What has replaced skinny jeans and a nice top?

[Mushroo]

Friday night at the pub is just one example, but I guess what I’m after is what has replaced ‘skinny jeans and a nice top’.

I’m ok with casual, and I’m ok with properly dressy, but I really struggle with the in between.

Im early 30s, busty, size 10, short with a stomach that means anything cropped is out.

Don’t like wearing heels, a heeled boot is ok.

All inspiration welcome but generally prefer lowish budget, I’m lost!

I’ve looked on ASOS but can’t even find a ‘nice top’ they would go with mom jeans.

That model looks like a teenager whose mum keeps telling her to stand up straight

What’s coming out a lot in this thread is that people place a lot of weight on what makes them look slim or ‘not dumpy’

It’s all in your head. I was the same- teetering around in skinny jeans and heels because it elongated me.

the moment I stopped dressing to look smaller was absolutely liberating

I look no bigger in mom jeans or wide leg trousers than I did in skinny jeans. My thighs were the same size.

I dress much better and more interestingly now now my aim is to not look as tiny as poss

Don't they all, @GloomySkies ? 😏I have ordered it in the ivory.

I can barely tell what Zara clothes look like with all the hunching and slouching.

Yeah…it’s not in my head. I am short, medium sized and quite curvy with wide shoulders. Certain clothes make me look twice my size and extra short. I am not attempting to look as small or skinny as possible, I am attempting to not look loads bigger than I really am. I think that’s fair enough.

Hush Agnes jeans and a waistcoat with nothing underneath if you have the arms for it or with matching trousers for a smarter look. Zara have lots online.

but why does it matter if you look twice the size or mega short?

I don’t think Style&Beauty is the thread for you! You may be naturally confident, but most of us just want a bit of help and advice to look our best. And it matters to me that I don’t look like a tugboat. So there!

Have you ever met any women before?

I realised fairly early on in life that the way not to look twice the size or mega short is just to be slim - then most things look ok. Plus I think one can get away with cheap clothes more easily.

I’m in my mid fifties and one of the great things about being this age is that I know what makes me look slimmer and taller. None of it is in my head - I’m more savvy than that. I’m not interested in looking as tiny as possible, I’m looking to balance my proportions, accentuate the bits I like and minimise the bits I don’t. I now know how to do that.

I think you get good at dressing for your figure and hiding your flaws. I know what shapes suit me and want don’t. I’ve got relatively short legs so I can’t wear cropped trousers with flat shoes. Equally I don’t have chiselled upper arms - they’re a bit sausagey which no amount of Pilates and exercises have fixed - so I never wear sleeveless dresses or tops.

Are you telling us that you’ve never tried an item of clothing on and thought “hmmm, no, it doesn’t really do anything for me?” Because that really is all we’re talking about here. Sure, we can all wear whatever we like but it won’t always look nice on us. Sometimes that doesn’t matter (I spend most of my working from home time schlepping about in tracksuit bottoms because it’s comfortable) but sometimes it’s nice to look a bit more out together and to wear something that flatters your shape. I don’t think that’s a crime or being obsessive about your appearance or size or weight.

Sad truth! I don't need to be tiny, but I do want to disguise my menopausal tummy, which has only emerged in the last couple of years. I think there is a marked shortage of clothes for apple shaped women in their 50s whose shape changes overnight. There are clothes for plus sizes, and clothes for very slim people, and clothes for young people, but hardly anything for women of a certain age. Gap in the market.

I think still jeans and a nice top but both the jeans and the top should be looser, even if only slightly. Just a bit of give/slouch, that’s why blouses work well.

Yes, overnight my waist has thickened. Unless one is one of those very angular people (always when advertisers use “old” models they are very lean) we all end up looking like The Queen ! (QE 2, that is, although Camilla too really). The alternative I suppose is Madonna which is worse !!

This year, I am turning around the way I dress. I am doing a massive try on session this week at Westfield to see what actually fits my new body.

Don't get me started on how clothing manufacturers assume that if you have a thickish waist you must be large all over. I am only large in the waist, so finding clothes that fit all over is so challenging.

I'm 5ft tall (not slim), fairly muscular and slightly overweight and late 50s. I just don't know where to shop any more! I hate buying online. I'm not really a fashion follower but want to know what looks good on my size. Some things I know don't suit me (big patterns, wide legged trousers, etc) but I just find it so hard. In fact I hardly ever buy clothes and stick to wearing the same things all the time.

Because she wants to feel good about herself?

Primark have got some lovely cheap wide leg trousers. I'm proper lumpy but was so thrilled when I tried them on, very flattering.

Oh and mid 50s!

Those of you wearing midi dresses, do you go for bare legs? I’m eyeing up a dark red jersey midi dress and wondering what to wear on my legs while it’s still quite chilly. Tights? If so how thick and what colour? I’ve only worn dresses in summer in recent years so feeling a bit stuck!

I'm still wearing skinny jeans and a nice top. In the summer I wear skinny shorts and a nice top.

I bought this for going out https://www.weirdfish.co.uk/p/women/trousers-jeans/playsuits/i/roxi-lenzing-ecovero-culotte-jumpsuit-deep-sea-blue-19368

The print is really nice in real life and this for cooler days, warning , recommendation the legs are long. Probably 32" as they're about right on me https://www.weirdfish.co.uk/p/sale/womens/i/khya-organic-cotton-jersey-jumpsuit-navy-18936

I’ve found M&S wide leg petite stuff spot on but it’s usually sold out in my size.

I got some absolutely perfect short wide leg jeans from Tu Sainsburys, which I love.
So bought the same size in another shade and couldn’t do them up. Exchanged for next size up and still a bit tight!!

I went out last night, & inspired by this thread I wore a pair of wide slightly barrel shaped cord cargo trousers with a boxy rather Japanese feel top from Muji (hip length but with a french tuck).

Very comfortable & I definitely felt it was a more up to date look despite both being at least 3-4 years old, maybe more. I've always worn the trousers with a hoodie or casual jumper (for day to day stuff, not for going out) but they actually worked much better smartened up a bit.