Where do you wish you could shop!?

Just saw a Mary Portas dress in a magazine priced at a mere £85! Not sure how many ladies on a state pension will be rushing out to buy it.

Rather than targeting a particular age group it would be more useful if shops organised their clothes according to the body shape they would suit. Most of them do a petite range but they could go much further.

this task has been given to me to create a range that appeals to a market that might currently find it difficult to find something she likes on the high street due to the lack of garments with a specific fit or feel

There's the rub, most of DON'T find it difficult to find something we like on the High Street. What is more your tutors should not be setting you a task that is based on a niche market that MIGHT exist. They should be setting you a task based on a niche market that they KNOW exists and where they have the survey evidence to prove it, surveys, which should tell you clearly what the group in the securely identified niche wants.

I believe that Mary Portas identified older women as a niche market and established a shop to serve them - with a resounding lack of success.

Flik, I agree with you just being 65+ does not mean everyone suddenly wants the same clothes or anything else. I have just been visiting my 69 year old sister in law in Italy. She has a wardrobe full of Prada, Gucci, Balenciaga, Marni, Dries van Noten etc - bags and shoes for every outfit. I would aspire to this if money was no object. I have a few modest designer pieces as well as high street, my own vintage ( old) stuff and my own made clothes as well. I am a bit of a seamstress so I do think I can make clothes better than some of the cheap stuff you can find in the shops.

Online every time for every thing other than clothes & plants, would never trust that clothes would fit, style ??? who cares.

Most other stuff comes from ebay/amazon, no parking to pay, hunting around etc. A trip to our nearest town costs me at least £5 in fuel/parking, plus lunch etc. not to mention the hour or so I could have used more fruitfully.

The three things which have stood out to me from these posts are

Longer sleeves to hide or disguise bat-wings (which seem to develop even if you're quite slim!)

No silly embroidery, embellishments or motifs on the front of garments, especially tops, and

More vibrant colours, certainly not beige.

I wish more outlets would bear those criteria in mind if they're trying to appeal to any woman over the age of 50, never mind 65!

Well said Flick ! Anya - I don't find helpful underwear uncomfortable really. As for squashing it in, my control pants sort of pull me in. I only wear them occasionally. The only problem is when you need the loo, once you are in them, you are in them! I am only slightly overweight, I am 10 and a half stone and 5ft 6. Unfortunately any weight I have got is all on my middle.

I am in my 70s, and nothing, but nothing would persuade me to shop in a 65+ dress shop, full of age appropriate clothing. It is my idea of hell.

I never have any problems finding clothes I like in the usual High Street stores. Where do I shop? Monsoon, Next, New Look, Sainsbury's, Lands End (the only company with trousers that fit me), very occasionally M&S, but only for dull things like black jeggings, BHS. I like my underwear frivolous and lacy, loathe polyester, cold in winter, sweaty and smelly in summer. I like clothes to be colourful. I have just bought a bright orange sweater in Next for this winter and cherry red short boots with a kitten heel in M&S. Not all older women put on weight or if they do they get rid of it so many of us can still get into sizes 10 - 14.

I get 'age appropriate' clothing brochures in the post and they drop out of newspapers, never seen anything in any of them that didn't make me shudder.

Why are you treating older women as something other? We are perfectly ordinary people who have been round for a bit longer than most but our tastes in clothes, food, home décor and everything else are the same as everybody else. People of all ages have widely differing tastes and there is no more variation in clothing tastes between older and younger people than there are between a group of people of the same age.

Please, please, please get real. Talk to real older women in the street. The ones dress smartly, with a stylish hairdo and make up, you probably wouldn't realise what their age is. What is your image of a woman over 65? I suspect it is very different from reality.

But don't these 'helpful' garments just squash it all in? Where does it all go and isn't it a tad uncomfortable?

What me? Wobbly bits? Erm.... yes I certainly have, mostly around my middle but I find the clothes I buy are usually fine. I avoid tight clothes and have a few 'helpful' undergarments if I am wearing a fitted dress or something.

KatyK yes agree we still want modern styles, but don't you have wobbly bits too?

I am 65 and have no wish to have my age group 'targeted'. I buy whatever I like from wherever I like. I have shopped in New Look, M & S, Next, Debenhams, George at Asda, Tesco, Wallis, BHS, Primark. I am a size 14 (usually ) and I don't really think of any clothes as unsuitable for my age really, apart from very short skirts and too low tops.

A dear friend who perhaps knows me a bit too well sent me a birthday card last month.
Woman standing in front of mirror, trying dress on, says to shop assistant:
"It's too tight, too short and too expensive - I'll take it"

Doesn't anyone else admit to sometimes making slightly unsuitable purchases and going out in them anyway ?

PPS yes, I would buy a casual range targeted at over 65's , not on style but on fit, but you'd need to come up with a name that has good street cred and doesn't sound all and dowdy.

PS looking through my wardrobe the majority of clothes bought recently are from Next.

I'd like to be able to shop at M&S simply because there are so many stores within easy reach.

It's true that despite being a size 14 (with aspirations to be a 12 again) things that 'fit' well enough do not always look or hang right. There's that heaviness about the waist that needs to be disguised.
Then there is the question of upper arms. More tops with elblow length or three quarter sleeves please.
Finally the bust, which is the envy of my DiL but I detest. That seems to gave sprouted exponentially. Need something to make it less Dolly Parton.

