Share your best style tips please :-)

[Hamwidgeandcheps]

I have seen some really glamorous, put together mums in the last week, out and about. I can't seem to dress myself for when I am with the dds anymore

If you look amazing at soft play and such like please tell me what you wear and where you shop. Tia

Whole wardrobe sorry!

I would expect to pay £30 minimum in the SE to get shoulders narrowed. I'm sure you could pay more than that but I wouldn't on a simple blazer, no leather or silk to contend with. It may not even be lined. And if you go regularly to a lady she will do it cheaper.

You might pay £18-£25 outside the SE.

If it's a Zara blazer it won't have a very complicated construction. I would get it done. Google something like alterations repairs womens + your area.

A tailor would do this, but I never go to a tailor, always an alterations place. They're cheaper and have more experience with women's clothes.

I've been inspired by this thread! So have ordered a pink cardigan, and a matching necklace... Better quality than I would normally get...not the cheapest this time but hopefully will be worth it! I've been feeling really dowdy since the birth of my little boy 6 months ago, time to try and feel better about myself! Keep all this tips coming!

Great thread!

I would say, steer away from too much black, navy is often kinder
Have trying on sessions with what you currently own, and see what goes with what, so you can pull an outfit together
Only buy what you love, never because it will do
Know what colours suit you - ideally done professionally or in meantime, simply when in a shop, put the item up against you and see how your face looks, some colours will make you look drained and old, other will make your skin look peachy and your eyes sparkle
Accessories - a little scarf, hair clip, statement ring, belts too (I like primark for funky belts!)
A good bag - Ebay or TK Max is a good pace to look for a affordable leather
Sometimes changing the buttons on something can completely change its look to uber stylish - too many cheap and nasty buttons on even expensive clothes, makes me (bit I have a serious button festish so this may just be me!)
Buy the best shoes you can afford and look after them
Ditto re comments on hair and nails and teeth too - good grooming is essential, good posture too!
Look at fashion bloggs for ideas, and at people in the street - I find most fashion mags a bit old hat these days - never seem aimed at me. I used to Love InStyle but too many articles now, I just want to look at the clothes thank you!!

Don't buy things just because you like the colour- it may not be a cut that suits you, or a colour that suits you. If the colour you love doesn't 'love you' back, buy shoes or accessories in it instead-things that aren't next to your skin.

Clear out your wardrobe. It's much nicer to choose from clothes you love than from impulse buys and past-its that will NEVER get worn again.

If you buy vests/tees in colours that exactly match your jeans/ skirts , it gives a good line and you can accessorise to change the look.
If you are over 50 ,tint your eyebrows. I promise you it takes YEARS off you.

Treat yourself to new underwear once in a while-get measured. It makes you feel pretty.

Moisturise moisturise moisturise.

I'm not amazingly stylish. However I get some compliments. I tend to buy my clothes from charity shops but spend my money on shoes and bags.
The thing that has made me feel more stylish is the project 333. Basically everything in my wardrobe goes with everything else. It's winter here so my wardrobe is based on grey, cobalt blue and pinky/maroony/purply. I have 2 pairs of jeans, some tops, and two dresses. it sounds dull but I feel put together. I spent ages searching for a blazer that pulls my clothes together. I found one it's something I wear everyday and I feel great in it!

My two top tips are:

1. Shop for your body shape. Don't focus on what's in 'fashion' this season or latest trend. Try to go for classics that work for you. Work out what works for your shape and stick to it. For example, I never wear polo (turtle) necks or belted dresses / tops as they look awful on me. Lots of low / wide necks instead.
2. Shop for your colouring too. What really helped me with this was getting my colours done with 'Colour Me Beautiful' as a 21st birthday present. It makes a big difference. Although I like blues and greys they do absolutely nothing for my complexion. Whenever I wear pink, on the other hand, I get lots of compliments. I agree about haircut but disagree with other posts that you needs lots of make up. Most days I just wear mascara and nothing else. Usually with hair in a bun. I also agree with steamed cabbage that fewer good clothes is better and scarves can make any outfit more interesting. Spend more on one thing you love than less on lots of things in the sales / bargains that are 'almost' right.

