How to look chic on a budget?

[surlycurly]

Hi everyone. As I've got older I've realised that a more timeless, tailored look suits me best. The problem is that timeless elegance is never cheap. I'd like to create a capsule wardrobe of nice pieces that won't necessarily cost a lot. I'm tall (five ten) with a big bust and tummy (size 16), I suit black/ cream/ camel colours. Pleaseeee help me.

Bump

Lydia Jane Tomlinson on Instagram is good inspiration if you've not seen her before? Good advice on capsule wardrobe, chic/elegant vibes, tailored things.

Vestiaire would be useful. If you’re not familiar with classic tailoring brands spend some time browsing Matches Fashion and Net-a-Porter, identify those you like the look of, then search for previous season items on Vestiaire. (I do not mean Hermes and Chanel. I mean brands like MaxMara, Isabel Marant, Studio Nicholson.)

Then mix your beautiful, tailored pieces with simple, natural fibre t shirts, and silk or cotton shirts from wherever suits you best.

Are there any shops that you are drawn to?

I had a look at Lydia Jane Tomlinson on insta, and yes, she does classics well. I didn't look to see what brands she wears, but find a look you like, save a photo, and head to a shop when you have lots of time, and it's not too busy.

Start with some basics, and start adding a few pieces every month.

Ah thanks for the recommendation- she's very elegant. I find myself drawn to makes like Reiss or Max Mara but one I'm too big and two I don't have the budget. I like the idea of replicating looks. Shopping in itself can be a bit stressful (I have autism and am not fond of huge amounts of people) but maybe I need to spend more time doing it.

I know it's ot the point of the thread but if you suit black you wouldn't suit camel and vice versa 🙂

Buy out of season

I like the tailored look too. Vinted is my friend. Prices can be very good and often people have bought things for one event like an interview and the never worn them again.

Thanks for the feedback. Vinted is definitely a good option and I've quite a few things from there. I'll keep looking.

How are you ‘too big’ for MaxMara’? Their default sizing goes to 16 and some things to 18. You may already have noticed that more expensive brands are more generous in their cutting and sizing - you may even fit a smaller size in more voluminous clothing.

There is always Marina Rinaldi - who offer clothes from size 12 to 20 something. They used to be a plus size offshoot of MaxMara but their styling is less certain these days. The odd nice thing though.

I’m probably considerably older than you, and do 99% of my clothes shopping online. It is largely pointless to hope to dress well or have a rewarding experience purely from your nearest High St / shopping mall. You need a tape measure and a mirror and the patience to only order from online shops that provide full details of measurements and fabric, along with plentiful photos and video of each item.

Annoyingly this doesn’t always happen with pre-owned sites - it’s a case of balancing pros and cons. But alongside stalking the sales of higher end shops this is the way to acquire really beautiful clothes.

I've found some lovely items recently after watching fashion influencer videos (it helps when the influencer is the same height and build).

Would something like this be good for tips?

Oooh some really useful tips here, thank you. I feel like I'm moving into another stage of my life where I just want to look more elegant. It doesn't have to be trendy or too smart. I'd just like to look well turned out. I do for work but I struggle at the weekends and when going for holidays. I bough lots of new pieces to go on holiday with this year and I looked frumpy in just about everything.

I agree with buying secondhand. I’ll be totally transparent that I have a business on eBay selling secondhand clothes but it started as a passion as I realised I could buy much better quality secondhand than I could afford to buy new. Cheap clothes are made of cheaper fabrics and are cut more cheaply, and it shows. You’ll get the odd gem, I have a wonderfully cut dress from H&M for example but it’s pure polyester so not great now I’m in my 40s and the sweats have become an unwelcome, ever present companion. You need to go to your nearest slightly posh town and have a browse through the charity shops, or look online. Plenty of lovely cashmere to be had at this time of year. I’m just a bit shorter than you and have some well cut pieces from Toast, I particularly like their slightly cropped wide leg trousers right now. If you have a day to properly browse, I’d go and have a try on day, go to slightly more expensive shops, work out the sizing the shapes that suit, and then look online. You’ll get the odd dud online fit wise, but lots of sellers offer free returns.

