I don't know what to wear ---ever!

[mauvish]

Like it says. I am totally lacking in any idea of what might look good on me and I'm in a real fashion rut, so any ideas might be nice.

I'm early 60s so dread looking like mutton-dressed-as-lamb. Good legs but I think minis are out now (see above!) BMI about 22-23, C-D cup, skinny bum and hips, tend to be apple shaped and bloat quite easily. Wide swimmer's shoulders (so anything that accentuates them makes me look like a pro wrestler). My colouring suits blues, greens, mauve, orange, dark grey, even the dreaded yellow! But I disappear in muted tones and I don't like pink.

I'm retired and live in casual clothes. I never wear heels (not sure I could if I wanted to due to previous ankle surgery). But I am sooooooo bored with jeans and T shirts.

A lot of my clothes are quite old as my size/shape is the same as it was many years ago (!). And with not working, I don't want to spend much money on "quality classics" -- I'd just like to have a smallish trendy wardrobe. I always like to feel fabric before I buy so vastly prefer real shops to online ones. Not keen on tight clothes.

I think I look like a frumpy middle aged woman who hasn't got a clue and I'd like to look nicer! What might you suggest?

You could try one of those personal shopper boxes online. They cost you £10 if you don’t buy what they send but the £10 comes off the cost of anything you do buy and a massive discount if you buy the full box. I’ve had some success recently with stitch fix and Lookiero - although Lookiero’s box arrived a whole week after it was booked for and I’d ordered it for an event and had to do a last minute in shop purchase. The items I’ve noticed range in quality and brand. They do have some own brand things as well which look like a label but I’ve started googling the items. You can set a budget - in set the cheapest one but you can change it. You input your sizes, shapes, colours, and the app lets you swipe over things to say if you like them or not. They then pick 10 items and email you to choose which 5 you’d like. You get 5 days to try on and ‘check out’. Returns are easy - stitch fix was via the post office and Lookiero was via the Evri delivery places. I’ve had some lovely pieces that I wouldn’t have ever picked up in a shop. It gives you the chance to feel the material too before returning or buying.

I’m 54 so not overly too diff in age, i’ve took myself out of my comfort zone, last summer onwards and started wearing midi skirts/dresses with converse, which for me at only 5ft was a massive thing. I’m also into smock dresses both midi and mini with either pumps, wedges or ankle boots. You can be comfortable and stylish. X

I found one dress style at Seasalt that really suits me and have 5 of them. That works for me - to find one style of something that works and get them in a few colours or patterns. An acquaintance likes their cotton shirts and they look great on her (although unlike me she's prepared to iron!) But I agree some of their patterns are fussy.

@Aixellency

no! Especially not for £60

watching as I have a similar body shape and challenge. I’m always amazed at the brands mentioned on here that I’ve never heard of! Off to look a few up.

'I want to look nice' says the OP.

'Here. Try these fucking awful dark green trousers that look like the sort of thing a 9 year old boy whose mum bought him something in a hurry from Sainsbury's might wear for a camping trip' says Mumsnet.

I'm a totally different shape to you OP and 85% of my wardrobe is black, so can't really suggest anything, but might you be interested in trying a denim midi skirt? There are also some nice linen shirts in the shops at the moment, in all sorts of colours and lengths.

Here’s how Community Clothing make and price their clothes, @LuckySantangelo35 :

https://communityclothing.co.uk/pages/about-us

@Aixellency well, I had a look and I love your style though not the budget needed for many of your recommendations! Some of the shoes from Co were amazing. Guess I can always look for second hand…

When I'm really uninspired, I look on Pinterest or google and search for "outfits" with whatever descriptive words I want. So you might look for:
Casual summer dress outfits
Summer jeans outfits
Apple shape outfits (to show outfits to minimise tummy)
Inverted triangle outfits (to show outfits to minimise shoulders)
Over 50 outfit (not that I think you need to "not dress as mutton" but you may be able to identify more with the wearers and feel they have similar shape to you).
etc etc.

Then copy any you like. It's a good start to try and narrow down what you like, what you could see working on you by seeing what works on others. You can also think of any celeb types whose style you like and you identify with a bit in terms of body shape etc. Then search "celeb name casual outfit".

You can also follow some people on instagram who are your age range (or not!) and who you think are stylish and maybe even a bit out of your comfort zone.

Basically I recommend fake it (ie copy other people) till you make it. We don't all know instinctively what looks great or what to put together but that doesn't mean you can't find some outfits that look great and rotate them. I also think it's really important to find things that YOU think look good and you feel comfortable in, not try and be what you think a 60+ person should be or what you think is fashionable etc.

With the green trousers, you might need to go a bit smarter with tops to combat the PJs look. Maybe a white shirt like this. You could do a little tiny bit of a tuck at the waist. Or a shorter boxy shirt like this. Or a loose fine knit like this. I'd wear with sandals or white trainers. You could wear the trouser shopping to try some on.

I recommend the book The Curated Closet. It’s all about finding your style. It takes some effort to work through the steps and I’m only just starting, but it’s worth it I think

It’s quite rare for me to pay full price for anything, @Makingupfactstosuitmyagenda ! I’m not really into pre-loved shopping, but these are hard times for the clothing business so almost everything ends up massively reduced eventually. And there’s often an opportunity to buy new season stuff in advance for less than it will be once it’s on the website.

