Tell me about a thing that works for you and a thing that doesn't

[quickkimchi]

Want to share an item of clothing that works for you and one that doesn't? Wardrobe linchpin/breath of fresh air that makes you feel fantastic and elevates all other clothing vs the thing that looks great on paper but just never achieves the desired effect.

I just got a patterned beagle collar shirt which I plan to wear under every t-shirt I own this winter. It made me feel like boxing up half my wardrobe and putting it in the loft so I can wear just this shirt with t-shirts, jumpsuits and trousers every day until spring.

The thing I keep trying to make work is a Spry denim jumpsuit that I obsessed over for ages but every time I try to wear it I end up changing at the last minute. I think it might look better on someone younger and more feminine but It feels too plain and uniform-like for me. I feel like I'm wearing a tabard.

pasta I finally found a great matte red and within a year my face had one of those deflating episodes (oestrogen depletion?) and I can't wear it now. I have a good mouth too, I don't know why that doesn't seem to help. I love that Frenchy lipstick-only severe look but now it makes me look haggard. I guess there's always gloss? Or those dreadfully named Clinique chubby sticks, which are slightly sheer.

abito ah, neutral plain clothes, the aspiring clog+sock wearer's holy grail. Very chic.

Betty is it something about the bust maybe? Bikers can look very triangular and solid. I have one which I love in principle but I'm not sure it looks as great on me as it does on others.
I do love a poncho, or an old-fashioned tweed cape.

It makes me really sad that so many people (including me) wear what we want, look good and have a fab time then.. see the photos. I think we should all say fuck it!? No-one remembers a great party but thinks 'ooh Miriam shouldn't have worn that tube skirt'! Wear what you want! Forget the photos

High waisted shorts suit me for some reason. Wear them with tights in the winter. What doesn't? Midi or long skirts: instant frump-ville.

I can’t do pencil skirts. I have huge calves (I suspect lipodema although I’m a healthy BMI) and pencil skirts make me look very fat and dumpy.

Blazers really suit me and I have two in particular, one from Jigsaw and one from Mara, that fit me perfectly and are beautifully cut and always get compliments. I wear them for important meetings whenI need a confidence boost.

I've lately discovered pencil skirts work for me. I always thought my pot belly would rule them out, but the right but is very flattering and makes me feel all wiggly and like Joan in Mad Men. Any ideas about shoes to wear with them though? Flats bring the outfit down a bit but I'm rubbish in heels.

The thing I can't get in with is my denim jacket. It doesn't look bad, but it just feels so bulky and uncomfortable. Any ideas about how to soften it up would also be welcome!

I don't understand the wearing a shirt under a t-shirt...doesn't it all bunch up and show??

Shirts and skinny jeans/trousers I look good in. I always have to hunt for dressy styles when going out because oy very specific dress styles suit me. Body con dresses are a big fat no. I'm quite slim, just don't have the shape.
Also leather jackets as a pp said. I love them but I just feel like they look so chunky on me.

I just love a crisp white shirt and jeans, or plain T shirts and jeans. Mini skirts, polo necks, sweaters, shirts, dungarees. No specific 'look', just ones which definitely don't suit: anything flouncy and feminine. Long length skirts do something to my legs which I can't even explain. Calves and ankles are ok. But it's just seems wrong.

Coats and jackets are my thing (love autumn/winter), leather jackets are my thing but the All saints jacket I coveted for so long just looks...shit. I thought it would be a holy grail piece but my heart actually sinks looking at it. Length doesn't hit me in a flattering place and tragically, the sleeves seem too baggy. Looks boxy on my chest. I look better in a miss selfridge pleather jacket I got on EBay for £2 years ago.

Also, I love the thought of cocoon coats but they do me no favours whatsoever. Something about the shoulders/arms.

Love the idea of a denim jacket as part of an autumnal outfit, but anything more substantial than a T shirt underneath ends up bunching up and feels claustrophobic and 'trussed up'.

I feel and look good in skinny jeans/trousers. I'm quite short but have a good slim thigh. I do have thick ankles but you can't see them. I feel fabulous wearing them with a chunky ankle boot.
I love Autumn and Winter and every year dream of getting a beautiful jumper dress. Unfortunately I look horrendous in each and every one.

I look vile in skinny jeans and mini skirts, but good in midi skirts, pencil skirts and tailored trousers.
Weirdly, despite being quite busty, I look better in high necks than low necks.

Nice thread.

Best - leather biker jackets make me feel more 'he's than any other item of clothing.

I look absolutely awful in white button down shirts. This is annoying because with skinny trousers and red lipstick, it's a look I really like.

