Clueless with clothes, please help with ideas and suggestions

[Alwaystimeforteaandcakes]

Ok good people who know how to get dressed in the morning, I need your help.
I want to look a bit more put together. I spend my life in a uniform at work, leggings and a t shirt at the gym and jeans, tshirt, hoodie and addidas sambas pretty much all other times.
I've had a pretty cack time recently.

1. bereavement of my lovely mum
2. breast cancer, lumpectomy so one boob is a bit of a misshapen horror but both are reasonably similar sized when I'm dressed.
3. also a hereditary health condition that means I have a thick waist. Not a big belly out front, I just don't go in at the sides so I'm very straight up and down. I am also about to turn 50 and even though I'm very low maintenance, I really want to look a bit better day to day. I have a fantastic husband who genuinely thinks I look great so this isn't about dressing for others, more I've come through a lot of hard stuff and now I want to look like someone who really respects herself. Not sure if others can relate to that.

I can probably spend max £75 per item but money isn't unlimited.

I'm 5ft 9in, size 14 on the whole but thanks to my thick waist I sometimes need a size 16.

I don't do formal or dresses really and shoe matching to clothes is an advanced level of magic I have no understanding of. Any suggestions gratefully accepted as I really don't know where to start. Thank you.

Ah - this is a lovely post and I like your expression “advanced magic”! You have been through a lot and sound a very nice person.
might you be able to upload a depersonalized shot so we can see body shape and hair colour / skin tone as too difficult to suggest styles and colours

Who are some people who you’d say look ‘put together’? What does that mean to you? What do they do, clothes and style wise?

If you want to get out of jeans and hoodies, try and swap those for similar shapes in smarter fabrics. Like if your favourite jeans are barrel legged, there are some great trousers around everywhere from Tu/Sainsburys to higher end high street. Ditto if you like wide leg jeans - get some wide leg trousers in your fabric of choice.

I always feel more together if my top is the same colour as my bottoms. Just a cleaner line, to my eye. Doesn’t matter what colour.

Your trainers are fine if the rest of your outfit is a cut above casual.

Sounds like your body shape may be rectangle so have a google at best things to wear for that.

I would say: Straight-leg or wide-leg trousers with a relaxed blouse or knit, depending on weather a light jacket/over shirt and simple trainers/loafers - something you would be comfortable in.

M&S have a range of wide leg trousers: different materials, prints and price points here’s one example https://www.marksandspencer.com/crinkle-elasticated-waist-wide-leg-trousers/p/clp60782268?intid=mobile_app_pdp_share
Whistles have some lovely shirts and tops and prices in sales are great: https://www.whistles.com/product/mixed-stripe-oversized-shirt-40678.html
A top like this similar to the previous one will go well with wide leg trousers and also jeans https://www.simplybe.co.uk/shop/p/zd071
Something like this for footwear is very comfortable https://www.mandmdirect.com/01/details/HP30102/Hush-Puppies-Womens-Margot-Loafers-Tan
or these from Next - White/Pink Forever Comfort Leather Lace-Up Trainers which are £49

@Ilovecheeseyah
Thank you for your kind post. Turns out, I am pretty much always behind the camera so really not got any good pictures I could de personalise. I do know I'm a winter. Worked in a nursery years ago and that was our in service training! I do suit red, deep green, orange, blue, basically a nursery kids painting before they get to the brown slug phase. I look like I have died in anything pastel, pale lilac is particularly horrible.
@SoScarletItWas
That's a really good point. I've been so disconnected from style, I haven't really noticed which celebrities I think are well dressed. I did see a woman in the park the other day in a slash necked, 3/4 length sleeved pale blue and white bretton top, with what looked like wide legged light weight denim trousers and loafers who didn't look fussy but just really well turned out. She might have been what's triggered this introspection. I think looking up some examples on the internet might be a really good starting point. I do favour wide leg linen trousers in summer but not at any other time.
I think I might be a rectangle with boobs! My measurements are 39, 34, 40. That makes it sound like I have a waist but I really don't. I like the idea of colour flow thank you.
@DomPom47 I really like the m&s trousers. Shirts i like the look of but can be gappy at the boobs. I do like the cardigan too. Thank you for your advice.

I also lack a waist and I find high waisted and wide legged jeans/ trousers, coupled with a loose but slightly cropped shirt or top, works well. E.g. these with this worn with trainers or chunky soled smarter shoes.

@Imicola thank you for those ideas. Definitely try the higher waisted jeans. I like the top too but I have found I need a v neck or I look very monoboob and matron.