need style tips - fed up of dressing like a student!

[hmmmum]

Really could do with some advice. I'm stuck in a rut of jeans, converse, t-shirt, cardie, especially now that I'm not working just now - I'm a sahm. I feel like a slobby mess all the time... I don't want to be over-dressed all the time, but equally I don't want to be dressing like i've given up on ever being attractive ever again. Putting an outfit together doesn't come naturally to me so I go for the easy option of something boring like jeans and a hoodie. Any advice to get me started?

[Ilovecrossfit]

mm thats what Im wearing most days at teh age of 33, on school runs and every day LOL
But i do like my black skinnies with pair of boots and tweed jacket. I do wear dresses but now with 2 children and one under 1 comfort is most important factor! So IF i wear a dress is still simply black over a pair of leggings, I love COS clothing..bit different but eye catching.
What's your style?? you have to answer that and start from there

[Aquelven]

I tend to wear the same. I'm a bit older but work from home.
If I need to go out & look smart, meetings, I find decent jeans or pants work ok if I swap the top half to a dressier top with a jacket. Doesn't involve too much planning either!

[hmmmum]

thanks for your replies! Not sure how I'd describe my style, I don't do "smart" very well, and I like to dress in a slightly quirky way (not massively quirkly, just a little).
I would like to still dress in a way that's comfortable since I am hanging out with a one-year-old, but looks nice too.
I don't think I'm describing myself very well, maybe I just need to get a couple key interesting things like nice boots and scarfs and go from there!
I'll check out Cos, thanks :)

[ElectricMonk]

Layering helps! Some things that I'm combining a lot at the moment are:

Bottoms -
Indigo skinny jeans (the Gok for Sainsbury's ones are surprisingly good, and only £28);
Black skinny jeans (the M&S jeggings are excellent, cost me £22);
Black leather skirt, a-line and knee length (ebay is great for these - mine was £5 nearly 10 years ago and still looks perfect).

Tops-
A few vest tops in nice, flattering colours which don't clash with each other (Primark does lovely ones for £2);
Black cowl neck jersey top with long sleeves (black or charcoal, to taste - I have some lovely ones from H&M, bought last year for £12 each);
Black waterfall jacket in jersey (Wallis, £32 and worth every penny IMO);
Oversized chunky knitted jumper (I have two from Wallis which are very slightly sparkly and let the colour of your top show through the holes, they're lovely).

Shoes -
Nice black ankle boots.

Accesories -
Nice black bag;
Statement necklaces that go well with the colours of your vest tops;
Scarves that go well with the colours of your vest tops;
Thick black opaque tights.

As you can probably tell, I'm still getting over my adolescent goth phase so you might want to avoid some of the black. However, the above combine to make lots of different, practical but smart outfits and didn't actually cost very much money. A lot of it will also get used in spring and summer so it is quite cost effective, especially if you use ebay.

[SunsetMojito]

I would stick with the style you like, that is don't go too smart or you won't feel like yourself, and you'll buy stuff you won't wear often.
Work with your basic style - a few good pairs of skinny jeans (various colours), Ash do some good hi-tops which could replace your Converse. They are expensive but gorgeous. Or there are some really nice ankle boots around if you are not a fan of the knee boot with tucked in jeans.
A scarf or statement necklace can be added to plain tees and cardi combos to make them look lovely and interesting.
Have a look at a few blogs to get inspiration - Poppy's style, Style Guile are good. School Gate Chic is OK but mumsy imo.