Tuesday 24 March 2009

Poor and Perfectly Stylish - or not

Good gracious me! I've just had the new next summer catalogue delivered, along with half of this town. And I suspect many other towns, without shops you could actually buy clothes in.

Shocking stuff! They seem to have reverted back to my oldest preconception of next, which was that it was aimed at people who worked in offices, ladies who maybe had a go on then, big glass of Chardonnay at a suburban pub or bar. And who had absolutely no sense of style, and saw nothing wrong with St George's flag on flip flops, or towels...or going the other way had a interior decoration style best described as a penchant for beige.

I've tried really hard to link some of the pictures - my favourite is an orange Killah top, with a high high waistband (multicoloured thick band) worn with practical jeans, white sunglasses (in a non-directional style if you know what I mean), oh and easy to keep short hair. There are also some men's flip flops, with a picture of an ice cream on, and bearing the legend - 'Lick it'.

Why, why why? The other key 'direction through the catalogue seems to be slightly poor American bling look, think the sister from Ugly Betty and you'd have it about right. The trouble is amongst these horrors are a couple of things that are pretty - mostly if you were a gorgeous 16 year old girl. But, hey - still nice. (n.b. H- you'll be fine in most of these, being gorgeous and a size ten, and very young looking). (Why am I friends with you again? Oh yes, you also have slugs!)

There endeth the lesson - being too broke to buy um, 'looks' is sometimes not a bad idea.

edit: Just back from the school run, H is actually a size 6/8 not 10! And everyone else, i.e decent mummies looks at the children's clothes first. Also wanted to note some quite cute shoes, and couple of lovely handbags. Suspect cheap handbags - they are all about 20 or 30 pounds is a false economy though, rather like the one I accidentally bought from Avon last year.

8 comments:

Unknown said...

Oh I love Next! But being currently with child, the maternity clothes section of anywhere is where I am currently headed, being due July, maybe I will be thin enough to join the Autumn Winter collection of anywhere half way decent....or maybe not!!

Yes, the thing with Next is soooo expensive. I love the kiddy's clothes though. I find they really do last.

Anonymous said...

I was going to say that H is not that large! and re looking young, it's because she is I believe still in her 20's?!

Anonymous said...

Smiler - between season wear always tricky. No point buying anything much though - do try Primark though can be fab cheap/and big (i.e.pregnant sized tops).
And yes - realised as soon as I saw H, she's smaller than a 10. Welcome to commenting anonymous too - and clues on your real identity, and yes, she's under 30!

Richard de Pesando MA(RCA) said...

I've worked for next, head offices in Leicest, you get a cab from the station and it drives down'Sore Valley ' and up "Raw Dyke"...

I could tell you some stories...

Anonymous said...

Sounds similar to Haringey Back Passage - which was next to our old flat in Haringey. And as for the stories...go on then.

Anonymous said...

slugs, mould, leaking roof, 3 children who have perfected whinning in unison, no boobs- loads of reasons to be freinds with me. H

Anonymous said...

or friends even!

Anonymous said...

Yay! Am delighted I've cracked you. Welcome to your second ever comment...And really, no one would ever know about your roof/mould/boobs/children if you keep them indoors. Really they are all lovely - and ask David about J's tantrum about ballet on Monday, and about how I coped with it. (Rewarding negative behaviour)