Where do you buy your work clothes - size 18-20?

[driftingintheair]

Where do you buy workwear clothes if you are a size 18-20 please? I’m specifically looking for shirts/blouses to go with work trousers.

I just can’t find anything I like, that fits - and by that I mean is shaped but just loose enough that it’s not a baggy sack, but doesn’t become tight when I sit down either. I’ve recently returned to the workforce after being a SAHM and prior to that I was a size 10-12 so I’m finding buying work clothes hard.

Looking at High St prices like M&S, Next etc as opposed to high-end prices. I’ve had very little success with Vinted unfortunately.

I don’t want to spend a lot as I’m trying to lose weight.

Probably M&S - it's really really hard to find good plus size blouses at a good price. I don't think I'd have the energy. I get my stuff from New Look, Asda, Primark and sometimes SHEIN but I wouldn't try to get a blouse from any of those places. Maybe Marina Rinaldi if you can afford it? Oh or phase eight or Roman.

This might help:

https://www.lauraadlington.com/plus-size-directory

Live Unlimited at John Lewis.

Sea salt sale!

Anthropologie sale, M&S, Live Unlimited, Seasalt…You can get lucky in Next, or TK Maxx.

Yours is very good

Years ago I was in Berlin and there is a shop called Ulla Popken that make good quality clothes. I got a few things from there and people sell a lot on eBay and Vinted. .Like others I would also say Yours and M&S as they sell a lot of things suitable for work. Most of my workwear is M&S.

I know it's not very cool but Bon Marche has some great stuff amongst the less great stuff, but I'm over 50 so your preference may be different!

Try Roman for the odd work blouse in non frumpy prints, they size up so 18 would easily fit a 20. Also bizarrely Amazon sometimes good for basic tops eg scoop neck or v neck smart long sleeves to go under jackets.

Tu at Sainsburys, George at Asda and Matalan also have the odd work blouse and dress if you avoid the polyester high necked stuff. Larger sizes tend to sell out fast especially of decent natural fibre things so you might need to order online. TK Maxx I have found good for work trousers.

Also try good old Vinted for blazers or jackets. Depending on your shape, M&S could be worth a look but on my apple shape the cut is all wrong, too boxy.

After many years of plus size workwear shopping, I’ve found myself a uniform of black trousers/top with a funky jacket, usually green as that is my favourite colour, or black and white dress with a jacket. Both are repeatable as I can buy the “ingredients” fairly easily. So I have 4 black and white work dresses, 4 jackets/blazers one black, two green, one neutral sandy colour. 3 pairs of black work trousers, and 5 black and white work tops. I have other things but I wear these most often by far. So I’d recommend trying to find a formula that works for you and just buy variations of that, if you want something easy.