Personal stylist - autumn, winter and Xmas edition

[frillseeking]

I thought I'd do a Xmas edition of the styling threads I've done before for anyone who is interested 🎄👠

@frillseeking you have such an eye for style, thank you. Can we follow you on Pinterest or Insta?

Brilliant thread thank you - where is this one from please?

What style of jeans do you think is most current?
And could you recommend any knee-high western boots that wouldn’t be too long for 5’2”, please? A lot of these look like they’d be up beyond my knees.

Thank you for your time @frillseeking i really appreciate it

i will have a look in Phase Eight it’s not somewhere I would have considered or even thought of

great thread 👏

@AliasGrape here's the link www.phase-eight.com/product/petite-shreya-leopard-swing-dress-221973100.html

Phase eight have some great pieces this season and the quality is always very good. I think they're often associated with an older style and occasionwear but their daywear/ more casual collection is actually really good

@SpoonerChasm I'll have a look and get back to you. A lot of brands who use more natural fabrics tend to have a bit of a bohemian vibe and cotton is not a fabric many designers have in their A/W collections but I'll have a look and report back

You are really good at this OP 💜 - thank you.
Like a PP, I’m also trying to not wear black. I have a navy coat but would love a lighter neutral-toned alternative. Some of the casual outfits with neutral overcoat posted earlier are 🔥 I’m a winter colour wise, so camel and warm tones look awful. Have you seen any wool/wool mix coats in cool tones (is that mole?) 5’7” size 12 if that matters!

@MaryLennoxsScowl definitely a baggy/ loose fit and the wide leg are on trend this season. These look great with a western boot actually and I also love them with a dressy top for a cool, relaxed evening look. Levi's do their wide leg ribcage in a shorter leg length and River Island have some good options too ( I really like their denim.) I know what you mean about some of the western boots, they look so long! These Mango ones look like a good length

@MuchasSmoochas thank you! I'm really thinking about starting a proper Instagram style/ shopper account now so I'll let you know when I do!

@frillseeking thank you so much!

@Justbetweenus thank you ❤️ this &Other Stories one ticks all the boxes for me, it's just beautiful. I've also attached a couple of other options. It can be tricky to find because some sites describe this kind of colour as beige or grey when I'd describe it as taupe or mole like you say

Hi @frillseeking !!

I have a work event - it’s a biggie. I work in the creative industries and recently took a senior role. I want to look cool, effortless, yet right on point. It’s an evening event. I was thinking a suit. Problem is I’m 5ft 5 and prefer heels for height, but I think heels make suits a bit old fashioned??. I’m relatively slim but had 2 giant babies so my middle protrudes a bit.

Could you recommend me a look? Thankyou 🙏

@SpoonerChasm ok I've had a look for you.

Mirla Beane is a lovely British based company who have some really nice pieces such as these high waisted trousers and this lovely dress which I could see styled for work (ignore the boots!)

Albaray is an ethical high street brand and I found a few pieces there- midi dress and cotton silk crew neck. Some of their fabrics are ethical in the sense that they are recycled so you will find some polyester in the mix but definitely worth a look.

With Nothing Underneath are a Portuguese brand who produce beautiful shirts from cotton and cashmere (pic below) you could wear with jeans for a casual look but equally they look great with a jacket and trousers for a smarter look because of their simple, classic design.

Hush also feature natural fabrics quite heavily and are good for basics and weekend wear such as this stripe top and a lot of their blouses are viscose. This would be a good fabric option for you as it's a cool touch fabric

But the brand I am most impressed with is Ninety Percent (they have a website and are also stocked on Net a Porter.) They do everything from activewear to dresses and they've got a really clean, simple aesthetic. (The two dresses below) As I said before, a lot of brands that produce using natural fibres tend to be quite boho in style and feature embroidery and frills quite heavily so I was really pleased to discover this one. They also use tencel which is a breathable fabric that has a cool touch. Definitely worth a look!

@Howldens I love the idea of a silver suit if you want to be really on trend. I really like the one from NFD below but also the Mint Velvet one is gorgeous silver suitt* if you wanted something more classic. Zara have a blue velvet suit on their homepage which caught my eye recently, the colour is insane (it's not online yet but it must be launching soon.) I also love this black jacquard style from Cos. The design is super cool and I love the fabric. If you want something more simple, Mango have got several styles- black velvet, sequin and your classic tux style. Someone posted this style here recently which I thought was really cool cropped tux. And I would definitely go with heels! I personally would wear a simple strappy sandal and the trousers to the floor.

