Office wear when slightly bloated belly

[Manisha111]

Hi all,

Going into the office soon and looking for ideas on clothing/influencers to follow? Im mid 40s, 5ft 7

Belly carried weight, mainly bloat id say at times. 38gg top so I tend to wear 18 but I have a smaller waist
I have great car coats but I struggle with choosing the normal clothes underneath
Would feel self conscious with a top tucked into trousers/skirt but I love that look on others
Have linen blazers in beige and black but not sure if that's dated now
No idea about layering to look interesting at work!
I've seen younger girls at work wearing short skirts and they look fab - my legs are good but I tend to avoid heels
Work is in media so can wear anything
No heels if poss

Just not sure how to dress my belly

Dresses with elasticated waist and full skirt are good to accentuate the waist and make the most of your top. TKMaxx Max studio has some lovely ones for c. £35.

An elasticated waist tends to cut right across the area you dont want to accentuate. Try wide leg trousers with slightly cropped tops (Me+Em have some). Not cropped as in midriff revealing but just so the proportions are right with the trousers. Its really flattering for larger tummies and as you have a slim waist.

Women's White Cheesecloth Cropped Shirt | ME+EM https://share.google/Yvnr4d80tW7ybxUGy

Also slightly raised waistlines on dresses with a v neck. You just want to avoid anything cutting across you at the part you worry about.

I’m in the same boat op - my stomach is totally out of proportion and I’ve come to conclusion that empire line and flare are the only way to go. I can’t recommend anywhere because I’m still looking myself… it seems at size 18 everything is polyester, puffed sleeves or hideous prints. I tend to see sympathetic shapes in monsoon, fat face and Oliver Bonas but the magic combo of shape, colour and cut often alludes.

I too am 5’7 with a bloated stomach and good legs! I spend my entire working life in Fatface Simone dresses with either a blazer or jumper/cardigan. I buy the longer length because I have long legs and the regular is just a bit short for the office. I find a dress skims over my middle and avoids me being cut in half by a waistband!

I would also offer Seasalt dresses which would be superb if only their patterns weren’t so naff and the colours are often disappointing.

I've been following Carys Whittaker in insta and she has some great style choices. Can anyone recommend any to follow who dress their belly well!

@Pineneedlesincarpet im trying to visualise how this would work though?

I mean, what do you wear normally and feel comfortable in? Because your workplace doesn’t have a set dress code and presumably you have an existing wardrobe for going about life outside of work.

I like to wear a black jersey dress - quite short and not shaped at all - just loose. With black leggings/tights. And with a slightly oversized jacket and good boots. I have a new tweed type jacket that I make more zingy with a brooch. Comfortable and stylish!

The wide trousers and cropped top? I dont mean cropped so your stomach shows, but cropped so it's not too long so you don't have a waist; I think on or just below your waist. You would have to try things on to see the proportions and to see what suits you. It's very flattering, counterintuitively.

This Me and Em outfit would maybe be too casual for work and perhaps not exactly what I mean but you see the proportions. It's fairly lose/straight down so wouldn't highlight any tummy. But hits the waist. If top was much longer or baggy, she wouldn't have a waist and the trousers would look odd. If it was too fitted, her stomach would be highlighted.

I don't know if I'm making any sense at all but it does work!

I just don’t see how that would work on a figure with a large tummy that you want to camouflage. The top is trendy but too boxy to really flatter the shape of a woman.

I have always had a big stomach and I promise you it is really flattering (I havent tried that orange top. I have tried the cheesecloth Me and Em top I posted at the start, with wide leg jeans).

Try it and see. You are skimming over the stomach while creating a waistline. Rather than wearing baggy clothes. I do get it is counterintuitive and I thought how ridiculous when a friend suggested it to me). If you're looking online you are looking for cropped, non-fitted and non baggy (ie cut straight down).

@ThrowingDi I tend to live in trainers, bootcut jeans when im out out and a nice top, with a car coat. I guess for the office, I feel I need to look a bit smarter so here id probably wear a blazer instead. I think with my rare office trips, I always want to update my style but get it wrong!

@Pineneedlesincarpet would this only work with wide trousers and jeans?

Dresses, leggings or tights and chunky boots?

I haven't tried it with other cuts yet. Definitely not skinny jeans! I suppose it would depend how big your stomach is; what you don't want is the stomach being defined so thats why wide legs work well re the proportions. Perhaps barrel legs would work!