I hate my clothes and really need some help starting again

[Poppysball]

Every day I struggle to find something to wear that looks nice and makes me feel good. I am terrible when it comes to putting clothes together and as a result I buy random bits of clothing on impulse and then find they don’t go with anything.

I have a wardrobe full of mismatching, old, worn, tight fitting, uncomfortable clothes that make me feel like a frump.
I would gladly get rid of thenlot and replace with just a few good quality items that I can pull out and put on and look reasonably stylish.

I had my colours done years ago and am an Autumn but my wardrobe doesn’t reflect that. I like some of the Autumn colours but find mustard doesn’t do a lot for me and that seems to be everywhere in shops. I have too much black and grey as I consider them safe colours but they don’t do alot for me.

I am 43, 5’3”, size 12, have put on weight around middle in past year, hence alot of my clothes are now too tight so I don’t wear them.

I have a £75 voucher for House of Fraser that i can only spend online by end of January. I have spent time searching through the website but have no clue what to buy!!

I have spent hours online looking at the sales but I just don’t know where to buy from. I think I need to find a couple of shops that really suit me but I don’t know which! Also should I buy lotsof cheap sale bargains or just one or two expensive things?

Really would appreciate some advice as it’s getting me down a bit being surrounded by mountains of clothes and still not having anything to wear!

Just to add I do work part time in office and am not too fussed about spending on work clothes. It’s when I’m not at work I’m struggling to find anything to wear.

Thanks for any help!

If you spend a lot of time at work, improving your work clothes would help overall too. I’m an autumn like you, but hate the yellow that is everywhere!! If you have black and grey, try navy and browns/neutrals. Choose a few items of different types that would go together, eg a pair of trousers then a few tops that would work with them, and repeat with different items creating a number of outfits. Google ‘capsule wardrobe’ or look on Pinterest for some ideas. It’s not easy for everyone and I found it put me off shopping which just made me feel worse because everything I wore was so old x

Thank you twinny. My work clothes are not too bad as I’ve always made sure I Iook smart for work and as I’m only part time I don’t need loads of outfits. Could you suggest any particular shops I should concentrate on to narrow down my searching time? I feel stuck between younger shops and older shops if you know what I mean. I wish I had a ‘style’ like some people seem to but I don’t think I’ve ever found mine.

What’s your colouring start by looking at house of colour seasons analysis and get your core colours right then buy a few basics. If your brave post a pic of yourself with or without face and we can give more suggestions.

Looking round the sales / shops yesterday I agree with you. Everything seems either too old or too young for me and I don’t know where I fit in. I’ve basically just bought cashmere jumpers from eBay and am wearing them with black jeans and an a line velvet skirt like a uniform til I decide how to move forward. Clearing out the clothes that I don’t like or wear and being ruthless has helped. I now have less than 20 hanging items!

So in short, no suggestions but I feel your pain.

I think it can take a while to really know your style if it’s not something you’ve always been very interested in/had time for. I really would have a massive clear out first. Then perhaps get a small basic capsule wardrobe of things you like and build from there. I did this, starting with a couple of pairs of jeans I really liked, some quite plain tops, and some merino jumpers from uniqlo. Plus trainers and ankle boots. I then spent quite a lot of time on Pinterest building up a stock of images that I liked and I went from there. You need to give it time and thought and then as you get more confident, trust your instinct.

I have the not so lovely middle aged spread and am 48.

Mint Velvet Atlanta jeggings are working well for me . Top wise I tend to go for fitted jumpers or a smart top and slightly fitted not too flowing cardigan.

Footwear is important I wear Woden trainers as figure they aren't too overly young persony or a casual pair of flat boots

I struggle to buy anything on line tbh as cut and how something suits me can only really be done in person

Thanks for the suggestions. I like the idea of starting with a wardrobe clearout but am worried I will have very little left to wear!

Most of my clothes are currently too tight but the next size up is too big so I’m stuck in the middle!

Would it be best to start by buying quality rather than quantity? Should I wait until I’ve hopefully shifted some of my middle tyre first?!

I can't put an outfit together, so often wear a dress with tights and ankle boots or trainers

That is pretty much all I wear during the week

I wear jersey or shirt dresses mainly

Easy and comfy

I think you should try shops that cater for the larger midriff, then you will probably find your current size fits well. I don't know what your budget is, but I would suggest Dorothy perkins, and red herring at debenhams.

Also try some different styles, for example if you are larger round the waist you may find a dress or tunic suits you better. Or if you want to wear top and trousers choose the same colour top and bottom to avoid being "cut off" at the middle.

I do wear alot of A line above the knee skirts with tops for work, tights and boots. I find this look easy to mix and match and it suits me. I don’t want to wear this at home though.
I do like dresses but I just think at home I want to be more relaxed and dresses make me feel quite smart. Also I used to be able to wear dresses that nipped in at the waist and really suited my figure but now I feel conscious of my tummy. What’s the best style of dress for disguising tummy? Feel I need to avoid jersey like material.

How about leggings and a tunic top? Or a wrap jersey dress with tights and boots/ slippers at home?