I'd love to look cool for school.

[Inthebeginning]

I work in a high school with some very fashionable (often stick thin) teachers and some very unfashionable teachers. I think hope I'm somewhere in the middle!
I was a size 16/18 after losing 5 stone. I've gone back up to an 18/20 but I'm still smaller than I was iykwim as I was a size 24/26. I am determined to lose the weight gain but in the meantime want a nice autumn/winter school wardrobe.
I have quite a quirky look I suppose. Vintage, soft with quirky bits. At home I wear leggings, skinny jeans but at school we are (very loosely) business wear. Ultimately this means no jeans or leggings!
I am 5ft 7 , curvy, big boobs, big belly. I cannot wear pencil skirts , anything tooked in as I genuinely look hideous!
So far I have:
1 pair of black trousers
1 lady v dress that I wear with a long sleeved black top under, black tights and [http://www.newlook.com/shop/shoe-gallery/view-all-shoes/babycham-black-aquarius-t-bar-heels_262720001 these]
Two tea dresses that are elasticated under the boobs. I plan to wear with coloured tights and brogues. I used to have a lovely pair of soft brogues. Everywhere I look now they are like mens shoes and I have big feet.
An a line black skirt. It looks quite 60's.

I have no idea what tops to buy. I need about 5.
I'd like another dress really
Maybe another pair of shoes.
I want to look like me still but in work and I'm really struggling!

Sorry-these are the shoes I have!

Dresses? You're brave. My teaching (very capsule) wardrobe consists of three pairs of black trousers, a few shirts and a couple of cardigans for winter!. Boots or shoes depending on weather. I always wear a scarf too.

asda have some lovely tops at the moment t.direct.asda.com/george/womens-tops/barbara-hulanicki-peter-pan-collar-top/G004401829,default,pd.html
That are like this and both cheap and smart.

Thanks purple. I wear lots of scarves too. I just get so bored of wearing the same things over and over.
Lots of teachers at our school wear dresses, they are always high necked and knee length though!

This would be nice with a scarf

Love this

Great with opaques and your shoes

For tops, I'd just stick to plain, fitted 3/4 sleeved t shirts, especially with a line skirts.

I'm a teacher and I usually wear dresses or pencil skirt and blouse/top.

Oh tethers- that middle link, the gold jaeger dress is gorgeous!
Too bad it's sold out in a 12

Lots of teachers in my school wear dresses, but I'm usually too cold to do so!
I like knitted tank tops over shirts, with tweedy or flannel trousers.
I am pretty generous of nork, but if you experiment with the cut of different tank tops, you can usually find one that flatters- I got a great one from sainsbury's last autumn, H&M do them, White stuff, etc.

Thanks everyone, our school has very temperamental heating so in the winter in some rooms you melt, in the others you freeze
I love the peacocks dress and the tweed dress too, hadn't thought of tank tops, good idea especially for layering.

suitable?

Just found this....it would be ok wouldn't it?

with trousers and a scarf?

I nearly linked to the floral one- it's fine.

I hate the bird t shirt, though.

Think I'm going to order the dress!

I think dresses are the best choice - easy to layer over tights and long-sleeved tops, and also good with cardies and blazers/jackets. Speaking of which, a jersey blazer in a darkish neutral is a very useful thing to have - doesn't necessarily need to do up over big boobs, but it will smarten you up, if that's what you want.

Otherwise I find beige-ish/cream-ish light (i.e. not chunky knitwear type) cardigans (Boden sales) to be very useful - assuming that the colour suits you.

This is nice too

Maybe it's just my lot that are trouser people then!

Was in sainsburys earlier and thought of you!

www.sainsburys-live-well-for-less.co.uk/tu-clothing/products/women/spot-slash-neck/

purple that's a lovely top! Quite 50's and would look good with a little scarf. Think I may have to buy!
I do have a jersey blazer which I will get back to wearing. By the end of term it had got hot and I had got lazy :)

Got an email this morning that peacocks are doing a 20% off flash sale so the dress has been ordered!!