How do I find a classic style that works for my life?

[Winterjoy]

Just that really. I'm sick of giving time & energy to clothes and would love to find a few brands that offer classic/stylish peices I can replenish from as necessary - there are too many throwaway options on the high street and it's so overwhelming!! Bonus points for ethical/environmentally friendly companies 🙂

Workwear - my style previously has been classic millenial officewear e.g. fitted/tailored, heels etc but I now work in a relaxed (and much younger!) environment and feel lost style wise. I like this uniqlo outfit but when I put on anything similar I feel like a baggy mess (I'm pear shape not waif-like so not sure of that's throwing it off?). What else can I try? (P.S. Thank you in advance to anyone who is going to suggest wide leg trousers with a silk blouse, but that was my mum's work 'uniform' and I'm not ready to be her just yet!)

Casual - I've lived in black jeggings and jumpers to avoid thinking about clothes but I just don't feel great in them. What can I buy instead that is easy to wear, can be mixed and matched, and looks/feels stylish? Again, is there a particular brand to look at?

I’m also trying to find a classic style, never really know what to wear! I’ve been trying to get together basic neutrals but am trying to have things that I can mix and match and then buy the odd more colourful things that I like. love Uniqlo and &other stories for tops and coats and M&S for wide leg trousers. Have got lots of bits and pieces on Vinted which I never thought I’d get into but it’s made me a little more adventurous in trying different styles and working out what looks best on me. Good luck!

@IHaveAlwaysLivedintheCastle
Most sensible thing you've said to date.

No idea what you're on about. Don't bother clarifying.

I found this thread to be
excellent. It helped kickstart a whole new style re-vamp. I was at a transitional point of life with no idea of what I liked. It’s a slow and intentional approach. I now feel much more confident with decision making when it comes to buying clothes. I rarely buy anything
on impulse and have built up a small collection of clothes I love.

I know exactly what you mean. In business I can also spot women who have “had their colours done” a mile off. The large coloured statement necklace is the biggest giveaway, though there are other clues.

@Winterjoy i wouldn’t dismiss the wide leg / barrel leg trousers. So versatile. I’m a big convert.

@BitOutOfPractice , or a scarf and a brooch.

Lots of good brands already suggested. I’d add Baukjen, Arket, Sandro, IKKS, some Massimo Dutti. Check all the brands suggested on the threads websites then see what’s available on Vinted if you like the brand style.

I like Uniqlo but the outfit you’ve linked would look great on some people but really frumpy on me. It would have looked frumpy on 28yo me.

Wide and high waisted trousers are easy to wear with smart work shoes (or trainers if your dress code is more relaxed), and the cropped proportions of a lot of the tops in the shops are sold to work with them so if you want minimum effort..

You need to choose a ‘look’ and then copy that style.

It’s better than choosing just one brand.

I look to ‘dear Charlotte Paris’ on instagram and loosely follow
that style.

It’s a bit boring and a bit of a uniform but it works for me!

You need to choose a ‘look’ and then copy that style.

I cannot imagine doing any such thing. Guess we’re all different but I never give any thought to creating a ‘look’, let alone maintaining a particular one. (I just choose clothes I like which I think will work with clothes I already have. It’s the surprise of unexpected synthesis that makes getting dressed fun.)

Thanks to the previous poster who mentioned Melissa Murrill - she gives good advice

@TheOriginalFrench , I agree. I usually go by the garment, but I wear things like dresses and jumpsuits a lot, so it's easier.
Footwear tends to be my focus.

If I go for 'a look', it will be more about the silhouette, so it will be something like a fitted shortish cardigan in a favourite colour + black/grey/navy/neutral trousers/skirt or a bright statement skirt with a black/grey/neutral semi-fitted top or jacket.

Absolute Nos for me are big boxy tops, oversized shoulders, wide sleeves, wide-legged bottoms, cropped anything and A-line skirts.

I'm an eclectic dresser. I don't go for a look but have favourite pieces and styles I drift towards.
I tend to buy high street pieces that I keep, look after and reinvigorate. For example today is a cream jumper dress from 21/22 that has a new lease of life with cream chunky boots from last year and a red patterned scarf, a recent gift.
Friends often sometimes say they like how I style things and I think this refers to the fact that I own a lot of accessories eg often add touches like a silk scarf, bright shoes, little bag, big earrings I bought abroad. Could this be something you add to your more simples clothes and pick things that reflect your personality?
Clary and Peg are a London made brand that might appeal. They are maternity and beyond,pictures of both on website.

@the

I would go further—these quizzes, especially Kibbe, are actively damaging and take all the joy out of fashion. They reinforce obsessive thinking about "problem areas" and other such nonsense, with bizarrely granular focus on things like length of fingers, or the angle of your neck. Kibbe is very focused on female sensuality / sexuality in particular, and seems like a massive perv.

There's nothing wrong with dressing sexily, if that's what you want to do, but to promote this way of analysing bodies as some kind of universal guide to style is cobblers.

I'm mainly interested in gorgeous clothes—lovely fabrics, interesting cuts, stylish colours—not whether I'm "showing off" my body for the benefit of the male gaze.

