Have you ever successfully changed your style?

[4121T]

I'm a bit grungy with some bright colours thrown in. I'm a mum to a SEN child so I'm always conscious that at some point I'll have something wiped down me or I'll need to chase him.

I'd like to look and feel a bit more feminine and hopefully beautiful. But I always feel so uncomfortable in nicer clothes, like the awkward kid forced to play dress up and I worry I look stupid or I'm trying too hard.

So how can I successfully change my style permanently. I'm 36 and a size 14.

I sort of have. It’s evolved over the years. The
key was working with my body type, lifestyle and ‘inner self’/style essence - getting inspiration from others but not trying to copy. That leads to that ‘costume’ feeling for me.

. I think the first step is to reflect on what works for you now, what you like wearing, what makes you feel beautiful, what (when you’re dressed up) makes you feel uncomfortable.

If you want to look more ‘polished’ there are approximately 834 threads on here about that! And a really good one in Classics by a poster who succeeded in the pursuit of elegance, which is well worth a read.

In your case, I’d think about how you can make practical choices that look good. A simple example - you don’t have to wear jeans, you could build a wardrobe of easy-care dresses. If you like jeans, you could invest in really super flattering ones. Buy duplicates of things you love so you can have one item in the wash and swap over. Spend a bit of cash on getting your hair as well cut as possible so it looks good with little effort.

I have found the Kibbe system really helpful - have a google or a look on Pinterest. It really narrows things down and makes shopping easier. It explains why certain things just don’t work for you (eg cable knit or chunky jumpers on me always looks rubbish no matter how much I like them).