So what's fashionable now? Help!

[Ilovemyshed]

Stuck in a complete run with my wardrobe and need a bit of a refresh to look a bit more up to date.

Winter I live in skinny jeans and a roll neck with ankle or knee high boots or wellies

Summer, cropped trousers and a tunic type top, with flats or trainers (trainer socks!)

Not great on stuff being tight around my middle as apple shaped so can't get away with belts or tight waistbands.

Can anyone share some looks, ideally pictures so I can update a bit.

I was going to post something similar, I live in the country and skinnies are still as popular as they ever were round my way. There's a fair bit of wealth around too - after all it's hard to tuck wide leg jeans into your Le Chameaus to walk your predigree working spaniels.

I wore black skinnies to go to the cinema on Saturday night and it felt nice to be wearing them again after a long time off. I paired them with heeled over the knee suede boots, a black turtleneck and a faux fur coat and didn’t feel like I stood out amongst an arty crowd, young and old.

@SwizzelsDoubleLollies Golden Goose don't agree with you on the glittery trainers
The only reason I don't have them is cos I can't afford them

Have never understood Golden Goose. To each their own but I think they either look fit for the bin (the “distressed” ones) or really tacky. Not sure that expensive = stylish…

I have some Golden Goose, I wouldn't call them the height of fashion. I have a very high instep so find them extremely comfortable.

£400+ for trainers that look they've fell out a bin?!
Have ppl lost the plot?

I didn't pay that, mine are a few yrs old. They have gone up a lot.

And we all have different budgets...

Absolutely agree. All the loaded landowners around here are in skinny jeans and wellies. Rural Scotland.

Why is everyone so obsessed with what's fashionable?? What looks good on one won't look good on another. Wear what you're comfortable in and leave badly designed fashion to the young its how they learn to have confidence to wear what they like and ditch the rest.

What would you suggest people should be allowed to discuss on the Style and Beauty forum?

I've found barrel legged jeans pretty good for wet weather, unlike wide legged they usually seem to run shorter so don't drag on the ground.
Although obviously skinnies/leggings are best for wet, muddy dog walks but nobody dresses for fashion in those cases!

As for telling people to ignore fashion or develop your own it does make a kind of sense. I mean if you are dressing to impress the school mums or any demographic then you do run the risk of pigeon holding yourself.

IMO we are lucky these days that fashion is so varied, you really have tons of looks to go for (I still remember back when you had to wear white stilettos and giant shoulder pads.....your only fashionable choices were how high the stilettos and how big the shoulder pads! LOL).😂

Exactly.

It’s Style and Beauty, not Fashion and Beauty. Style has nothing to do with whatever someone in London/New York/Paris/Munich decrees that everyone must be wearing. The most stylish woman I’ve ever met dressed pretty much exclusively from jumble sales and John Smedley.

Absolutely nobody here has said that op must wear the latest catwalk fashion or slavishly follow every single trend.

What she did ask for, and what every person who ever walked the earth does is adapt, tweak, evolve what they wear to meet fashion at some point midway. Otherwise we would still all be wearing what was fashionable when we turned 18. We may be wearing a version of it eg jeans and a T shirt or a dress or whatever, but it will have evolved.

OP asked for pointers to help her adapt her look. She didn’t come on here to be told “don’t be a fashion victim, fashion is for losers”. She didn’t come here to hear “burn all your skinnies because you will be mocked on the street for wearing them you old dinosaur”. She asked for pointers to adapt her own personal style a bit to bring it up to date in a way that suits her. I really don’t see what’s so hard about it.

@Ilovemyshed I actually went into a real shop yesterday…I know right? And there were loads of tank tops that looked really cute. Could you see yourself in one?

@BitOutOfPractice
Very well said, why do posters comment of S&B threads with these remarks scoffing at someone wanting a new look/ideas?
Not everyone wants to live in leggings and a bloody tunic and sparkly trainers (dressed like a 4 yr old) or never have their hair done.
It often seems like a competition ; I'm soo busy and dedicated to my family I never have time or would spend £ on myself, I'd be a bad mother and scornful of any woman who has a bit of botox or does her nails, there's no need.

