Help me spend £300 birthday money on clothes

[lazylinguist]

I turn 50 in October. My parents have kindly given me £300 for my birthday to spend on clothes (in advance so that I can wear things to my birthday weekend away). I might add a bit to the £300 if I find things I really like.

I'm 5'6" and a reasonably large-busted size 14and look relatively young for my age. I want to buy a few really good quality things which will last, rather than lots of cheap stuff. I'm not a fan of busy patterns or bright colours and don't wear heels. I'm aiming for versatile, smart-casual items. Style-wise I really like thesilvercat on Instagram, if that's any help! I normally wear lots of navy, stone beige, white and grey, but I shouod really branch out a bit .

I'm going to go to Manchester for the day to buy things, but I'm rubbish at clothes shopping and don't want to wander around aimlessly, so I'm intending to look online first to give myself some ideas. Which shops shall I start with?!

Thanks if you waded through that!

Jigsaw?

I think you'll be very lucky to find such items on a day out shopping!

If I were you, I would order online and send back what doesn't fit/suit.

I'm a recent convert to Toast based on quality. You've missed their recent sale but there are a few items left on John Lewis. In fact, John Lewis is always the first place to start for me as they have a great selection of brands and easy returns etc.

John Lewis is a good call. I'll have a little browse...

Just had a peek at the Insta lady and she is very stylish. If it were me I'd nail first what you need based on what you are doing during your birthday weekend. So are you needing a posh dress and really nice trainers to go with or do you want to get properly dressed up with heels etc? It might be nice to get a classic piece say a lovely jacket that you'll wear for years to come dressed up or down. Are you wanting something different from your usual attire?
I agree that buying online and trying at home might be easier and John Lewis great for this if you have one near you. You could instead find a lovely outfit to wear on your day out and then keep some money back to say buy yourself a really lovely piece of jewellery as a keepsake. That way you can have a lovely day without having to try loads of things off and on - personally I hate that these days!! I just want to go out for one thing and have lunch and afternoon tea instead!! Whatever you do have a lovely time 🎉💐

Aww thank you! I think a jacket is a really good idea. Probably not a posh dress, as I wouldn't get much wear out of it. One thing I really fancy is a jumpsuit (maybe wide leg).

Look on the websites of the suggestions here to see whether you would like the stuff before you visit the shop.

My Ted baker stuff always lasts forever or until I'm bored and sell it. I really like the quality and I especially like it when they have a sale on 😀 I mainly buy T-shirt's or smart tops from there.

There isn't one in the city centre, fridgepants, but there's one in the Trafford Centre. I live an hour and a quarter's drive from Manchester, but it's my nearest decent-sized shopping town!

I think a wide legged jumpsuit is a great idea. I do think they’re here to stay so a great buy and versatile. I’d be going that route. Get a really special one that you absolutely love!

I meant John Lewis online. There is one in the Trafford Centre and one in Cheadle but the range is a fraction of what is available online.

Right - I spent aaages on the John Lewis website yesterday and have a basket of nice things totalling a bit over £300! I'm not sure whether I should maybe add a couple more, on the basis that I'm bound to end up sending at least one back!

Personal shopper at Kendals?