Please help me find some clothes!!

[Shieldingending]

I’m 50, size 10 to 12 and I desperately need some new clothes I like jeans, crop jeans and T-shirts but I really need something a little bit smarter! Not for work, just for day-to-day wear. A lot of what I has have got is come from Joules but it’s all very “samey” Any advice on websites that I could look at would be gratefully received! Bonus points if there are pictures of the whole outfit together as I’m not very good at coordinating things. Thank you

www.otrium.co.uk

www.lilacrose.co.uk

‘Smarter’ jeans and t shirts suggests Cos to me.

Or, if you want to spend considerably more, both Studio Nicholson and Raey at Matches Fashion excel at simple, casual clothes in lovely fabrics, often with bolder cutting than you’d find from cheaper brands.

(I’m a little older than you and these are some of the places I shop.)

Toast always has decent t shirts and jeans, but they get plenty of publicity here already.

I'm a similar age, size and current style. Got very excited until I saw the prices! Will hope for more reasonable options

All the places I mentioned have sales several times a year, gingercat - and I don’t think Cos can be more expensive than Joules, which the OP mentioned.

I deliberately didn’t mention either Community Clothing or Other Stories as the OP wanted to move upmarket of where she was (I think?) but they’re both cheaper than Cos and worth a look. CC is very plain and simple, with a strong ethical / environmental story - perfect everyday clothes. &OS is more fashion-y - their online styling is lovely but one has to be vigilant as regards fabric and quality.

@Edmontine

All the places I mentioned have sales several times a year, gingercat - and I don’t think Cos can be more expensive than Joules, which the OP mentioned.

I deliberately didn’t mention either Community Clothing or Other Stories as the OP wanted to move upmarket of where she was (I think?) but they’re both cheaper than Cos and worth a look. CC is very plain and simple, with a strong ethical / environmental story - perfect everyday clothes. &OS is more fashion-y - their online styling is lovely but one has to be vigilant as regards fabric and quality.

Not a critisism at all, just above my price point for "everyday" clothes. 3 figures is special occasion in my life 😪

Nothing except coats are in three figures at Communuty Clothing, gingercat!

The thing is - I interpreted the OP as wanting to spend more (than Joules prices) on better quality and greater variety. If she had asked for suggestions within a strict price range I would have answered differently.

I have bought some great quality tops from Brakeburn and Mistral
They both have sales on at the moment too

White Stuff have got more stylish recently. I will be treating myself there this autumn. Also look at John Lewis website for inspiration, if you search tops for example it will bring up all the different brands.

Mistral have gone into administration or something. In the area around me their clothes BNWT in charity shops very reasonably priced.

Joules is good quality, but as OP said, a bit samey. Maybe their new stock will be different.

Arket, Kin, Toast are good places to look

I would suggest a shopping stylist session at John Lewis, they don't pressure you into buying and you tell them your budget and hopes/ needs beforehand. I used to do this a few times when I worked and it was a wonderful way of having someone else trawl through stuff for you to choose from. I

I love buying clothes, but the suggestions so far are just really expensive! I'm assuming if the OP is buying from Joules at the moment, she's not suddenly going to buy Raey clothes at £300 an item.

I think Cos is doing some really nice stuff at the moment. Also Jigsaw looks ok (I've only seen the emails they've sent me so far). I have bought jeans from net a porter this summer, and also Other Stories.

I'm still mostly wearing leggings so I haven't really looked at any autumn clothes yet

oh and the whistles barrel jeans. (in fact look at whistles - they will have their autumn 20% off soon, so wait for that to come).

I was thinking about this earlier. In the past if I wanted to wear smart jeans, I could just wear skinny jeans with high heels. It's hard to know how to make mom or barrel jeans look smart.

How about a styling session with John Lewis? I did a virtual one this week, I gave all my details and I was looking for weekend outfits, drinks out with the girls etc. I am just 50 and seem to have a set uniform of clothes I wear!
The stylist came up with about 8 outfits with a few items bring interchanged. I have ordered a blouse, jacket and dress already!
They send you the list of items and she also sent me the Stylebook photos so I know what goes with what 😃 Also no pressure to purchase, in fact the jacket I brought elsewhere as I had a voucher.

I have bought jeans from net a porter this summer

Net-a-Porter is an online superstore, just as Matches fashion is. They both stock a wide selection of clothing brands at various price points above mid-High St level. So I am a little puzzled to be taken to task for mentioning a Matches Fashion brand by a poster who suggests Net-a-Porter.

But frankly, who cares? I’m not obliged to only suggest shops within any other poster’s budget. Some people like more expensive clothes, just as some like Bentleys or boarding school fees, or winters in the Caribbean ...

Massimo Dutti is always good, especially their A/W collections. I wear a lot of it for work, which is smart-casual.

Thank you everyone for the suggestions, plenty for me to look at here! I think booking a session with a stylist at John Lewis might be really helpful for me so I’ll look into that as well