Which brands should I look for?

[Bleberry]

Having had kids in the last few years I haven't invested in any nice new clothes for some time. I need some new things to wear, I'm just not sure which brands I should look at! I'm 42, size 10-12, fairly short, don't go to fancy places very often so am more in need of everyday type stuff. I like comfortable things but would like to look a bit more stylish than I do at the moment. I like Hush, Mint Velvet, Boden. Which other brands should I look at?

The brands you've mentioned seem to have gone off the boil a bit.
How tall is 'fairly short'? UK average height for women is just under 5'4".

I'm 5'3" so just below average. Yeah, I've had a look at their websites and nothing has grabbed me like it would have done a few years ago. I'm not sure where to look now though!

Muji, Arket, and Mango might be worth a try.

Are you looking for ok for the school run clothes or office clothes? I'm not stylish or anything and get most of my clothes second hand. My vibe is a bit
'Plumo' (Luxury Women’s Clothes - Luxury House & Home by Plümo.com (plumo.com)).

As for new, my taste but not my budget is more high end boutique shops. Ones like Isabel Marant Etoile, Agnes b, Sahara, Masai etc.

For basics and staples Uniqlo and M&S are pretty good. The M&S leggings type trousers are great, and the jeans range is good. The collaborations from Uniqlo are usually good.
Seasalt is good quality - my DM loves it but she's in her 70s but trendy, wears a lot of tunic and jeggings. The supermarket ranges are not bad at all.

Some of the brands liked on here like Me+Em tend to suit taller people. Toast has a fan club on here but I haven't liked much from there for a long time, not enough to hanker after.

The high street shops like
You could always arrange a personal shopper session at JL. Personal Styling Service (johnlewis.com)

@KirstenBlest I'm 5'3" and I like Me&em. Trousers are long but they offen do bracelet sleeved blazers which are perfect for me. Their shirts and tops are great and most of the dresses work too.

OP ARKET, Massimo Dutti, Cos, Uniqlo all work for me

Sezanne is a French site with some lovely things - especially knitwear . You have to order online but returns are very easy.
There are Facebook pages where other Sezanne fans post photos of themselves wearing things from the website - and they often post their heights and weights. Some are very glamorous but you do see the clothes on more “ regular” people. I find it much more helpful than the photos of models wearing the clothes.

Great , thank you there's lots for me to look at there! I need a few office bits but mostly weekend / normal daytime stuff. I mostly buy from vinted so it's useful to have some more brands to look for.

If you’re searching on Vinted I’d look at Whistles, Jigsaw, Cos, &Other Stories, Arket, Sezane, Me+Em, AllSaints.

What @BangingOn said.

I can't do bracelet length/three-quarter/elbow length/cap sleeves or cropped trousers. I'm taller than 5'3" but not much. I rarely need to shorten anything but suspect I'd be a Short in M&S now. Cos and Me+Em seem to swamp me.

High Street-wise if I feel like it, I might venture into New Look, H&M and Zara, but I think it depends where you are, as does M&S. The local Zara seems a bit jumbly.
TK Maxx near me has good things but you need to rummage.