Help me assemble cheap/practical UK summer wardrobe

[Pumpernickelbrakes]

I am a tropics-dweller visiting UK family for 4 week mid July-August. I am 52 yrs, size 14/16, menopausal belly.
I already have black high waist flared lulu lemon yoga pants, black leggings, black T shirts, black cagoule, black adidas, Birkenstocks, hiking boots, tank tops, an oversized hoodie, oversized cardigan

that’s it. Where I live, I just wear thin Thai harem pants with elasticated ankles (mosquitoes) and sleeveless tops all day and night.

what else do I need?
thanks

Where in the UK? Aberdeen or Margate - the weather is likely* to be quite different depending on which end of the country you're at.
How much luggage are you bringing? One rucksack, two suitcases?
What sort of things will you be doing? You've mentioned hiking boots, will your trip also involve days at the beach, nights at the theatre, eating out...?

*Caveat of unpredictability of course, this is the UK in summer, anything is possible!

How about a lightweight dress and denim skirt. Smart trainers and flat sandals.

Thanks for replies. I will be visiting family in East Anglia and spending a week in London, traveling with teen son. Planning to walk around places like Norwich, Cambridge, do National Trust stuff, visit coast, eat in pubs/cafes. Maybe one theatre trip.

Wr will both have a suitcase. Teen son will have hoodies and tracksuit pants in his. But I have not much to put in mine. Anything other than what I’ve listed above I will need to buy in the UK. For example, I don’t own any jeans, or wide legged trousers, or a denim jacket, or a blazer, or a tea dress. I would have to buy them in the UK.

So I’m trying to find out what they key pieces I need to fit in. Do people wear maxi dresses and maxi skirts? I watched some videos on YouTube and saw people wearing baggy jeans and loose trousers, last time I visited it was all skinny jeans. I just don’t know where to start.

I don’t want to do anything other than blend in; I can’t afford the time or expense of trying to be fashionable. I just don’t want to embarrass myself, and DS.

Have a look at Uniqlo online, decide what you like the look of, then dive into a store as soon as you arrive. That won’t require any agonising over styles as everything they sell is contemporary / fashionable and extremely mainstream - so it’s a shortcut to looking exactly like everyone else. It doesn’t sound as if you need much, just the odd dress or pair of trousers that isn’t black!

https://www.uniqlo.com/uk/en/home

Oh! If you are accustomed to spending more, or concerned about the ethical / environmentally sound sourcing of your clothes, or would really like to take home some British made clothes, this would be what you need:

Community Clothing

Again, everything is contemporary / fashionable and looks like what people wear - just better made than most High St options. Online only though, so order maybe a week before your arrival, for delivery to your family’s address.

Your normal clothes are just fine, it is summer here (20 degrees today) just have a cardigan, waterproof jacket and umbrella available. Layers are key and plenty of bugs in east anglia. My mai advice is to have waterproof shoes because sandals are no fun in the rain. I'm in a sleeveless top, trousers and cardigan myself today

Jeans in any variety are just fine, contrary to the fashion press, we don't discard our old ones each season!

There’s nothing wrong with the OP’s clothes, @mitogoshi - but over the course of a month in England in mid-summer, she may well find she wants something other than black yoga pants and leggings to wear for a pub lunch or an evening at a concert / theatre restaurant. Not saying she needs to dress up - but something summery would be a pleasant change.

I'm the same age as you, OP. A couple of sizes bigger though!

I live in the south east and spend summer in lightweight, wide legged trousers with tshirts or maxi dresses. Today, it's really drizzly but sooo humid and muggy. I've just popped out in the rain wearing flip flops, dress and a rain coat.

I've not RTFT, but you can get decent, cheap clothes in supermarkets. Asda and Sainsburys are pretty good imo.

Have a fabulous holiday here!

At the moment you need something like this...

...and a stout pair of wellington boots,

...and a thick jumper.

Harem pants and a tank top would be fine if it weren’t a miserable wet summer 😂 Skinny jeans are as popular as ever despite not being the height of fashion. People do the school run in dry robes and go to the supermarket in PJs 😂

If you aren’t bothered about being fashionable and just want to fit in, I would say the average 50 something woman probably has a wardrobe full of things like leggings, skinny jeans, harem pants, oversized hoodies, jumpers, tunics and t shirts. London and Cambridge are very casual unless you are planning on going to the Ivy or The Ritz for tea. Anything goes if you are doing things like visiting the NT or museums, going to the pub. Even the West End theatre is pretty casual. On the other hand, no one will bat an eyelid if you decide to dress up. Just buy whatever catches your fancy.

I would wait and see what the weather is like and have an enjoyable day shopping for whatever you would wear back home but with some extra layers if the weather is cold and wet. Maybe a tea dress or a smart top and trousers for any special occasions, in case your family want to dress up to go out. I can guarantee that if they do, most of the other people at the venue will be dressed down.

Thanks so much everyone for the great suggestions. Sister in law just messaged me that Norwich has lots of good shops and suggests John Lewis, Marks and Spencer, White Stuff, Fat Face and the supermarket “just get some denim or linen flares and a few T shirts/blouses and a cardigan and a raincoat, maybe some sort of floaty dress” she says.

This is all starting to sound more do-able. I was worried about looking like some kind of sixties throwback oddity wandering about in all my super lightweight tropical gear and freezing my tits off.

genuinely excited about wearing layers and experiencing cool weather, it’s humid and hot AF here and hurricane season 🥵

Harem pants and sleeveless tops will do just fine. I'd add a summer weight cardigan and something rainproof, a cheap
fold up mac or cagoule would do. And a pair of shoes or trainers that will work in wet weather.

Mozzies obviously aren't a problem here so a cotton dress might be nice to have and maybe some shorts.

Jeans aren't ideal for the height of summer in my opinion, just too warm.

Sainsbury's supermarket is good for clothes if you want to buy anything here.