ladies boutiques in provincial towns

[CompyCod]

you knwo those mother of the bride kind of shops?
with a hard faced harridan trying to relive the 80s?

i always am entertained byt he "brands" or " designers" they advertise yhat you are suposed to think " ooh yes they have "out of xile" or " derek of ROchdale""

do you have oen?

"Dressini" - tres bad But, come on, "mum's the word" is worse is it not?

hahaha we have a tweedy mature lady type one though can't remember name

the kind where espadrilles cost £83 nd a wooden bead necklace costs £57

i tried t buy a cardi there once

she said "i don't think navy is "in" this year"

TEN points for bonnie tyler ownership

It does but I expect Bonnie thinks it's a classy and exotic name.

lol at navy

I live in London and we had one. Chloe I think it was called. Ruching and fluffy bits everywhere. It closed last year.

they draw the blinds when it's closed with ours - must be to stop the commoners looking in

These are the shops that always use fishing line to sort of suspend and drape the clothes in the window.

What a splendid shop BlueCardi. And they must be everso proud of that website .

Too scared to even go into even the ones that have nice stuff (not Derek of Rochdale) because you will never come out with just the navy cardigan but be press ganged into whole outfit.

I like it that they suggest a fortifying glass of wine & champagne - would need something lol - but only if the driver was waiting - wouldn't want to prang the landrover

Elizabeth Rose is the local shop for rich old ladies near my parents' house. The shop owners will go and collect customers at local old people's homes and give them tea while coercing them into spending ££££££ showing them the new collection.

My particular sartorial favourite is gold buttons and those suits that look like they are made of very thin foam.

Often tempted to suggest I need an outfit for a "rotary club dinner and dance"

Anyone remember when they covered the inside of the windows with yellow cellophane to stop the sun fading the clothes? Well there are still some shops like that round here

Monkeysmama they are very rare in London but I remember Chloe - Blackheath? V glitzy it was.
Bonsoir there are lots of these in Tenterden I think - usually selling Alexon/Country Casuals?

Yes cat!

Ours is called Jessica's and on the few occasions I've ventured in there to get a present for my 75 year old mil I have been taken aback by the amount of crepe paper in the shop. And the women who work there are all related and wear powder blue twin sets.

There used to be one very near where I live but it went out of business last year - specialised in supplying Frank Usher and things with lots of ruffles, applique sequins and lace to the matrons of Clayhall. The MIL and I went in there for a laugh last year when getting stuff for her wedding - God, it was hideous!

There's a shoe shop across the road from it that's still in business called Ruffles and Bows - it sells the kind of shoes that an Oil Sheik's wife might discount as being a bit too blingy...

Monkeysmama, it could have kitted out the entire cast of Dynasty I think!

I grew up near Henley and there was one there called Gladys Falloon. No idea if it is still there. If the name didn't put you off, the clothes would.

There was also a downmarket sort of shop in Maidenhead which I remember from the 1970s, which my mother and her neighbour used to love. It was called Sheer Value. I don't think they stocked anything which wasn't crimplene or polyester.

Oh brilliant thread, we still have tons in Dublin and it's the capital! There used to be one called "Le Flair" or "Miss Flair" or something, where bosomy assistant would come towards you actually rubbing her hands together and there was only ever one of each thing. And she called it a boe-teek I think.

'The Forgotten Lady'....it's for larger ladies....

There's one near me that specialises in hatchet-faced staff who stalk you round the shop.

A friend of mine went in there some time ago, only to be looked up and down and told in no uncertain terms that there was nothing to fit her. She was probably size 14/16 at the time, so hardly in need of a marquee.

To be fair, the staff are probably worse than the clothes!

i am sad for hte forgotten ladies.
the name does sound like they are victims of slavery in El Salvador though

Lol. Ha ha.