I'm starting my wardrobe from scratch. Help?

[madmomma]

It's 5 months after the birth of my last (as in final)child, and I've given virtually all my clothes away. They were all too small and inappropriate for my new life as a SAHM. I won't be working for a few years now, and my body has completely changed :( I'm in need of everything really, clotheswise.

Luckily I've a decent amount of money coming in a few weeks to fund a new batch of clothes and I'd love some advice about what to get to suit my body and my life.

I'm a flabby size 14 - thick waist but curvy hips, small arse, good legs, medium bust.

I don't get along very well with trousers (jeans anyway) as I tend to bloat, and I have a flabby midriff so muffin top is always an issue.

My style is pretty glam and feminine, so whilst I want washable, practical-ish clothes, I want them to be a bit glamorous and sexy. Put it this way; I love Joan Collins!

I'm thinking Isabella Oliver, but beyond that I'm a bit stumped. I love anything that makes my waist look slimmer, like a sharply tailored jacket. I'm also thinking tea-dresses, wrap-dresses, but what about shoes? I'm going to be pram pushing every day but wearing some dresses so I'm a bit non-plussed there too.
Would welcome any pointers.

bump

I would go for a jersey or cotton blazer - more casual but has the structure you like. Zara has some - also H&M & Next
I would recommend some spanx too - I wear them all the time to streamline muffin top. I prefer a smarter SAHM look so tend to wear a lot of skinny jeans with fitted tunics and fitted jackets to keep some shape on top. There are some good high-waisted skinnies Next and New Look

I also like a long shirt or two as they are flattering but have a slightly formal look to them. A skinny belt is a nice way to give some curve to your shape. Over a top/shirt/cardi.

Might be worth looking at some blogs too for a bit of inspiration. Or something like Avenue 57 that shows pictures of what women wear every day (mostly busy mums). It and the blogs are not always what I would want to wear myself but it's interesting to see how other women put together an outfit and it helps you to identify what you like yourself.

Hope all my rambling helps! :)

That's so helpful dingdong, thank you.
I love all of those blazers - especially the hot pink one - that's totally me.
I like the next high waist skinnies, but I'm always concerned about looking like a barrel on pipecleaners cos my legs belong on a size 8 woman and my midsection belongs on a size 16. Bootcut is frowned upon these days though isn't it? The skinny belt thing I'm totally undecided on. I've tried it and it looks knid of ok-ish, but I always feel that my waist is too thick to emphasise.
I've never tried spanx. Are they comfortable and would you wear them every day?

Well, I'm not the best person to advise you I guess as I'm more pear shaped. Sorry...but didn't want your post to be ignored :). But I would say that if you've good legs, skinnies are better than boot cut. I wear both and always feel just a bit frumpy in boot cuts even though my legs are not my slimmest part.
Perhaps you're better going down the floaty route on top with a structured blazer or jacket and then skinnies on the legs...maybe even some coloured jeans to draw attention down?
Spanx take a bit of getting used to but are great I think. Don't last as well as other support knicks with repeated washes but give a good shape. Day to day, I have some spanx-like pants from TK Maxx that I wear. A little less constricting but really help to smooth out the wobbles. They're still there but not jiggling about

Yes I'm going to look for some drapey/flippy dresses to go under the blazers, and you are totally right about the bootcut jeans. They are dowdy and past it unfortunately. Will definitely try some support underwear. Sadly much needed at the moment . Thanks for your help.x