Help! I'm done with trousers and jeans.

[GenuineRocks]

So I have mostly worn trousers and jeans throughout my life, but for about 5 yrs now I can't get on with any of the new styles or the quality issues and such. Every year I shop around and spend ages searching for a new pair and eventually give up.

I am outdoors a lot, so spend a lot of time in hiking leggings and outdoor stuff (which I like) but want something more casual for everyday stuff (cafe's, meeting friends, etc) so am wondering if I might like some sort of casual dress???

I have one simple floaty jersey dress from seasalt which has long sleeves and is the easiest thing to wear in the world, but unfortunately I can never find patters that I like. I do love the ease though and think they can be dressed up with other things to make them more 'me' and interesting.

I don't like the trend dresses in most shops, at any pricepoint. I don't like the large dull colours of Toast, nor the interestingly cut £400 stuff either. I just want something simple and casual. I hate the high street generally and not a fan of the prairie or midi trend as I prefer knee or above.

Has anyone else ever moved over in a big switch like this? How did it go? Is it even possible to get used to dresses if I am so long in the tooth (50), lol?

For ref I am 5'5, slim, average proportions. I have low contrast features, so fair eyes, hair and skin. All of the dark large patterns would drown my face, i think. I am thinking Seasalt as I don't like bulk and they do a small selection of shorter, slip on dresses that might appeal to me. Don't want to fork out for a few and then regret it, but have located some on ebay that I could try.

For reference, I am done with trousers and jeans because I hate the wide flapping fabric styles but most of all the super high waists. I walked the length and breadth of two cities in the past week and every damn shop had long baggy gussets, with inches of space below the fly. I just cant wear that stuff and it doesn't seem to be on it's way out!

I don’t understand your question? You have located some dresses you think you might like from a brand you have already worn and liked? Isn’t the next step to order one and see how you get on?

Just not sure what people on a thread can tell you, prior to your trying on a dress. Are you looking for suggestions of other brands?

No, not suggestions, more whether anyone has successfully pulled it off, such a large change?

I was always someone who gravitated to separates so it does feel a bit weird. The Seasalt ones are as much as I can deal with to start with, so am perhaps a little afraid of buying and then changing my mind.
I was hoping to hear if anyone else had done this and how it worked for them.

Ok - thanks for explaining! Hope others can assist.

I have worn mostly dresses for a few years now, OP. I don't regret making the switch - I can change up the look with shoes, cardigans/blazers or jewellery, so I don't get bored. I tend to wearall lengths throughout the year, just without tights in the summer and with tights and boots in the spring/autumn/winter. Like you, I often wear leggings (for exercise) and sometimes some jogging bottom type things for dog-walking or after open water swimming. I do have a couple of pairs of jersey-style wide-legged trousers to wear with trainers but I can't bear jeans any more, they just don't seem comfy or flattering.

Being an outdoorsy type, have you tried places like Mountain Warehouse? It sounds strange but they do have some really good value, simple dresses that wash & wear well. I also love the supermarkets! I have a few from Sainsbury's & Tesco which are lasting. I also like Fatface and Oliver Bonas. My absolute favourite is a gorgeous silvery-grey cashmere roll-neck dress that is so warm and soft for colder months.

I hope you find some that you love.

Im very similar to you OP (5'5, slim, average, 51 and never been a dress wearer until recently!).
Ive bought alot of different styles on Vinted to try. Sometimes as cheap as £1.50! (which turned out to be one of my favs!).
Also skirts are great as a 'gateway' item to get you out of a trouser vibe.

TBH we are lucky in that most styles look pretty ok on someone our height and size so just find out what you like!
For me its maxi dresses in the summer months. Also a big fan of shirt dresses, they seem to always look good.
I have a couple of denim dresses which are really practical as well and suit casual occasions.

Thanks, great to hear from people who know!
I do often find arm length too long, but that's when I am lucky enough to find a dress with sleeves!

I think I prefer the shorter, jersey dresses as often the fabric is supple but thick enough for winter, and they don't have designs that stand out.

Agree about jeans, I hated how skinnies squeezed my belly and the only other option has been long crotches. It's just not my thing. I tried some old jeans on the other day and was shocked how tatty I looked, they just don't really suit me.

Will have a look on VInted:)

I wonder if Weirdfish would suit you. Knee and above. Very simple dresses. www.weirdfish.co.uk

Weird Fish not bad, and less pricey than Seasalt. So wish they'd pair those simple designs (which I like) with less dark patterns. There's a lot of green at the moment I notice!

I remember people on MN slating Seasalt and similar brands a while ago, but as I move forward negotiating the madhouse that is now the British high street, they at least offer some simple cuts and shapes amongst a sea of crazy curtains!

Also Uniqlo tshirt dresses are very simple and plain in very good quality cotton, can be dressed up or down.

MN targeted adverts suggests this.

This would be a really easy to wear dress for a beginner.

I had forgotten Uniqlo! how's the quality holding up these days?

I made the change. Since my second DC I just can't do trousers it's like I developed a sensory issue around the fabric being near me. But I'm fine with tights so I tend to spend most of the year in 100 denier tights, boots and a dress.

I tend to go for navy or burgundy dresses with a waist. I hate the baggy sack look so I'll use a belt with anything that hasn't got a defined waist. I find George surprisingly does some nice shirt dresses now and again and I also get dresses from boden (MN suicide!) white stuff, weird fish. Mountain warehouse also has good dresses in natural fabrics.