It also might be worth booking a free consultation at John Lewis, explaining you want a capsule wardrobe of 9 classic pieces:

https://www.johnlewis.com/our-services/personal-styling

I had it done a few years back - didn't come out with much but had a much better idea of which silhouettes best suited me.

If you like MaxMara then check out Marina Rinaldi, if possible going to try stuff on and finding your size.

Then check out Vestiaire and Vinted who have a ton of Marina Rinaldi for half the price.

Dress tonally.
Pale shades like cream & camel look more expensive especially when worn head to toe. Either with a contrasting or toning coat.
Put together a mood board of outfits you like, either from Pinterest or whilst browsing. Register on Who Wear What. It's free & there's some great ideas on this.
Attached are some pages of my Autumn mood boards. A lot of outfits are from H&M & M&S. You may find you have some similar items already that you haven't thought of wearing together.

Will you be reading the thread now, @AnnaMagnani?

(Agree though!)

I buy mostly second hand however, and at the risk of pissing on people's chips, I think it can take a long time to build up a decent wardrobe like this plus - and I don't think we talk about this nearly enough - can involve a lot of mistakes along the way. So I'd also recommend looking for a couple of new items to keep you going while you stalk your forever pieces.

I'm not a fan of cheaper polyester tailoring, I'd rather get a tailored jacket and trousers in something like corduroy or a jersey fabric with a decent amount of cotton.

Just by way of examples, the Uniqlo C range has these corduroy trousers
and this matching tailored jacket

Or the Uniqlo and Comptoir des Cotoniers range has these wide leg trousers in a cotton/jersey mix. I'm sure there was a matching jacket too - it may have sold out but they get returns coming in all the time so it's worth looking out for them if you like the idea. The same applies if they haven't got your size at the moment.

Lots of other high street brands are doing similar things. I'm only picking those out because I was looking at them recently online (not seen them for real).

They won't last forever but hopefully by the time they've worn out, you'll have tracked down some high quality substitutes.

Shop secondhand.

I don't agree a person wouldn't suit both camel and black but also you can different nude type shades and find one to suit you. I agree too to toe in one colour looks more out together than different shades so for example even if I'm wearing jeans I'll often wear a black top with black jeans or navy with dark blue jeans.

I agree with the advice to look up looks on Instagram and Pinterest and then look for the best quality you can afford. If you put your wardrobe together over time you can shop sales (think Black Friday for example) and buy one or two pieces each sale - some nice trousers that flatter you and you want to wear, some basic tops, a nice coat makes a big difference and shoes. I like chelsea boots as they're comfy enough for every day wear but look smarter than trainers and some other shoes.

Also agree to look for secondhand stuff. There are Vinted Facebook groups so you can even go on there and say what sort of thing you're looking for and the size.

Thanks everyone. I'm at the point that I'd like to shop less and buy better, so second hand is def an option although I agree about making mistakes. It's difficult because I'm five ten and built like a guy- quite big boned- and I'm just in on the right side of chubby, but only Just! I am heavy round the middle and bust, but have nice legs and arms. Problem areas are def the tummy and back fat. I've always tried to dress well but now I want to look styled well. I don't use Pinterest so I'll have a look. Will also check out Uniqlo too for staples.

Why not? I'm puzzled 🤔

@Cyclingmummy1 I do suit both. I have unusual colouring. I don't know why I shouldn't either 🤷🏻‍♀️

Camel suits warm undertones, spring and autumn, more spring really as it can be too light for some autumns. Black only really suits winter. I'm a winter and look great in black and just dead in cream or camel.

Of course it doesn't mean you don't care about any of this, love both colours and want to carry on wearing them 🙂