I know it'll never happen but...

I agree with Monica. Wearing clothes well is more about style than size. I had a successful clothes shop and stocked clothes in the ratio of 1 small , 2 medium and I large size. The most disadvantaged customer was the very petite lady. The large customers had a huge range of clothes as many of the loose sizes worked well on large ladies but swamped the small ones. What made these larger ladies look fabulous was the WAY they wore the clothes, added accessories and had confidence. The models we used to display or at fashion shows were generally medium sized but any clothes concious person can translate whether that outfit would work for them. Colour, drape of fabric and accessories are all very important.
Nowadays there is such an eclectic range of fashion looks which is why mixing high street with vintage, cheap with expensive is so successful.

Skweek1 have you tried Wallis? They do a petite range.

Dresses/blouses I start with size 14 and then double check fit. Jeans depending on cut - used to buy TJ Hughes boot cut and varied between 10/12. Now use Very and last time tried 10/12/14. Eventually bought size 14. Now back to my old pair of Bootcuts size 10, but they keep falling down. Wish I could find suitable pair which actually fit. Admittedly I've dropped from approx 8 st 9 to 7 st 9 over the last year, so that could be something to do with it. Sometime must get together with a tape measure and see exactly what my measurements are. My biggest issue, though, is at around 5', I love wearing longer-line maxi dresses and skirts, but find everything everywhere is made for ladies of 6'+. I like to look feminine and still see myself as relatively chic - don't want to be forced into what we in the 60s saw as "old-lady clothes" - Eastex crimplene saggy skirts and jackets and the like. At home live in leggings and t-shirt or tunic, jeans etc, Anyone know anywhere which still caters for petite young GNs?

I'm a size 6/8 and find it a nightmare buying clothes to fit, mainly as I am also short. I don't like to buy children's clothes as the styles don't suit me so I have to just buy clothes online most of the time as although a number of shops do offer 'petite' sizes, not many have a huge stock of them instore. Try going into M&S for anything smaller than a 10, I never see anything. Same goes for most of the High Street shops. If only I could be about 8" taller I would be okay

And while we are on the subject: why are so many clothes only made in synthetic fibres? Pure cotton costs the earth these days, if you can find anything in it.

I am allergic to synthetic fibres and have a dreadful time trying to find clothes that I can have on for more than a minute at a time.

Deedaa, I have to disagree. I have a larger waist with stick thin legs (by comparison). I always have to have a much tighter waist than I really want because otherwise my backside and legs are swimming in fabric. Mind you, just lately I find that the calf area is getting smaller and smaller so when I buy a reasonably compatible size for the waist and backside, now the bottom of a trouser may be too small! I don't think my calves are any bigger so I am assuming it is the design.

I'm 5'4", big waist, no hips, narrow shoulders, 36DD bust. Take a size 14/16 - depending on the shop, the shape, the fabric etc. Find that stretch jersey dresses with cap or 3/4 sleeves suit me best. I never go longer than knee length, (too frumpy!) & often just above. I wear with a cardi, thick black tights and black suede ankle boots with a 1&1/2" heel in winter then fake tan my legs & wear with sandals in summer. Or I might wear black leggings with knee boots & a thigh length tunic dress in winter or Capri length leggings with sandals in summer. Sometimes a,fitted skirt just above the knee with thick tights, boots, coloured vest & fitted cardi. Anything with a,bit of stretch is good in my book! Have given up on the very casual items, including jeans, those awful cropped summer trousers and tshirt combos as they just make me look scruffy now I'm older! A nice patterned pashmina or scarf is always a good accessory if worn in the young style, but no frumpy granny knots lol. And I adore a long pendant necklace ?. People scoffed & Trinny &Susannah but I found their books really helpful. Plenty on charity shop shelves now!

A few years ago i saw a lovely long dress on m & s online and ordered it for a posh do I was going to. The dress fitted and I was pleased with it but looking at the photos later was disappointed that I looked nothing like the slim young model in the picture. I look elderly and plump
I Said to DH - well what did you expect? he replied ! I think I have an unrealistic idea of what I look like.

Hmm. I'm a 16 top and 14 bottom half and shop in M&S for limited items (too many frumpy cruise-clothes) and Primark plus Oasis and various other High St stores. I buy dozens of the cami tops with spaghetti straps and wear with separate pj bottoms or jeans. Skinny jeans and patterned leggings from Primark and jeggings from M&S plus many other High St shops. Some tops from Joules and John Lewis also Next, Primark and others. Primark stuff wears pretty well. I've never had buttons fall off or seams coming apart. I have lots of shoes...beautiful suede, ankle strap ones with 4" block heels in black, blush and merlot but also wear Sketchers and running shoes with my gym/yoga wear. I find that the right underwear is key to making clothes look good and I buy Bravissimo, Prima Donna and Fantasie lingerie for my 36GG boobs. The difference is amazing but Prima Donna is really expensive. My last 2 bras bought in Nov '16 cost £156 but worth every penny. Yes, good lingerie is key.

