‘Smart casual’ evening wear for fat frumpy 55 year old

[Fishrepeating]

Slight curve ball for a work related ‘do’ I’ve been to before where everyone wore variations on evening party wear… now the venue has changed and the dress code is smart casual. I was going to wear an a line Hobbs dress (vinted purchase) but now it seems too bright, too short, too much a party
dress.

Could you throw me some suggestions for an outfit as a fat, frumpy 55 year old? All
weight carried on stomach, 5ft 4, slim legs and bum. I am 14 Next or M&S, 16’Hobbs. Too uncomfortable nowadays to wear no sleeves though I do have a Roman dress and jacket that I would wear but I am pretty sure I can’t get into. Don’t want to spend hundreds so high street or Vinted unless it is something I can wear again.

You'd think. I only mention it because on the Mango website, among others, there's more halters, one-shoulder, satin-camisole-type tops than anything else.

So many responses - thanks guys! I think ‘man rules’ are kinder … my DP scrubs up well in dark jeans, brogues, shirt and jacket. I’m pretty certain he won’t feel out of place in that and I think he looks good ♥️ for me though the jeans are definitely a no. Off the back of a similar thread that came up under ‘similar threads’, someone recommended Sainsbury’s - no sniggering at the back! I had a look this morning and there were some palazzo pants, a linen jacket and a couple of other bits that I could make work in some combination. There’s no changing room so I got a selection and can return items. I also bought another dress (planet) in a charity shop that is well cut and in a shade I have a collarless, 3/4 sleeve jacket that would go well with it.

Those trousers are so unattractive and unflattering. I'm 5ft 3, size 14-16, so not dissimilar to you. A pair of straight leg or boot leg trousers (definitely NOT jeans) would be better, with a nice blouse and minimal jewellery, and low heels.

Sadly Mango, and Zara, never liked me even when I was 3 stone lighter and thirty years younger! I don’t believe in constraints by age for women however, after years of wondering why women got in such a flap about their upper arms and stomachs, I now know why!

Smart casual, black trousers, nice top. Or smart dark jeans and nice top. Nice shoes, ideally not trainers but some trainers can look good with that outfit

Your OH the same really

But quite honestly, I would wear the dress if you already have it and you like it and it feels good. A dress is smart casual too.

@MixedFeelingsNoFeelings Mango is primarily for people with body confidence though. Brands like Arket and &Stories and Cos do suit older folk and are more forgiving. Mango do excellent trousers and wool coats by the way. Like most high st stores, pick the classics. Definitely not cut off trousers that are like long shorts but aren’t.

@Fishrepeating might be a silly question but have you asked your colleague what they're wearing?
Will give you a sense of where to pitch your glam level!

Noooooo … An old (fashioned) frock and a collarless 3/4 sleeve jacket is not ‘smart casual’. I’m truly sorry, @Fishrepeating- but it sounds dowdy and workaday.

Maybe I’m wrong and it looks fabulous and up to date?

No, not as yet plus many are male. As a group we are probably more geek than glam! More frump than fashionable, but I want something that makes me feel good. Sometimes reading these threads makes me remember going down to London as an older teen and thinking - wowsers, do people really wear that?! I don’t mean that in a bad way. I like to see what other people are wearing and expand my horizons.

Nooo! See, this is why I posted, I don’t get ‘smart casual’! Would some palazzo pants and this top and a square cut boxy linen jacket be smart casual? www.zara.com/uk/en/poplin-shirt-with-pleats-p02110340.html?v1=529552058&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=11260393417&gbraid=0AAAAADqbk7ZfhtYBOBoGRtc0sSJOIdK0-&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIq7XvprSvkwMV8JdQBh3Moy-YEAQYBiABEgKVDvD_BwE

The beauty of that shirt is in the pintucks you don't want to cover it up.

For my money palazzo trousers need a top like this PALAZZO TROUSERS WITH BELT - Beige | ZARA United Kingdom https://share.google/Qbokth9MokxCGHyqI could be an inch longer if you don't want to show tummy skin

I love twisted wunder
Twiggy Peace Mini Dress | Twisted Wunder share.google/SQ3vjOcG6JLjWT6yZ

I love twisted wunder
Twiggy Peace Mini Dress | Twisted Wunder https://share.google/SQ3vjOcG6JLjWT6yZ

The height and measurements you've given are not fat and not frumpy.

I like the styles and prints but polyester? No.

Agree re those culottes - though I'm sure they're very comfy ...

What about these palazzo pants - in black or beige satin? What colours do you suit & like, OP? Would you wear footwear with a heel?

https://www.marksandspencer.com/satin-wide-leg-trousers/p/clp60779035?intid=mobile_app_pdp_share

plain black trousers ( a PP mention satin which would be gorgeous for the evening ) a plain black top (maybe with a statement sleeve? Most of us have something like those in our wardrobe already. Costume jewellery that’s on trend cheap and cheerful from Primark, New Look or similar, maybe same with the footwear. This is what I tend to do if I’m at a real loss.

Smart Casual can mean "party wear", with the "casual" bit meaning not "formal" like Business / Funeral Formal.

I'd leave the jeans at home.

Link to newspaper article

Smart black trousers, heel and a smart top (I think a sharp shirt could work here). Blazer over the top (stylish oversize cut if poss), jewellery, bright lip.

www.nobodyschild.com/products/black-polka-dot-neck-tie-blouse-2513974001?_gl=1a767bd_upMQ.._gs*MQ..&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIptGYh6-wkwMVrZNQBh2NQRCTEAAYASABEgKQ5PD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&gbraid=0AAAAADQCJIVynW1E2M2C1-2LPi7LxKDXc

Just the one heel and the one lip

OP is going to look lopsided.

Are over sized blazers a thing now? Very 80s. Most are much neater and better cut.

If most of your colleagues are men, OP, I can guarantee that they will neither notice nor care if you've fulfilled the smart casual brief, and you can bet your life that they won't have given the dress code more than a fleeting thought. FWIW, I think your Sainsbury's haul of palazzo pants and linen jacket sounds lovely and totally appropriate. If you don't quite feel comfortable, though, I think the M&S trousers suggested by @EleanorMc67 would be great with a plain shirt or top.

Welcome to the 2020s @OhDear111! 😄

Oversized jackets have been fashionable for several years now.

For balance, I'm giving a shout out for those Uniqlo C culottes. I'm not suggesting they fit this dress code - they probably don't - but I'm an inch shorter than the op and really like them and, if I wasn't doing a bit of financial juggling at the moment, I'd have bought some already. They look straightforward to either shorten or just cuff at the hem.