Re finding my style.

[PukousMucous]

I am going back to work after my final ever maternity leave in two months and so my mind is starting to turn to not wearing pjs all day. I have been on and off maternity leave for the last six years and so have lived in stretchy mostly black clothes that have now all gone in the bin and I now find myself with a pretty empty wardrobe. But since I last bought clothes my body has totally changed shape, I am older and certainly look it and I no longer have a disposable income! How do I find my style again? Before I think I erred on the side of slightly vintagey with darker colours, a few patterns but mostly plain. But really I feel so far removed from the pre children pukous that I think I need a complete overhaul.
Where do I start? I have three small children so don't have loads of time to go shopping. And I don't have loads of money but I do need to look a bit professional.
Thanks

I would suggest putting together some ideas on a board in Pinterest. Just search for the kind of looks you like and see what comes up. Also, I follow stylish people on Instagram for ideas. It saves me so much time actual shopping! Also, are there any particular brands you like? You mention vintagey so perhaps Joanie or Sugarhill Boutique? I buy a lot of eBay for peanuts so it's worth setting up some searches. For example, Whistles do fab nipped in jersey jackets which you can pick up on eBay for about £15.

I'm in a similar position at the moment and tried the Pinterest idea, but found that everything I like was last for sale a year or two ago. Mrslebon how do you find things that you can actually buy? Or maybe I'm just always not quite up to date!

Have you tried Cos? Admittedly, this is my answer to everything style related, but it might acually be relevant here. Plain but interesting shapes, mostly machine washable, relatively affordable and it can be smart.

Esther Coren's blog is a good one for inspo. I'm not saying you'll want or can afford every single thing but she sort of gets the mum-dressing challenges and is good and witty and stylish about it.

Here's one of her posts on capsule wardrobe, which was a particularly useful series. Do a search within the blog for more.

onthespike.com/2017/07/04/capsule-wardrobe-2-tops/

Thank you I will check out that blog and I have looked on Pinterest but like k1 says I never seem to get very far I am probably searching for the wrong things

@k1yx - that's a fair point. Pinterest seems to be full of links to clothes for sale in the US two years ago! I guess you could just use it for inspiration e.g. I bought a red Whistles jacket off ebay recently and looked on Pinterest for styling ideas.

k1yx I mostly use Pinterest for outfit inspiration rather than actual pieces. So I might see a picture of someone wearing an all black outfit with a red bag and then start looking for a red bag. Or I saw a picture recently of someone wearing a beige mac and yellow shirt so now I'm looking for a yellow shirt.

That makes sense.

Maybe I just need to spend a bit more time looking at online shops after I've been on Pinterest

Dresses are your friend. All the stylish working mums in my office wear lovely dresses, I complemented one once and she said ‘it’s easier to only have to think of one thing in the morning’ which seemed to make a lot of sense!
I tend to default to dresses too because they’re easier, you look smart without even trying and I find they suit my (short, curvy) shape best. I actually really Boden for work dresses, they’re cut well and wash well.

Really like Boden*

I always wear dresses for work, like the previous poster I am short and curvy and they just suit my shape better and take a lot of the effort out of getting dressed in the morning. In the winter I wear wool dresses with boots and wool tights, in autumn and spring I wear 3/4 sleeved dresses with a blazer or mac, opaque tights and brogues and in summer sleeveless dresses with a cropped cardigan and sandals.

When I came out of that post baby fug I had the same problem - my previous style looked too young and no longer suited my changed shape.

After lots of mistake purchases, I realised it was a shop thing. I ditched the brands I used to wear and moved upmarket to more grown up places like Jaeger, Whistles, Mint Velvet. The fabrics and cuts are better, so are more flattering. As they are more expensive I buy fewer items but that’s fine - I feel like I’m getting value for money because I get more wear out of them. I still make the occasional Zara type purchase but I’m very selective.

Dresses are a disaster on me, I have massive boobs and a very long body with respectively short legs. They just look ridiculous which is annoying because I'd love just dresses. I think I might just do a massive online shop and try lots of new styles at home once the kids are in bed!