That's exactly what I was going to say MaggieMay!. When i click on say, Amazon, to look for clothes, they sometimes model them on relevant sizes, and that puts me off! A curvy size 18 in an outfit may be what I am, but I don't want the reality in a photograph. I am obviously deluded and shallow, but there we go

I must be very shallow, because I prefer to see clothes modelled on, well, models, and yes, usually slim ones (not skinny). I like to have something to aspire to, even if it's an impossible dream. Some websites do feature "ordinary" shapes and sizes, and I'm put off by the thought that if they look so bad on a model shot by a professional photographer, just how horrendous are they going to be on me?

Many tops for woman with some curves are just too straight. A slight A line from the waist makes such a difference.

Evans sometimes have some nice things although I tend to find they are too big all over with their smallest sizes.

I'm size 10 and love leggings. Ordered a fanciable pair from Next AND COULD NOT GET MY FEET THROUGH THE HOLES!!! I have NEVER encountered a problem like that - waist not fitting etc etc yes, but I could SEE that they would have fitted everywhere else. Had to send them back - so frustrating. NB I have normal-sized feet and ankles.

I agree with Deedaa, especially with regard to M & S trousers. It would help M & S if they were to go back to what they are good at, i.e. good quality basics. I used to buy standard black trousers there but now they are all 'slim fit'. Although I am a size 14 my legs certainly aren't 'slim'. Speaking to my dil recently, she said she used to buy t-shirts with 3/4 length sleeves but can't get them now.

I am prepared to be a 'bum donor' and bust too, want any flabby arms? Just PM me.

When I look at fashion pages it's usually because it gives me a good laugh. Many are styles that only a silly fashion victim would wear and I wonder how many (or few) of the typical readers would even consider them.
The prices are just as laughable (or sometimes POA) and it's no wonder the models look so damn miserable having to pose in them. Fashion editors must live on another planet.

Perhaps I could earn some money modelling clothes for ladies of a certain age , ?

There is a shop in our town that caters for BBWs and is run by two lovely BBW ladies but the dummies in the window are skinny Minnies. They said they tried bigger dummies but found it reduced the numbers of customers who came in to browse. Sadly proper size dummies seemed to put people off.

I'd prefer to see the clothes I'm considering buying on BBW dummies because I'd like to see how it would look on someone like me rather than someone who would look amazing in a bin bag.

My guess is that modelling on an "average" size 16 person would still not be mean modelling on a "real"person. Unfortunately, 'average' doesn't actually mean that most people are that shape - it is the number arrived at after all the wildly different vital statistics have been number crunched. Very few of us, even the size 16s, would match that average on every part of their body, if any at all.

I might see an outfit in a magazine and think 'oh, that looks nice', but I know my body shape well enough by now to recognise the fact that it wouldn't suit me/hang right on me/go over my hips etc.

I was talking about the shapes of everyday people. I don't really look at Chanel Suits and evening gowns to go shopping and do housework. That is for the upper classes.

I've got a nightmare figure to dress, top 3 sizes bigger than my bottom - bit like those games where someone draws half a person then folds the paper and next person draws the other half lol! Can only wear separates, and can't buy PJ sets etc.

It depends what “fashion”you are looking for. Proper haute couture designers like Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, Chanel, know how garments are constructed and tailored. Many of their designs are on a par with art, just look at the construction of , say a Chanel suit or evening gown that may be in one of their collections, it’s not the sort of thing you can find on your high street, they cost thousands, much of it constructed by hand. They are not “dopey buggers” as they can earn large amounts of money for their fashion houses who also can make money by selling luxury goods such as bags , perfume which people of any size buy. Such garments are shown off on the catwalk much better by tall skinny models - unfair I know, but it doesn’t stop older, different sized people taking some of the ideas and wearing versions of the clothes they like and can afford. Like many things in life, you get what you pay for.

Yes what ever happened to the " hour glass figure" . So much nicer to model fashion with a shapely body than a lollipop stick figure. It's just not very true to life for most ladies who have had children. Yes the designers are talentless because they would make themselves a heck more popular if they catered to different shapes and sizes. Dopey Buggars!!

lizzypopbottle Clothes suggestions for older ladies are often rather frumpy start by avoiding any clothes advertised as suitable for older women aka 'age appropriate' clothing.

I wear much the same clothes as DGD(10) and DiL(48) skinny trousers, leggings, ankle boots and a variety of tops, most bought from the usual high street chains: M&Co, Next, Monsoon,Sainsbury also Lands End (jeans). I have a limited wardrobe of clothes, wear them a lot then replace them when they wear out.

Deedee, my legs are also a problem, after my (non existent) waist. Why do manufacturers not realise that extra long, does not compensate for extra wide, thighs, that is.