Where do you wish you could shop!?

I think it sounds an excellent idea. Face it - women do tend to take on a different shape after menopause. We thicken. And later, we start to lose muscle. There's nothing yuou can do about it. Clothes to suit would be very good.

Marks and Sparks for me. Had a lovely blouse from their Classic selection for my birthday.

I have looked at the leggings'jeggings/treggings. Know way would be comfortable for me. The "reach" isn't deep enough. (And I'm not really fat - 10stone and quarter of a pound at the moment. )

I'm 73.

Hi Rebekah,I am am just a tad over 65, 68 to be precise. When I go shopping for clothes I would never dream of trying to find somewhere that caters just for my age group, I just like what is on offer at most stores and dress in the way that suits my lifestyle. I avoid like the plague the section in M&S that is labeled as classic. Oh and I love leggings and jeggings, stylish jumpers, short jackets, long boots in fact I am probably what is termed as mutton dressed as lamb....... But do you know what, I don't care. I will never dress to suit my age.

I've noticed that sizes vary from shop to shop. A size 12 in Laura Ashley [one of my favourite shops albeit a bit pricey] is not a size 12 at Top Shop so I know I'm kidding myself size wise, but it still makes me feel good . As we get older we still want to wear fashionable clothes, but our shape changes; wider hips/waists etc so good tailoring in that area would be good. I ordered some clothes from a well known catalogue that sells silk clothes and the cut of the dresses was awful; they all went back. Much as I still love M&S [they have much better clothes online than instore] I have often left without buying anything because their changing rooms are full and there are huge queues at the checkouts; cutting back on staff costs them sales. I also hate it when stores offer me 'loyalty cards' that are in fact credit cards, although not sure if that still happens [M&S did it for a while]. I agree about synthetics, although I have been slightly converted to them but, in general t shirts etc should be cotton.

I think there is a market for well designed and well made clothes for women, irrespective of their age. I am 57 and have terrible trouble finding anything I like. Like the majority on here, I certainly will not be wearing beige/wash n wear/elastic/polyester etc., My Mother, at 83 doesnt wear them either. However, I will not shop in cheap shops like New Look, will not shop in any Arcadia shops such as BHS. Topshop ( for reasons to do with Philip Green being a tax dodger). I cant afford to buy makes like Jaegar and find a lot of the traditional tailored brands are just that, too tailored. I sometimes buy Per Una but not this year and hate the fact that although the designs are not too bad, they are made of nasty synthetic fabric, same applies to Monsoon. All points about what I dont like, but hope you find them useful!

Perhaps that is the way you should be thinking, Rebekah - what is there about a store that would make us more likely to shop there, at 65+ or any other age.

I would say -

Assistants who are more than a size 8, and older than 21.

No loud jarring music. If you must have music, have it quiet and soothing.

Attractive clothes that are neither frumpish and "elderly" nor outlandishly "fashionable", ie hideous on anyone.

Many price levels. Sometimes we want something expensive for a special occasion, sometimes a more everyday thing. You never know, if we are looking for trousers to wear round the house we might see just the thing for that wedding in two months time.

Many sizes, with the larger ones as attractive as the smaller ones. Not a rack full of sizes 10 and 12, with one each of size 14 and 16. It is normal to put on a little weight as we get older.

Many colours. Some of us like classic greys and navies. Some of us like pasteles, some like bright colours. Not many older complexions suit hard or sludgy colours.

All the coats together, all the trousers together, all the tops together, and so on. We don't like traipsing round a dozen "collections" to find two or three possibles to try on.

Individual changing rooms with plenty of space and clothes hooks, and mirrors which show our back view.

A small cafe or even a coffee/tea machine.

Comfortable seats and a newspaper or two for our other halves to sit and wait for us to emerge.

I agree with every word that Mamie et al say and I am 71 but still think that I am 29. I do not possess a beige twin set and navy pleated skirt. I buy on impulse usually.

You have your work cut out!

Though they all could put seats in so that you could think.

Hi rebekah
I agree with everything said above. I will be 65 next month and I think I would shop anywhere apart from places with clothes aimed at the over 65 age group.
I like White Stuff, Uniqlo, White Company, Joules, East, Monsoon. I buy some basics like leggings, jeggings and t-shirts from M and S, BHS and Sainsburys.
i would throw a hissy fit if anyone thought I ought to wear pastel embroidered cardigans, pleated skirts, elasticated waists or beige.
I hope this helps.

Look at the leggings thread!!

And most of us wouldnt 'shop' in a supermarket - they are more impulse buys IMO!

Did anyone see Twiggy on WDYTYA?

Rebekah, just look at this list and I hope you'll see my point. If I could link a photo to my older sister you would see that it isn't just celebrities who don't need a specialist range of clothes for women over 65 - she knows what suits her and buys accordingly without any reference to her age.

Exactly what I was thinking ga

Hi Rebekah. Part of the problem with your task is the implication that the over 65's need to be especially catered for. Speaking personally, and being a whippersnapper of only 61, I don't imagine I will ever have any desire to wear clothes that are specifically marketed at women aged 65+.
However, as your tutors are so limited/ageist in their thinking and you can't avoid this task I wish you well with it.