Style overhaul

[Worthyornot]

Hi Mn,

Please help with building a new wardrobe. Doing a major clear out and starting over. I seemed to just be stuck on finding it hard to spend money so end up buying alot of fast fashion items that I find I just cant wear again.
I'm turning 40 soon and dh has given me a fairly generous amount to go shopping but I am a bit overwhelmed.

My body and style:

I am petite, 5'3 and 55 kgs, Im a size 8 - 10. I prefer a smart casual look. So my everyday look would be a well fitted pants or jeans (hate skinny), coat, stylish boots or smart trainers.

Jackets and coats : I love fitted and tailored cuts. I am not into oversized at all as they just completely drown me out and make me look ridiculous.

Shoes: I am an exact size 4.5 or UK 37.5 but its impossible to find brands that do half sizes. I do not like chunky shoes as I am petite with thinner legs so I look ridiculous in them.

I'm new to the UK so am unfamiliar with alot of brands that would suit me.

My wardrobe consists of mainly Zara , Mango, HM but I want to buy some good quality lasting clothes and shoes.

Help please !

Hi,

What sort of budget do you have? I’d probably start by finding pics in line of people/clothing I like and adding them to a Pinterest board, then see what attracts you to the clothes: the lifestyle image they give off/colour/material/style etc then once I’m had a good idea of what I liked, I’d make a list of what I needed for my lifestyle and look for similar online.

dont just concentrate on clothes tho, you need to take a look at hair and makeup too.

Your style sounds great already - it sounds like you know what you like very well.

Are you looking to upgrade items to better fabrics/cuts rather than a complete over haul? What you may find tricky is how petite you are - I’m a similar size and find when I go for more expensive brands, the vanity sizing is crazy and I end up swamped! So I often stick to more high street brands because they seem to fit better.
Take a look at Kibbe - it’s a style analysis system that I find really helpful in confirming what I should wear - lots of quizzes online for free.

And yes, Pinterest is your friend. Find celebrities you would like to emulate and pin away - as I read through what you like, Miranda Kerr and Jennifer Anniston sprang to mind.

I am same size as you. !
I struggle with some hi end stuff due to sizing.
I would suggest hobbs aa they are good for talored looks.
I was going to suggest.solidair for boots as do half sizes but these wd be too chunky for you.
For boots i think sea salt do half sizes ( online) and do less clumpy options . Good quality leather. I got some good footwear from marks and spencer and they do half sizes( i am 3.5) also leather.
Fab boots.
Try googling petite ranges.
Next, oasis, warehouse do them as do seasalt. I get dungarees from.them in petite that for so well.
Not high end tho. Also google petite onnvinted app for ideas.

Sounds as though you need to find a really good Tailor or dressmaker and get everything to actually fit to you precisely, you can buy things off the peg that don’t need to be designer at all as long as they fit perfectly they will look more expensive than they are that’s typically what I do with the High Street brands the hobbs, jigsaw etc

I hear you on the half size, I go up a size and pop and insole in.

Zalando and Asos are good website for seeing - and hopefully ordering! - lots of brands in one go.

*up a half size, that should say!

The shoe brand the pp mentioned is Solovair. I've recommended them on here so many times that they should pay me commission. They do collaborations with Toast, MHL, George Cox and YMC. They do sizes from 3 to 11 including half sizes in many styles.

I recommend that you get a session with a personal shopper in John Lewis.

Thanks all, sorry been out all day. I will look at the suggestions. Budget is about 5-6k, so I really want to include some good staples and quality items and build them over time.

I'm just posting to echo what you already know, take your time. Go ahead and do the wardrobe clear out but take your time over the new purchases. I did this a few years back and mostly my purchases were sound but as i was investing in new shapes it was a bit of an experimental time and i did have to set some of my new things aside to tweak with my sewing needing machine.

Similar challenges here - I want to buy fewer but higher quality clothes but am finding it hard due to sizing. So many of the higher end brands are cut for taller people (not just length, but waists/hips etc in the wrong place). Worth looking at Hobbs petite for well-made coats. I’ve been trawling through petite ranges lately and have found that Whistles midi dresses aren’t too long/oversized. You might find some luck with Karen Millen/Coast petite too depending on your style. Sézane is a French brand that seems good as well - knits are oversized on the whole but I can wear an xxs (size 6, 5’2). Also have a look on the Outnet - BA&SH and Maje sometimes have some bits that work for smaller people and you might find decent shoes/boots in half sizes. I also follow ExtraPetite on instagram- I reckon her style is what you are looking for. She wears a lot of US brands such as JCrew (highly recommend for petites but delivery/returns are a pain), Abercrombie and Fitch (regular or petite work for me here and delivery is ok if a bit slow). Banana Republic used to have some nice things as well but they’ve withdrawn from the UK now.

There was a fabulous thread on here a while back posted by a woman who was working super hard on paringvdown her wardrobe and going for minimal quality investment pieces. She was awesome. I’ll see if I can find it.

she had a spreadsheet going and everything, saving for one thing at a time, and buying the best. The best white shirt, the best gold hoops, the best handbag… you get the gist :)

For shoes try The Outnet or Net-a-Porter and filter by size 4.5 - you might see a particular pair which takes your fancy but if not it’s a great starting list of brands which run to half sizes.

www.mumsnet.com/talk/mumsnet_classics/3797652-thanks-to-s-b-i-m-finally-winning-in-the-pursuit-of-elegance

OP with that sort of budget you really need a professional stylist to help you make the best long term decisions. You don’t want to end up in a year’s time with a wardrobe full of rather tame and slightly out of date High St buys, in not the best fabrics, all bought at full price. This is particularly so if you’re not familiar with the brands most readily available in the UK.

So find someone who knows what they’re doing! They’d also be able to direct you to the best brands for your height and build, and suggest reliable high quality tailors for alterations.

In the meantime you could do worse than browsing the websites of

Matches Fashion
Net-a-Porter
MaxMara
Browns

Together they’ll give a good cross section of good quality, fashionable clothes that will work for years to come and be good to build on. But get some face to face guidance!

Apologies for too much ‘good’!

Ooh @nzeire that thread is fantastic - I need a spreadsheet immediately!