At 39 where am I supposed to shop?

[Starsandstara]

(Semi light hearted!) I’m really struggling with casual clothes. I’m not ready for the full per una (they have some nice bits) but I feel way past a lot of high street stores.

I’m not a Jules etc kid of person. Probably something a bit funkier would be my bag, but I’m not sure what... I find the odd cuts at Toast a bit bleugh and unflattering.

I just want some comfortable and stylish jeans that cover my ankles, so I’m not freezing in Winter. Skinnies are out, right? Stone washer mom cuts make by arse look mahoosive.

I’m a tall 12 on top, 12/14 hips so I’d love some flattering looks.

Any suggestions? Do I just hit up Fat Face and accept my fate?

• kind

I'm around your age and shop in h & m and Zara.

Cos, Arket and a general trawl of John Lewis are my go to options and I’m a smidge older than you but have similar tastes from what you have said.
Also keep an eye on H&M and Zara like PP

Mint Velvet?

How could I have forgotten Uniqlo too!
Also, having re-read your thread and the jeans bit, look up a thread in here from the summer about vintage 501s (advice on buying and sizing etc). These have allowed me to do a nod to mum jeans but with a nicer bum.

I’m in my 30s. I shop in Sézane, Rouje, The Kooples, BA&SH, Outnet, sometimes Net-A-Porter (mostly in the sale), Liberty, Avavav, Kitri Studio, Selfridges....for jeans J Brand, Citizens of Humanity, Slvrlake. Friends of mine also shop in Zara, Mango, & Other Stories, Cos, Arket - there are loads of ‘grown up’ shops for those that want to avoid Joules/Biden/Fat Face/White Stuff and the like!

Zara, mango, and other stories, massimo Dutti? Im early 30s and still feel past most of the high street! Mainly shop at Zara and h and m

Hush?

I was just wonderung this when your post popped up
Lockdpwn helped me rethink my choices in style. I don't want to dress like a "mum" all the time, but finding it really hard too, to find good shops that have lovely clothes. I'd love to dress like Dita vin teese everyday, a bit glamourous and goth, but that's not practical when I home ed and spend a tonne of time gardening or baking!
Shopping around I've noticed almost everywhere has their standard everyday clothes and their more stylish stuff., it might take time, but start with the standard shops you like the clothes in and look for key peices that make you happy?
I love M&s slash neck t-shirts for basics and Next had some great tops too, but I really had to search for things that fitted my style rather than being the "fashion".
The only jeans that suit me are slight bootcut, so I stick with those, they balance out my ample chest
Tu have the odd gem too. Pain to shop around, but worth it.
Have you thought about starting a capsule wardrobe? Your own style updated with a couple of fashionable accessories to keep it fresh?

Didn't mean to make it sound like looking like a mum was a bad thing.....
Just feel like I lost my style when I had kids. Hope I didn't upset anyone

Thanks so much for for your suggestions. I’ll look these places up online. And the Levi’s thread.

And I don’t mean to sound like I’m bashing Fat Face and Per Una. Just not my style, but lovely of many others.

I feel like I'm in the same boat, OP. (Whenever I cave in and buy something from FatFace I nearly always regret it!...)

To be honest, most of my everyday stuff comes from Gap, Next, M&S, John Lewis own brands and Boden BUT I choose very carefully. My coats are generally Didriksons and Esprit (good winter coats) and Protected Species for raincoats. Plus leather biker from All Saints and denim jacket from Oasis.

I honestly can't remember the last time I went High St shopping though, even pre-Covid! I used to enjoy looking in &OtherStories and Uniqlo but didn't often buy from there. Also love H&M but it's a bit of a jumble sale. I do have some stuff from Hush, Toast and Whistles but a lot of it is insanely overpriced. I agree it's a bloody minefield!

As others have said, Zara, H&M, Uniqlo, COS. Just buy yourself good quality basics from these shops. I also love Sisley/ Benetton, Filippa K. and a fab German brand, HallHuber, which unfortunately does not ship outside of Germany but you can try eBay.

Cos is another place I always enjoy looking in but never have much look with actual buying of things 😁

There's a brand I see on Isntagram all the time called TwoThirds - it's based in Barcelona and has some lovely stuff although I don't know how much UK shipping is.

Its nice to know I’m not alone in struggling with this! I’ve been putting off clothes shopping since before lockdown. So I really am starting from scratch!
I also find H and M overwhelming. I’ve never been much good at shopping, but I just got to a place where I want to look nice and feel comfortable. Being made recently single has given me a kick up the backside in terms of looking after myself properly. Project wardrobe is my new year’s goal.

I was in the exact same situation and got a stitch fix box where they pick the items based on your size and style. I loved what they picked and kept the lot.

Mint velvet is working for me at the moment!

I'm 35 and shop at boohoo, new look, river island mainly. I mostly wear skinny Jean's, coated Jean's, leather look leggings with bodysuits under and then checked oversize shirts over the top, leather or puffer jacket and Van's or converse for my every day look. I guess it depends what your comfortable in. You could order online and always send back if you didnt like it in real life.

Bloody hell some of those brands are expensive! I go to George at Asda and F&F at Tesco 😁

High street:
Uniqlo
H&M
Zara
Mango

Pricier:
Sézane
Rouje
& Other Stories
Maje

Zalando for a range of bands.

Never shop at Zara, Mango and H&M as they dont comply with Modern Slavery Act
I buy from Reiss as they have a good selection and trendy clothes. However Im not sure about their sustainability. Not much info online how environmentally damaging the company is. But their styles are really good.

I'm a little older and shop in ASOS, Next, H&M, Oasis and the odd random find. I follow Emily from Style Me Happy on Instagram which has given me ideas.

Can't beat a good supermarket find :)
EBay is good for the expensive brands if you're confident of your sizing. I get most of my stuff on eBay as I hate shopping irl

Im 44 but with a limited budget... I choose carefully from:

Zara
River Island
Primark
New Look
F&F at Tesco (literally 5 mins away walk so easy for me!!)
Next
Lipsy at Next
Dorothy Perkins
Accessorize
Head Over Heels at Dune
Gap Outlet
Topshop very occasionally

If I had the money I would like to shop at The Kooples & Pinko etc

I'm definitely not a White Stuff fan!!