Oh, wise ladies... Please help me dress beautifully! I feel so dowdy :-(

[itspeanutbutterjellytime]

I'm feeling so dowdy at the moment. I have such an awkward looking horrid frame and no idea how to dress it.

I'm 24 and 5ft 9 (HATE being so tall, makes me feel like a man) and a size 12 (sometimes 14 on the bottom in places like Topshop) with 36DD chest. I have mousey coloured hair and green eyes and quite pale skin.

I just have no idea what to wear. I so want to look classy and gorgeous and 'done' when I rock up to the nursery with my ds... instead I look cobbled together and boring. Can anyone please help?

I am no expert but I wish I lived near you! I would love to sort you out.Most women dream of being tall btw,channel your inner super model!
Mousey hair.....get it coloured and get a really good hair cut.
I know it's hard when you have little ones but I promise if you put a bit of make up on you will feel so much better.
I work in a nursery and most of the mums wear skinny jeans (long top if they worry you) ugg boots(can't stand them myself.....)at this time of year get a great coat because that's the only bit people see on the school run ( I have loads and they are not all really expensive !) A bright wooly scarf.accessories.keep it feminine if you feel manly.
Hope you get more advice.

P.s and don 't wear black all over...colour is great!

You don't sound like you have an awkward frame..you sound gorgeous. But it sounds like you have lost confidence and your style mojo since being a mum?
Do you perceive all the other mums to look glam and 'done'? If so what is it about them that makes them look like that? Some days I feel like that as I just throw on jeans and a jumper to do school/nursery run as I figure I will spend the rest of the day with a baby and therefore end up covered in snot/ food etc. however when I do make an effort to look 'done' I feel so much better...for me it's just putting on a watch/jewellery' a bit of make up and washing my hair (as opposed to dry shampoo!).

Not sure if tht's any help but have a think about what you want to look like and there are plenty of people on here that will manage to find some fabulous clothes for you.

I also agree with the above poster, get you hair done (cut, coloured, whatever) as you will always feel more groomed. Also nails, not necessarily polish but filed.
Good luck

OP, you sound a bit like me. Green eyes, pale skin, mousy hair, tall frame, check check check check. (The only thing I don't have is your boobs. I'm a boring 36B.)

Are you a Summer? All colors seem tricky, you feel washed out and dowdy in almost anything.

I've had a major style overhaul over the last year. I had my colors done, I got rid of clothes that were unflattering or the wrong size (tall and thin people end very easily up wearing things that are too short or too loose). I also changed my makeup and had my mousy hair highlighted and have it religiously done every 6 weeks. I started wearing shapes that flatter my shape (I need to emphasize my very nice legs. My waist is abnormally high so anything cropped looks terrible. Dropped waist things look better.)

You'll get there. It requires some thought, some investments and regular maintenance.

I'd start with a good lipstick shade and some blusher. Then follow drywhiteplease's advice.

Finally, perhaps the most important thing is your inner source of confidence and poise. If you feel good about yourself, you can rock almost any look. Find things you enjoy, take pride in them, and it will show!

What colour should I go hair - wise? I feel like I should either go lighter or darker, I feel very in between and like the idea of a more solid chcolate brown colour. My eyebrows naturally fall into a groomed slim shape which is lucky! I was also going to invest in a Babyliss Big Hair after seeing the thread dedicated to it last month! Might be a bit better than drying and straightening.

I do try and make the effort to put on makeup, especially at the weekends and I've recently revamped my underwear drawer (my nan said you should never be ashamed of the contents!) and invested in great makeup (Lancome and Benefit). I just have a lot of mismatched stuff. If I'm honest, I need to chuck the bloody lot and start again... some stuff I've had since I was about 18!

Tbh, what I need is a good quality, capsule wardrobe. I love the look of the typical 'London Mummy' with the gorgeous cardigans and scarves and trousers so good you barely notice they're there.

I hate my height; I always feel so tall and manly, especially when some girls at work squeak on about how ickle they are compared to the big men

Oddly, I actually like my body more now I've had DS. It feels more womanly; curvy without being too fat. I'm so much more comfortable with my hourglass shape now than before. I just feel like an hourglass shape is such an odd one on a taller woman. Often, a 14 bottom (in Hobbs say) is a bit too loose, but the 12 would nip me a bit and I end up sticking with the bigger size.

I'm 5'9" too, and a size 12 mostly, sometimes a 14. My boobs are a 30gg though so all together shopping is a nightmare! Waists in the wrong place, gaping over boobs, trousers too big on waist if they fit my saddlebags! I find it interesting looking at this site here just for the technical advice on body shape and what suits ( and what to avoid). They also have some stuff on capsule wardrobes. I linked to the x shape as that's what you sound like, but it's worth comparing to an 8 shape as well.
I know what you mean about feeling manly, even though you have an hourglass shape, the 2 don't feel like they go together somehow!

