Please help me reinvent myself :0(

[sushistar]

I'm 26, size 12. Ds is 4 1/2 months. I'm only 5ft1, with wide hips and big breastfeeding boobs. At the mo I live in a pair of dark denim bootleg/flairs, and a plain dark brown v-neck which i can feed in. And boots with big heels, which make me look thinner but are not great cos i carry ds in a sling alot and sling + heels hurts! I just don't seem to look funky anymore - i think i've lost a bit of confidence.

I like a slightly hippie-type look - ethnic prints, funky jewellery - a bit monsoony iykwim. I hvn't got much money. Please help me reinvent myself, i feel trapped!

Anyone??

I'd love to help you but am off to bed for some beauty sleep. Try posting this one again tomorrow afternoon you will get much better response.

If you like brown, have a look in Peacocks, they have some really lovely brown summer clothes in right now.

Go somewhere you can afford the stuff, pick up 20 things and take them to the changing room. I find that's the best way to get a few ideas.

I'm after a couple of nice flowery knee length skirts at the moment with flat pumps. Red Herring in Debenhams does nice reasonable stuff I'm finding.

Ok all wardobes need a base sooo start with some good jean crops for the summer (primark have some for £8) and a great pair of longer line shorts and of course a good maxi skirt for the ethnic feel. Then you can get all manner of babydoll, tunics/kaftan and smock tops to wear with them. Kaftans and tunics look great with a belt and crop jeans. The ones in primark are quite good as they are dark denim and look quite neat, so an ethnic top will look great with them.

With a maxi skirt , I think fitted vests are a must , but you can then wear a nice wide belt on the hips to reduce the width visualy. Im the same height ish at 5'2 and dont care if its not great on shortys like us , I think they can look very chic for the summer.

Then start on your summer shoes, may be a soft cork wedge or espadrill if you want a heel but more comfort and also a lovely flat sandal in a metallic rich colour.

Thanks for the advice. I'm not sure I can get away with cropped jeans OR flat shoes. Both make me wide

I say that you should invest in some accessories - the cheapest way to revamp. One of my good mates has a pretty basic range of outfits, but she always looks fantastic because she hunts down really funky rings, bracelets and earrings. I complimented her on a bracelt recently and she'd paid £2.50 for it.

Patsy

any other suggestions?

If I were you, I'd aim to get some comfortable but funky shoes (maybe Camper or some wedges plus a pair of converse or converse-a-likes) and some tops, plus another couple of pairs of jeans.

I disagree with the recommendation for tunic type tops though, as they will probably make your boobs look and feel bigger; instead I'd try and get some v or square necked 3 quarter sleeved t-shirts that are slightly fitted (but not clingy) at the waist (M&S often good for this sort of thing). You can then get the ethnic feel with belts and jewellery, a couple of ethnicy scarves maybe.

Yes, v-necks most flattering for big boobs. I remember briefly when I had boobs, in 2003 and in 2006. They've gone now. And wedges to give you height but you can still walk well in them.

get your colours done.

research the many advisors to see what shapes suit you.

spend your small budget with confidence. worked for me

to expand on that. i went to house of colour with my sister for the colour thingy, £80 each, pricey but worth every penny.

for shapes: obscure american book, gok and trinny & susannah all say pretty much the same for me, so it is easy to work out how what will / wont work.

i have learned that can't wear skirts below the knee without heels and not skirts above knee with. not from book but from thinking about it. i expect everyone else is born knowing that but it was a surprise to me.

You sound as if you would really suit a funky wrap dress.

mmm, B, i used to wear wrap dresses in bold prints to work, usually with boots. How do i dress down a wrap dress now i'm a sahm?

you don't have to! Just get one that is easily washable!

also the muslins over the shoulder will kinda dress it down for ya

I kinda feel a bit formal in dresses - except strappy sun dresses|!

how about
a couple of funky a-line cotton skirts [so log as you don't have a really sticky-out bum] - easy to get funky prints, and maybe a denim one
a couple of tops to co-ordinate - scooped, v-neck or wrapover
wedge-heeled sandals of a funky variety for height with comfort
a neat little summer jacket

Have you tried great plains? Monsoon has a mid-season sale tov and theri stuff is v affordable at 70% off

OK wrap tops then, pref from Monsoon sale by the sound of it! Great for BF.

I like that mazzy. And cos i'm breastfeeding it's easier to get plain tops that are easy to feed in and put the patterned bit on the bottom half.

wedge heels - cananyone suggest any?

I'll deffo go check out the monsoon sale...

Somebody posted some fab DM wedges the other day. Fly London are also nice but mine are a bit too wide and rub !

gosh I really gave you the crappiest advice hey lol . I wasnt remembering my early post baby breastfeeding bod. I so lived in wraps dresses and tops for feeding.

oh and I wore them with jeans and wedges, although it wasnt the best summer the last 2yrs , so the layers didnt matter!!