Believe me it has taken a while to narrow down where its worth shopping. I particularly mean what high street shops are worth visiting and browsing properly when the opportunity arises. Online it can be a different experience – even more overwhelming in some ways but at least you can use a search engine to type in what you are looking for and then start from what comes back.
Browsing online when you are not sure what you are looking for can be incredibly confusing and overwhelming. Most online shops have hundreds of fashion items available at any given time. I can find myself being sucked in for hours. Not always a good use of time. There are tactics to help with this which I plan to share in another post. Some websites are better than others, however if you start with my list below then hopefully you might cut out some of the pain.
I am also a big fan of vintage and charity shops, and probably about 25 percent to one third of my wardrobe falls into this category. But again there is an art to shopping second hand that justifies its own post.
I found it interesting to reflect on the sort of criteria I use when deciding where to shop. Here I am being brutally honest, and perhaps this is not how I should shop, but it is how I do. This might not be your top five, but I am sure you will find some of these in common with me.
The 5 things that drive my shopping psychology
- Affordability – bloggers and influencers don’t tend to talk plainly about price, they tend to refer to it as “price point” or say this is “highly affordable”, rather than “cheap”. However, I don’t see what you should need to sugar coat this point. Most of us do not have unlimited resources, and none of us want to pay too much for something when we can get a very similar item somewhere else for a more reasonable price. Also really important – it needs to be affordable but look premium.
- Presentation, kerb appeal, and organisation – naturally I am drawn to shops that sell lots of items that look as if they will flatter me and suit my style. For a shop I don’t know so well I am often drawn in by seeing a particular item, or items arranged in a widow display. Then once I am in, organisation plays a huge part. I can’t cope with zillions of rails with clothes crammed in. I like to be able to see what is there and browse through the majority of it relatively quickly.
- Fit and fabric – let’s face it some fashion shops do not have a whole lot to offer for those of us who are a bit more mature. Sometimes shops that are aimed at a younger demographic, River Island or Stradivarius, would be examples can really have some good stuff. However there are some for examples I would probably name e.g. Urban Outfitters or Boohoo which are just too teen. The sizing in general runs too small, and the styles, crop tops, cut outs, very body con or very festival/boho chick just don’t work. Fabric can also be an issue too. I have learnt to steer clear of polyester most of the time and things that just don’t feel nice when you put them on.
- Convenience – this plays a huge part in my retail psychology. Is it somewhere I can get to easily? Does it have a few different shops in different locations? Does it do no fuss returns? Is it somewhere I might be able to shop while combined with other tasks I need to do? e.g. supermarket fashion can be quite a good option when you are pressed for time.
- Ethics and sustainability – I know that fast fashion in wrong. It makes me feel sick knowing about some of the human stories and casualties behind it. I would love all retailers to be adopting ethical practices and to be offering wholly sustainable collections. But will I only shop from these truly ethical collections ? Unfortunately the answer at the moment is probably no. This is too limiting and I’m a bit too selfish. It’s a bit like being a meat eater. I know I should probably stop but somehow I don’t, as it would involve lifestyle changes and other commitments I just can’t cope with at the moment. Anyway if its truly ethical and sustainable that’s great, its an added bonus. I do hope there is more of it in future in fashion retail, and yes of course we should all champion it.
So based on those sorts of criteria – what retailers do I really love and why? Most of these have high street shops or used to though there is one I have chosen which has only ever been online. In my opinion all of these are great for over 40’s fashion, and have considered the needs of this demographic. I might not like everything they have but I certainly like quite a lot of it. There are also some other shops I buy from quite a lot, but I don’t think any of them cater particularly to the over 40’s, so I am listing them separately at the end.
My top ten best retailers for over 40’s fashion
One : Apricot
I really enjoy a browse around Apricot. I would say its aimed mainly at the over 40’s and that is usually who you see shopping there. I pretty much always find something I like. Some of its items are a tiny bit conservative for my taste, but its also covers the trends quite well. Particularly good are the summer dresses and jumpsuits. On their website they describe their collection as “Bohemian Luxe” which I think sums it up quite well. The fabrics are in general quite good, with viscose being used in favour of polyester. The prices are great too, given the quality, and the sale prices even better.
Here are my three Apricot picks for Autumn 2021
Two: Sosander
Sosander is an online only fashion retailer launched by Ali Hall and Julie Lavington, after working in fashion for twenty years, here is what they say about their brand;
“We launched Sosandar after hearing the same complaints from women time and time again. Women like us who wanted fashion to make them feel simultaneously sexy, feminine and chic. Women who wanted sleeves and longer lengths, but couldn’t find them. Who wanted flattering dresses that make getting dressed easy, and work for every occasion. We understand that you don’t want to wear boring clothes to work, at weekends – or ever. You want the latest trends that work in real life.”
Says it all really – the clothes are a winning combination of classic and wearable, while keeping up with the seasonal trends, and with great fabric, fit and affordability. Its also the kind of retailer where the sizing is consistent and does not run too small. Anyway I really like it, and there is alway something from them on my wish list. It was hard to narrow down three items, however all of these will be super stylish options for this coming season.
