Smart but not sexy. What do you wear?

[SummerHouse]

I am looking like Stig of the office.

I am a 10/12 and 5'4 currently wearing cloths that are about 10 years old.

When I look at Uber smart people they tend to be skirts and blouses and stiletto heels but I am not going to carry that off and it's not me.

It seems easy (or at least straight forward) for men. Any recommendations for what to wear to look super smart?

For background it's looking like my job is going to be downgraded. This is nothing to do with clothing. However I want to ooze competency and authority and reflect my worth. I am early 40s.

When I'm smart (rare!) at work I wear tailored trousers (with secret elasticated waistband!) a plain shirt or "smart" T-shirt style top or camisole style and a fitted cardigan or jacket. In the summer I wear smarter cropped trousers or culotte style mid length trousers.

I don't wear heels to work. I have doc Martin style lace ups or loafers in winter and ballet pumps for summer.

I do have one winter dress which is a shirt dress which I wear with ankle boots and in summer a belted shirt dress with short sleeves which I wear with ballet style pumps. I'm similar age but a fair bit rounder than you and 5ft 6.

Wedges are fab if you don't want to wear 'proper' heels. I'm short and they're a lifesaver. We have a casual dress policy in the office but even then I wear smart jeans/tops and wedges, or cropped trousers.

Thank you both. Some great ideas. And reassurance it's not all about the stiletto. Which I couldn't wear if I tried!

Sexy doesn't necessarily mean tight clothes and high heels, to me it's just being polished, wearing well fitting clothes and feeling confident.

What about a couple of pairs of good cropped trousers? Perhaps in black, navy and a print. A few good tops, e.g. nice quality thin knit v-neck, a blouse, a smart 'top' and a nice blazer. A pair of simple flats, perhaps pointed toe, couple of pairs of funky earrings and necklaces to jazz it up.

Check out Jigsaw, Massimo Dutti, Reiss as a starting point.

I am a jeans and t-shirt gal who loathes dress separates. I tried to be into trousers and shirts or skirts and blouse combos, but it's just not me. I've found my smart go-to look in dresses. I have a handful that I love; they're cottony, low-maintenance, throw them on with leggings, boots and a cardigan in the winter, with sandals or ballet flats in the summer. Everyone behaves as though you've put in an effort and dressed up, when really it's just one thing. I like my brightly coloured ones, but monochrome works as well.

Which reminds me of the other trend I've noticed: while my brain thinks of it as boring, I do love a monochrome wardrobe. The women I've worked with who just go for black and white always look professional and well-presented. So there's that as an option as well.

I never wear heels, in fact, I don’t own any and haven’t for years! I wear a lot of cropped, wide trousers, and culottes, with fitted tops/fine-knit jumpers. Midi-skirts/dresses in summer, shorter skirts/dresses with opaque tights in winter. I tend not to wear much in the way of prints. Footwear-wise, smart Chelsea boots, brogues, and black Stan Smiths (I probably shouldn’t wear these!). I always have nice hair and makeup, cool jewellery. I’m a lecturer, in a creative subject.

Trouser suits. I am curvy (not a euphemism for fat, my waist is small and my tits are big) and the jacket disguises the breasts. Armani is good if you have the budget, but sadly I don't. I'd have a reduction if I had the time to recover from the surgery. Very plain crew neck tops underneath.

I wear low chunky heels (used to wear higher ones, but I have to walk around a lot in my current job).