40 year old ex-indie kid- what the hell do I wear??

[WottingerAndWottingerAreDead]

Really need some kind of wardrobe/fashion revamp please ladies!

In my head the only kind of look that works is still doc martens/ black tights/ flowery dress/ cardigan and crimped hair. Not sure really this is the most flattering for a 40 plus mother with 40 plus body to boot. But don't know how to update it, or really have a clue about what I would like? (I don't dress like this still, rather have cheapo jeans and top from Asda etc.. while I am on my quest for this 'ex indie kid new look'..)

I have alright light brown hair, 12-14 post baby body, 5 foot 3.

What shops should I go to, and what should I buy in them????

Any help VERY gratefully received!

Am 38 and still an indie kid at heart. I hate the idea that I have adopted a boring mummy uniform but I probably have... (skinny jeans, Breton top) but when not wearing that I tend to go for stuff like Roxy or Billabong t-shirts, layered vest tops and cardigan or long sleeved t-shirts from Esprit, 7 bootcut or flared jeans, and occasional Desigual dresses or skirts. Footwear is Camper mid length heeled boots, converse, chunky flats or wedge/chunky sandals. My going out uniform is usually some variation on a slinky top from Zara with skinny jeans and kick-ass high heeled boots.

For work, I just about live in my beloved cone heeled DM Mary Janes. Love those black DM biker boots linked to earlier. Oh and for indie fans who like dresses - Vivienne Westwood is the queen! Her skirts are great for work too (worn with said heeled DMs).

Abd agree re The White Company for jersey dresses which you can style in a variety of ways.

Love Charlotte Gainsburgh and her mum, love
Emmanuelle Alt too, and she's 45 tomorrow !

I still have my Senseless Things T shirt.

Do I win £5?

Where are you getting your tshirts and tshirt dresses, The Second Coming? Am desperate for things to wear with skinnies but have found nothing suitable at all.

Also has anybody seen any nice, lightweight, slightly longer length jumpers for wearing with skinnies in Spring/Summer?

Bet you can buy one of those in Primark Tethers no prize I'm afraid.

The dress/tunic over leggings/skinny jeans is a nice look I think.

I sympathise though - I am a forty something ex raver and can't seem to tear myself away from Converse or old skool trainers and hoodies! It's ridiculous.

I bloody loved Senseless Things Tethersend - Got it at the Delmar is one of my favourite 'crack on with the cleaning' songs!

This thread is making me all nostalgic, I've been listening to Pixies all evening.

I've been blasting out Sonic Youth. :)

I think you're just fine wearing what you described OP. As am I.

Thank you.

Can't be doing with Zara - it looks like a jumble sale, is full of polyester and nothing ever seems to fit if I ever do actually manage to struggle into the changing room. Not been in River Island for decades! I need nice tops that are okay on norks and are not full of polyester - they do not seem to exist. Will have a look in DPs.

I love a good cardi, generally use these to add colour to my outfits and keep tops plainer.

I think a few cardis is the way to go for me, too! Can I ask what sort you wear and can you recommend any shops? I struggle with getting the right length...

Is there a right length for a cardi? Surely all cardis are the right length (i bloody love a cardigan). I buy them from all over the shop, as I see one I like. Today I'm wearing a brown merino wool one that is waist length that I bought from JL about 5 years ago (it's looking a bit tatty tbh, but it's sooooooo soft). Yesterday I wore a black short sleeved, cropped cardi that I bought from Asda for about £9 and tomorrow I plan to wear a longer navy cardi (think it was from Monsoon, again years ago).

I do agree that they can sometimes be a bit tricky to find (though I am one of those people who knows exactly what I want when I go shopping, only to find that what I want doesn't exactly exist). I can remember the black cardigan hunt of 2005 I was so desperate I even went to fecking Country Casuals!!!!!! I buy them as I see them now.

Though to be fair, I am affectionately known to my friends children as Aunty Cardi :)

Wanders in & gazes at shoes.....

Am always on the look out for a good cardi! So nice to read this thread - I turn 40 next yr & think I have indie kid written all over me. My staple thing seems to be skinnies,converse & stripey Breton top, funny how that seems to be the grown up version!

I struggle to look 'smart' ( wear a uniform at work) just need a bit of confidence to try new styles but still feel like me

This may sound a bit mad, but check out Jack Wills and Aubin&Wills for lovely knitwear and cardi's. I recently purchased a cashmere mix (very light, for summer) lilac cardi from JW (goes perfectly with white jeans), regardless my initial prejudice, and they are available in some exquisite colours. A bit expensive compared to Zara, etc, but worth a look.

KatyKoo I had always wondered how old Alt actually was: she's stunning. I love her style, but regret to say that it wouldn't look quite the same on me.

I'm also having a few issues with skirts recently - really want to locate knee length skirts so that I can work up the courage to bare my lower legs with nice flats & wedges, but cannot find any decent ones for the life of me. I have the usual discomfort of baring milky white pins without tights or fake tan. Where are all of the stylish, well made knee skirts??? Also very fond of pencil/straight skirts lately too, but no idea what footwear to pair with them (most of mine are navy, blue or denim).

I'm 38 and still an indie kid.
Yesterday I saw a young woman in the street with black leggings, DM's and a Parker on. I commented on how that could be me 20 years ago, but really I don't dress very differently now. Stll have 3 pairs of DM's, I wear bright tunics with jeans or leggings. Even my coat, which is now an expensive (for me) waterproof job, its still 'parker style'. Do I need to wear more grown up clothes now?
Oh, could you tell me what the heck a breton is please?

Parka!
I've worn breton's and never knew it.
I've just started a thread because i actually bought a dress today, but sadly, my Dm's just aren't going to go...

Remus, Ahh, Sonic Youth! I bought a SY T-shirt a year or so back. Quite enjoy the irony of the "youth" in the name when mine is long gone. (On the other hand, I'll always be younger than Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore themselves!)

Watching this with interest - I am 40 next year and realise that wearing what I wore when I was 20 is probably not the best look but neither do I want to look like my Mum - there doesn't seem to be much middle ground.

am 41. Live in skinnies and All Saints most time. Still love Topshop. Am lucky am tall, can carry a lot of styles off, refuse to conform! band t-shirts...am tempted, but try to resist! although sometimes put a Deep Purple t-shirt over a florals & skulls dress when feeling particularly non conformist I refuse to go down the M&S and Next route. Loved Monsoon for a while but I think it aged me so i've charity shopped it all.