New work clothes help

[namechanged221]

I would like to buy

*Thin trench
New pants and bra
Linen suit with waistcoat?
White t shirts
Black vests or tanks
New shoes *

Any ideas of shops?

I'm a size 12, 5.4

Have about £750 to spend xxx

Are you in the UK? If so I wouldn't bother with linen at this time of the year.

Next actually has some nice bits in which surprised me.

The main thing I struggle with is all the elasticated waists. Great for WFH but don't seem smart enough for the office. I want the front to have a button or slide hook thing to close and the back to be elasticated.

Yes good point.
I've seen a few people wearing beautiful lined trousers and jacket but I guess it will soon be the wrong season

This seems an odd list of requests, @namechanged221. Where have you been shopping until now ? Those are mostly very basic items which most women already have sources for.

And your lack of context will only prompt suggestions of Next or M&S.

For underwear and basics I’d go to M&S.

for shoes, if walking a lot (commuting etc) I wear DM shoes, hush puppies etc.

like PP says, linen is on the way out at this time of year, but most usual places have co-ord sets, from primark & Sainsbury’s price range upwards.

Is there any particular issue or difficulty that needs addressing? You must already buy clothes somewhere?

Hmmm I haven't bought any clothes for a long time, many of my tops etc have holes in them...

Yes I agree about the linen, just didn't think that one through

Went to M&S and tried on so many bras... they were all terrible!

Could you give some context, @namechanged221? (Please … It’s like getting blood out of stone.) People respond to a thread when there is something that piques interest, or that they can empathise with. You haven’t told us anything at all …

What sort of job? What sort of lifestyle? What sort of clothes have you bought in the past? How long ago was that? What sort of style are you drawn to?

At the moment all we can gather is that you want posters to talk about underwear. It’s not a good start.

Sorry, I'm not wording it right....

I just wanted to get advice on where to shop for basics such as that.

I got a couple of Freya bras in John Lewis in the end... the M&S were horrible.

Struggling with where to get nice t shirts and vest tops, basic cardie, in some neutral colours... plus a nice trench coat

My work is very varied, includes on location, venues and meetings but often online...

Basically all my clothes are in a muddle
My basics stuff is old and worn through
I probably bought it from ships that no longer exist!
I have A LOT of clothes but they mainly don't form any coherent outfits
That's why I'm thinking, just get some neutral pieces and basics to hopefully bring some outfits together?

Look at Next 'the Set' range. Great for mix and matching basics. I'd get some wide leg trousers, t-shirts, vest and shirts from there.
I get underwear from next too, Victoria Secret for bras.

I've lost some weight recently and using this range to build a new wardrobe of basics has been great.

Tesco F&F also has some great bits, and they're online now too.

If you want excellent quality contemporary basics you could start with

Community Clothing

They can’t be bettered for ethical and environmental aspiration and achievement, fair prices and careful design and production. Take a look at the coats, knitwear, loungewear, denim …

In addition I would spend some time looking at how clothes are currently styled. Obviously there’s instagram, but I find familiarity with a wide range of brand websites, for example:

American Vintage
Cos
Damson Madder
Doen
Free People
Massimo Dutti
Studio Nicholson
The Frankie Shop
Toteme
Uniqlo
YMC
Zara

plus multi brand platforms like Net-a-Porter, SSense, really helps in assessing what looks current, what will truly enhance my wardrobe, and what I can safely ignore. It’s hard to be well dressed unless you consistently take the trouble to find out what’s available.

Cos for good quality basic t-shirts

Mint Velvet have good, thick cotton vests - or maybe Arket (but my last ones from there weren't as good as previously)

I got a cotton long trench on Marks in the spring and I love it - I do need red lipstick to stop me looking dead in beige though!

Jaegar sometimes have nice linen suits.

I love Arket for basics.

Ok thanks all, I'm not naturally good at sorting out clothes to make outfits.

I'll look into all of these and get back to you.

Thanks for taking the time to help!