Help me! Help me! I fear I'm a lost cause...

[Trazzletoes]

Hello, I'm not a very girlie girl at all, though I have always wanted to be... I just get stuck somewhere along the way.

I'm due to go back to work in about a month after mat leave and I need a bit (a lot) of a makeover. I'm currently quite overweight. I work in a professional capacity and I'm fed up of looking like a student at a fancy dress party. I just always seem to look scraggy. I live in trouser suits at work because I really really hate my legs.

I also desperately need a haircut - something fairly low maintenance. I last had my hair cut a year ago. It's usually in a straightforward bob and then grows out to armpit length and then I get it cut again.

I'm just totally stuck in a style rut and really want to go back to work and show them that I'm stylish and smart etc etc. please help with any suggestions for workwear/ shoes/ hairstyles...

I'm 5'8", size 16, mousey hair, pale skin...

God I'm a size 16 and 5'8 and I think I'm quite slim looking :D

How old are you and when you look at pics of celebs etc, which do you think look nice?

I definitely think I look thinner than I ought to though! People can never believe how much I actually weigh!!! I'm 32. Hmmmmm style icons... Let me have a think about that... I only read Closer and don't want to look like Jordan or Kerry K

Oh god don't worry about style icons but would you rather look like Holly Willoughby or Fearne Cotton for example?

Willoughby! Though that may just be boob envy! I think she looks looooovely.

How much would you spend on a dress, for example?

which of these do you like or do you hate them all www.very.co.uk/women/holly-willoughby/dresses/e/b/1656,4294958681.end

On the knee dresses, tights and low heels - you can't look studenty in those. Do you have to be smart for work?

You could try a short haircut and maybe some colour. Or if, like me, you're cheapskate and mousy means dull blonde, just buy blonde shampoos which will give you quite naturalistic golden highlights in a couple of washes. What shape is your face?

How about some lovely, long, thin knitwear in gorgeous autumnal colours?

Highlights definitely for mousy hair. Could you have a long layered do that could go up in a top not or pony tail for those days where you just need to tie it back. If you wear suits to work could you find some interesting , flattering blouses to wear underneath? If you are really daring you could go for printed suits, with a plain top. Hope this helps

Thank you, lovely ladies... I'm going to book mulyself in for some highlights to cheer up my hair. Excited!!! Sadly I'm expected to wear a suit for work - I'm a solicitor and often have to go to Court. I struggle to find suits that have a nice fit as well. They either stretch really tight over my bum/legs or are reaaaaaaaaaaaaally baggy around the waist... Perhaps I just need to lose some weight, maybe?

Have you tried Hobbs for suits? Not especially cheap but good quality and generally quite well cut and their outlet section is great.

You might find you have a lot more choice if you consider skirt suits too - I suffer from big hip/thigh syndrome and find skirts a lot easier to get a decent fit on than trousers.

Just an example but - I recently got this skirt which according to the reviews matches this jacket.

If I have a dress that doesnt quite fit (I have a lower back that curves in slightly too much so they often dont fit well) I get it altered at a dry cleaners.

It's not cheap sometimes if the over locking is particulary tricky but the dress then fits like a glove, which is much more flattering.

I'm a solicitor too

I wear skirts that finish at the knee and that have a little flare out. I have my suit jacket in the office but often wear cardigans when I'm not seeing clients etc.

I like to wear chiffon-type tops with a vest top underneath; these hide a lot of sins!

I also wear shift dresses quite a lot.

I agree with Statistically about Hobbs suits. I had one that cost a fortune but lasted for 15 years. Worn to death, always looked brand new, got loads of compliments and took half a stone off me. Finally threw it out after it had been worn about two thousand times (no exaggeration.)

Oh wow, I love that Hobbs jacket. Very similar to the one I bought 15 years ago. Some of their stuff is just classic.

Trazzle, can you liven up court trouser suits with good shoes and gorgeous jewellery?

I live in dresses at work, with a jacket. Look great even if you're a bit of a chubber - like me!

The jacket is on my "debating" list - I can't decide whether to try it. I'm busty, so normally the shape wouldn't work, but Hobbs tends to be quite well cut. Or I could just get it in the neater size and wear open. Hmmmm.

Did I mention that I don't have any very good taste?! struggling with shoes as well. I feel like I've been permanently pregnant for the past 4 years and haven't worn heels in about that long... Will definitely try to locate a Hobbs. I live in a city so there must be one around somewhere! I've got some old TMLewin shirts and am hoping they will still fit... My work shoes are always from Next... Where can I find some nice smart black shoes without a massive heel that aren't hugely expensive? Sorry for all the questions, told you I was a lost cause!!!

Right, so I've located my nearest Hobbs... I'm fairly skint ATM but can manage to stretch a bit to get a suit if it will last and be worth the expense. And my hair will be pretty again...