What do you wear?

I really struggle to know what suits me these days. I lost the plot for a while confidence wise (bad time) but am feeling a bit more able to look for clothes now but haven't a clue what suits me. I buy something, try it on and think 'oh yes I like that'. Take it home, take the labels off and then when I come to wear it I wonder what I was thinking. I have a friend who has never lost her sense of style although she is older than me ( she's 65). She is small, petite and trendy. When I get ready to meet her, I think I look OK until she turns up looking fabulous, she seems to get every aspect just right

Quite chuffed to read what I wrote in June as I have lost the weight and I can now get into most of my clothes again [but have also taken on board what gracesmum said about not stocking up on clothes as medical conditions can cause weight gain and there's always a chance of thyroid problems or having to take steroids for other things]. Sometimes writing things down really helps with motivation. I've got a few more weeks before I go on holiday and am going to stick with the diet and exercise regime and then just do lots of walking [weather permitting]. I've still got loads of clothes in the wardrobe that need chucking out, though and , what's even worse are the number of clothes that I've bought on impulse and have never worn.

I have lots of dresses in my wardrobe because I do tend to keep everything. They all still fit me. But when I try one on that I haven't worn for a while it looks dated because the length is wrong. I'm only five foot tall and dresses that are below mid calf now look dowdy.
I know if I had them all altered to just below the knee the fashion would change again. Remember mini followed by midi followed by maxi? M too old for micro!

My d-in-law, who earns enough to spend hundreds of euros on clothes & accessories, has tried to rid me of my guilt about spending too much. She persuaded me to spend more than I'd ever dream of spending on a nice summer dress & lectured me about how I should wear it for 'everyday'. Of course I haven't as a) it's rarely hot enough; b) it needs uncomfortable shoes &, unless really hot, tights. But I love it & will enjoy wearing it for years as it won't have worn out (unless I do!)

I've just bought a Julien Macdonald animal print blouse on Ebay and have high hopes of it looking nicely tarty. Always like to give the mums something to tut about if I'm doing the school run

I think it depends where I have lived. In Kent, people dressed up quite a bit, but quite nicely. In Lincs, everyone was very casual, even in Lincoln. In Winchester, I felt I had to spend a fortune on a few smart items so as not to show my husband up. People were more up to date and even clothes a year old were noticed and only tourists and students wore jeans. Now in Suffolk it's far more relaxed but people dress up smartly in Bury St. Edmunds even to go to the shops, so I get a chance to wear smart things if I feel like it without looking out of place.

Yes, jeans can be smart. Some of them look just like well-cut dark navy blue trousers. I often wear my favourite black stretchy jeans if my expensive black wool ones are feeling a little snug. My daughter (28) is going to a big law firm dinner tomorrow night for the first time and was astonished to find that smart jeans and pretty evening tops are the norm.

I love clothes, love to dress up. I sometimes find casual quite difficult to manage. As my daughter says, I'm never knowingly under-dressed. And she is exactly the same, but hasn't yet realised it!

Wonder if we should start a clothes swap forum for people who have nice clothes in really good condition that they just can't wear any more? I sometimes find it hard to believe that I can't get into clothes that I wore justa couple of years ago; feel as if I've grown another me in a Michelin Man sort of way.

A sort of cousin by marriage did what Tegan says she is doing - i.e. "stocking up" before retiring. She liked Cotswold Collection (?) - a bit pricey at full price, but she would buy in the sales. Unfortunately she has a particularly nasty and incurable form of fibrosis and has had serious steroid treatment with the concomitant weight gain and all her lovely skirts are now too small. She also had to give up work early and can't afford to buy clothes any more as she is living on her OAP and not a lot more. A salutary tale - buy and wear while you can.

Ana......................Well, we tried!

Ella, I have some lovely, floaty tops I bought in Spring 2012 for the summer...still unworn!

Jeans and leggings with ankle boots in the winter, calf length trousers, linen trousers in the summer, if it ever arrives. I buy shirts/blouses and tops from East, Marks, Gap and Monsoon. I wear t shirts with string type straps underneath. I love scarves, have loads of Pashmina type of things. I buy shoes from Office, Jones the Bootmaker, Shoon and Dunne. Office are great for ankle boots, they look as good as Russell and Bromley but at a fraction of the price, although I did buy a black quilted handbag from Russell and Bromley which is a good copy of the classic Channel bag, but much cheaper. I bought a nice pair of black suede wedge sandals there recently. I have a few classic pieces, such as trench style raincoat that I have had for a long time and my most expensive buy was a Mulberry bag. Bags are my indulgence but I keep them a long time. I have skirts but I don't like them and rarely wear them now. If we are walking for any distance I tend to opt for trainers, or in the summer I have a good pair of Ecco sandals I can walk for miles in and sometimes I carry them in my handbag, because they are light, to change into if we are going up to London and traipsing around.

