Un mumsify me please!

[Isadora2007]

I think I dress quite mumsy- not Biden stylish mum but more “I don’t make an effort on myself” mum. My winter wardrobe is Tu jeggings and baggy jumpers...
But recently I have lost weight and am still planning to lose more and I am also embarking on a uni course so I figure bows as good a time as any to make an effort and some changes.
I have some lovely Josef Siebel boots for winter- short biker style black ones and long brown riding style ones. (Bought after someone here linked the sale!!) I have some tan skinny jeans from m and s that are kind of chino material...I have a nice denim skirt (not too short or long!) from manta ray (? The surfer type one in Debenhams?) but I am floundering...

Help please?

Oh sorry I am tall with big boobs- 5 ft 7/8 and 36GG. Still a bit of fat round the tummy area but not so much of the spare tyres anymore happily. Slim legs. And I’m a 41 year old mother of 4, grandma of 1...

What sort of style do you like? When I get stuck in a rut, I like to do the personal style edit on the John Lewis website. You answer a few questions about the colours you like wearing and what sort of shape you are etc and they send you some outfit ideas... it’s a good starting point and shows you how to put outfits together.

Searching pinterest for the boots, denim skirts etc and seeing what people are wearing them with might give you some ideas you can try out straight away.

Get a jumpsuit
Earrings - get these right
Denim jacket

Do not wear horizontal stripes.

No leggings

How’s your hair?

@MightyMunki I honesty don’t know. Casual I’d say- jeans and tops and flat shoes like toms. But I don’t know if I’d like to change that up and try skirts and boots and stylish tops... but I will definitely try the John Lewis thing, thank you.

@Insertdeadcatsnamehere thankyou- good idea. Never even thought of Pinterest.

@PersonaNonGarter I cannot imagine a jumpsuit that would look good on me as it would need to be big to fit my boobs then it would hang on the rest of me and I’d look like Santa’s sack. Will deffo avoid stripes. And what IS a good earring????

Oh and @PersonaNonGarter my hair is nice but a bit boring. I don’t do anything to it really- it’s dark brown, no greys and very thick but well cut into a sort of shoulder length thinned our style with choppy bits to make it sit nicer... I tend to either shove it all up in a mum bun or leave it down.

I’m not really seeing how the riding boots are fitting into that.... did you have a plan for them? I think you need to stop buying hodgepodge items and actually do a proper review of what you already have in your wardrobe. What is your style? The items you have listed sound a bit preppy to me barring the biker boots but I don’t know you obviously. There are books around that help you to work these things out. The Curated Closet is one example Get a page going on Pinterest and just pin images you like, see what themes emerges. Forget other people’s idea of what a capsule wardrobe should be they are not living your life.. work our what you spend the majority of time doing. For what it’s worth age is kind of irrelevant and if you want to wear horizontal stripes wear them ( I’m 36G boobs myself... fuck these rules).

For what it’s worth I’d play with proportions a bit.... I’d wear the jeans with oversized sweaters and trainers, or a mannish oversized shirt ( Uniqlo). If you wanted a Breton top you could wear a grandad cardigan over the top because the V shape would help with the boobs. The biker boots I’d wear with long dresses and midi skirts. I’d probably look for some of this stuff in charity shops if you’ve got access to some good ones. It stops everything looking too generic and is obviously better for the environment ( and cheaper)

Pinterest is a good idea, I’d also suggest getting a few magazines, a couple with proper catwalk fashion (Vogue, and Hello! Fashion is good and very cheap) and a couple that put more emphasis on ‘normal’ people and building outfits (Grazia?). That will help get your eye in, in terms of what’s out there, is new, dated, etc.

It helps to find a look you love and work with it - eg a celebrity’s style or a certain designer’s look. Search this on Pinterest as well. Think in terms of a whole aesthetic rather than individual pieces.

Try and stick with colours that suit you. This also helps to build ‘looks’ rather than separate outfits. It also helps in charity shops when something is an amazing bargain in a totally wrong colour!

Forget about being a mum and grandma when it comes to how you dress. You can dress however you like!

Years ago I followed the advice of some stylist who I cannot remember, her advice was to write down your daily activities for a month each day, then categorise each one, eg. Dog walking practical, work wear etc. From that you can work out what % of each type your wardrobe should be ( if 50% of your time is at work then 50% of your wardrobe should be workwear).
This really helped me as I loved buying going out outfits and had loads but actually only went out 10%.
It helped me identify the gaps I had, and why i had a full wardrobe and nothing to wear.
My wardrobe is much more balanced now.
Agree about searching on pinterest. I do that all the time. It then helps to see what's missing, if you have a denim shirt but nothing to wear with wear denim shirt and you'll get loads of options.

Bin your leggings for a start!

Also, don’t buy manta ray

Yup agree with a pp don't buy Manta Ray or M and S - pants and socks only.

Try everything on in your wardrobe and bin it if it looks bad. Keep one skanky outfit for days off sick or skinning around.

Buy a decent pair of trainers to replace the TOMS. TOMS are for the Summer, shorts and dresses.

Look at your face and make sure your make up works for you. Defined brows, highlighter, concealer, mascara.

Great thread! What are TOMS? And what’s wrong with Manta Ray? That’s my go-to beach wear eyes recent holiday purchases nervously

You said about trying skirts but what about dresses? I used to always be in jeans but when I hit my 30s I started wearing dresses and it was game changer. I think with a dress that you can immediately look put together whereas with trousers and skirts you having to pull that outfit together more. Dresses can also be very versatile- wear with black tights and boots for a more mum on duty look, meeting friends get the heels out and jewellery.

Manatrat is a no no avoid. It’s mummy and I hate that word mumsy!

I’ve like more 50s dresses but I keep looking at popsy for a more everyday look.

SandraOhshair
I like that track your life for clothing %.
I've suffered from lots of clothes and nothing to wear regularly and am now dressing on a tiny selection of maternity clothes. Once baby is here I'll be back getting advice on a new wardrobe

TOMS

mainly known for their social enterprise shoes - canvas pumps as per photos . Now do other styles and materials.

Thanks @Noeuf I hadn't heard of them