Warning- RANT clothes for a 70 year old!!!!

Try Vinted, lot’s of new with and without tags or worn once. Just bought two pairs of new leather sandals for less than one pair from a shop.

Mary Berry wears Zara !

hollysteers - correct! I also see plenty of clothes for all sizes and ages out there. The question comes down to - do you like to shop and try on? Some people don’t and do not have the patience to find suitable garments (without having to bring them back after trying on at home. It’s a pain in the keester and a second trip. I myself have been guilty on this…)

lizzypopbottle - keep sewing away!Nice to see pictures. Good job! You are saving a lot of money and your clothes fit you well.

I find the OP hard to believe. Stores are bulging with clothes of every description, plus charity shops and online shopping. In fact, the preponderance of available clothes borders on the decadent.
If one can’t find something suitable, I’m mystified.
I have far too many clothes and of course it’s not my fault, there’s too much out there!

I’m with you Tanith…. Roman and Next are my ‘go to’ sites…. I wear what I like ….not an age label, and these two are great for me!!

I like Next and Roman , I'm 62 , I just want to be comfortable but not frumpy these days . My Mum loved Bon Marche , they do cater for ladies of a certain age and I've bought crop trousers in there . John Lewis , Monsoon , Phase Eight are worth a look too if you have a healthy clothes budget .
I do find average size 14 and 16 are never in stock in store and there is always a much wider choice online . I do shop online a lot and I probably send back more than I keep 🙃

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I'm 71 and I make a lot of my own clothes. High waisted, wide leg trousers are a favourite (the pattern I use is by True Bias and the pants are called Lander.) I have a pattern for a vee neck, stretch knit top which I can make with short, three quarter or long sleeves. That's a favourite too. The top I'm wearing today is made from a colour changing fabric. It's black and white indoors but the white areas turn bright pink in the sunshine. I also made the pants and top in the other photo. I bet there are a few lonely and unloved sewing machines hidden away in lofts and cupboards...

Let’s not even talk about shoes! It’s a sickness. 😂
For some women it’s handbags/purses.

Oh, boy, I love clothes!
I have too many things; when I walk into my closet, somedays I feel like I can’t breathe! That’s how much I love clothes.

Now that I’m retired and don’t have to dress professionally, there’s a major, MAJOR purging coming up very soon.

We have turned into a fast-fashion throw-away society. It makes me ill to know that so much clothing is now made from petroleum and derivatives.

The clothes I wear best are the natural fibers, stick with those for comfort.

Spend a little more for classic lines and endurance and style. Your fashion style and tastes do not change much from when you were younger.

Every woman has their own profile when it comes to fashion. Don’t always follow the trends, but don’t worry about what others think either. Do your own thing and zing!
Cheers!
USA Gundy

I don't buy many new clothes as I still wear stuff I've had for many years. I rarely wear dresses and the last time I bought one it was for my son's wedding. I tried one in a shop while visiting my daughter in Glasgow and wasn't sure so didn't buy. In the end I couldn't find anything better so ordered the item online when I returned home. It worked out cheaper as there was a deal if you took out their card. I saved the money, paid off the card then cut it up! As they say - every little helps!

I order a 16 in White Stuff, Seasalt, Fat Face and M&S. Sizing is good.
If any of you fancy discounted Monsoon, Seasalt and White Stuff, try the outlet Otrium. Then search for a further discount code on Pouch, Vouchercodes and Coupert.
Otrium often have their own codes at the weekend, on top of the already discounted clothes.
At the moment I am wearing a £55 White Stuff dress, which cost £15.
Their delivery isnt cheap, but often some of the codes come with free delivery.

Several of you have mentioned White Stuff. Can I ask what their sizing is like? I use Seasalt a lot as I know if I order size 14 it will fit. Even with M&S sizing varies so much. Thanks.

I like Masai, Thought and Fat Face probably always look for sale stuff though as I’m a cheapskate and they can be expensive.
I will admit that having worked wearing a uniform it’s probably always been a thing to have lots of different things that were quite ridiculous and unnecessary.
Only now am I settling in to a comfortable way of regulating what I wear. And I am wearing all my favourites not saving anything for best any more.

When you look at the clothes displayed either online or in shops it is abundantly clear that the market these garments are designed for is that comprising 14-25 year olds. Some women of 30 to 40 will probably look good in them too, but I doubt neither those of 50+ will either want, or be able to wear them.

This will only change if women of over 25 start demanding another style of clothing.

Not likely to happen?

Probably not, so either continue the search for a shop that does sell what you want, or take up dress-making /find a dressmaker.

There isn't any other choice that I can see.

I’m 66 soon to be 67. I shop in Zara,mango, MS,HM even supermarkets these days have fairly decent stuff. Departments stores ( if there’s any left) have good concession departments.

I get things from Cotton Traders sizing just right for me plus need high cotton content next to skin, shoes Pavers or Sketches.

Primrose53, Expensive tastes! All lovely if you can afford them though.

I think that Woolovers have lost their direction, too much non knitwear, and the quality is now rather poor. I have a couple of their cashmere/shetland mix v necks, lovely colours for sure, but within a couple of wears the bobbling was terrible.

as an aside; as I wrote it, I thought that 'knitwear' was a rather frumpy, old lady word......

Once upon a ( long) time, when my daughter was 35 and I was 70, she told me about White Stuff. It's not cheap, but they have good sales and I shop both in their shops and online.
We never buy the same garment- daughter looks good, and I, never in the least bit stylish, have had some admiring comments on some of the outfits I wear.

My late 90+ mil thought Bon Marche was an exclusive French shop. Bless her.
I used to buy nearly all my clothes from Boden but I find most of their dresses either too short/too long/too flowery. Did get a nice dress from them in winter and was complemented on it. Mostly seem to get tunic tops from Sea Salt these days and live in jeans or cotton trousers plus t-shirt or tunic.

Even at 80 my mother wouldn’t wear what she called ‘old lady’ clothes. Of course once she developed dementia she didn’t give a hoot, but I still wouldn’t buy them for her.

Our town is now so bereft of clothes shops that Bonmarche is the last one here! We used to have independents and a Debenhams, M&S, even a BHS long ago so very little choice but to go to the big shopping centre nearby or buy on line.

I wear what I like !
And so do most of my friends .
A couple of them dress as their mothers did .
Most of us remember the truly frumpy clothes that our grandmothers wore . Mine had a collection of hats , which were unbelievable .
They were worn whenever she went out as " ladies don't go out bareheaded "
Her wardrobe was not helped by her rather lumpy tightly corsetted body .
Margaret Rutherford comes to mind .
My grandmother was sweet , kind and loving and Margaret Rutherford one of my favourite actresses .

I really wonder what my grandma would make of my long red hair and my clothes !

My mother , aged 70 also started wearing horrendous outfits which she bought at the local market .
She'd always been so elegant before .
She had a collection of polyester horrors topped with either a pink or mauve anorak and ghastly hats .

I look in charity shops for bargains , but otherwise buy from Boden , Monsoon , Gudrun , M and S and Seasalt when on sale or on ebay .

Monsoon is my favourite .

I buy my everyday clothes from Yours for comfort .

🤣

When it was the fashion for those bleached jeans and the ones with rips in them Dh always took great delight in asking the kids ‘Did you know you’ve got paint on/ripped your jeans?’ It never got old for him. 😂😂😂

SueDonim

Calli I say things like that just to annoy my offspring. 😂

He's started saying it to the DGD with their cropped jumpers!