Heated rollers: I have an ancient set of these www.boots.com/en/BaByliss-Thermo-Ceramic-Rollers-3045U_1337293/ must be about 10 years old and could do with replacing. Any suggestions anyone? Lots of videos on YouTube too about how to use them. Took me a while to get the hang of them but I think they are great. Even if my hair doesn't hold the curl as it's a bit long, if I haven't had time to blow dry and style my hair, the heat from these 'sets' my hair and de-frizzes it so it just looks like I've spent a bit more time on it. Also they are great for getting an extra day out of your hair if you don't have time to wash it!

Another tip, if you have pierced ears and small children invest in a set of studs or sleeper earrings that you can keep in all the time in a neutral colour e.g. gold. I met some mums for coffee last week and one said to me 'what with a small baby, how have you found time to even put earrings in?!' Erm, I haven't. They went in about six weeks ago and have stayed there, I even shower in them. Just got fed up forgetting to head back to the bedroom and find a pair of earrings in the new baby madness! Excellent thread by the way, thanks.

hazchem thank you for the link :).

Agree with hair comments above - v. important.
But most of all, know your look.
Trinny and Susannah were very good for this.
I like a very simple uncluttered look so keep hair and makeup as polished as I can and then keep simple dress/plain colour/no patterns/no accessories but focus on the shape being absolutely right for my body shape (big shoulders boobs, slim hips, wobbly tum but good legs, can look matronly in the wrong clothes but athletic in the right ones). I suit pencil/straight shapes, on the knee length, and sleeveless because the shoulders give it definition. Also hate heels in summer as they make you look as if you are trying way too hard (not so in winter paired with opaques though). I like it to look simple, groomed and easy, as if you haven't tried.

Also agree with getting your colours done - I did this 25 years ago and it's saved me so much time/money over the years. Everything in your wardrobe matches and suits you.

Morning all
Ok today I think I look ok - black stretchy skinnies (I have one pair of uncomfy jeans ) and black batwing stretchy long top with camel hush puppies ballet flats. Messy up do. This is def me wearing clothes I think are too good for every day - need to do it more. Later I will be wearing rags while I get highlights done I have had stuff wrecked by toner before.
Teeth whitening I had done couple years back - well worth it but I'm due a scale and polish I reckon.
I bought some Argan oil for my hair - amazing! I put it on and went to bed with hair still damp - woke up to loose waves and actual shine!

For example, all of hte following look dreadful on me because of my shape and I avoid like the plague: short sleeves (sleeveless or elbow length much better), A line, shirts with collars and buttons at front (look like a bloke), tailored jackets (bloke, again), boyfriend jeans (my arse is too flat to balance my saggy tum, beer drinking bloke), high collars (jawline too defined).

So....choose your neckline (boat shape or scoop good on me due to broad shoulders/decent boobs), dress shape (see above), dress length.

That Trinny/Susannah book years ago about deciding what body shape you are and what to avoid is a HUGE help if you are confused, or if you wonder why you feel rubbish in something you like on the peg or on a friend.

That and get your colours done - it's a lifelong investment.

I have naturally messy hair and insufficient time to style it: I just put it up roughly by not pulling it through fully on the final "loop" of a ponytail. Takes seconds and looks fairly tidy.

Unless you are going into quite a pricey shop, stick to plain clothes. The more patterned the clothes, the cheaper they tend to look.

So Primark is fine for plain vests and long-sleeved t-shirts. Buy lots of them and layer for bf. Then you will need to hunt in charity shops/ebay for 2-3 nice skirts and a jacket or two to wear on rotation.

Finally I do wear dresses and leggings, but the dress needs to be above mid-thigh for it to be a good look. I think it only works on the tall maybe?

ascendo, i think it depends. My face is very small with very high cheekbones, I would never pull long earrings and necklace together unless I go for the christmas tree look. I am wearing discrete studs with necklaces.
The only time I can match necklaces with earrings (studs) is if I am wearing pearls, I am very dark and the white really brightens up my face, but it is not a look I would use every day.
The most used necklace lately is a mint velvet one, very long with some random silvery leaves hanging off it.

