'Old Lady shops'

I think Damart still have a reputation as thermal vests and old ladies slippers but tbh although I find their clothes in the same style as Cotton Traders and are ok I have given them a whirl in the past although you have to pay postage on returns.

Are there shops for ‘old men’ too?

kittylester

I suspect the point Rocketstop was making was not about the cost or the style of the clothes but pure concept of buying from Damart. I might buy something very similar from somewhere else - just not from Damart.

Yes that's right, I was not 'Rubbishing ' any shop or discussing the cost of any of the clothes, it was just about perceptions really of what each of us PERSONALLY consider an 'Old Lady shop' and we would feel a bit odd buying from !
A good range of answers on this thread !

sixandahalf

I think it's rather unkind to posters or friends who shop at these places.

They are on the whole cheap and do the job.

We can't all manage Seasalt, Sahara,Jigsaw and so on.

Indeed.

I just throw on whatever I like, never worrying that I'm old.

I typically wear jeans, not trousers, no elastic - I'm happy.

I have just had a look to see if the Damart catalogue is as bad as I remember it. Some of it actually looks OK but quite a few items are definitely 'Old lady'.

What amused me was the fact that all the models look under 30. Possibly some might even still be in their teens. One particularly young looking model looked very happy to be wearing a sky blue, cable stitch, acrylic cardigan.

MayBee70

David Nieper. Overpriced, too.

I bought a dressing gown from David Nieper a few months ago.
I thought it would be rather special considering the price....not far off £200. There's nothing special about it! I kept the garment because I couldn't find another supplier who offered a gown with a zipper fastening.
But I would never buy from them again.
Customer service was excellent I should add.

fancyflowers

Does anyone remember C & A and their 'Clockhouse' section for teenagers? I used to go there for clothes when I was young

Nowadays I mostly shop at either M & S or online.

Yes! The person who lived next door to us when we were first married, was a buyer for C&A and I was the happy recipient of quite a few freebies.

David Nieper. Overpriced, too.

Allira

BlueBelle

Allira

kittylester

Was it Damart? A leaflet from them came today and I just put it straight in the bin on the basis that it's an old lady brand......and i'm definitely not an old lady!!

I bought three Damart thermal vests last winter 😁
Kept me toasty and warm.

allira I bought two a black one and a skin coloured one, and they were as thin as silk, but so very warm, they were V neck which I couldn’t find anywhere else, with some very pretty lace trim they are really brilliant and I loved them, certainly not old lady at all
I think there’s some really judgemental posts on here

But we would probably never go out in just our vests so no-one will ever know 😁

I always think a bit of lace makes all the difference 😀

BlueBelle

Allira

kittylester

Was it Damart? A leaflet from them came today and I just put it straight in the bin on the basis that it's an old lady brand......and i'm definitely not an old lady!!

I bought three Damart thermal vests last winter 😁
Kept me toasty and warm.

allira I bought two a black one and a skin coloured one, and they were as thin as silk, but so very warm, they were V neck which I couldn’t find anywhere else, with some very pretty lace trim they are really brilliant and I loved them, certainly not old lady at all
I think there’s some really judgemental posts on here

But we would probably never go out in just our vests so no-one will ever know 😁

Blossoming

Allira

I'm wearing a very old Dash top bought from a designer outlet years ago, straight cotton trousers from Cotton Traders and an ancient M&S cardigan which is a linen mix and has worn well.

But I'm Not Going Out.

Has Dash gone into administration? Haven't seen any of their clothes for years.

Bonmarché stock Dash now.

Oh! Thank you.

But we're not allowed to shop there apparently 😁

I was in Primark last week and joined two ladies,who were older tbsm me but the same size .
We were searching for the larger sizes ,which are always hard to find .
We all said that the clothes in Primark have improved enormously .
And then , one of them said something that surprised me - that the clothes in Yours are designed for old ladies.
I thought that they were for big girls .

Allira

I'm wearing a very old Dash top bought from a designer outlet years ago, straight cotton trousers from Cotton Traders and an ancient M&S cardigan which is a linen mix and has worn well.

But I'm Not Going Out.

Has Dash gone into administration? Haven't seen any of their clothes for years.

Bonmarché stock Dash now.

MissAdventure

Does anyone remember Ethel Austin?
I think it had branches elsewhere, and i loved the clothes.

I grew up with Ethel Austin shops in the northwest and carried on buying from them until they closed down.
Good value, especially for basics and children's clothes👍

Allira

kittylester

Was it Damart? A leaflet from them came today and I just put it straight in the bin on the basis that it's an old lady brand......and i'm definitely not an old lady!!

I bought three Damart thermal vests last winter 😁
Kept me toasty and warm.

allira I bought two a black one and a skin coloured one, and they were as thin as silk, but so very warm, they were V neck which I couldn’t find anywhere else, with some very pretty lace trim they are really brilliant and I loved them, certainly not old lady at all
I think there’s some really judgemental posts on here

These boots are from Cotton Traders. I don't think they are frumpy. Maybe they are ......

I’m in my 70’s but I certainly do not want to wear twin set and pearls although I do know women younger than me who do just that, their choice, I don’t criticise.

I do avoid taking MrA clothes shopping with me though, he was once married to a very old fashioned woman apparently and this reflects in some of the garments he picks up and asks ‘is this what you’re after?’

Does anyone remember C & A and their 'Clockhouse' section for teenagers? I used to go there for clothes when I was young

Nowadays I mostly shop at either M & S or online.

I like Seasalt, Roman and Fat Face for their petite ranges. It’s not easy being a shrimp . I am a little ole lady and I don’t give a damn!

Even when my mother had dementia and no longer gave a toss, I wouldn’t buy any ‘old lady’ clothes for her. She’d still been smart and non frumpy at 80. It was increasingly hard to find suitable things though - for the care home they needed to be machine washable and tumble-dryable.

I'm governed by budget really so always looking for bargains/sales etc.
And I like to be comfortable so really like elastic waistbands..
I don't mind which shop or company, and often browse charity shops too.
At present I'm wearing Damart fleecy leisure trousers and a Cotton Traders fleece sweatshirt. Both bought at sale prices.

I've had a fair amount from Cotton Traders - a lovely waterproof coat, joggers, sweatshirts for DH. I've had two pairs of lovely boots which I don't think are frumpy. I don't do frumpy. I'm not sure why people think Roman is for old ladies. I have some gorgeous dresses from there.

My husband ordered some lovely trousers from cotton traders and i did have a giggle but they are lovely, so he's ordered another pair and I was quite impressed by their catalogue

I wear elasticated waist linen trousers every summer. Going by the amount sold in M&S so do thousands of other ladies, young and old. Also, those being sniffy about certain shops need to remember not everyone has the same shape, height, weight or budget. As I said earlier, when working I lived in Jaeger, when it was excellent quality, along with LK Bennett, Hobbs, Coast, Jigsaw etc etc. Now, my needs have changed. I buy lots from M&S, Seasalt and, yes, the much maligned BonMarche where I find quite nice items in amongst the gaudy patterns.

A lot of snobbery on here about brands I think. I’ve yet to go up to another lady, pull the labels out of her garments to see where she bought them from. Still, others might do.

Life’s too short to fret about what other people think. If I like something and it suits my style I’ll buy it, whatever the label says. I don’t think I’ve slipped into “old ladyhood”yet, but one of my favourite dresses comes from Roman - plain, midi, pockets - and I’ve been asked where I got it from by people half my age. Ditto for some ankle boots from Hotter. Both online sales bargains. And I remember Damart suddenly (and briefly) being fashionable when my girls were teenagers - we took them over to the factory store to buy some tops.