Where do you wish you could shop!?

I remember when Dorothy Perkins used to do different length skirts too -I used to buy most of my work clothes from them.

I had forgotten them. I bought a beautiful pinkish tweedy suit from them ten years ago. Just above the knee, quite floaty for tweed, lovely neckline, fitted short jacket, size 10... It's like a dream now!

My main problem with clothes in the shops these days is getting trousers/jeans to fit me. I am pear shaped as oposed to apple shaped and always find the waistband hip ratios are far too large. I am a size 12 but still have a waist! Lands End are usually alright and I have stocked up on Zafiri trousers from John Lewis, but I fear they may not be stocking them anymore. I also found a pair that fitted me in Edinburgh Wollen Mill or EM as they now call themselves. Not a shop I would normally go into.

I also wear a lot of T shirts and have noticed that the sleeves are incredibly tight and too long for me. And I have slim arms.

So more variety in sizes please.

Trying to be adventurous and trendy I keep buying styles and colours that used to suit me. I try it on in the shop and it looks fine. Get it home and suddenly it looks awful. My DD or DDiL are happy to accept these brand new cast offs.
So I'm back to jeans and tops. I could kit out most of my town street in jeans and tops!

I have smart jeans to go out in, old jeans for the garden, middling jeans for the school runs and shopping. Tight jeans, baggy jeans, straight legged, boot cut, boy friend, indigo, pale blue, every shade between. In fact jeans for every occasion, even a black pair for funerals.

Oh, I do draw the line at jeans for funerals! I have a trusty M&S pair of trousers for those occasions (or sometimes navy, depends on what else I'm going to wear).

So do I actually Ana I was only joking about the funeral.

I have loads of black trousers left over from my working wardrobe. Smart ones, middling ones, baggy, tight, straight legged, velvet .....need I go on. They're all up in the loft somewhere apart from that one pair.

When Per Una was launched they used to do skirts and dresses in regular and long lengths. Of course that was in the days when George Davies was in charge and they had interesting designs and decent fabrics.

And then he went to Asda - I remember following him and shopping there for a few years, until they tried to make him go too cheap and shoddy and they parted company.

Irrespective of design, I find that my biggest issue is with fabric. I loathe polyester and viscose type stuff, always end up crumpled even if I could bear wearing it. No warmth in winter, all sweaty in the summer. just what is the point of it? Nasty stuff.

I think that Rebeka is long gone folks!

Probably developing special sub brand for children between 0 - 30.

I have read this with interest.

I can only assume most of the posters on this thread are fortunate enough to have quite a lot of money to spend on their clothes.

I never shop in some of these places that have been mentioned. As lots of people mentioned for instance The White Company, I had a look on-line and saw the, for me, very expensive clothes.

As a size 18 - 20 with bingo wings, I feel more comfortable in tops with sleeves, short but coming just above the elbow, or 3/4 and the length that skims my hips. Dresses I wear rarely, but if I do I prefer them just below the knee and although I admire these very fitted dresses on others, they wouldn't suit me.

I am practically ashamed to mention where I buy a lot of my clothes, Bon Marche as no one has mentioned this at all. For me they fit the bill, yes I suppose they are for the older woman but they do big sizes and not always but sometimes like a week or two ago I went in there and found two evening type tops and a couple of jumpers for the winter which I liked.

I bought some grey linen trousers from Bon Marche at the beginning of the summer. Practically lived in them.

My cosiest winyter cardi came from Matalan. Washes like a dream, and sooo warm.

I really like 'viscose type stuff' and don't find it sweaty or nasty at all!

I'm not a huge fan of Bon Marché, being tall and thin, but they have some lovely warm jumpers in this year and I've bought three.

I've stopped buying expensive stuff because I don't go anywhere special to wear it.
I do love to 'cherry pick' though from Matalan,Tesco,Sainsbury, River Island,H&M etc.
They have some great clothes in amongst the basic stuff. And I do love a bargain!

A couple of years ago I bought a fabulous grey suede and faux fur coat by Dennis Basso from QVC. It's my absolute favourite, but unfortunately not waterproof.
I got a rather nice long cardigan from Tesco yesterday, pale grey and fluffy.

Lona My current favourite and most useful cardi is a little thin black cotton one with elbow length sleeves, looks good over a vest with jeans or over a dress and cost £10 from Tesco.

Some people shop in the more expensive shops but if you read in detail you will find that most of us are High Street/ Supermarket purchasers. A lot of my clothes come from Sainsbury's, Next and M&S (this winter).

I like Tigiwear which I buy online or at the local Garden Centre. All their clothes are cotton or stretch jersey in lovely colours and patterns.

I also like the Edinburgh Wool Shop now known as EWM's cord trousers, I have them in 3 different colours.

If I can find anything I like I buy in the sales at M&S ( and I get staff discount as well ) and I buy odds and ends in Sainsbury's when they're having one of their 25% off days. My best buy recently has been a lovely Clements Ribeiro coat that I got in TK Maxx for £33. Cheap??? Moi???

Overthehill, I`m dressed almost entirely by Bonmarche, with just a few exceptions, I love their clothes, with the occasional gripe that some dresses and skirts are way too long, we`re not all beanpoles, I`m only a short, fat 5`1"!

Heading for John Lewis today - got a good book, will park myself in their cafe with endless coffee whilst Mrs. P and daughter shop, could cost me on the credit card, but think of the brownie points I could earn. (and I will need to build up the brownie points for my next model project)

I took advice from a poster here some time ago and bought a tunic from Woolovers. Very satisfied with that purchase, I bought several other items and have been equally pleased. I like their variety of colours and their fibre combinations (merino/cashmere, cotton/cashmere, cotton/silk). The prices are also very competitive. So far, I have no complaints. So thanks to whoever first mentioned the company on Gransnet.

I've just bought a couple of tunics from them. Only thing that worries me is, with them being cashmere I don't know if I should keep them away from the dreaded moths that invade my wardrobe. I find their pure wool jumpers a bit itchy though. They say delivery will be several days but my order seems to arrive almost straight away.

It was me, I am the Woolovers addict. I keep all of my acquisitions in their own drawer with a packet of mothballs. Any wool I have hanging in the wardrobe is sprayed with fly killer once a year. It works for me. I had a lovely camel cashmere coat eaten by moths after only two years, and was not amused.

I bought the Woolovers because they do longer lengths (the longer v-neck and the long v-neck cardigan are my favourites, I wear them together like twinsets) so cover my bottom in the winter nicely, and because they aren't bulky so don't make me look fatter than I am! I only buy the merino wool or merino and cashmere, and sometimes have them as birthday presents. They are incredibly reasonably priced.

I would buy all of my clothes from Phase Eight, not M&S, I have decided. Their clothes are far more flattering on me.