Biggish budget - entire new wardrobe

[hmmimnotsurewhy]

Hi,

i have recently had my Color analysis done and I’m a Dark Winter with an Inverted Triangle body shape. And just for extra fun, I’m petite !

After 2 kids and living in a sea of black and navy clothes, just absolutely frumpy and depressed with my wardrobe I had a huge cull and want to start over.

I also want to buy quality clothing and not cheaper items that go out of season.
I really don’t know where to start. I tried the JL stylish but feel that was a waste of time.

I follow a few people on IG but that isn’t helpful as they’re always abroad and you can’t get anything here. I have asked this on a very popular style group as well and was referred to Pixie Girl as an example for petite clothing. That is exactly what I’m not looking for - cheapish clothing just because it’s petite.

Any suggestions please ?

Most of the Designer Outlets offer a Personal Shopper / Stylist service, would that be an option?

I’ve bought a whole new wardrobe via Vinted. I did a lot of research into wardrobe planning and got a wardrobe app for my phone. Then I researched brands, mainly by Reddit communities.
im a clear winter, top heavy rectangle and 5’2”.
i decided to focus on black/navy, white with cobalt blue, red and teal/emerald green.
pinterest has loads of boards that help with things like skirt shapes, necklines etc.
i have found a local tailor to get items fitting better.
through careful Vinted shopping, I have a wardrobe worth thousands which I’ve paid only hundreds for.
its been a lot of fun to.
the best book I used was the Curated Closet.

Uniqglo for basics. You often have to try a lot of things on but for example in trousers they have something for all body types and do petite in many styles.

Hobbs but you might have to order petite online. Great for blazers & work trousers.

Ralph Lauren, I find the trousers swamp me but tops and jumpers are really nice. I buy from the outlet store

Tommy Hilfiger

Gant for cotton blouses.

Reiss do some lovely pieces.

I personally like All Saints but it’s a distinctive style.

Levi for jeans. Spend time trying all their styles, you can get every length.

Suggestions for - people to follow on SM? Or where to shop for clothes?

Can’t help with the first. As for clothes, we’d really need to know your tastes, lifestyle priorities, actual height and clothes size, and what you anticipate spending in total.

(Often people declare themselves to be petite when they’re taller than I am - and I don’t wear specifically petite clothes.)

So for instance, are you more drawn to:

Justine Tabak

who makes a few shorter dresses and skirts, or

Palava

or

Community Clothing

or

Hades

or maybe solid goth?

@Comefromawaythank you! You get me, this is exactly what I’m looking for!!

I have bought a few things from Reiss and Hobbs recently.

i have also done a very big shop from Sezane as the feminine chic look is what I’m going for.

Im going to try RL as I’ve noticed some of the well dressed women I know using that.

I Love Uniqlo for basics. I have bought some T-shirts from Cos as they are such good quality.

Have also bought some really great sweatshirts from Varley

I have spent almost a decade of living frumpy, and unhappy. I bagged up 8 bags of clothes that I’m so happy to donate, a lot in great condition.

I’ve pretty much done what you are doing over the past two years (except I’ve not had my colours done but I tend to gravitate towards certain shades )

I really like the look of Sezanne but I have to try on.

Cos I personally don’t get in with, I can see the quality is great but they don’t suit my body shape a lot of the time. Their t shirts are too big on my shoulders.

I made a list based on what I already had & my lifestyle & im slowly awaiting things.

@hmmimnotsurewhy I’m in a similar situation in that I’m looking to clear and update my ward unit with fewer, higher quality items.

I agree re Uniqlo for basics, but otherwise I’m not getting too far. I always find shopping in summer harder though.

I follow Melissa Murrell on insta/youtube - she’s UK based and shows a mix of brands, some cheaper like H&M but also Varley, Me & Em etc.

Where are you based? I highly recommend a stylist called Natasha Musson (based in Somerset but will travel) for an accompanied shopping trip.

i follow this person on instagram. She’s petite herself and I really like her style. From your response to the PP I think you might too

https://www.instagram.com/stylebyclairelopez?igsh=ZGE4aWZ2cHIxazh2

Thank you!! I’m looking for someone like her. So stylish too.

@Nonewstodayagaini was more into fast fashion in my 20s - mid 30s, then had kids and lost all sense of anything. Fast fashion and a wardrobe full of ‘cheapish’ clothing.

im now building it back up again and really want to include pieces that make me feel confident and look smart too. I started with a color and body analysis and that has been extremely insightful with how to understand my body and the clothes I need. Just finding the clothes is the problem!

Kettlewell is amazing for basics. They have loads of colours and you can search by pallete. They are also really nice quality and wash well. I do mine at 30 and even things I've had a few years look brand new.

Also check out Allie Street. For dresses. They have some lovely ones and do petite.

Re Kettlewell, my 5ft 2 friends says their tops are fine on her.

Did you find the colour and body analysis useful? I'm debating booking one with a stylist. Thank yoh

Highly recommend following Melissa Murrell on insta & YouTube. She is a stylist ‘for the everyday woman’ & offers a lot of guidance and well as shopping recommendations. She also offers paid service if you want help. She is 5’2 herself & age 50 & looks great. I’ve learned loads from following her channels & shopping recommendations

Some more good petite brands for you to look at that haven’t already been mentioned. It’s also worth finding a good tailor/seamstress who can take up sleeves on blouses and coats.

Whistles
Aspiga
Seasalt (good for winter coats)
Ro & Zo
Karen Millen
Abercrombie & fitch
Never Fully Dressed
Madewell
Reformation

Yes! Curated closet
Look on Pinterest for a capsule wardrobe for your body shape and colour analysis
im a classic gamine soft neutrals for comparison
Then go to Vinted and use every filter to select the items you want
Uniqlo( size up)
Crew Clothing
M&S( size up in T shirts)
Gap( older items)
I’ve just done this hence my enthusiasm entirely from Vinted including Birkenstocks( verified authentic)

I'm another one also suggesting following Melissa Murrell on Instagram & YouTube. There's a whole host of videos on body shape on her YouTube channel.
She has several stylists working for her that do online or face to face wardrobe consultations as well & I believe there's 20% off this month.

Also Invest in style is well worth following on Instagram, as she's a very athletic shape. I've ordered a fair amount of clothing recommended by her even though I'm 5 ft 3 & she's tall, as I also have strong shoulders.

I would also suggest setting up a wardrobe App.
I have Whering & find it incredibly useful for organising looks & my wardrobe.