from Frump to fabulous ....advice needed!

[kansasmum]

Well having tidied my closet today I have decided I am a Mumsy frump!
I live in jeans and tops ( mostly Mint Velvet) or Boden style jersey dresses and leggings/tights and boots.
I am overweight and addressing this ( well not this week as Xmas but have been losing weight and have gym membership).
But it's not so much to do with weight/size as my "look".
I am a grandma now too but don't want to look it. I'm 47!
I'm not very girly and don't go for the full make up /painted nails everyday etc but perhaps I should?!!
How can I go from frumpy to fabulous in easy stages? Key pieces for my closet? Basic make up items I need? I have No. 7 foundation matched to my skin and a gorgeous Sephora eyeshadow palette and mascara and a couple of lovely Bobbi brown lipsticks. I was a hot cloth cleanser & L'Oreal moisturiser.
I have dark hair and brown eyes and my skin tone is medium/ warm in tone.

Please help me pull it together to look more stylish!

What kind of looks do you like?

In the sales, look for a smart, good quality coat in a neutral colour, as you will be wearing it for the next three months (at least) and it will make you feel smart and stylish when you arrive at and walk into places wearing it. Also one or two chic scarves - try White Stuff.

Following on from the coat, you´ll want a smart leather handbag (large enough for phone, wallet, keys, umbrella, small make-up bag, and whatever your other essentials are, mine is a bottle of water) and winter boots. You might own these already, otherwise have a scout around the sales.

Make sure your shoes and boots are polished regularly and any broken or worn down heels fixed at the cobblers.

No worries on handbag front its the one thing I do well!! My Dh is back and forth to the USA so I get great bags!
Like you're idea about the coat. Definitely going to try to get one in the sales.

Go to a hairdresser and ask them what they would fecommend . I did a while ago and had a haircut I would never have dreamed of, but it changed my look so much. Took years off me according to a bloke at work cheeky sod, i'm only 32!

I have a good hairdresser so might ask her for a rethink in Jan when I next go.
Keep the advice coming!

Mint Velvet is frumpy? Shit, I'm Mrs Frumpy from Frumpsville then.

I think that it's all about quality and knowing what suits you.

You're losing weight at the moment (well done) so when your shape settles, work out what shapes are going to suit you. I tend to associate the jersey dress/leggings combo with concealment.

Try loads of things on to see what looks best. Simple, neutral stuff that you can accessorise. Then look for those shapes in good cuts and good quality fabrics. I get quite a bit from sales; if MaxMara, say, have a shape that I know will suit me reduced online, I get it because I know that the fabric will be great and it will work with other things in my wardrobe. It may seem expensive but stuff like that looks fantastic and is more useful than five tops at £20 each.

I agree with the poster who recommended a good coat. More people will see you in that than in your indoor clothes!

Also, pick up on trends that will work for all ages and wear them alongside your basics. Over the knee boots look opulent and glam, and you don't have to be in your twenties to wear them.

Mint velvet isn't frumpy but my look is, as in it's always the same -jeans & a top or dress and leggings.
I just don't know what else suits me or I should try. I'm not a heels and skirt woman. I live in a really rural village on Dartmoor with dogs and chickens so stilettos don't cut it!
But I feel frumpy and mumsy and just want to look stylish and put together!