Workwear for mum tum?

[TinyTeachr]

Hoping that the wisdom of mumsnet can help me out with some clothing advice!

I'll be back to work in September. I'm I'm teacher at a school where most staff wear relatively formal clothing (independent school in London), especially for parents evenings/events etc. I need to get new clothes for work - mine are all old and frankly looking quite shabby. Was trying things on to decide if I wanted similar styles and am a bit horrified by how I look! I'm on maternity leave for DC4 currently. I've gained a bit of weight, which mostly shows as a bulge under my ribs, which I'm hoping I can shift over the summer. But I was horrified to realise that some of my tighter dresses You could see the outline of skin kind of hanging over my pants 😮. I haven't had that from previous pregnancies. I suspect it is permanent.

So how doyou dress so the mum tum isn't too hideously obvious? Any styles to recommend? I don't mind too much that my body isn't what it was when I was in my twenties, but it seems unprofessional to have overhanging flabby bits

Fit and flare or flared shirt dresses are your friend here. I have found Hobbs to be really good and their fabrics are nice too. I also have a few dresses from The Fold, which is amazing but not cheap. They do personal fittings at their two shops in London. If you search the Hobbs site, there are often past season dresses on sale for good discounts. Pair with a hip length fitted jacket if needed.

I have recently lost a bit of weight and one of the first spots to go was the under rib bulge, so don’t despair!

This sort of thing…www.hobbs.com/product/robyn-shirt-dress/0224-5502-3531L00-MALBEC-PURPLE.html#q=Work%20dress&is=false&sz=60&start=0&isSecondPage=false&pid=0224-5502-3531L00-MALBEC-PURPLE&pos=17

If you don't want to commit to the fold prices while still potentially losing weight/changing shape, Finery is a good option for reasonably priced workwear

https://www.finerylondon.com/michelle-navy-spot-midi-shirt-dress-d08f108-097?_gl=115vxo8w_up*MQ..&gclid=CjwKCAjwnei0BhB-EiwAA2xuBvXajMGTGe9jH1u7uA0l4yJDyo4yztTP040CQlgoI1qFf9Z0yani-hoCP3MQAvD_BwE

https://www.finerylondon.com/jaela-midi-satin-back-crepe-navy-dress-d04f004-nvy?_gl=1w8ctbt_up*MQ..&gclid=CjwKCAjwnei0BhB-EiwAA2xuBvXajMGTGe9jH1u7uA0l4yJDyo4yztTP040CQlgoI1qFf9Z0yani-hoCP3MQAvD_BwE

Also big high waist knickers so you don't have an overhang!

Higher waist pants and non clingy but still tailored clothes? I wear a lot of shirt dresses.

depends on your shape but have you tried a skirt with a large peplum ? or wrap over dresses .

might need to size up, fit and flare dresses as others have said.
not the cutting edge of fashion but I find Roman has styles that suit my figure with ruched waist, fit and flare etc.

Beyond Nine trousers cover my mum tum beautifully - never wore them while pregnant. Some of the linen ones are very smart.

I recently bought this and find it very flattering for the over tum area. Ignore the cheap looking necklace it comes with. Great under a suit or just with trousers or a skirt as covers the top of arms. Different colour options too.
www.next.co.uk/style/su272671/q64927#q64927

Definitely wear things like slips, vests and short skirt slips. They smooth you out without squeezing you

@LesFlamandes @Ophy83 thanks that so helpful! The fold prices are a bit intimidating - as a teacher I don't usually spend that much on workwear unless I'm goingfor an interview and I'm hoping to lose some weight in the long run, just probably not in time for september. I think big knickers are going to be a must! My years of tiny pants are probably how over. Big Bridget Jones knickers it is.

@thehappyotter I'm pretty much pear shapes, used to have a nice waist in between so wrap dresses were a favourite of mine. Will need to work on getting that waist back otherwise I'm pretty shapeless..... never had much to show on top!

Many thanks to others for suggestions also. This has been really helpful to me. I knew mumsnet would have the answer!