From reading loads of fashion blogs on Substack / looking at Vogue / Instagram/ looking at what's in shops I would say:

Barrel leg jeans
Tank tops
Boxy cardigans
Trenches
Triangle scarves / bandanas
Coloured trainers (full trainer rather than just decal) More brands rather than just Sambas
Mary Janes (silver, red, leopard, black)
Pink (sometimes with brown)
Baby and mid blues
Instead of summer dresses with denim jackets and trainers, summer dresses with sandals and cardigans
See through stuff (eg chiffon sleeves, skirts with see through portion below knee)
Lace and cutouts
Belts with studs. Statement belts in general.
White/ cream bags
Suede everything
A general movement away from the 'quiet luxury' look to more boho stuff.
Heritage : tweed, cable knit, Fair Isle, Argyle

I really like a lot of the clothes and shoes at the moment, unlike a few years ago when I didn't want to buy anything.

@RingofBrodgar do you have any recommendations for blogs to read on Substack?

I'm afraid I've become a little sceptical of claims to follow style and not care about fashion, especially when (with one or two honourable exceptions) such posts are so rarely accompanied by any examples of interesting anti-fashion outfits. (Sorry but I don't count skinny jeans - we all know about them.)

I'm at a different life stage to the op and have a different life style (retired and avoid the countryside as much as I can). But I think her request merits an answer even if she doesn't find it terribly helpful so I'll try:

I mostly wear separates and I normally follow a rough formula of at least one contemporary item mixed with something vintage. So today the contemporary element is barrel leg jeans (not the famous Sainsbury ones but Uniqlo) with a tank top from Seasalt that's a couple of sizes larger than my supposed size, and a vintage 1970s shirt and 1950s/60s tailored jacket. I don't wear trainers cos I don't like them but I always wear flats - today's are Solovair lace up ankle boots. My shoes are the part I'm least happy with as I'm a bit bored with flat and clumpy but I've spent a couple of years looking for an alternative without finding anything I like.

A lot of my clothes are over 50 years old and I've spent most of my life collecting them so I'm not suggesting anyone follows my example but I find that a pick and mix approach - something current along with whatever else I happen to like - has served me well over the years.

but I find that a pick and mix approach - something current along with whatever else I happen to like - has served me well over the years.

I agree with that & would class that as style really. Updating your look but still keeping an essence of you.

Yes maybe but also it works (in my opinion obvs) because I don't turn my nose up at fashion. I keep an eye on it and I enjoy it.

@evilharpy

Anna Cascarina
The Wardrobe Edit Anna Newton
Melissa 5 Things Friday
Anna Eleri Hart
Rambling on Style
The Jones Report
The Art of Dressing
Liz Sunshine
Xue
Tiffanie Darke
Rule of 5

Thanks @RingofBrodgar that'll keep me occupied this evening.

@Floisme love the sound of that outfit. I wore a dress that’s over 25 years old on Wednesday and I thought that was good (I got loads of compliments btw) but 60 years is really impressive! Brava!

ETA I though I was the only countryside dodger on mn!

In these threads, everyone is always saying that

• they live rurally
• love skinny jeans and will never give them up
• you shouldn't follow fashion/give into fashion

It's like a bingo!😁

Fashion is meant to be fun. It's perfectly ok to update your look with something new. I don't really have a "personal style" and I think it's a little bit of a myth - I have gone through corporate city chick, boho backpacker and classic french girl phases in the last ten years.

As for the question, I feel like I've seen a lot of movement from very classic and understated to more boho too, and I like it - it's a bit more fun and frivolous, particularly for spring and summer. I've also gone for a few new colourful blouses and tops, as I'm happy with my jeans/bottoms for now - hoping they give me a bit of a fresh look!

Thank you! At the risk of repeating myself, I do think it works best when I include at least one item that's modern, otherwise it can easily tip over into fancy dress.

And yes it can be a solitary existence on Mumsnet when you don't like the countryside, a bit like admitting on S&B that you enjoy fashion

@Pigtailsandall I probably do have a bit of a personal style but it's changed many times and I agree, you don't need to have one to dress well.