What do people wear?

[confused107]

I’m 42 and a size 14…still struggling to loose baby weight 2 years on! The last couple of years I’ve fallen into the middle age trap of just wearing midi-dresses. I’m fed up of them!

What sort of things should I be wearing casually? Jeans look terrible and I certainly can’t carry off the cycling shorts and hoodie look that the kids are rocking. Equally, I don’t want to end up in leggings and a tunic like my mother!

i honestly don’t know what to look for or where to shop. Any suggestions please?

Not sure if it's your style but I find loose dungarees easy to wear. Something like Lucy & Yak. M&S are good for leggings and legging like trousers that don't look like leggings.
3/4 trousers with wide legs might be good in warm weather.

My mother wears tunics and jeggings with a denim jacket. I think they look great. She likes Seasalt but will wear Joules, Fat Face and (old) Boden.

I'd look at Cos, &OtherStories, Arket, Zara, New Look, M&S, maybe Mint Velvet and Jigsaw. Uniqlo is pretty good.

If you have a decent budget, others who are far more stylish than me will probably come along. I generally only buy second hand.

Why are you fed up of midis? I’m older than you, also size 14. I wouldn’t go back in minis, although I have nice legs 🦵 it just doesn’t seem appropriate to touch so much train or Tube bench with my skin. Eww. Otherwise, just anything goes. I see lots of people during the day and it’s no different now to how it’s always been: skinnies, knee length skirts, dresses, lots and lots of leggings in the younger ones

I think one can just get bored of wearing the same sort of thing.

I wear wide leg trousers, jeans of different types but often boyfriend, long skirts.

I think the thing to do is just go and look for one thing you like, and take it from there.

Doesn't matter what anyone else is wearing.

The stock in some shops varies according to location.
I went into Primark earlier this week, and there were lots of parachute pants, leggings, skinny jeans, mom jeans, sweatshirts and an awful lot of bright pink.

I added what my mum wears, which probably isn't relevant to you as she's nearly twice your age, but there's a reason why they go for tunics and leggings - they cover the lower back, and are easy to wear. I wouldn't dismiss the brands she wears though, although Boden seems to be a bit TKMaxx these days.
Ignoring the prints, Seasalt is great for decent quality basics.

Tu at Sainsbury's is pretty good. Shops like Matalan, Peacocks, and Bon Marche sometimes have nice things.

Thank you, some really good tips here

It’s just the same every day, office midi dress and shoes, library with baby, midi dress and trainers, cold midi dress and tights…
I think it’s accepting my body is different and not really knowing what suits me anymore
I always wore jeans and a top, but was always a size 10/12. I’m fed up of being disappointed I don’t look the same anymore and ready to embrace something different

It’s funny you say dungarees. I love the look of them. Try them on often then bottle it because I think I look pregnant!

lots of names I haven’t heard of here. I will take a look thank you

@confused107 , a lot of the ones I listed are high street shops, so maybe not cutting edge, but ones you can actually get to and try things on.

Dungarees tend to be loved or hated on here. I don't think they make anyone look pregnant. You can go for brand like Wyse, Toast or Finisterre if you prefer more muted colours.

If you have a John Lewis near you, you can book a session with a personal shopper.

Somewhere worth trying would be an independent boutique - brands like Sahara, Masai, Brax, Robell, Foil, Bitte Pai Rand, Olsen etc are a bit more expensive but can look a bit more polished (some of the brands might be a bit more my mum's age group - comfy stretchy pull on trousers etc)

There are quite a few threads on here (what would monty don wear? etc) that are worth a look

Brands popular on S&B include MHL, Toast, Community Clothing, Me+Em, Baukjen, Sezanne, All Saints, Anthropologie etc. Probably missed out loads or included ones that have others reaching for the smelling salts.

Something like this?
Short Sleeve Jumpsuit (celticandco.com)
(pretty much sold out but it's nice)