What should I buy now to make me look a bit more modern?

[WoodSageandSeasalt]

I’m in a bit of a rut style-wise and with Spring hopefully approaching and lots of new clothes in the shops I feel like I need a bit of a makeover.

I mainly wear jeans or coated jeggings with sweatshirts or jumpers and trainers or boots. My style is casual, maybe with a slight edge - I really like the Mint Velvet relaxed glamour type look.

I’m 5’2 and curvy, boobs and bum and currently too much tummy. I haven’t got loads to spend so ideas of budget friendly places to try would be great - not asking much!

I love fashion, OP.
I look at Cos, Toast, Brora for knitwear - the later two only in the sales.
For inspiration I love a good “people watch “ - sit i in a trendy part town with a cop coffee/glass wine and watch what people are wearing.
Pinterest is good for inspiration too.
Clothes are meant to be fun.
Updating hair is a good idea.
For those talking about glasses then I lust after Francis Klein - as soon as the hell-that-is-Covid is over I am going to Paris to buy myself a pair ( I am in Southern Hemisphere so not as easy to visit a and a lot more expensive)
Waves to MapleMay11 - another doc here.

@PurpleHollyhocks

OP. A very modern look at the moment is slightly wider trousers or jeans cut at the ankle.

Wear this with trainers and bulky ankle boots

With a simple T-shirt or shirt this will instantly look modern.

I'm not knowledgable enough about fashion to know if this is good advice or not but I do know it's a proper answer to the OP's question!

@LunaTheCat

I'm a clothes addict & only 5'3".
I wear skinhy/slim jeans.. try the Jade or Cherry range from Oasis as they fit really well & are very flattering. Oasis do some great knits & floral patterns if that's your thing & they do have a lot of offers on so it's always good idea have a look on their appn
Zara do some great bits too although they do seem to have a lot of oversized tops which can drown you when you're petite size.
Next also do a great petite range.
If you're in the mood for a rummage then TK Maxx are worth a visit. They have some great handbags as well.
Hope this helps x

It’s not necessarily what you wear but how you style it that makes the difference between looking modem or not.

People watch, look online & in shop windows and pay attention to the details eg are things oversized or fitted? How are they tucked? How are sleeves rolled? Etc

Two women can wear the exact same outfit and one can look amazing and funky and the other dated & frumpy in my opinion

Places like Laundry B and Belle Modelle have some great, slightly grungy, jumpers at the moment that give a nod to the 90s trend.

I think most things would be classed as modern these days, I think anything goes! I do think shoes can bring an outfit up to date too.

Variety would probably help you feel better about what you're wearing, so maybe try to buy some different items in a style that really suits your shape :

Wide leg cropped trousers
dress
midi skirt
maxi skirt
jumpsuit
jacket
Long cardigan

I do honestly think you can wear anything, you just need to get the proportions right.

Definitely try H & M, Zara, Cos, Tescos, ASOS and local boutiques if you have them where you can get some advice too.

Link to the Silver Kat on instagram
www.instagram.com/thesilverkat/

I think you might like her style

@Silversprinkles

I’ve been getting dressed for a quite staggering number of years! I honestly do know what I’m talking about

While the rest of us have been wandering around naked looking for a bearskin to huddle in.

Dying with laughter

I knew what CountryCousin meant. She wasn't suggesting you shop at Gucci; she was suggesting you look at what Gucci (or whoever) have for inspiration and to see what's current and then stalk cheaper shops looking for similar.

I follow lots of brands I can't afford on Instagram and then go hunting on Vinted and in charity shops.

Tucking t shirts in is another way to go from out of date to modern, as pp said it’s not always what you wear but how you wear it that matters.
And for the likes of us that are definitely past crop top days, just tucking the top in brings you more in style

A cropped (above the hip) but oversized short jacket, paired with wide, straight trousers in black (not jeans) is what young people seem to be choosing, the shorter jackets seem very comfortable on bikes.
Colours I adore (but I am not young) are a deep sea green , somewhat muted, and a dark, rich mustard, probably paired with flashes of red or raspberry or dove blue.
That is just what I have noticed and picked up for myself, what colours are new and refreshing for you? That you actually enjoy looking at ? I think feeling and looking at ease, energetic and relaxed, makes you look up to date. In clothes that are comfortable and you can move in.

Significantly dated are now heels in any everyday situation. Only required in very niche formal situations and to me at least, look strangely from another time. Wear the if you like them though and don’t need to hobble. Trainers, the weirder the better, in fun colour mixes, rather than playing it safe. Not too low, higher cut for a/w to keep ankles cosy and also look relaxed, but higher cut somehow doesn’t look good with wider cut trousers hmmmm

I watch a youtuber called karenbritchick. She has a series called what everyone is wearing in New York and there are so many people on that who look unique and it gives me lots of ideas about ways to style things and mixing vintage and new items in different ways.

I loooove her What Everyone is Wearing in New York series. Such a great way to spend half an hour. Great clothes inspo and I like the way she edits her videos too, not too frantic and the music isn't too in yer face.