Three: Oliver Bonas
Oliver Bonas makes it to the list partly for its all round gorgeous shopping experience. As well as a fairly small but nice fashion collection it has covetable accessories, homeware and gifts. For this reason – I find its somewhere I really enjoy browsing through and have found quite a few fashion gems over the years. Quality, fit and affordability are all just right for the over 40’s fashion seeker. Here are my three top new in picks:
Four: Coast
Coast a bit like Quiz below has an extensive occasion wear collection. However here I am concentrating on more every day new in Autumn pieces. I can’t say this is somewhere where I shop all the time, but my feeling in general is that its good quality and value and caters quite well for the over 40’s demographic, so definitely worth a second look. Its New In collection on line was not organised very well so I had to sift through a lot of occasion wear to find the following pieces all of which would be a great addition to an Autumn wardrobe. They also have a generous 40% discount on many pieces online, and some items like the coat and trousers come in lots of different colours.
Five: Lindex
Lindex is a relatively new favourite of mine. I know about it as it moved into our local shopping centre, Westfield Stratford, East London last year. I’ve been really impressed by its range of high quality affordable basics and fashion forward items with an edge of Scandinavian cool. The lingerie and nightwear collections are great too, and it also stocks kid’s clothes.
Here are my favourites from their new in Autumn fashion collection. I’ve cheated slightly in adding a fourth item, which is the bag strap. These are great for swapping out existing bag straps to give a more designer feel, e.g. like bags from Gucci and Chanel.
Six: Biba Collection at House of Fraser
I stumbled across this collection when shopping at Lakeside in Essex. I particularly fell in love with their nightwear and purchased quite a few items from their collection. However I also love their fashion, accessories and home wear. I am not sure how close it is to the vibe the original that inspired it – though it does use the original logo in places -but it definitely ticks my boxes in terms of quality, affordability fit and style.
Here are some Autumn appropriate pieces worth investing in:
Seven: Supermarkets (Tesco, Sainsbury’s, ASDA)
Okay so this category massively fits the convenience criteria. Who does not want to emerge from a dull shop for food and other household items with an affordable fashion treat?
- Tesco is my nearest supermarket, only ten minutes walk. Their collection is called Florence and Fred. Their skinny jeans have done me great service over the years. I have also picked up some other bargains and am currently mourning that I think I might have missed out on a beige shacket (very like the Lindex one above). If it’s Tesco and you like it, buy it when you see it or it will be gone. This is particularly an issue as you can’t currently get their items online but in store only.
- Sainsbury’s – the big Sainsbury’s about 15 minutes drive away was a treat visit during lockdown when access to actual clothing to touch and feel in situ was very difficult to come by. The Tu collection from Sainsbury’s is quite extensive and I’ve bought a few things there including loungewear, tops and flip flops over the last year or so. It follows the trends quite well and the sizing, style and general fit are over 40’s friendly. The Tu collection is also available online.
- Asda – Asda can be a bit manic. Probably enough said about that – but their clothing section can have some real gems. It also follows the seasonal trends. Asda clothing carries the George label which relates to Next’s founder. Its also available online and does an easy click and collect service if they don’t have your size in store. (Also if you still have children of school age – their collection of this is highly affordable 😉
- Anyway here are three new in items worthy of any fashion retailer:
Eight: Marks & Spencer
So if I am being perfectly honest, I have mixed feelings about Britain’s favourite retailer. Of course it isn’t really any more and its non-food collections have struggled to survive over the last few years particularly given the amount of expensive retail space that the stores occupy. I used to find the women’s wear items a bit dull, with the Per Una collection being the only one worth looking at. However I feel things have really changed for M&S fashion over the past five years and the collection has much to offer the forty something woman. Deserving particular mention are the jeans, coats, shoes and boots, jackets, swimwear and of course lingerie. There are also some fashion gems every season if you have a little patience. In general the sizing, quality and fit is right on the forty plus female demographic. M&S online also offers easy access to other forty plus friendly retailers like Sosander (above) and Hobbs.
Nine: Karen Millen
I absolutely love Karen Millen. Its a bit more premium as is reflected in the prices, but its pieces really do last. I’ve still got a jumper in pretty perfect condition from the late 90’s. This year their country chic collection co-designed with the influencer Lydia Elise Millen is really worth a look. Lydia is clearly not in the forty plus bracket but she has impeccable taste (sort of ladylike chic), and I find I am always very drawn to what she wears. Karen Millen has also started a curve collection which is great as some of their normal collection pieces can run a bit small. I was pretty sad when Karen Millen moved out of the high street. However the online shop is reasonably user friendly and there are often reductions. It was really hard to choose only three pieces as there are many lovely things on their site.
Ten: Quiz
So Quiz occasion wear actually has quite a wide age range. In the last month both my daughter and myself have bought dresses for events we are going to. A wedding and a dinner respectively. If you have an event coming up I would definitely look them up. They are highly affordable and have a range of flattering styles. The more every day fashion collection is also great though. They may not be aimed specifically at the forty something demographic but I do think in general they work well for it.
Here are my top picks. I am cheating a bit by including non daywear item. However this is the dress I have just bought, it also comes in nude. The satin blazer and jumper are also both on my wish list. The blazer would add interest to jeans and a plain t shirt as day wear or also be great over a dress in the evening. The jumper is just gorgeous, I love the dog tooth pattern and the dramatic sleeves.
I also shop fairly regularly from Zara, Mango, H & M, River Island, Select, and Asos. None of them are aimed at the over 40’s particularly but all of them have wide ranging collections, with more classic as well as fashionable pieces.