@Howldens

This is the NFD one

Thankyou @frillseeking - I LOVE the silver but not sure it’d work for my skin tone. Have you seen anything in burgundy (that’s on trend this season, am I right?).

and HUGE thanks for this thread! Really generous of you !!

Hi! Can you recommend some dupes of these Prada Booties:

https://www.prada.com/gb/en/p/brushed-leather-booties/1U251N_055_F0002_F_B050

also what is best to wear with these kind of boots? Leggings? Jeans? Tights?

I want that Zara suit 😍😍 I have absolutely nowhere to wear it.

@frillseeking thanks so much for your recommendations (I’m a bit slow in realising you’d replied!). I can imagine I gave you quite a challenge 🤣 And yes you’re right that I unerringly picked pretty much the most expensive dress on that site 🙄 sadly I have expensive tastes! Plus a lot of the other dresses on there don’t actually go up to my size 😭 That one randomly does. I’ve also been eyeing up party dresses from Marina Rinaldi as they have some gorgeous stuff this season but the prices there are even worse.

These recommendations are so great, you’re so right that often everything plus size is black and I love to wear colour. I really like the pink and gold dresses from Phase Eight that you linked (not a huge fan of long sleeves especially with heavy sequins etc. is the only thing, but long sleeves seem to be having a moment in fashion right now argh!) and the detail on that black ruched dress look lovely. The gold dress there actually looks quite similar to the much pricier Marina Rinaldi one I’ve been eyeing up! I also really like the gold dress with the gorgeous bow detailed back from Next.

I’d written Phase Eight off a while ago as for some reason I find their clothes look good but just aren’t cut right/don’t fit right for me and the same for Next (maybe because I’m quite short and have seriously massive boobs) so I’d never have thought to look there. But they do look really good actually so I think I’ll go and try those on in person if I can (often a problem as they don’t stock bigger sizes) as I could always get them altered if the fit is a bit off, which is something I think I need to be more open to.

Thanks a lot, I really appreciate it! It’s not easy finding good plus size options at all, especially for high street prices.

@Britneyfan I know it can be really difficult to find stylish, good quality plus size fashion. There's nothing wrong with having expensive tastes! I don't know where you live but I saw Laura Addlington went to the new Phase Eight store at Westfield Stratford and they stocked her size in most styles which is brilliant. Having something tailored to you is also a great idea. A friend of mine who is is plus size and very busty recently had a dress tailored for an event and the difference to the fit was incredible. The dress already looked fab but the seamstress added sewn in cups to the bodice and altered the straps and it just lifted the whole bodice section of the dress which made her boobs look fantastic and really accentuated her waist. The designers of the plus size ranges will definitely be looking at the brands so I'm not surprised there will be dupes. Let me know how you get on!

@Howldens not burgundy but the tone of this gorgeous Mango suit might work for you

@Midnight2290 gorgeous boots 😍 these ones from Zara have the same kind of high shine finish. You can't go wrong with wearing leggings or skinny jeans with this style of boots but I also like seeing them with a crop/ straight leg for a really current look

Hi @frillseeking have been lurking on this thread and love all your style tips and advice! I’m hoping you might be able to help me too :) I’m really struggling with the jeans/boots combo and making it look current. I’ve tried and failed to make the chunky boot look work on me and have come to the conclusion I suit a more elegant shoe (when it’s not raining and warm enough I wear pointed flats). I’ve bought these and they’ve arrived today, I really like them but hoping for inspiration on what jeans you would style them with. They seem to look nice from the front with a slim straight leg, but a bit odd from the side as they are not tight round the ankle. I’m 5ft 7, size 8-10, longer in leg than body which I think is part of my problem.

@frillseeking I hope you don't mind I'm back again...but I'm sorta into this top, but wondering if you could wear it with jeans? Would that be too mixed high/low?

@FifthTimeLucky5 I love this style of boot and chunky boots aren't for everyone. I think this kind of style is probably more wearable. I've attached some ideas for inspo. I think they look great worn with a full length straight/ relaxed jean and some images where the boot isn't tight at the ankle as I think this can still work. Do you have a photo of them on?