If you are the kind of woman who looks cool in skinny jeans and ankle boots...

[NotAnotherNewNappy]

What sort of tops and jackets do you wear and where do you buy them?

I've lost weight and feel like my casual wardrobe could do with kick up the bum. I bought some great underwear, 3 pairs of skinny jeans (navy, grey & dark blue) plus 2 pairs of ankle boots (black suede & mushroom suede with cowboy heel) but am a bit stuck about what to do up top.

I'm 36, a size 12 (just!!), have medium size boobs (34c), a wobbly tum, blonde bob and blue eyes. Neutral or bright colours suit me best. What sort of stuff should I be looking at? Where can I buy it? Also I'm a tightarse on a budget.

Why do you have to cover your bum if you are wearing skinny jeans?

Thanks everyone - I've made a note to look in Wallace & Zara

I have never really done scarves - they look cool but I hate the feel of anything around my throat.

@spagetti - fancy linking to your tops? Even some idea of the basic shape would really help.

@mystery My boobs/back have shrunk after losing weight. They're not big but I definitely have some. I have had lots of bra interventions over the years so I'm pretty confident I'm wearing the right size... But I can't really afford a trip to rigby & pellar right now and I've been looking for my tape measure all afternoon.

@apple what size were you after bra intervention?

@puppy my bum I can show off, unlike my post DC tum.

I have shortish but very slim legs, so tend to default to skinnies and baggy tops. I'm moderately large of nork (32G) and less than firm of belly, so i like something with a bit of smocking or gathering but fairly fitted shoulders to disguise all that. My coats tend to be on the functional, rather than fashionable side. In winter, it's usually a weatherproof parka - I prefer those slightly fitted and structured so I don't look like a brick or a sack of spuds tied in the middle.

Yes, I'm 5'7" and an inverted triangle/apple and slim so have skinny legs but huge feet so I can do the whole thigh gap thing in skinny jeans and ankle boots. I tend to wear Baukjen long and short sleeved T-shirts (both the long version and regular version so I can pull them up or down depending on the look I'm going for (buy in the sale though otherwise they're fifty quid a pop). Then, I'll wear either a blazer/jacket or leather jacket, with a shell if it's warm/I'm going out or with a scarf if it's cold. It's my uniform.

I have this:

m.wallis.co.uk/mt/www.wallis.co.uk/en/wluk/product/navy-blue-heart-print-shell-top-2645993

The other two don't appear to be on there anymore as they were summer sale but were a similar style.

First time I've ever bought anything from Wallis and was pleased for the money.

My youngest is 6 months and I still have a bit of a baby tummy and these type of tops skim over it nicely.

I've just got the fuzzy sweater from Other Stories,it works well.

i live in skinny jeans & boots. tend to wear quite a plain thin knit jumper/t shirt underneath but have a gazillion different types of jacket. a sort of chanel esque boucle one for when feeling a bit WAG. a burgundy leather blazer for the Buffy the Vampire Slayer vibe. black leather biker jacket, obviously. and as of today a sort of cropped bomber jacket in cream shaggy fur which 13yo ds1 kindly told me was 'not ridiculously too young' for me at 41.

I don't think you need to cover your bum with skinny jeans, especially if you're short. And I don't think you'll necessarily look parsnip legged if you wear summer shoes like ballet flats or sandals. But you could if you wore covered shoes or ankle boots I think. Only applies to short people though!

I don't agree about this "parsnip leg" thing at all. I'm 5ft3 and a curvy size 12 and my legs aren't particularly slim but skinny jeans are the only jeans/trousers shape that doesn't make my lower half look much bigger than it is. I wear skinnies with flat shoes (of all types - brogues, boots, ballet flats, sandals) a lot.

I wear short loose knits and cardigans, or boat neck Ts that I prefer a size bigger than my usual size, but not long enough to cover my bum. I sometimes wear a blazer or tailored DJ jacket with a fitted top under. Sometimes I wear a fitted top with loose long cardigan over. I'm not tall but I do have bambi legs! I think skinny jeans are far more flattering than the tied in the middle like a sack of spuds boyfriend jeans. Well done on the weight loss OP, have fun.

