Here are some going out tops if that's still a thing

[Raggammuffin]

I've spent my whole life trying not to look scruffy as I'm only 5'1''. The photo attached was like my outfit last night, black jeans though. Bit uptight and dark compared to the floaty whites I saw around me.

Last night I had the slight sense of my outfit being wrong. I'm not usually conscious of that, hello 50s. I was in a bar with a restaurant, a casual place but in an expensive villagey location.. I did notice that a lot of the mostly younger women were wearing cropped tops under oversized clothes it seemed to me. Huge shirts over tanned bodies. I'm 5'1'' though, I'm not fat but not skinny. Anything over sized does nothing for me. Anyway, do any of these tops look good? Put it this way, my daughter never pinches anything.

green shimmery fine knit top

royal blue satin finish v neck top

I like both of these and could imagine reaching for them both a lot when I go out but are they a bit dated? I don't mind looking classic but I don't want to look dated. I never worried about looking dated before, i just trusted that my eye would be turned off, but not so sure now. Btw, it's not like I think all the 30 year old women were dressed in the most flattering way. A lot of them don't look their 'best' imo but there was definitely a look and I felt too dark, too 'fitted'. I don't know, I'm bound to be moving in to the Gerry Webber stage of my life.

I normally find prints very difficult to wear, but I kind of like these Phase 8 ones. There are several, and not polyester.

Tzara V Neck Top | (phase-eight.com)

@NatashaDancing , I'm being plagued by ads for Temu. There's something seriously wrong with the algorithm.

I'm using bing and temu seems to be the top result for everything

@Lentilweaver , the top looks nice.

@GarlicGrace I will do.
I've ordered from zalando before, and returned and the refund was eventually processed. The reason I don't order from them v often is they take ages to deliver (ime).
I'll let you know if I'm pleasantly surprised.

I can't find the post, and it might not have been this thread, but someone posted that the trapezoid shape is going to be everywhere fashion-wise.

What is the trapezoid shape? Is it like the trapezoid body shape - wider shoulder, narrower hips, or is it a dress that is narrow at the top and wider towards the hem?

@KirstenBlest Trapeze

Thanks @GarlicGrace . I'm an inverted triangle and was hoping it was more of a 1980s style

That one is from Whistles.

It is! I like the style of this little swing jacket, too (Roman). Not with the green dress, unless it's Christmas perhaps.

The trapeze may be the wrong way up for us 'athletic' (haha) types, but it does suit almost every shape. Our time of boxy shoulders will surely come again [evil cackle].

That's the kind of coat you could put over a north face thermoball

I often see this on here as advice to people who are looking for a change - "try Vinted". To me it would be the last place I would urge people to go to as it is so messy. I'm on a Style FB group and there are these women who buy loads of stuff from Vinted and post them all asking what they are like. Of course no one is allowed to say "God that's horrible" as you would be banned. I would advise to get your ideas by looking at some of the instas and buy some good basics - less crap and better clothes.

@GarlicGrace , I had one that shape but slightly different and it was from a designer's diffusion line. It looked good as it was beautifully cut, but I hardly wore it.

This is a combo I find hard to shop for - I’m not sure if it’s just I’ve got fussy. I’m done with animal print and flowery prints with dark background (so black or navy with flowers on), but at the moment that leaves a choice between a stripy top (bit casual), a plain coloured shirt/blouse (bit work wear) or something sparkly- and I can only do sparkly from 15th December to 2nd January without feeling a bit “middle aged lady on a cruise”. Which is fine as a look, just not for me.

last winter I ended up in thin cashmere jumpers with wide legged trousers or pleated patterned skirts, but this meant all the interest of my outfit was hidden when I sat down at a table.

going out for dinner in the summer is so much easier - so many nice summer dresses.

"Middle aged lady on a cruise" 😅
I envy her. I have to go to work.

I am looking forward to off-white top arriving. I can't wait to see if I feel right in it.

I once linked a winter white coat here, the comments were hilariously savage, one poster said the coat made her think of Bryan Harvey from E17

OP I am 5 feet tall, I know what you mean about looking scruffy. If you are short (like me) clothes don't seem to hang correctly and can look scruffy.

I don't really understand this - you can get inspiration from Insta (or anywhere!) and then go ahead and buy good basics on Vinted, surely?

I filter to my size, then brands/colours/fabrics/styles I like, then condition of item, and go from there. I agree it's trickier if you don't know what you're looking for/just want inspiration, but if you wanted to try, e.g. a sequinned crop top, you could look for that on Vinted (and set an alert) and then get one quickly without breaking the bank.

Disclaimer: I will not be trying a sequinned crop top 😄

@LaRevolution personally I don't like to wear second hand clothes. I do sell but don't buy in e Bay.

Jeans and a nice top is not dated if you choose the right jeans and top. My 17 year old dd wears jeans and a nice top for going out- her jeans are of course not dark or skinny- but loose or flared and low waisted and her tops are cropped and strappy.

I on the other hand at 50 went for a pair of lightish blue high-waisted loose flared jeans from jigsaw, a silk floral shirt from sezane tucked in and a pair of platform adidas gazelles when I went out yesterday. I thought I looked good.

I think it depends what you wear them with as they're a bit basic to wear with plain trousers/skirt. If you've a blazer with a pattern or in a fun colour (eg bright pink, or trousers with a pattern or great jewellery either of them are fine but I'd treat them as a background to something else. I sort of like the green one and think it would look good with massive gold jewels and maybe a lighter blazer or trousers - I wouldn't add more darkness to either of them.

@GarlicGrace I should have said about a week ago, the top from Zalando arrived. I bought another one and it arrived too. May do a headless picture as I'm off out for a very casual catch up later but will post my off-white top.
I was going to wear flared jeans, they're quite dark but I will live with that.