A few weeks ago I bought two lovely, floaty silk tops from Monsoon, to wear in the summer....................................................

I tend to dress fairly formally all the time. I hate jeans and only wore the for sailing. Very rarely wear trousers as I don't feel right in them.
I wear dresses or suits for work,the dresses with a formal. Jacket or very occasionally a cardigan.
I always try to appear smart.

Ella - maybe we saw each other and didn't know ! Another thing I remember about it was the friend who I went with said that her husband had advised us to back Lester Piggot in every race he rode in. I went along with the suggestion and we lost all our money. I also went to a garden party at Buckingham Palace 4 years ago. They had the worst weather anyone could remember at a garden party, and it had to be abandoned. There was torrential rain, thunder and lightening, tables being blown over by the (gale force) wind. My husband always describes me as 'like a week of wet weather' could he be right.........?

KatyK I was there too that year! The black trim on my hat dripped balck dye all over the shoulders of my lovely white linen jacket!
Both in the bin!

I went there once years ago, it rained so hard all day I had to put my hat
in the bin on the way home!

Perhaps we should arrange a gransnet trip to Royal Ascot next year so we can dress up ....

I go to our local pub a couple of times a week with DH. I usually wear jeans and different tops. Last week we had been out somewhere and just
popped in for a quick drink. I had a plain shift dress and sandals on. I was
met with people saying 'blimey where do you think you are going' and 'oo look at you'. There was a time when I would really dress up, even for the pub but as no one else does it, neither do I. Shame really.

Ruthdpl; that is so true. I have so many clothes that I've bought for family weddings and never worn again. I did find a second hand designer shop from which I would buy something for the works do each year . In fact, this thread has spurred me into action [she says, sitting browsing gransnet having her second coffee of the day ]. I found a wonderful retro t shirt at Laura Ashley a couple of years ago and was chuffed to go back to the shop and see they had more so I bought 4 altogether. Since then I have only worn one of them as I'm 'saving them'. So I've gone out and bought more t shirts for my trip to Paris and they remain in the wardrobe.Thankfully I wear a sort of uniform for work so I don't have to think of smart clothes. With me thinking of retiring I'm spending a lot of my wages on clothes 'for the future' and these really are the sort of clothes I live in. Bought two shirts from M&S because I always wear layers in summer due to the weather [t shirt, shirt on top and fleece round waist; fold up raincoat in handbag]. I've just found a website that sells Nike Air Pegasus in tasteful colours [I have mutant feet and can only wear Nike Air] having just bought a pair in fluorescent green [yuk] which I can't take back to the shop]. I realised that, for all the nice clothes I own I was dressing like a tramp when I go out. Apologies for blabbing on but I'm using this thread as a way of sorting myself out [although it's open to debate whether I'll get to throw anything away and I still need to slim into most of my jeans, having only two pairs that fit at the moment].

I always remember the good old 80/20 rule. This says that we wear 20% of what we have and yet spend 80% on 'occasion' things, which we wear 20% of the time - if that.

So if you live in jeans & t shirts 80% of the time, then spend more money on those things and get the best quality jeans, joggers & t shirts you can afford. Makes sense to me!

I think it is time for my daughter to organise another 'swishing' party. Everyone is invited to bring along clean unwanted clothing and take away a similar number if wanted. It is a cost-free way to update a wardrobe. No money changes hands, but DD provides nibbles and a few people like to bring wine. Clothes are brought on hangers and sorted by size, and a fun time is had by all. I offloaded my plus sized garments after losing weight, but resisted the temptation to go away with much, as I still have my smaller things. I did take a leather waistcoat which I have worn a lot, it smartens up a plain top and jeans.

I am wearing some trousers bought in Laura Ashley this summer. Very pretty, in a rose patterned fabric.

What is puzzling is why everyone thinks comfort and style are mutually exclusive. My Laura Ashley trousers are just as comfortable as any bought only for comfort as are the tops and sweaters I wear with it. William Morris said 'Have nothing in your homes that you do not know to be useful and believe to be beautiful.' That can apply just as much to clothes as to house interiors.

As for smart clothes once worn to work, mine were in a charity shop within a week of retiring. I have one smart dress, and that is that. My ordinary day to day clothes see me through most social occasions. I did buy a cocktail dress for my godson's wedding three years ago which I have worn about once a year since, but I have lost some weight recently and it no longer fits well so that will soon be dancing down to the charity shop.

I tend to wipe my hands down my apron when cooking and wear them for about a week before I put them in the wash.

Jess, I only went to one, made sure I had my 'foundation garments' on underneath, and left early. The swinging sixties passed me by