Nothing fits or looks right - have I lost my style?

[NotBeingFunnyOrAnything]

I have recently ordered lots of stuff.

NOTHING LOOKS RIGHT!

I tried pleated skirts, work suits with trousers work jackets, leather look joggers & trousers and jersey skater-type dresses.

I've always been able to carry trendy styles - I'm size 6-8 but I guess body is sagging etc.

I'm mid 40's, could it be that I need to move into older styles etc?

Twin set and pearls?

I'm sorry, but pleated skirts don't look good on anyone. Unless you want to wear them with a twin set and pearls and look like Miss Marple. Leather look joggers?! Why does this give me mental images of mid 80s Mick Jagger?!

Perhaps it's time to stop following trends and start developing your own signature style. I do think as I'm approaching 40, being 'too trendy' can look a bit like trying too hard. Also, I do think trends at the moment aren't very flattering for most. I'm finding it difficult to find things I like. I either look like I did as a teenager, or look like my mum did in her 40s.

I look good in pleated skirts. I have a Issey Miyake pleats please bought from EBay which always gets compliments.

I'm late 40's and have no problem finding clothes that are flattering.

I'm not sure what you mean by 'an older style' and I'm guessing I won't like it, but yes, your body has probably changed in some subtle way that you don't even notice until your favourite clothes start looking like shit. It happens to lots of us and it will probably keep on happening too.

It's hard to know what the change is but, in my case, it was going up three cup sizes, which is why my first recommendation is to overhaul underwear. I would take yourself to Bravissimo or somewhere similar and at least get that ruled out. And then all I can suggest is that you keep on trying: different stuff in different styles - different width of trousers, different length jackets etc etc. Don't forget the things you've always avoided because you thought they didn't suit you. (I discovered I could wear pencil and tube skirts which was a revelation.) Personally I would go round real shops if at all possible as I think ordering loads of stuff and then sending it all back can get quite demoralising, as well a being hard on the credit card.

I think there is absolutely no need to stop following trends, unless of course, you want to but you might be reaching the stage where better fabrics will help counteract the inevitable sagging.

Apart from the size (larger but not large) this could be me. Pleated skirts that flatter are like hens teeth so I’ve largely given up. There is a general issue for me with clothes that add volume (pleats, heavy waste bands etc) around my middle, so looking at your list my swaps are:
Pleated skirts: midi dresses with a loose fit
Leather look joggers: either Hush Amie joggers or mint velvet leather look leggings (depending on what look your aiming for)
Skater dress: something like the hush Iris dress
For suits with jackets (this isn’t a body shape thing) I prefer contrasting separates like Uniqlo Eazy trousers with an oversized blazer or a cropped collarless jacket.
Oliver Bonas can be good for dresses and jackets too.
BUT I’m projecting my style preferences and @Fatted is right that you do need to find your own style. It’s taken me years to get mine figured out and with all of the items listed above it isn’t about what but how you wear it

If you're mid 40s then would caution against getting any fixed ideas about what your style is. Your body is going to change and keep on changing. I found it was better to keep moving.

I feel like this too OP. I just can't find anything I like anymore. I don't suit oversized stuff or those balloon sleeves that are everywhere. I also feel like I've seen it all before (I'm late 50s). Those floral midi dresses are reminiscent of things my mum wore in the 70s/80s. I think I need to stop buying online because I end up sending most of it back. Agree with you Floisme - going to actual shops is probably the way forward.

Late fifties here, I agree with Floisme, also good fabric is important, as I am older I no longer shop in the teenage shops as most are cheap and nasty fabrics. We, I need a little more structured not to much, although my size hasn't changed so much, the body doesn't let me wear some of the styles I love. I am not saying I never go in shops like new look, and Topshop just not as much as I did before.

Hard to say OP, I'm 31 and wouldnt wear quote a lot of the items you listed anyway. I'd consider Jersey skater dresses too young for the silhouette i want and the rest I think are occasion wear or just not good on anyone really (pleated skirts, leather look joggers).

Not sure what the answer is but I tend to find dressing in a more simple and clasdic way looks more stylish, accessorise well and avoid cheap fabrics and anything that looks like teens would wear it. I also recently had my hair cut into something shorter and more modern looking which makes everything look fresher and more on trend.

Maybe have a browse on instagram of fashion bloggers, the ones who operate capsule wardrobes etc rather than the nonsense type that pick bold bright outfits because they work for the shot but spend their real life in a tracksuit and PJ's at home whilst hawking the above to those they've managed to fool.

I’ve definitely found this in my forties. Although there are always exceptions to the rule, I find it much harder to wear cheap clothes. Fabric, cut and details are really important. I need things that fit really well, in flattering fabrics, and I particularly think the neckline is important - often needs a bit of structure. Accessories are key.

I also think that simultaneously much of the faster fashion clothes are genuinely poorer quality and just not that nice, the shops are trying to keep prices the same but costs are rising and so it’s the quality that suffers, Dorothy Perkins is a classic example of this.

The body change I’ve most observed is when Women get to their forties their waist thickens and back and arm fat increases even if they are slim everywhere else.

TableNiner has it spot on, I used to love dorothy perkins, I haven't visited the shop for at least 10 years.

After youth fades, looking good does require shopping for cut, fit and fabric as much as colour and style. And as I always agree with Flo, it's definitely much easier to shop in a town. Although if I needed a complete overhaul I probably wouldn't know where to start, and even some surprisingly large towns have really dull retail and lack inspiration.

I am late 40s and a small size 8. I have zero intention of moving onto ‘older styles’, lol, its about good quality clothes, in colours and shapes that flatter your shape (not just your size) imo. I haven’t changed my style as I get older, but it’s defo more about quality rather than quantity now - and I have never been into, eg pleated skirts (reminds me of school..shudder), or skater dresses anyway.