I'm basically the exact opposite of @nocluewhattodoo - I look uniformly dreadful in midi skirts but can pull off most types of boots and have many many lovely ankle boots

Can you post the link to your beagle collar shirt? I’m intrigued!

No matter where I am at weight wise, I always, always look pregnant in a denim skirt. There's something about the belly part of it that just doesn't like my shape. It's a shame because I love wearing skirts in winter.
I look good in a beret.

Best - flared high waist trousers
A line or pencil skirts
V neck jumpers
Square necks

Worst - high neck anything
Just on the knee. It needs to be just above or calf length.
50s pin up/circle skirted things. I look like a cross dresser.
Anything with a big bold print, it just clashes with me.

Oh, smock dresses make me look like an Amish baglady

Bad:
Crew necks,
most patterns,
white jumpers/shirts/tee shirts
Things that are sort of tent like
Bright xolourst

Good:
V necks
Things with waists (not tight though - can't bear to feel restricted)
Short skirts
Muted colours - black/grey/cream/oyster

LadyM same. Selfies can help me take a view on clothing I'm undecided on but it does come with a sense of unease about living life under surveilance. Anyway if you expect to look rubbish in photos it comes as less of a shock.

Bella your shorts sound great: instant stylish leg-lengthening outfit, just add top.

harpy I wish I suited a blazer but I'm short-waisted and to look nice they need to be very fitted. I like the Fran Lebowitz uniform of blazer, white shirt, jeans, boots.

Boogle how about a pair of low block-heels with pointy or chisel toe, maybe in patent, animal print or velvet? And a second-hand/vintage denim jacket might be softer.

Gate 'doesn't it all bunch up and show?' No, not if both shirts are fitted and you tuck in the button down.

Sagrada re biker jacket, the one I wear regularly is a £20 eBay purchase. The more expensive one (why 2? I do this all the time) is stiff and heavy so it doesn't get as much wear. To look and feel my best I need clothes to fit under the arm and on the shoulder, otherwise it looks like the whole of my torso is dominated by one big horizontal breast that starts at one elbow and finishes at the other (and I'm not at all large-busted). Anything boxy with a dropped shoulder makes me feel dreadful.

Remus 'with skinny trousers and red lipstick, it's a look I really like.' Yes, same. Alyson Walsh (That's Not My Age) suggests a blue shirt instead, it's softer.

Otter it's similar to the photo. Any collared shirt will work, but I like the 60s/70s longer collars and a bigger collar shows more pattern.

Good:
Pencil dresses and skirts
A man’s shirt tied at the waist or tucked in
high-waisted trousers
Kimono sleeves
Slightly clunky shoes - white trainers and docs. Heels need to be substantial/ankle boots
Chunky knitwear
Berets
Red lipstick

Bad:
Dainty heels - I look like miss piggy
Anything too floaty or cut on the bias
Turtlenecks
Midi skirts
Beanie hats
Baseball caps
Bronzer

DH bought me a lovely leather jacked from Ted Baker and it makes me feel great! I love it.

Short skirts suit me, as do short dresses and trainers (my go to look when I was in my teens).

Shirt dresses look awful on me, which is a shame as I have a couple of really nice ones but they look so frumpy/make me look pregnant.

Leather skirt - I have three, all mini-ish. Opaque tights, trainers or boots, fitted jumper, bang. I always wear red lipstick too.

Jumpsuits - I bought two in the summer. Both actually look quite nice, but I see them in my wardrobe and they do not spark joy. Each one has been worn once, which is a disgrace.

Turtle necks make my boobs look even bigger than the are, and skinny jeans have never appealed to me being chunky of thighs and calves, pencil skirts also don't look right on me.

Things that work, high waisted A-line skirts/skater skirts, boots, V-necks, 1950s style dresses. I'm a pear shape with big boobs, anything that shows off my assets is bonus.

OP just reading this. Not ‘gamine’ features exactly, but very petite with an elfin type face 😏that seems to goes with any hairstyle on the planet. I have both sides of my hair very low, so it looks like a punk style.

Shimy I'm currently growing out my short sides (have had a quiffy kind of long top/short back & sides cut) and now wondering why. It's so great to have a sharp cut, you just don't need to add much to feel good. And my hair is greying at the sides, so keeping it very short looks more deliberate than what I think of as a default middle-aged short haircut (no ageism intended, I'm only speaking for myself and my own experience of ageing).

Candice that's funny, I've recently discovered that my previously neglected sleeveless black summer jumpsuit can be given a new lease of life with a blue or denim shirt underneath, which looks very Amish but acts as a foil for more ostentatious accessories like snakeskin boots. As I get older I like a look that's 75% austere + 25% flamboyant.