Any style gurus who feel up to giving a Mum who could be described as having let herself go a makeover? Am totally clueless. Please help!

[DaphneHarvey]

I need a T & S job quite frankly.

Anyone up for it?

start with what you are like righ tnow.
body shape and size etc.
clothes and style like and dislike etc.
state of life. eg, mom with three kids under four. or one angelic 9 year old.etc

Will be watching this, as I too, have not just let meself go, I have let myself tumble down a mountain, into a thorny bush where I tangled my hair, and rolled into a huge Argos tent where I have been for about ermmm about 12 months.

• go on then, tell us the details, and we'll see what we can do.

[rubs hands in anticipation]

MrsB,can I jsut say that I love your clothing links??
You come up with some real crackers.
I am convinced you are taking the piss.

Thank you Stitch. Are you watching UCM?

Ok, I'm 44, although the one and only thing I have going for me is that I do look about 36-38. No wrinkles, due to general chubbiness.

Am size 14. BUT only 5'2" so look and indeed am about 20 to 25lb overweight.

Smallish boobs (compared to the rest of me), reasonable things and legs, fat wobbling caesarian tum and big arse.

Always always always always always wear trousers or jeans. Can fit into Next 14s quite well. Although stomach overspillage always a problem.

I like long tops and t shirts to hide big tum, not sure about smocky tops, too old them? Need straight but generous sized dark jeans,

Shirts ??? (rather than tops in t-shirt type material which clings too unforgivingly?) This is my latest idea.

Can't wear heels (dodgy broken ankle).

My children are 6 and 3 so really should be emerging from frumpy mum state now.

Any ideas.

SAHM most of the time. Don't need too many
work outfits (only work 2 days a week).

TIA! Need all the help I can get.

apple or pear shape?

i strongly dislike the new smock tops. they make everyone, except skinny teenagers look pregnant.

makeover things that i would suggest.
1 mositurise.
2 realise that you probly dont actually look as fat as you feel. i know, coz i am 5'2 and until recently was a 16
3 wash and moisturise not only face, but feet and hands often.
4 iron clothes.
5 try wearing long skirts rather than trousers, as they dont have to fit as perfectly and no danger of ever getting camels foot.

Long skirts though Stitch? They always drag the floor on me.

Perhaps my youthful looks are down to fact that I have always moisturised, faithfully every day, since age about 14. Plus extremely expensive under-eye cream since age 30. And I hate the sun (bod no good in swimwear you see, there are some advantages!).

Bit of an apple atm. If I could get a stone off, all of it would go from round the middle and bust. So a pear underneath the gross distortion that is my current shape.

I reckon my measurements are 38-30-42.

Waving back JackieN - cross posted there.

i think you are about what i was.
i used to wear long skirts as they were far more comfy than trousers. with trousers i always had to wear long tops, but didnt need with skirts. and at 52, the length of short skirts is always toolong for the style. but then you know all this.
not much help then im afraid, in fact, souds like you are very with it imo.

Iron clothes - Stitch you are so right. Always makes me feel better - and ironing them makes them a tiny bit bigger doesn't it? As if by magic!

What are you now if no longer size 16? may I ask? and how did you do it?

Have to go and do bedtime stuff with DCs - back later.

atkins coupled with gym
am now a size 12. though am still wearing a lot of 14 stuff. ( i never qutie admitted to myself that i was a 16, hence lots of clothes in 14's that looked awful o me.
can fit into some of dsisters size 10,s thought they dont looke very good yet.

What about your hair? A good haircut makes a lot of difference.

Well yes Swizzler, I think you're right. I had a quick look at Olive's fringe thread today!

Can you advise?

I have dead straight, absolutely dead straight, mid-brown hair. Atm beyond shoulder length with a razor cut fringe, a fringe because I have a high forehead with weird cowlick and unfortunately a fringe does still suit me.

I wear it up in a pony tail most of the time, or clipped up with the layers sticking up a bit and length dangling down (like Phoebe in friends, although nowhere near as stylish as that).

Am I too old for long hair? My face is round, so can't see any kind of short cut looking right on me atm.

Maybe I should go for a Lorraine Kelly? She's older than me. Or Carol Vorderman, but she's still long, she's older than me.

?

Am watching Daff.

Can I say that I wear my hair up most of the time as well. I hate having hair on my face even though I have shoulder length hair. I wear it up in a chav clip.

OK - how about some skirts - I think you'd probably be best with something that is a-line, like some of the ones at Principles (site's playing up a bit atm, so easier to do it this way). A-line like the leaf print skirt, or the flower print a-line skirt, or a bit fuller, bu always making sure the pleats/gathers are stitched down at the top of the skirt, so it's flat over your hips, like the floral print embellished one, with the flat blue section at the top. I know that long skirts might feel safer, but when you're petite, they can swamp you, and getting the length right can be difficult. Also you've got good legs, so why not show them off?

You could maybe wear them with something like this that nods to the smocky trend, without actually being a smock, as Stitch says, they're not always that flattering.

Is a chav clip one of those crocodile teeth type clips that you wear vertically? I still do those too. Does that date me? Ha ha ha!

Jackie, am loving that top! Wish could be dark blue or black or purple.

Yes, skirts ... should bite the bullet. But large floral patterns on me so small? Have feeling I'll look overwhelmed by it. Although I do like the blue/ivory a-line and the black/white/red floral one.

Should try things on. I go to the shops with no sense of adventure at all. Just like those poor women on T & S, I always look at the same things - dark trousers and dark tops.

And, annoyingly, have quite slim thighs (not things, as I posted earlier) and thin ankles. But bloody great calves like a long distance cyclist. Need a skirt that goes beyond calf but stops quite a long way short of ankle to do me the most justice.

Oh, if only I was 6 inches taller. Wouldn't be overweight at all! And clothes would be a lot easier.

Thanks for the links Jackie. You are an inspiration.

Now, how about a nice jacket or some lovely long slimmish cardigans for the school run? If you or anyone else still got the energy for this ...

I don't think the pattern's necessarily a problem - you're right, you'll need to get the length just right - I have huge calves too, very annoying. The skirt needs to end just at the point where your leg's getting slim again. I'm not much taller than you (5'4") and I'm coming to the conclusion that I'm going to have to buy things I like, and get them taken up (especially trousers).

Do definitely try all sorts of things on. I've got into the habit of taking some 'safe' things into the changing room, and adding a couple of 'things I'd never in a million years think of wearing' just to see if they work - you need to get your eye in too, so look at other people, see how they put stuff together, and in magazines too. Not so that you're a slave to fashion, just so that you're aware of it, and what's likely to be around.

Will look for jackets/cardigans.

Would you go for something from Boden ? Kind of combination of cardigan and jacket?

Brilliant Jackie, exactly the kind of thing. Well done.

Still don't mind Boden, me, I'll be buying stuff from them when everyone else thinks they're as naff as C&A! Have soft spot for Boden cos ex boyfriend modelled a jumper in their catalogue once when they used to have real people. Do you remember?

Sadly not, bit before I found them, I think. Must have been a bit of a looker, your ex boyfriend.