Can you help me refresh/update my wardrobe? Feel like a frump, lost my way, don’t know where to start!

[Swoonforpeterbishop]

DS is 15 months. I’m five foot 2, pear shaped with size 12 hips and size 8 top.
I’m pretty slim, bit wobbly around the c-section area and I’m generous of thigh but in regularly exercising so getting there.

But wardrobe wise I’m lost. My shape has changed so my jeans don’t fit anymore (actually too big!), my tops are all too tight across the boobs (used to be a 6 they now strain after Bf) and nothing I used to wear seems to look right.

I’m looking to get a spring and summer wardrobe, ideally a capsule for each season but I kept mindlessly scrolling. No idea what to go for.

I like colour and was always a jeans and top kind of person, but even styles of tops etc... I’m just lost! I feel frumpy and tatty.

You and I have a similar shape, so I’m curious to see what advice you get here.

Can I ask what exercise you’ve been doing thats helped your thighs? I am also generous of thigh.

I’m also trying to find my way again. There doesn’t seem to be much in the shops at present, so I’m hoping some nice summer clothes appear in the coming months. There’s usually a few nice summer dresses around, and I find an A line skirt to be very flattering on my pear shaped figure.

I agree, I’m not liking what’s about but it just makes me feel really out of touch 🙈
I’ve been spinning/ using an exercise bike and doing weights. The two combined are the other thing that have ever made a difference to my thighs and hips!

Thanks for that! My hips and thighs are the bane of my life. In an effort to overall improve my stylishness, I’ve been working on my skin and hair. I’m also trying to wear make up regularly and jewellery. I really need new clothes but I’m struggling to find anything I like the look of. Doesn’t help that Oasis has been taken over and seems to have gone downhill.

I’m so sad about oasis!

I really recommend short HIIT spin or bike workouts and Alice liveing weights she has loads of free workouts on Instagram. It’s made such a difference to my shape and I’ve been eating utter shit so it can’t be diet. I’m trying to get back on it!

I’m gutted about Oasis too.
I can’t find jeans to fit, I’m currently umming and ahhing over the Spanx jeans but they’re so expensive

I've seen some nice stuff on mango website at the moment and they have a sale on.

Thank you I’ll have a look.

I’m thinking I need to get:
Some good quality decent fitting jeans

A couple of nice white tops for summer

A couple of maxi dresses - petite length - as they always make me feel put together even when I’ve not put too much thought into what I’m wearing

Some nice flat sandals to go with jeans/dresses

I have a decent denim jacket and leather jacket already and some decent handbags

I’m a bit stuck after that!

Thanks for the recommendations, I’ll look at those.

I get my jeans from Next. They do petite lengths and a good range of styles. They also do shaping jeans, but I’ve never tried them. Skinny jeans don’t suit me, so I wear straight leg jeans. It can be challenging being a petite pear!

Another petite pear gutted about the loss of oasis.
I get a lot of my clothes from joy but haven't shopped there for a year now.
Boden tops and dresses havent been too long. Never got any trousers or jeans from there.

I’m 5ft 2 and was (slightly still am!) in the dilemma of feeling I was always wearing the same old clothes and nothing in style.
I went for the slightly lazy route and signed up for Stitch-fix where you put in all your preferences (including how different you’re willing to go to your normal style!), have had 2 boxes now - not kept absolutely everything but it’s been a good way to get a few new things at once without having to find them myself! I have a code if you want that would give you £15 off your first box (and gives me a discount off my next box too). Just in case the lazy option appeals!

www.stitchfix.co.uk/invite/pnsrc48vqf?sod=m&g=w&som=c

Not sure if that will work if you copy it into your internet browser (sorry not sure how to make the link work properly).
The good thing is that if you sign up as a new customer, they give you a ‘preview’ of 10 options and you choose 5 you’d like to be delivered to try. Or last time, I only liked 3 of the 10 so got 2 ‘surprises’ which I liked and kept!

Try reading Anuschka Rees’ the curated closet as it really helps you work out what you do and don’t like about your current style.

Petite is really tricky especially if you’re adjusting to bigger boobs (though likely these will go down after BF).

Boat neck/slash neck tops are best as they help balance out your hips.

A-line skirts

Boot leg jeans are making a comeback and good for balancing wider thighs (if you can face them!)

Register to do one of the free stylist sessions at John Lewis! They're still doing them online and you don't HAVE to buy anything. Ive done it previously and it was great for getting my head into a different space on what to wear and also being braver on how to mix certain things for my shape (I did actually end up buying ) - it does depend a little on who you get but for free you have nothing to lose!

Surprisingly I've had some really nice stuff from Sainsburys TU petite range. Their girlfriend jeans in particular are actually designed for those of us with curves.
I'm more hour than pear and a 10/12 on top and bottom.
Boden petite via ebay has also been a good bet for me.
When my boobs were smaller pre DC i wore more separates as it was easier to get a good fit on both top and bottom. Tulip shaped skirts worked well.

@Happyelfjokeday - thank you I was browsing for inspiration and followed your referral link, and absentmindedly clicked through until the end before really thinking about it. Sorry to anyone else who wanted to use the code - I hope perhaps it can be used more than once? Or if I get a code I could post here for others.
Looking forward to seeing what they send!

Don’t worry I think the code works multiple times ?! Hope it helps - worth a try for the first time anyway as using a code means it’s free and if useless can send it all back. I’ve valued the push out of my comfort zone that I wouldn’t get if left to my own devices.
Think the JL Stylist would also offer this benefit too

I'm short, 5 foot 1 size ten-ish with a bigger bum than top half. I wear a lot of vintage dresses. I tend to buy them loose and wear with a belt. add tights, long sleeve tops, anoraks, biker boots, cardys, beanies or smart boots etc to change the looks up. Probably doesn't suit everyone but i find it much better than trying to match up jeans with tops and shoes, which never seem to look right on me because of my short, chunky legs.

I am similar. I would love some nice skirts can anyone recommend any?

white stuff skirts can be flattering, especially the summery reversible ones (lots on ebay)

Thank you for all these replies!
I’m more of a jeans or dress girl than a skirts one, I’m leaning towards dresses because of the weather hopefully getting warmer and it being easy to sling on with a denim jacket or leather jacket.

I might do the JL session, I always feel a bit obligated to buy though 🙈

The problem with JL though is that most of the brands they stock are biiiiig. I’m 5’3 and can buy nothing in JL. They stock things like Précis Petite but unless you are the mother of the bride then they are frumptastic.

I have “the leg” problem: 99% of clothes look frumpy on a stumpy person .

Very good point Irma :(

@IrmaFayLear I'm only 5,4 (and a quarter) so borderline petite but really struggle with being drowned by clothing and JL did well with me. I got a great dress from Mint Velvet that I never would have tried on and they showed me how to dress it up and down. It made me think very differently about how to style outfits which I liked and how to bring colour back into my wardrobe (I'd got into an awful habit of wearing all black every day)

I’m similar shape and height to you and came on to recommend Lucy and Yak dungarees and Alexa trousers. They are amazing for pear shapes.

Something like this;

lucyandyak.com/collections/organic-cotton-trousers/products/organic-alexa-in-ink-blue-high-waisted-trousers
Or these;

lucyandyak.com/collections/denim-dungarees/products/atlas-heavy-twill-dungarees-in-navy-peony

OP I'm short like you, I've found that midi dresses tend to fit me perfectly as maxi dresses if that helps widen your search at all. I also find that column/shift dresses (with no defined/fitted waist) or dresses with an empire waist just under the bust help to make men look less dumpy and more in proportion!

Congrats on the fitness and with a toddler (in lockdown) too - go you!