Had a think about the pulled together look last night. To sum it up for me it would be: clean, polished, ironed, discrete, fitting, scented and an attitude to match.
I went on a visit the other day and met this very very old friend that I haven't seen in years, I didn't know she will be there, it was a family do. I thought she looked very well and told her so, only to open the floodgates: yeah, but look at my belly, look at my burst veins, look at, look at, I look like shit, but look at you, I would never be able to wear a jersey dress like you and look fantastic etc. Well, I have a bit of a belly too, and burst capillaries and so on, I am hardly 20 anymore. She then asks me ifI breastfed, because my boobs aren't saggy!!!! As it happens I did and they are going south. Did you have them lifted? Christ no, I just wear a bra!
What I am saying is that no matter how I explained, she truelly believed I looked good and she didn't. The thing is, she does look good, it's all in her head, she would probably look better than me in my dress, but she just won't register.
So attitude is vital.

It's worth paying a bit more for quality than having loads of flimsy stuff from George at Asda. That's not meant to sound snobby it's just that ultimately you'll get more wear out of quality items. ok I guess this may be true but I prefer having lots and lots of clothes to mix and match with and unless its a really cheap nylony fabric I buy loads from george, primark , new look etc. I team stuff up and some of my things are more expensive. virtually all my jewellry is from primark and new look and I get loads of compliments, I know what suits me. my fave outfit at the moment is a plain black jersey maxi dress today its with a slouchy mustard yellow cardigan and shoes and a long string of mustardy coloured beads. my weekend outfit was a pair of white (BHS) crop jeans a fine knit pink cardi and jumper set from Kaliedoscope and a chunky silver necklace, earrings and bangle from the Primark collection and for work tomorrow its a jersey aztec print maxi (primark) with long black cardi or biker jacket depending on the weather with an aztec style neclace and matching earrings. I agree with the person who said 'if you don't feel good in it... ditch it' and have regular clear outs / tidying sessions / trying on sessions its suprising how you forget what you have and what still fits and what goes with what.

Wear clothes that fit you, not the size that you think fits you, ditto for bras. Take two of three different sizes in with you and buy the one that looks great, whatever the size may say. Lots of size 10 and 12 women walk around with muffin tops and bulging backs from bra straps because they cant bear to go a size larger. The shops do not offer uniform sizing so there is no point following it.

grr, tried to buy new jeans today - was going for quality rather than cheap - and couldnt find any i liked!!

Just marking my place

Go and have a session wih the Personal shopper at John lewis. You dont need to spend a fortune to be able to use this service. You might just want a new pair fo jeans. But they taught me more about what clothes/styes/shapes to buy to suit me in 10 minutes than I'd taught myself in my lifetime!
Less is definitely more too. One really decent well cut well fitted skirt can be worn with half a dozen different tops/blouses and will look different every time.
Let's be honest, most of us have washing machines that are on fairly frequently so we don't need lots of different outfits. Just have a few that make you feel a million dollars and wear them, all the time!

I should add though that i've been trying for a while to find some decent boyfriend jeans, tried the department stores, went up to way beyond my normal price range (I went up to about £200 odd) but i have found them in....... Peacocks! they fit perfectly, they are thin so ideal for this time of year and I've worn them twice and both times had nice comments

I tend to stay away from leggings now because, no offence to anyone that wears them, I don't think they look v nice.

Agree with hair looking good (not always something I manage, esp atm its at an inbetween stage of growing a fringe out so can look awful) it doesn't always need to look polished with a sleek cut as long as its doesn't look lanky/greasy/ really frizzy.

I use coconut oil on the second half of my hair every couple of weeks/ once a month which makes a big difference.

Im at a crossroads with my clothes atm, Im 23 and size 8 which I think is quite a hard age to dress for. Im not a teenager anymore, getting away with short skirts/ shorts and t shirts but then Im also not in my 30s/ 40s which I think Jaeger/ Coast cater for more.
Ive got two children so my belly isn't great but Ive got a good figure and Im tall.
I love Zara I get most of my wardrobe from there, in fact my mum buys a lot from there and shes 55!

In winter I spend my life in skinnies/ jumpers and summer tends to be maxi dresses/ light weight skinnies and tops. Then dressed up with jewellery/ sunglasses and Ive recently invested in a real leather large brown bag which I looove!

In one attempt to move away from leggings I bought some jeans in next. They are sort of mint green skinnies. Well they were until I washed them. Now they look like 80's mum jeans error!