Where's good on the high street right now?

[PerArduaAdSolInvictus]

Not too badly off for shops - but can't stand the whole fighting through a jumble sale sensation, so want to have an action plan for Friday when I go shopping for work clothes BECAUSE I'VE FINALLY GOT A JOB HURRAH. Ahem.

I don't want to be spending too much - partly because we'll still be skint broke until the first cheques come in (and for a while after), but also cos I'm losing weight - trying to keep it between 1 and 2 pounds a week so it stays off. So I'm treating the clothes as maternity-wear in reverse IYSIM.

Looking for smart stuff - I love a good skirt or trouser suit but the jacket has to cover bum. Am hourglass with most sand at the bottom but good shoulders. Somewhere between a 14 and a 16 I think - am having fun going through old clothes and seeing what I can get into next. Thighs to scare horses with but knee down isn't so bad.

So just a few outfits before I move onto the next size down really. Oh, and some flattering jeans - especially dark dirty blue.

Oh, and I start Monday, so I've only really got one day to get sorted in (paperwork today, child stuff tomorrow, panicking at the weekend).

I wish we had an esprit or a kookai. Or a uniqlo... [wistful]

Did you try H&M? I agree thats it prob your best bet if you dont want to spend too much and there is a lot of choice to usually possible to find soemthing decent.
I have the H&M waterfall cardi (short one) which Norkily mentioned, its very flattering and comes in good colours, black, grey, purple.
H&M also tends to have good smart skirts and trousers too.

Oh dear, I'm sorry I suggested M&S

Was H&M any use?

Do you think you have enough to get you through a week at work? you can always go shopping again (in the sales maybe) and just need to get through the next couple of weeks.

And congratulations on the job. If you're anything like me, you're about to embark on a weekend of stressing, anxiety dreams and general worrying about new job so just remember the reality will be much much better than the anticipation

Ooh yes, got the black waterfall cardi, so I can wear the sleeveless dress

Didn't find any good trousers though...

And it was all a horrible jumble sale experience...

If you can, try to go to H&M with a friend, two pairs of eyes better than one and far easier to search/try on various sizes/styles if you have someone helping you.
I go with my sister and we take it in turns to help each other.

I buy the H&M fitted scoop tops in various colours and either wear them with the drape cardi on top or with a a pretty empire top over them, I find this keeps me warm but not too bulky and I just replace the scoop tops once they wear out (they are £8 each).

HAve a look at Great Plains website for sale items, if you can bear to use a credit card, they have some nice tops for good sale prices.

Boo to jumble sale experience

Hurrah for the waterfall cardi (v useful for work I find)

Gah. I went to Hennes with a friend and a sister once. They persuaded me to buy a polka dot top, because I was so worn out with resisting the lime-green ruffled shirt. Gah.

And every time I took something off a rail to look at it, two more things fell off the end.

Five years ago I would have been embarassed into picking them up.

This time I thought - 'am I being paid to compensate for your shop-arranging inadequacies'?

[liberated]

Uniqlo have a coulpe of lovely wool dresses on online atm - let me have a look...here

and in fact some lovely Jil Sander work shirts...here

tsk a couple - sorry distracted by dh going on about MPs expenses...

Yes, H&M is stressful and difficult to look round. But worth it for cheap but servicable work gear in my experience.

However, I can never find things a second time - when I next go in everything has moved and things just disappear.

Possibly because you knocked them off the rails, PerArdua

Domesticextremist - I was just looking at that merino boat neck dress.... it's so hard to tell from their pictures. It could be lovely but could also be clingy in all the wrong places or sack-like. So hard to tell.

Norkily - the only problem I have encountered with Uniqlo dresses is that they come up a bit short - they are normally fine in the fitting. But yes I see the worry...

Do you have other Uniqlo dresses then? Because I always wish they would put pictures of them on a model or mannequin so you get some idea of how they look on. The pictures are so unflattering.

Which dresses do you have? Are they quite straight-up-and-down as they look?

I have got a blue hooded cashmery one which tbh I wouldnt call a dress - its more of a long top - so I wear it with skinny jeans.

You can always belt them under the boobs tho iyswim.

I know what you mean though - the website makes it difficult - I was looking at those jil sander trews but couldnt work out how long them were so didnt get any.

Are you tall Domesticextremist? Or are they really quite short... probably not worth it if they're basically just long jumpers.

I think that one looks like a proper dress - think I was just unlucky. Am 5"6 but have a long body and short legs [not overly so - dont sit there imagine something weird] so that might have had something to do with it.

Lol at imagining something weird.

Am same height as you. Hm. Will have to think about it then, thanks for the info.

PerArdua, can I suggest that when you've reached your target weight you treat yourself to a session with an image consultant?

You'll find out what suits you and you'll be able to rely on your own judgement (you'll still have to contend with the jumble sale effect, though).