Help dress an 18-20 woman to be cool and comfy this summer

[SunSparkle]

Hello!

I’m asking for help! I’m a size 18-20, pear shaped, small bust, with a long torso and short legs.

I’ve got two young kids and spend a lot of time outside with them and getting up and running after them.

I’ve totally lost any sense of style and don’t know how to practically, stylishly and for this larger body.

I’ve got lots of culottes and wide drawstring trousers but I struggle with tops. I’ve given up on a shorts as they are always too tight on the thighs. I love dresses as can wear snag shorts underneath, and I love skirts but struggle with what top to wear with them.

I sunburn easy so tend to like short sleeves over vest/sleeveless styles.

can you suggest a capsule wardrobe? I tend to dress from next, h and m, marks and Spencer and a lot from supermarkets.

help me in my style crisis

A clothing brand I never see recommended on S&B - Carolyn Donnelly's The Edit at Dunnes Stores. I have some of the homewear & her cashmere knitwear, but haven't tried anything from this summer collection as they're not quite my colours.

But this type of cotton dress would be loose & comfy & is a really nice shade of pink, if it's a colour you wear?

https://www.dunnesstores.com/carolyn-donnelly-the-edit-v-neck-sleeveless-cotton-hem-dress-7030930/p

Another cotton one in a similar shape - the slightly wider cap sleeved top will look better & more balanced than fully sleeveless.

https://www.dunnesstores.com/carolyn-donnelly-the-edit-cotton-dress-7030929/p

I also have short-ish legs, wide thighs and buts. Culottes don’t do me any favours. They tend to optically shorten and widen the leg imo.

Full length (wide or medium leg trousers), dressers and skirts (high waist, to give you more length).

Do you tuck your tops into your trousers? Or do you prefer to leave it loose (hanging)?

Tucking makes a massive difference imo.

I personally prefer blouses (from no sleeves, cap sleeves to long balloon sleeves) and button ups to stretch tops / cotton jersey. Something a little breezy (and made from natural fibres!) is so much more comfortable than most cotton jersey IMO.

White shirts and blouses seems summery in theory but it tend to be quite see through (which I’m not too fond of) so I prefer things with colours, patterns or white tops that somehow manage to keep my bra hidden (embroidery, pleats or having a lining).

Dresses are fantastic as well. One item of clothing and you’re already dressed!

I'm older than you but I'm wearing short sleeved, loose, linen, midi dresses from Seasalt and M&S. I've had them a few years (since DS lived in Barcelona) and they're ideal in hot weather. They still have similar and pop up on Vinted. When it's not too hot to have something round my waist, I wear loose linen trousers and since losing a bit of weight, smaller, shorter tops. I read somewhere that 60/40 is the ideal proportion, meaning if a baggy bottom, a closer fitting top and vice versa.

Similar size. I like the boat neck T-shirts from marks with sleeves that end above the elbow. They’re slightly fitted but not clingy. I wear with A line skirts or wide leg trousers. I also have a couple of light linen shift midi dresses from Made In Italy and bought a nice dress from Seasalt the other day. It’s plain and a bit fitted on top but loose from the waist.

https://www.seasaltcornwall.com/pebble-comb-organic-cotton-tiered-dress

I’m a similar size to you and wear a more fitted tee shirt or top with wide leg trousers. So that I don’t look like a ship in full sale.

I think that works if you have a waistline/are neater on top. I'll wear something slightly but not too fitted on top, as I'm an apple (well, a sort of rectangular apple!), so don't want anything too tight at my midpoint as then my fat stomach is more obvious.

Funnily enough, the dirndl style midi skirts that are around right now (with a deep band of shirring at the waist) can work really well as long as the band isn't tooo deep. When it's too deep it just hugs & emphasises my stomach!

Partly inspired by this thread, I've just been shopping for clothes. I got a dress from Next - basically a t-shirt dress but with a vest top and it Has Pockets! Next also has cap sleeve t-shirts in loads of different colours for £7.50 - I may or may not have bought 4 of them 😁

You probably have all the suggestions you need, but as a fellow small-breasted pear, albeit not your size, who struggles in the heat I thought I'd offer my suggestions for cool and comfortable tops. Although I don't often wear very fitted tops, I like tops that don't disappear my waist, so I avoid boxy stuff. If you are worried about looking out of proportion (and I wouldn't be, I see lots of women dressing to emphasise their Williams pear curves!) I think a top with some sort of decorative feature - ruffles, a fancy collar, lots of lacy cut outs around the neckline - is a nice way to counteract any bottom heaviness.

I find the sweet spot for length is something that comfortably covers my midrise waistbands, but finishes before the widest point of my hips, so you still see or imagine a bit of curve.

For maximum coolness you want cotton, linen or a mixture of the two (don't waste your money on linen-viscose blends, they are nowhere near as breathable as linen and the viscose fibres are shorter and weaker, which means the fabric has to be thicker) in white (reflects the radiant heat). Open sleeves that are fairly wide at the armhole are good. Fluted sleeves are great, if not too voluminous at the shoulder. The length doesn't matter as long as they are nicely ventilated! Some broderie anglaise/open work is a bonus, as it increases ventilation, particularly if it's around the upper arms and top of the chest. You can convert puff sleeves if you chop off the cuff and do an invisible hem (very easy, even I can do it, I'm sure youtube has videos).

My coolest - and prettiest - top is a white cotton top with ¾ sleeves that has some very open lace/crochet panels at the top of the chest and just above elbow height. I like it because it has a yoke, so it's very wide and loose at the bottom, but semi-fitted at the top. The yoke sits just above nipple height and the gathering works very nicely with my modest cleavage. The sleeves have a cuff, but it's loose. As you mentioned H&M I had a look at their website and these are the kind of thing I mean:
Short-sleeved top with a yoke and embroidery detail

Fluted sleeves and broderie anglaise, but I'm not sure about the yoke

Longer sleeves, lovely ventilating open work, but no yoke, so potentially a bit voluminous with the open sleeves, but I bet it's cool

Blouse instead of popover, with all over broderie anglaise and loose cuffed sleeves

For decorative features, Fatface’s outlet has a pretty top with a decorative ruffle in your size. I spent last summer coveting a specific blouse that I couldn't afford, which had a Peter Pan collar and was the right length to look smart when worn untucked, a bit like this. Unfortunately both have sunscreen-requiring v-necks.

Hope all the links work and are still available!