and will go with lots. Gathered skirts sometimes make me look like I have a huge arse and hips, which ironically are the only small part of me these days, but this one is very flattering. Again I went with S which is definitely tighter on the waist than I would ideally like, but it was more flattering than M which looked like it had too much fabric.
So hopefully all successful and I won’t regret any when I try them on at home.

@ScottishMouse Irishgirlinglasgow has done a post today about how we view our bodies. She’s also wearing a t-shirt which is similar to the Alda but looks like it might be linen. Like her, I don’t like my arms as I’ve got older, but when I think about my mum and grandma, I can see they are just normal aging arms. I wear sleeveless a lot. I’m u def no illusion about how they look, but I am happy as I feel comfortable.

I have several Alda t-shirts btw, and for me they work well. I like the neckline and cut of arms. I love the Jamdani and white embroidered tops, but I would look like a galleon in them.

Oh interesting @MsDastardley, I shall look that post up. It’s so interesting what we feel self-conscious about when we look at it objectively. I hate my mid section, but feel ok about my arms even though they are not particularly toned. I also feel ok about my legs even though I have massive calf muscles. Hate my bust, but that is not new. My newest issues is my neck. It has always been short (the horror!) but now it is fat too. How and why? If it’s not scarf weather I feel naked.

I read something the other day about bodies and it has made me think about mine differently. As a personal body, that feels, functions, protects and contains us. That it’s not a dumbbell that we drag around with us. Others judge our bodies and we do too but thinking of it in this personal way, others really should have no say. Whether it should look or be sculpted in line with views of others can even seem quite bizarre. To be healthy if we can and if it feels and functions then that’s a body.

The navy seersucker dress is back in stock in a few sizes.