There's also a woman called Carla Rockmore who has quite a £££ flamboyant style and she makes these really entertaining videos on Insta/Tik Tok. I love her insight into the way to style different items and how to wear things several ways.

@LunaTheCat

I love fashion, OP. I look at Cos, Toast, Brora for knitwear - the later two only in the sales. For inspiration I love a good “people watch “ - sit i in a trendy part town with a cop coffee/glass wine and watch what people are wearing. Pinterest is good for inspiration too. Clothes are meant to be fun. Updating hair is a good idea. For those talking about glasses then I lust after Francis Klein - as soon as the hell-that-is-Covid is over I am going to Paris to buy myself a pair ( I am in Southern Hemisphere so not as easy to visit a and a lot more expensive) Waves to MapleMay11 - another doc here.

@LunaTheCat agreed with all this.

My two local boutiques i don’t always buy but sometimes from there and they like to keep on trend and have return business so are usually honest.

I get what you were trying to say @CountryCousin but I think the way you said the MV thing sounded snobby and got peoples backs up. The rest wasn’t bad advice. If anyone has seen The Devil Wears Prada, the bit where she talks about you think the catwalks etc don’t affect what you wear on the high street but everything in fashion comes from the top and trickles down to influence every piece (mega paraphrasing here). So looking at high fashion and getting ideas can help you out. You could then look for the style of items you like on eBay or whatever, just use these places for Pinterest style inspo.

I love walking around the women's section of a large John Lewis to get inspiration... all the main (slightly higher end) brands are there and you can get a really good idea of what's on trend... then I might buy one or two items to update my wardrobe and treat myself but then will look at what I already have that I can maybe pair differently, or look for the same items elsewhere to get the same look cheaper. For instance I saw a simple blue MV sweater the other day that I liked but no way was I going to spend £69 for it, when Zara or Primark probably have something similar for much less.
ALSO I have become a little obsessed with Trinny Woodall's fashion videos. She's hilariously over privileged when it comes to the amount of money she's spent on clothes over the years BUT she's really brilliant when it comes to styling. Loads of great tips.
Finally on trend accessories can often update and lift an outfit without breaking the bank

I’m not sure modern and clean lines necessarily go. There seems to be a lot of oversized silhouettes and baggy clothes about which are not exactly sharp and imo can make people look scruffy and larger than they are, which I’m not particularly judging but it’s not clean lines.

I’m thinking maybe a shacket might be a piece that would work. But you may need to downsize. Everything seems massive at the moment.

I also recommend thread.com which is a personal stylist website where if you sign up they send you inspiration looks based on your figure and style. You can click through and buy the stuff too but I’m more interested in the images and inspiration. All free.

Stitch Fix and Lookiero are options too, they get talked about a lot on here. Never tried myself as I am ridiculously hard to please.

@lindyloo57

Petite here, I love the wide jean cropped look on others, but on me, I just look like my jeans are to short, any advice for a 61 year old who want to look current but not like a teenager.

Same problem. I am tall-ish but I still look like I shrunk my jeans. I may go for widelegged but not cropped. The oversized look doesn't always suit women in their 50s, I think.

This thread is hilarious - @CountryCousin you need a stand up show

I like to follow YT vloggers who are a good 15-20 years younger than me - people like Louise Cooley, Kate Hutchinson, Laura Blair. That way I know what’s modern. I don’t shop from where they shop as don’t have that budget, but I can always find similar items from SheIn/Zara/EBay.

The one thing I note that I need to change up each season to stay “modern” are accessories. So padded square toe mules are in my wish list for spring.
I also find that items I would class as dates are back in now. For example, the other day, I wore a poncho over pale jeans and knee high tan boots as I had seen Laura Blair wearing similar. I got compliments all day long from strangers asking where everything was from - all the items were around 15 years old 😂
So to stay modern, we have to look to the younger ladies and adopt the style to our own age - I’m almost 50 but would never bother looking at a 40 year old vlogger for style inspiration - too jaded.

@Classica
You’ve just reminded me of Karen - she is seriously funky. Reminds me of how I used to dress in my 20s. I’ll have to take another look at her. I also loooove her taste in interior design.

@BigFatBloomers

Link to the Silver Kat on instagram www.instagram.com/thesilverkat/

I think you might like her style

I really like this woman's style. Have put a few slouchy pants into my basket based on her looks.

This thread has been really interesting. I'm enjoying looking at all the people suggested for inspiration and Matches was a revelation. Such fabulous things (if I were rich!). Great to get ideas from.

@BigFatBloomers

Link to the Silver Kat on instagram www.instagram.com/thesilverkat/

I think you might like her style

She’s very stylish and I like her look but why are all her clothes so creased?!

Hi OP. I would start with a coat/jacket and shoes/boots/trainers. Everything else is interchangeable. I would go for chunky boots. Chelsea or lace ups. This is just my opinion but I think heels etc date an outfit if worn in the daytime.

For a coat either go vintage /retro and fitted or go oversize and that looks more modern.

Weirdly I think if I don't have much to spend I will look for something vintage as it won't date so much.

Wide leg trousers I agree look good as long as they suit your shape. I get mine from h and m quite often but have a wade through asos too.