Errm I sometimes wear navy blue joggers with a silk shirt and / or a blazer from my office days. (I'm retired now.)Iit makes a change from jeans.

The first time I tried it was during lockdown and I won't lie, I felt a bit of a knob, like I'd swallowed a copy of Vogue sideways. But now I just find it a useful combination if I want to look kind of pulled together but without the formality of a trouser suit.

If you're not convinced - and although I don't want to undercut Community Clothing - you could try out cheaper joggers first. Mine are M&S but they're only about 60% cotton, and when I replace I might upgrade to CC as those are pure cotton plus I like the company.

Or if you definitely don't want a cuffed ankle, just try your Monki trousers with something a little bit more formal / smart than a T shirt. Now I'm retired I fall back on the combination quite a bit, although I never wear the joggers 2 days running as I don't want to forget what a waistband feels like!

I really like the joggers-with-more-formal-jacket-and-shoes look. Uniqlo undercut CC (of course!) - 100 cotton but sugary colours and I know they’ll be disappointingly narrow rather than luxurious in cut.

Quite fascinated by these viscose joggers from Zara. When they produce things at an elevated price they’re sometimes worth a trip to an actual shop. Even though I know their trousers are generally too narrow and insubstantial to be worth considering. (Unlike their denim skirts which can be stupendous.)

But I’ve completely forgotten the point I was aiming to make …

Had a look at Co site that's mentioned by a few pp, £690 trousers, £325 jeans, £480 dresses, far from affordable for most ppl.

But there are a million other places one can shop, @HerMammy - are you arguing (think carefully) that no mention may ever be made - on a Style & Beauty board, of any brand unless and until the poster has checked with every single reader and poster that they can afford the clothes therein? Or would there have to be a poll before every thread?

The OP asked ‘what might you suggest?’ at the end of her first post. My suggestion was that she look at some of the places I (as someone of a similar age) have found rewarding. No one is frog marching the OP to any shop. No one is forcing her, or you, to search out the quality you desire at less than the price of … I dunno, Karen Millen, or Hush. You’re free to shop wherever you like.

@mauvish do you like linen?
There's lots of it around at the moment.
What shops do you actually have left where you can try on? I'm sadly limited to m&s & h&m mainly.
I'm 59 & I'm living in jeans with linen/muslin shirts in various shades of blues. I've just bought a beige linen mix blazer from h&m to smarten up my jeans. To be worn with a white/black linen v neck t shirt or scoop neck.
Some recent outfits attached.
What do you feel comfortable wearing?
What's your total budget?
Do you follow anyone on Instagram or otherwise who's style you like?

Have I read the OP's post wrong or did she say she is retired and on a budget ( unclear). If so, I think Raey and the other expensive suggestions are too expensive.

I'd put the monki trousers with a slightly wider v neck or scoop neck white t shirt, half tucked in, white trainers, a denim jacket and a cross body bag.

Op there are a few threads about some M&S wide legs with a stripe down the side that might give you some further ideas of how to style casual trousers. You might also like them as another alternative to jeans - I've not tried them so I can't comment but they have a lot of fans.

As for the expensive suggestions, well I can't speak for the op, but she says she's in a rut and when I feel that happening to me, I buy a copy of Vogue (in fact used to buy it every month). I can't afford 99.9% of what's in there but I look for the ideas and the inspiration. I've also started looking at the Raey website following a suggestion on another thread - also unaffordable to me but I check out the pics for things like proportion and how they put things together.

The green CC joggers would look good with a beautifully tailored jacket, cropped or tucked t shirt / vest, and some chunky mules / sandals …

No, they really wouldn’t. Joggers go with trainers and hoodies, not formal jackets and “chunky” sandals. The ones you posted are a hideous colour and about £50 overpriced.

The OP has said she is retired and on a budget; no one on a budget has £60 to spend on trackies that look no different to the £8 Primark version.

What about peplum style tops to even out your shoulders, and cover your tummy? I wear them a lot to hide my multiple section buldge, and maintain a bit of shape. A nice fitted shirt or blouse too perhaps, to really snap your waist in.

Also, a low wedge would look great, as well as offer ankle support. You can get them with or without ankle straps. I get a lot of my trainers from ASOS, as I find them reasonable and the styles are a bit different to the high st.

Blazers are really in, and very versatile! You can get them in different shapes, accessorise them, or leave them have a more day to day style. Denim jackets are also back, you sound like you could definitely pull them off and they come in different colours, as well as again being competitively priced.

Another suggestion is wrap skirts. Again adding a layer over your tum, but can be dressed up or down. Again pair with sandles, a wedge or a casual pump. Wear with a T-shirt or layer with a vest top and blouse over the top. Or a smart jacket. All versatile, and staple pieces that won't need to be replaced every year. Hope some of this helps.

@Aixellency

🤷‍♀️ i still think those joggers are way overpriced. I don’t care how they’re made

I think Community Clothing prices are fair. They're not cheap and they're not always affordable but for clothes made in the UK I think they're high quality and good value. I'm also retired.

For UK made items they are fairly priced, but they're incredibly ugly. As are the beige Zara joggers. On someone young they will probably look ironically cool but on anyone my age they will look like beige 'slacks'.

It’s nothing to do with fair prices though. Plenty of people just wouldn’t pay £60 for something basic like joggers that you can pick up in any supermarket.

It seems to be getting to a point on S&B where you can’t comment unless you blindly agree with a handful of posters and have a very large clothing budget.