Whistles - especially Melanie and Phoebe. They’ve had the Melanie style for years, and I’ve had one for about 12 years, still powering along.

https://www.whistles.com/clothing/dresses/mini/

Melanie: www.whistles.com/product/melanie-dress-38353.html

Boden has loads - https://www.boden.co.uk/en-gb/womens-dresses/jersey-dresses?fq_product_type=Everyday

Joanie for more pattern/vintage- https://joanieclothing.com/clothing/dresses.html?srsltid=AfmBOoqE31_lVopFYEZCqcrXsokAX3ExqRARnaxQP0tOpOqZvgYQ7QvL

Joules probably has loads too.

Once you find what you like, you can look more usefully on Vinted etc.

I’ve finally abandoned trousers and jean’s completely this year, except for one very soft pair of cords. Can’t be doing with them any more. Dresses all the way!

I've branched out into dresses but not keen on flowery, puffy sleeves so I've gone with this from Tu
https://tuclothing.sainsburys.co.uk/product/tuc144643398
and this from Cos
https://www.cos.com/en_gbp/women/womenswear/dresses/product.boat-neck-mini-t-shirt-dress-blue.1238162001.html

I'm not into the flower puffy things either, it's hard to find what I like. Winter colours are a mess on me in general.

I got into the idea of dresses on holiday last winter further north. I bought a Seasalt sale item and just took it along, not really intending to need it.
Found most days I wore it with tights and chunky boots, cashmere scarf and my winter jacket. Was so surprised how easy it was to get dressed (almost without thought) and how insanely comfy it was!

People usually associate comfort and ease with dowdy stuff, but I am no longer convinced...

Uniqlo quality is fine for me. I have had no issues.

Sometimes I spot the odd gem on Tu.https://tuclothing.sainsburys.co.uk/product/tuc144634109?clickSR=slp:term:corduroy%20dress:3:684:1 Though it's midi.

OP, I'd look for older stuff from whistles or jigsaw on ebay. Shorter dresses, loads of jersey.

Selfishly can I ask where you found trousers with low gussets? I had prolapse surgery and can't have anything against my vulva and I'm panicking as I have nothing that will keep me warm, I've worn yoga trousers for two months!

Fair enough to just wear dresses and skirts if you like but I can't imagine there is nowhere that sells trousers which would suit a 5'5" slim person, and there are always more old/classic styles around than current trends.

I'm 5'7" with long legs and have always found trousers when they only have one default length are cut for someone two inches shorter.

I'm more of a dresses person myself too, I second Vinted for some good finds. However, I just wanted to recommend looking at Levis for jeans as I just bought a pair called "superlow" which actually are only super low compared to all the others, and actually hit me at the waist. Topshop at Asos do some too. If you were also still looking for jeans, that is.

I like this jumper dress from Uniqlo. Though it might be itchy with that composition. https://www.uniqlo.com/uk/en/products/E473090-000/00?colorDisplayCode=56&sizeDisplayCode=003

I mainly do dresses and have had great success with M& S online as don't have one nearby. Live in them with tights and chunky books in Autumn/ Winter. Also have lots of dresses from Boden which l always buy at sale price as a bit expensive for everyday.
Also love skirts.. It's the way to go..so comfortable.

I'm more of a dresses person too. I also like seasalt for the same reasons, there's always something with a simple cut and I love a good print.

I love Uniqlo and the quality is great (last bought there earlier this week!) but they don't sell many dresses.

Quality wise I find the main problem is too much polyester creeping into everything. Seasalt uses a lot of good quality cotton fabrics which is a plus, but a lot of brands now are resorting to polyester blends to keep the costs down. Polyester is the devils work afaic! Uniqlo has a lot of "clever" fabrics like UV, wicking, heattech etc. I always check fabric composition before I buy anything.

I did it for a while. I was coming up to 50 so a similar age to you, and I was so sick of insanely low waisted jeans and trousers that I switched.It wasn't that hard apart from all the 'Ooh she's wearing a dress' comments which got quite annoying.

It was about 2005 so where I shopped won't be much help now but I wore mainly jersey dresses and adored a couple of ruched body con dress that Me and Em did (still got one of them somewhere although the other got charity shopped).

I really enjoyed my new look but, for full disclosure, I switched back after 5 or 6 years. The main reason was boredom - I know some people say dresses can be versatile but I didn't find that - and when I tried to branch out from the jersey ones, I couldn't find anything that fitted me top and bottom. And tights were annoying. Plus by then higher waistline jeans had returned. But it's definitely worth doing if you want a change. I'd do it again,

Yes go for it. A few years ago, just before my 50th I went from skinnies 365 days of the year (I kid you not even in a heat wave) to 95% dresses.

It's taken me a couple of years of experimenting (with lots of mistakes) to find which styles, materials and patterns I prefer. Ebay, sales and just going shopping and trying out lots of different things really help.

It can be a headache to start with as it's such a wardrobe change but it's worth persevering with. Start with just three dresses and figure out which shoes/boots, warm layers and coats work with them. Then repeat any choices you're enjoying wearing.

Once you have built a little uniform of sorts getting dressed becomes simple. I literally throw on a dress and I'm done. When it's colder I have trusty thermals underneath - even when it's below zero. I only pull out my skinnies/leggings when it's pouring with rain or I feel like a change, then remember how much I prefer my swishy dresses!

Enjoy exploring :-)