Plea

[Elnetthairnet]

Mid forties mum, short (5ft4), reasonably slim 8-10, long blonde bob. I live in skinny jeans, trainers and sweatshirts since WFH but I need a smarter look for festive socialising etc. Not really smart - think pub/restaurant rather than black tie type events. I can’t find anything that doesn’t scream mutton dressed as lamb or trying too hard, and have no idea what is fashionable and what isn’t. Looking online wide leg trousers and high necklines seem to be ‘in’ but I am too short to get away with a high necklines AND long baggy trousers. I have reasonable legs but the skirts around seem to be either very very short or midi length which again looks strange on me as I’m not tall. Can anyone point me in the direction of a nice outfit that looks smart but not too smart!

please help a clueless and rapidly becoming frumpy woman out!

Lordy!

5ft4 isn’t ‘short’ - at least not in terms of limiting what you wear.

The ‘mutton’ phrase is … surely something that negates the whole purpose of MN, which I’d understood as celebrating all women.

You’re altogether too hung up on your perceived failings. It’s not necessary - other people aren’t thinking what you’re thinking when they see you.

And amidst all that you didn’t say how much you’d like to spend!

As for what’s fashionable … I daresay one could wear this outfit from & Other Stories pretty much everywhere for the next six months except a black tie do. The boots make it really contemporary and it’s wonderfully easy.

Festive socialising is such a minefield!!

I think a nice pair of leather look trousers (matte not shiny) with either a tucked in bodysuit top and a cute blazer or a nice blouse is a total fail safe. Your height / clothing size sounds like you'd suit this styling too! It's dressy enough for pubs / restaurants, you can perk it up with nice shoes and accessories and it suits a wide age range I think (I wear this outfit at 29 - my coworker who is 55 did too recently and she looked fab!). You can just wear a nice jumper with the trousers and some boots too for a more casual look.

Thankyou! I really like the leather style leggings actually, not too far away from my jeans…

5ft4 feels short when all the clothes seem to swamp me! It’s fine when you’re wearing fitted stuff, but long baggy trousers and long baggy dresses are not great.

I’m not dwelling on my failings - I’m pretty happy with how I look day to day, but I don’t want to wear jeans and a sweat top with trainers to a dressy do, and I haven’t got a clue what I should wear due to my lack of current fashion knowledge…

Price wise - probably high end high street as a max.

Two different budgets:

Petar Petrov.

Zara.

(Posted before seeing your second post!)

Massimo Dutti may have exactly the sort of ‘vibe’ you want.

My go-to is black velvet trousers and a sequin top, either with heels or black trainers depending on the occasion. M&S have a good range this year. Personally I wear wide leg trousers but if you prefer less fabric you could go for a velvet cigarette pant. Alternatively you could try a satin or velvet jewel coloured top if sequins are too much.

Cheap but the velvet jumpsuit at George at Asda is creating quite a stir.

Do people really want to wear the exact thing they’ve heard other people are wearing? I don’t mean a similar style, but the exact same item?

Personally I tend to go for one of these formulas:
Black leather or pleather trousers as suggested by a pp (I’m wearing looser ones this year) with a blouse or thin merino jumper - maybe with some metallic threads through it - and a blazer.
A jumpsuit but more of a boiler suit vibe. I have and love this one.
Slim evening trousers with a satin stripe and a statement blouse probs in silk. I’ve bought these from Me&Em (££ but a classic I hope I’ll wear for years and they fit like they were made for me):
Trousers

I scoured the shops last year for a 'going out top' that I could just wear with jeans and smarter boots/shoes. Not black and sequins and tinsel - didn't want to look like Janet from accounts at the Xmas Office party.

I found this Whistles wrap top which I felt was festive pub vibes - enough to feel dressy but not over done.

www.whistles.com/product/velvet-v-neck-wrap-top-34455.html

Pair with a nice pair of earring and job done! X

@MissKittyFantastico84 I love that top - looks comfy but also smart and could be worn with jeans or smart trousers/skirt. Thanks!
@CSJ113 I’ve ordered a pair of pleather trousers as they look like they’d go with anything and I’d still feel like I was in jeans. I’ve got a velvet blazer and I think with a cami top and heels they should look good @BreakfastOfWaffles I’ve also ordered a sequinned top. Sequinned stuff seems to be everywhere right now.
@Gruelle wearing exactly the same thing as someone else is definitely not what I want to do. But I’m not a massively fashionable person and I want clothes that I can wear and still feel like myself. There’s been some great advice in this thread - even if it just confirms the kind of stuff I’d been looking at is ‘ok’ and I’m not going to look like an idiot! Thankyou all

@AnchorWHAT the jumpsuit looks gorgeous on the models but then anything would. I’m not keen on the neckline (too high at the back) and I’ve never found a jumpsuit that doesn’t make my (perfectly normal sized bum) look massive and not in a good way.

Have a look in All Saints.

Here you go...

Dress down with trainers and up with heeled ankle boots or sandals

Leather look high waisted leggings.

I now have them in green and gold

www.marksandspencer.com/leather-look-high-waisted-leggings/p/clp60505311?color=NAVY&prevPage=srp#intid=plpnav_pid_pg1pip24g2r1c1|prodflag_srp_ts_SLVP_100|pid_pg1pip48g2r0c0

I'm a similar height / shape to you and find these brilliant. Understated but not too understated. As comfortable, if not more comfortable than your jeans. Enjoy.

Wide leg trousers or black flare jeans are back, with a heel would be my recommendation for a night out, with trainers for more relaxed look. There is a great thread currently running on S&B called 'I'm a stylist, AMA' which is a great source for ideas.

I'd go along with the above - I'm the same height/dress size as you @Elnetthairnet and I've just bought this:

www.allsaints.com/hali-gene-butterfly-print-mini-dress/5059786317913.html

It's fab on (actually much nicer than the photos on the website) and I'll be wearing it a lot 😀

Re 5ft4 comments I wonder if you are longer in the torso with proportionally shorter legs (inseam of under 30"?) making trousers a challenge.