Wardrobe revamp at 55: high quality brand suggestions for petite classic style

[ChinaKing]

I have spent the last 15 years wearing Boden, Mint Velvet and Phase Eight and I've woken up today and decided I've had enough - it's all nice stuff and some pieces I will stick with but most of it is mediocre and the quality these days isn't so great.

I have some savings that I am happy to dip into for a serious wardrobe revamp.

I am looking for brand. / designer suggestions that would work best for a 55 year old woman. Petite, gamine / classic style as I'm only 5'3". Nothing shapeless - things I wear need to have a defined waist.

I’m 5’3” and the higher end stuff I always go back to is

Reiss - great petite range, still high street but good quality, lovely tailoring and classic with an occasional twist

Twinset - again still high street so may not make your criteria a but cut with less volume than most places. I have to take trousers up, but skirts and dresses are not so long that they look ridiculous if I don’t.

Sandro - borderline designer but neatly cut. Trousers tend to be a bit long but my recollection is there was a significant difference between length depending on whether you take a 34 or a 40, so that would change your situation. sleeve lengths are reasonable which is a win.

Victoria Beckham - her dresses and blouses are fabulous, although trousers are a disaster on me due to length.

Isabelle Marant - the albini dress is great for petites.

Both MaxMara (and all the diffusions including Marella which I really like for classic look) run relatively shorter. In fact many of the Italian brands (Gucci, D&G particularly) offer a bit of grace in that department.

lots of stores will offer in house tailoring but unless it’s trouser length only I tend to use my preferred tailor.

How high end do you want to go?

Petite, gamine / classic style as I’m only 5’3.

Y’see I wouldn’t start from there. I’m a smidgen under 5’3 (and a handful of years older than you) and would feel ridiculous in the style you describe. Would you not be happy to experiment with different shapes and proportions? And maybe something less classic?

These are some of the (more mainstream) brands I’m fond of and wear regularly. All of these fit me, with careful choosing, sometimes after alteration. I wear skirts often, but don’t like neat waisted dresses (and hadn’t heard the phrase fit and flare before MN). I like clothes in beautiful fabrics, with structure, and evidence of craftsmanship, that take up space without shouting. And that don’t look painfully new.

Baker’s dozen:

Acne Studios
Budd London
La Fetiche
Loulou de Saison
Maison Margiela
Margaret Howell (and MHL)
Marni
MSGM
Petar Petrov
Sofie D’Hoore
Studio Nicholson
Zara
Zimmermann

That should be ‘don’t like neat comma waisted dresses’.

Oh … No return from the OP?

Have I just written someone else’s SM content. Again?

I did this a couple of years ago. I am petite and 54. What I did first though is get my colours done (I have let my hair go white so it’s changed my tone a bit) and it helped me prune out a load of stuff before starting buying new, then I gap shopped.

No - just have been busy and not on MN. Thanks for your suggestions.

That’s fine - but people may not post where an OP disappears. (This is me bumping your thread!)