I don't get the parsnip thing either.

Does that mean top legs bigger than bottom half legs? Well yes, my legs are not straight up and down, but that is not something I have ever aspired to , is that the ideal now? Thigh gap and straight up and down legs???

I think bums look odd in skinnies that's all. Bit like Max Wall the old comedian (google him). Also the camel toe issue eek.

Wearing tops that cover your bum will make it look like you have longer legs.tis much more flattering .

I have a great arse btw.

Jack Wills jumpers are a good longish fit for me, so I wear those. For a jacket I wear a tweed blazer or houndstooth jacket with bracelet sleeves if I'm wearing brown boots, or my biker jacket if I'm wearing my biker boots.

I only wear flat boots. Not style choice, but heels always make the balls of my feet HURT now, which is gutting.

For me: the parsnip thing is having huge thunder thighs.

I am a slim size 8 on top. In fact, size 8 stuff is beginning to be a bit too big (not a stealth brag, it's a pain in the arse). Last night I managed to squeeze myself into a pair of size 10 straight jeans.

My thighs are the widest part of my body - 38 inches. My waist is 26-27 inches. My hips are 34-35. I have very slim ankles and shapely calves.

But in skinnies I look like a parsnip. With very short legs.

Women who are apple shaped have their weight above their hips, not on their thighs, and therefore do not have this problem. Their legs are more like carrots. Pear-shapers are more like parsnips.

Voila - a parsnip. Me trying on skinnies a little while ago. Pic's not great but I think you get the impression?

camel toe? Then your skinnies are too tight!

Mine just look like "normal jeans" around the bum and front, so why cover it up? It is just that they are cut slimmer around the leg

Parsnip legs, camel toe, this hatred of who one looks is all a bit depressing IMO!

autumn / winter i wear layers mostly

long ish vests with chambray/check shirts (usually from topshop)

long ish vests and shortish winter chunky jumpers (boden,m&s,next)

long ish vests and v neck cardigans (fat face ,boden)

bretons, plain fine knit jumpers,lambswool jumpers -(boden ,next ,m&s)

i never pay full price for anything
try ebay, hduk for discount codes or sales.

I'm a bit parnsipy. Huge quads from cycling/running/weight training. I do have 33" legs though, so I think I get away with it!

I like shirts, tucked in, or v neck sweaters. I swear by 7 for all mankind for properly fitted jeans around the bum which look so much nicer than my everyday dotty p jeans that are rather saggy round the bum and ride down when I bend over! I also found some lovely ralph lauren ones in TK Maxx with the same good fit. TK Maxx are good for the shirts too.

CulturalBear, those were too tight around your stomach. Try some others!

Actually, they were loose around the stomach - I have a natural (or should that be freakishly unnatural) hip dent/double hip/thigh thing. Unless I buy high-waisted (which I wouldn't because they make one's ass look even bigger), it's very unusual for a pair of jeans to reach my waist/stomach. I have a very very long body, which mostly seems to be from crotch to waist - ie almost all normal waist-level jeans form a V.

You'll be pleased to know I didn't buy them, and ran from them like the plague. I ended up with a pair of straights from DP which were much more forgiving.

I don't need to wear anything to make my legs look longer as they are long enough already!!

I have the long distance from crotch to waist, too - if I want to cover my bum, then I need an actual dress and then my short legs are just emphasised, particularly if I'm also wearing boots.

And good skinnies shouldn't give a camel toe. It's a problem with leggings/jeggings because the fabric is often softer, thinner and stretchier, but skinny jeans and cords tend to be a lot firmer and less prone to slipping into various nooks and crannies, unless they're too small.

How does anyone wear skinnies with anything but a flat stomach? I genuinely want to know the answer, as I have good legs but post-baby stomach!

ouryve we could be twins! On the pic above, my waist is actually wear the picture cuts off, the first bulge just beneath it is the high hip.

Arf at things 'slipping into nooks and crannies'

As for original thread, I think I'm aiming for long sleeve t-shirts under loose tops with a blazer on top?

I am 5'5 with podgy legs but still look far better in the right skinnies (not too skinny) than in flappy bootcuts.

With birks in the summer and shoot-style boots in the winter.