Help! Am overweight, slobby and have a christening to attend!

[MamaHobgoblin]

Next month. I had DS about a year ago and am still, ahem, carrying some weight. I'm a 16 and have a horrible flabby tummy, and none of my control pants fit. Keep on meaning to buy Spanx, but they're so expensive and I find all that sort of thing so uncomfortable I tend to do without.

I have a pair of presentable knee length black boots, and also (probably) some ok black smart shoes. So anything I get has to go with that. What on earth do I wear to a presumably smart event in late March, when it's probably going to be chilly? (I will also be breastfeeding, but he's tricky to feed in public these days, would rather be partying, so we may get around that some other way.) Wrap dress? Smart black top to go with quite nice silk skirt in purples and charcoal that I already have? Too funereal?

Am hopeless, and since having DS feel as if I've stepped off Planet Just-About-Presentable and am living in a slobby rut.

bump?

Do you have a budget or perhaps an indication of your style?

Would this be something you'd wear?

this with shrug if still bf?

if you have great boobs/legs

Or something edgier?

monsoon skirt

How about a wrap dress ? If you are blessed in the nork department, Bravissimo have some really nice ones (some still in the sale online) and they are very flattering and easy to bf in

Or a tunic dress, leggings and your boots ?

Do you know how smart it will be ?

A wrap dress sounds good. Or how about a top in grey, lilac or purple to go with the skirt you already have? I think you should avoid a black top, as it may make the outfit a bit too gloomy or workwear-like for a christening.

Thanks! Heated, I have no style. I slop about in whichever of my long cord skirts still fit, and plain black cotton tops. If I'm feeling dressy, I might put on my knee length patterned cord skirt (it isn't Boden but looks a bit Boden). Everything I own appears to be cord!

I do like the Monsoon daisy dress, I found it last night after I posted this, and my only reservation is that it's a bit grey and sad-coloured. But it does look like something I could wear in summer too. I have a smallish budget and would like something I can wear for semi-smart daywear afterwards.

CMOT, I was hoping for some wrap dress suggestions, so I'll have a look at Bravissimo. I suppose my norks are ok - twisting round, I see that my Royce feeding bra is a 38F. Blimey. That sounds big, but I don't think I look that boobtastic!

I agree about avoiding black tops, it just seemed like an easy way out. When did I become so middle-aged in my dressing, anyway? I used to have a personal style, back in the ... um, 90's. hides under stone

Hi there MH - what about going to Debenhams/John Lewis and getting a personal shopper?

I went to the John Lewis one 'cos I was mother of the bridesmaid back in September (would it be hot/cold type dodgy weather!) and it was fab - you try on all sorts of things that you wouldn't in a million years if you were left to your own devices and you are under no obligation whatsoever to buy what you try.

How about this dress ? The fixed wrap and ruching makes it easy to wear

this is nice too, love the colour, but not so sure of how flattering it would be round the tum

I think a wrap dress would be fab since you can wear a long T underneath to dress it down later - there is a print one with a cardi I've seen somewhere but can't locate it. In the mean time:

www.marksandspencer.com/gp/product/B001O2HISA/sr=1-11/qid=1234621497/ref=sr_1_11/278-6940411-7803154 ?ie=UTF8&node=&m=A2BO0OYVBKIQJM&keywords=&mnSBrand=core&size=60&rh=n%3A43091030&page=2 with your black boots

wallis

next tunic dress

I bought a bf dress from here and I love it. They don't have mine still but I do recommend. I bought it for a wedding - dd bf all day as she was a bit freaked so a godsend. I still wear it all the time. They are very helpful people too.

~Mine is this one BTW. They did have it after all.

Thanks everyone, you're all virtual personal shopper stars! Had to go out, so sorry for delayed response.

I think I'll take myself to John Lewis and Debenhams and see if I can find something, perhaps ask someone for some help (have never done that in a store before). I'd usually go to Monsoon but all their stuff is sort of odd to me these days and tends to be very fitted across the tummy!

I liked the various wrap dresses shown to me - the purple one from Bravissimo looks the nicest to me. Like the cut of the blue one but not sure it's my colour.
Thanks for all the help, and if anyone comes across any further wrap dresses, please let me know!

Big knickers to hold it all in from TKMaxx. They have loads of different ones at a bargain price. You do need to go alone and have some time to try them all on though. Its not exactly a fun day out, but you will be pleased you went IMO

If you'd like to wear your boots with a dress, I think this one would look good or this if you think plain black could be too sombre for the occasion!

A wrap type top would be great with your skirt, and those Bravissimo dresses looks really pretty. Hope you have a lovely time.