I know you said no to wide leg trousers, but a coord can look great in my opinion. E.g. serenabutelondon.com/products/relaxed-wide-leg-trouser-cobalt-blue

Alternatively barrel shape jeans look great dressed up and down... www.cos.com/en_gbp/women/womenswear/jeans/product.twist-barrel-leg-jeans-black.1238716002.html

And Leopard print is also very versatile www.ganni.com/en-gb/leopard-printed-izey-jeans-J1527.html

You can do classic with a twist very easily on the high street, you just need to find shoes/trainers / accessories to make it feel contemporary.

The Ganni outfit looks like something you'd wear in bed on a cold winter night if you were home alone and if anyone rang the doorbell you' hide.

As for the other two, look at the shape of the models. Those are highly unlikely to look good on Ms Average UK aged 50 something. It would be my legs looking like barrels.

I actually have the Uniqlo cotton jacket you mentioned, but in a very new green that I think has been discontinued. I wear it all the time with some Boden wide trousers, a staple in my wardrobe that I bought a few years ago in the sale.
I have to dress up for work. I do not enjoy it, but with age, I now think that it is best to wear classic clothes (the black trousers, the camel coat, the sensible black patent shoes) and upgrade accessories. Scarves work wonders, as do unique necklaces. One accessory can really transform your look. I am a major fan of a lovely brooch on my side. It makes a difference and I spend less time (and money!) thinking about what to wear....

The Serena Bute outfit is very wearable. I don't like the other 2.

I awaited the cos suggestion and lo! It did appear.

There is no way those barrel leg trousers looked like that on the model without a whole load of primping and priming in the studio and probably after too. And the fact that the model is 21, 6’ tall and and an athletic size 8 and they still look ridiculous on her just makes me wonder if I am literally the only one who feels a whole load of “emperors new clothes” about the whole brand?

I think the Kibbe system is really helpful. I have no idea whether Kibbe is a perv, but I think any focus on sensuality or femininity was
probably a way of counteracting the perception that the Kibbe types towards the yang end of the yin/yang continuum are in some way literally masculine, which encouraged women to try to type themselves as the more yin types.

the system’s value lies precisely in the fact that it doesn’t focus on ‘flaws’ nor on correcting anything, nor does it focus on weight, nor does it perceive certain body shapes as ‘better’ than others. It allows you to understand what works and doesn’t work on you and why, and crucially (in my opinion) this includes textures and accessories, even hair, as well as clothes shape.

While I agree that women who have overly committed to wearing their colours can look alarming, again having an idea of your colours is a quick route to simply looking better with less effort.

I think having a concept of what’s likely to work is really valuable. It helps you narrow down your choices and find styles and brands that work, makes secondhand shopping easier, and helps with creating a cohesive wardrobe. Obviously not everyone wants to work with a ‘system’, but for anyone who is confused it’s a good place to start.

Not just you @BitOutOfPractice . The brand is OK but it's nowhere near as good as I'd expect from the reviews on here.

I like Cos. I used to wear quite a lot but it's not my own thing now but I still think it has considerable merit. I don't think it's difficult to wear.

The Serena Bute sale gives Cos a run for its money. If you (general you) are a Cos fan there's some great stuff here.

Serena Bute sale

Hi @Winterjoy I woukd stay away from too much of a work-clothes vibe as that is rare now

I work in an office (in tech tbh so anything goes apart from beach wear 😄😁)

I like to wear trousers/jeans/skirt and a jumper or T shirt.

Am 50s

Wear mostly tops and jumpers from Hush, jeans (smart ones/cool barrel leg ones) from Uniqlo or Toast or Anthro (if in the sale ) and some vintage/ebay cashmere from Brora or Free People, Marilyn Moore

I've come away from the idea that clothes need to be"flattering" or fitted, as that often makes you end up looking quite dated IMO, and loose clothes are a lot more current. And I don't think that is a micro trend that will disappear next year. Wide trousers or jeans, paired with a short boxy jumper or top can look smart yet comfy.

Just fyi a random opinion!

It feels like everyone has taken my examples very literally, rather than considering new shapes and styles. I was not suggesting buying the full outfits, aside from the coord... simply showing the styles that I see in offices and would wear myself as a middle sized, middle aged woman! But it feels like the consensus is very traditional office wear, and that's fair enough.

@IHaveAlwaysLivedintheCastle , I have the odd thing from Cos. It's the high regard they have on here that puzzles me. I see them as 'H&M but better' not 'Studio Nicholson dupe'.

The Serena Bute coord is fine but I'm not of the model's height or build, I don't like the colour much, and I won't wear viscose.

@lostinchaos ,only the people in Sales wear 'office wear' where I work. your suggestions were fine (apart from the Ganni).

I think it's great that we can suggest a whole range of brands and styles.
I'd recommend a JL personal stylist session, but I probably would use it for ideas not as a way to buy a whole new look.

@MySweetGeorgina ,if that works for you, wear it. The wide bottoms and boxy top would look all wrong on me, but can look great on others.

I've got some 'mom' jeans I've not worn, I could try to style them, but they give me a belly, so I'd probably be looking for 'flattering.'