I mean the heigh and the hourglass shape don't go together...

itspeanut you sound gorgeous!
If your skin is pale be careful with your hair colour.find a good colourist and ask their advice.don't go brassy or too dark.i woul go for highlights or lowlights because they are softer than a solid colour.
Building a capsule wardrobe is not difficult.you have to invest in the things you will wear the most.jeans defo....get a good pair that fit...do not buy them too big they will make you look bigger. I would also spend money on a good handbag (leather...i love t k maxx)and boots.i recently bought a beige long line merino wool cardi from l k Bennett which cost a small fortune but I wear it all the time with lots of diff things( mostly H and m,Gap,Warehouse..high st shops)
Scarves can look more expensive than they are too.get tops in cheaper shops just watch the fabric....I hate acrylic it goes bobbly in no time and looks cheap.cotton,linen,viscose,silk (high st silk I mean!)stay nice.
Most important when you buy stuff is think what you are going to wear it with.it has to go with the other stuff in your wardrobe.
Sorry to ramble......I love clothes and have learnt all of this through experience............I have made some style changers in my time!

I meant style clangers !

My piece of advice is if the 14 is too big and the 12 too snug then do not but either A size 212 or 14 in hobbs will not be the exact same as another shop so look around, take weeks if that's how long it takes, try loads on and only buy ones that look and feel good in the changing room

• buy either of course!

Oh and yes yes yes to babbyliss big hair ( if you need more volume use l'oreal studio go create sculpting spritz.......spray on wet hair before blow dry for huge bounce...I am addicted and when I don't have time to wash my hair I spray on dry and give it a quick blow dry into shape again)

[bhmm] and size *12 [bconfused] sorry!

I got a good pair of Hobbs high waisted jeans before Christmas and they are just GORGEOUS; they fit nicely and I'll certainly be going back for a few more pairs!

Anywhere I can get nice crisp, white shirts from? I like the idea of those with dark jeans. I'll look at LK Bennett drywhiteplease

If you have something in mind I check out shopstyle.co.uk first....put in white shirt and it will tell you every one on market....saves loads time,then you can either order on line or go and try on in store.

My friend with impressive chest tells me best neck lines are v neck avoid at all costs slash/ boat neck,high necks and pussy bows !

I think slash necks can be good on busty ladies too. Anything is better with a good bra. Talking if which make sure you really are a 36dd, try bravissimo or house of fras etc to get properly fitted and not m and s trust me!

Just thought I would second the other posters - 5ft 9 is a GREAT height to be. I am 5ft 10 and yes - it is tall - but I don't feel like a man! Wear outfits that emphasize your fab womanly figure and you will get glances for all the right reasons.

Some thoughts:

• Posture important to how you feel internally, and how others view you. At the risk of sounding like a Victorian governess, standing up straight makes you look and feel confident. Own your height.

• Hair cut and colour a great idea. Get some recommendations from friends for good local stylists and have a consultation first.

• Dresses can be better than jeans for hourglass shapes. If you wear them with thick tights and boots, they don't need to look formal. I bought this recently, which isn't too short and looks good with black biker boots. If this neckline doesn't flatter you (I suffer with small boobs...) then there will be plenty out there that do.

• Gap Curvy or Long and Lean both good cuts for jeans....or alternatively you may wish to try the Levi Curve ID approach, as it may flatter your figure even more.

Get some ballet pumps, buy some coloured jeans, have a good coat for cold nursery run days, it will make you feellike you have made an effort without doing much, buy some nice scarves to wear, with or without thecost.

You have height and you sound like you have a good figure you can wear so much, enjoy yourself! (I am 5ft, and generally look like a child with a woman's body - 30G norks, getting clothes to fit me is a nightmare).

Sounds like you have a gorgeous figure to me and as for the height, wanna swap? I'm 5ft 4 (and a bit) and would KILL to be 5ft 9! My DD is 5ft 9 and she would look good in a potato sack tbh.

I have no style advice for you but hope my height envy cheers you up a bit :)

Some fab advice so far.

Would just add you are only 24 aren't you?? So really I'd step away from Hobbs etc and get into topshop etc.

If you're near London worth going to a denim specialist to try on loads of jeans, find the perfect pairs and then order more cheaply online from shopbop/revolve.

Whistles have some lovely stuff and Reiss.

Also worth looking in River Island, Zara etc for more fashiony items.

Oh and I love a pussybow blouse but with top few buttons undone and tied at sort of boob level if that makes sense.

Also agree loads of lovely coloured jeans around at the moment for spring/summer.

You're tall and slim with lovely colouring - just have some fun with it

You've had some great advice here. I can't improve on it - though I do very much second good bra, and best possible hair cut and colour as being the top priorities.

But just wanted to say that I'm a LOT older than you and the one thing I've always been hugely grateful for is that I'm 5'9''. Makes it so much easier to wear clothes, and I find it makes me more confident, not less. Just stand up straight - I'm sure you do anyway. I'm much larger than you, as well as tall, and can honestly say I've never felt manly in the slightest, or been treated as such.

The other good thing we share is mousy hair - it's so easy to change a bit! I decided in my teens that I was going the honey blonde route, but you can go a bit darker or lighter. And, on the far-off day when you start having the odd grey hair, they are less noticeable (at least, they certainly are if you have some highlights).

Good luck, have fun.

PS - Just noticed you said you're an hourglass shape. I should lcertainly ose some weight overall, but I've always loved my hourglass shape - really does go perfectly with being tall, believe me!