Dressing a muscular body

[BareFacedKitty]

I'm at my wits end. I hate shopping and I'm in desperate need of casual, stylish outfits for day to day life!

I lift weights and have a body type which just seems to grow muscle very easily.

I'm somewhere between a 10 and 12 (so an 11 then) with no curves. Well developed shoulders and biceps, flat tum and big quads and calves. I go in at the waist and seem to have to live in tight tops which cinch at the waist so I don't look like a box.

I'm fed up of living in stretchy skinny jeans and ballet pumps (which don't even suit me!), ankle boots make my calves look awful and finding knee boots for winter will not be easy. Finding tops that go over my shoulders and back are gaping at the waist.

Mumsnet fashionistas I am pleading for your help, I'm braving the shops tomorrow and would love some ideas of what to look for!

[peasandlove]

I follow several well muscled ladies on insta but they mostly seem to wear gym gear . Have you tried boots that are wide at the opening like these type h by hudson or the ash jalouse/ash type ones. They make your ankle look really slim and calf shapely.

[peasandlove]

skinny jeans, v neck t-shirt, a nice tailored blazer, ankle boots like the ones above? Maybe buy a blazer/jacket in a larger size for your shoulders and get it altered to be more fitted around the waist?

[BareFacedKitty]

I would love to wear gym gear 24/7! I hadn't considered boots like those so will give them a go, I quite like them!

What is the general consensus on large quads and calves in skinny jeans... I seem to read lots about staying away from them and leave them for lean and slight legs but there's also lots saying to go for it - I feel more confident in skinnies with a heel but I'm not sure if I'm offending peoples eyes!

[Littlepumpkinpie]

Watching with interest in the same boat fed up of skinnies too. I seem to live in gym gear sat in comfy joggers as I type. Today I was looking some boot cut cords in a shop then thought are they still in fashion?

[LinusDKD]

I think Jessica Ennis looks great in her skinnies and ballet flats in this picture so I think you can be muscular and wear those clothes.

[BareFacedKitty]

She does indeed look fab, maybe I just haven't found the perfect pair. I've 3 of the cherry pairs from oasis because they're good and stretchy in the legs and are the right size on the waist.

Boot cut cords, I'm not sure of the fashion status, but I'm not a dedicated follower! Right now if I found something that looked good I'd be buying it! I'll see what I come up with tomorrow and if I find anything worth sharing I'll post. Thanks everyone

[Somanyillustrations]

I have wide( but not muscular) calves, and these are quite slimming

[peasandlove]

I was going to suggest knit type dresses with opaques and boots like the ones I linked to. But I dont really know good luck, come back and show us what you get

[coffeenut]

skinnies and flats can look good on larger/muscular thighs if you have narrow ankles (like moi). Jessica Ennis does look fab and living proof (although my thighs much larger!). I actually quite like Topshop Baxter skinnies - slightly straighter at the ankle. Also look for detail at the knees, like "biker" styles, for some reason this works. And yes to jalouse type boots ....

[BareFacedKitty]

Thanks for all the ideas...I went out today and came back yet another pair of skinnies! I'm going to try the styles of boots linked to above and see if I feel a little more confident wearing them with those. I always feel better with a bit of a heel so maybe it's good that the colder weather is coming and ballet flats are on their way out for a while. There are some lovely light knit jumpers in oasis and next so I picked up a couple of those and a t shirt in warehouse.

Tried on boyfriend fit jeans and lo and behold the old fits the thigh too big in the waist conundrum was all too apparent!

[Sleepwhenidie]

Do you like showing off your shoulders and arms Bare? And did you try skinny boyfriends, more like this than looser fitting ones? What kind of style do you like generally?

[BareFacedKitty]

I am most comfortable showing off my arms and shoulders! The jeans I tried were in next so not exactly high end but willing to fork out good money for a well cut pair. They were basically wide legged to be honest. I find their sizing pretty awful! Style wise I'm usually erring on the preppy style, Breton tops and fine knit jumpers. I have a few dresses and can find 'nice' going out stuff easily enough (dresses erase the leg problem) but casual and workwear separates just baffles me!