I want to wear the same kind of casual jeans, trousers, skirts, tops that my DD and DiL wears (they are early 40s) but designed to hide all the droopy and bulgy bits flatter.

M&S tried IT with their Twiggy range but they got it SO wrong.

Ok I'll try to be constructive - I know how difficult it can be as a student fulfilling a tutor brief.

The main things for me are quality and price combined. I want well made clothes with good fabrics but not at designer prices. So I am willing to pay for a few nice things rather than lots of cheaper things. My shops are White Stuff, Monsoon (but less than formerly as it concentrates on going out clothes and I don't much) Boden, Joules, Sea Salt, JL Laura Ashley. Used to love East but they have got very dowdy lately. I would like to shop in Reiss, Jigsaw, Hobbs and L K Bennett but bit too pricey and a bit too officey. French Connection can vary and are often cut small for size. Used to love Planet but don't see it about much, Windsmoor, CC and Alexon are dowdy. I used to buy a lot from M & S but as their advertising shows they seem to be focusing on thin tall people who stand around in their pants.

The unasked for Next catalogue that arrived last week went straight in the recycling- Yes I had looked through it and went in the shop - cheap fabrics, nasty colours, poor fit.

Where would I not shop?

Edinburgh Woollen Mill
M & Co
Roman
Dorothy Perkins
River Island
Top Shop
Primark
Matalan
Simply be
Plus Fifty all for reasons of quality
Lipsy
All Saints
Karen Millen - all too young and glitzy


Does that help? I stress its a personal view not a recipe for others.

Yes, thin drapy fabrics become droopy loose covers.

Just weighing in here (MN refugee but of the older variety).

I've found that the cut and fabric of clothes I wore when I was younger, although they still fit, look droopy on me IYSWIM.

Once upon a time my figure held the clothes up - now I have loss of muscle tone, I need clothes that do this for me.

Therefore I am looking for more tailored clothes that enhance the figure and create a bit of an upward dynamic if you see what I mean.

No flowing, unstructured looks.

I shop at Uniqlo for casuals - jeans, t shirts, sweaters and I love their down jackets and coats. For smarter wear I like Jigsaw, Toast, Cos, Hobbs. I don't shop at ultra cheap places like Primark, New Look etc as the stores are jumble sale like and the quality of the clothes, if I find anything I like, is poor. I like natural fibres : cotton, silk, wool, cashmere etc and hate polyester, acrylic, though viscose can be ok. I can often find stuff I like in fashion chains such as Zara . I am size 10 so can find clothes to fit easily but don't want anything too short, too tight or that isn't cut well. I do like buying clothes but would hate to be targeted by age. Unlike others I do like sleeveless dresses as I find them cooler, and you can always slip a cropped cardie over if you are chilly. I am going out boot and coat shopping soon and will probably go to the above stores and maybe TKMaxx in case of a bargain, I did find a lovely Jaeger coat there recently. I make my own clothes as well as buying them and do like making dresses from 1940s and 50s patterns. Good luck with the project can't see such a range getting anywhere though!

If you are going to design clothes could you design something that flatters rather than just looks awful, please no prints and colours aimed at I am guessing anyone over fifty which are just dreadful. I would like to buy stylish tops with short sleeves that are longer in length. If I ever come across something in the style I prefer the colour is awful or the print is horrible and if the print is nice it invariably has a white background...... I give up. I can't wear white or light coloured tops as I just fade away. I am still wearing a plain navy blue tunic top I somehow was just lucky to buy over 10 years ago. Now if I could only buy short sleeve (not capped sleeved), longish tops that very, very, slightly taper in at the waist in darker pretty colours such as emerald green, navy, crimson colours I would be very grateful. Oh and rebekah can you please leave the silly motifs or prints off of the front of tops. How many times have I been extremely disappointed when I finally find a top that might be okay and it's been spoilt. I can dress up my own clothes with scarves or jewellery or just wear it plain.

You might find the thirty and forty year olds are asking for the same type of styles. Clothes that flatter, fit properly and wear well. I have a pair of white designer pants that are very uncomfortable to wear. I found a shop that caters for women probably fifty and up, expensive and I bought two pairs of three quarter pants for summer that I love. They had some really suitable tops BUT they were lolly pink and some other colour I didn't like and that was their theme for that season. There are two shops I have found, much cheaper clothes and absolutely packed with women of all different ages. Because they have clothes that are a bit different and very wearable.

I am 5' 9", size 14, aged 62 and shop where I like, so there!

We are all different, don't categorise us.

Good luck!

More outlets for good quality reasonably priced underwear which can totally alter the look of an outfit. If I had money I would shop at Rigby and Peller!

Rebekah, LOL - keep digging- but we are not buying it- thanks ;).

I know a lot more overweight and strange bodyshapes in younger women than over 60s actually. Age has nothing to do with it.

Sleeves please

Oh no, not fleeces!!! Agree about shorter scarves though, they all seem to be far too long (and I'm quite tall). I don't want to have to wrap them three times round my neck until they drape properly...