Find a friend who is both kind and has a really good eye for putting together an outfit, not necessarily someone who is really good at -fashion-, but someone who’s style you admire. The sort of person who always looks well put together, even if they’re just wearing jeans and a tshirt. And someone who is willing to help you discover your own style, not make you a clone of theirs.
Ask them to spend an afternoon shopping with you. Not to buy anything, not then anyway, but to try clothes on. Go to a big department store where you’ll have lots of things to choose from.
The purpose of this exercise is to work out what suits you, what colours, styles, shapes and sizes work for you. Everyone is different, everyone’s proportions are different, and so what might work really well for one person, jwon’t necessarily work someone else, even if they’re a similiar size and colouring.
Try on pants, skirts, dresses, tops, as much as you can be bothered with. Ask your friend’s opinion and listen to them, be critical of the clothes (not yourself!), if they look good, think about why (the colour? the neckline? the length?), if they don’t look good, again, think about why.
If you can’t tell, then trust your friend’s opinion, listen to them and start to really see the clothes in relation to your body.
Your job is to find out what works for you, what flatters your good points and disguises your not-so-good points. This will probably mean trying on a lot of things! Experient, try styles and colours you haven’t thought of before. Try on expensive things, you’re not going to buy them, but you’ll learn about the fit of well-made clothes and good fabrics.
You can do this alone, but if you’re not in the habit of thinking about your clothes, it really does help to have someone with a good eye shopping with you.
Eventually you’ll have a list which might go something like:
colours = cream, pink, red, pale blue, navy. Never burgundy, white or lime green.
Necklines = round or V, no high necks.
Skirts = A, kneelength or shorter. NO pleats.
Pants = bootleg, no side pockets, NO stovepipes.
I’m making the list up, because it will be personal to you.
Once you have some confidence that you know what suits you, you can take your list to thrift stores/discount shops, etc, and buy clothes with some confidence (but always trying them on for fit).
Unless you’re very lucky, the stuff that suits you won’t be the latest fashions. But real style comes from wearing clothes that suit you, and if the latest designs don’t work for your body shape and style, then don’t wear them.
It comes down to developing an eye for the way things work together and on your body. If you can develop this, then you’ll be well on the way to putting together a personal style which is practical and flattering.
You can cultivate your eye. Buy fashion magazines (or go to your local library which probably has some), look at the clothes and the way the stylists have put outfits together. Take note of things which really appeal to you and see if you can find versions (chain stores will have knock off versions of catwalk fashions almost before the model has finished her trip down the carpet) to try on. You’ll find some things which suit you, some things that don’t. Look at how outfits are put together and experiment with your own clothes.
Get your friend to help you put together some outfits, things you already own which work well together and look terrific on you (bearing in mind that if you own things which don’t fit the above criteria of fitting and being flattering, send them to the op shop).
If you’ve got a dress you like, find a jacket and shoes which go well with it. If you’ve got a favourite skirt, work out some top/jacket/shirt/shoe combinations which work with it. You’ll probably identify some gaps, and that’s when you get to go shopping.
Work those outfits. You’ll get better at putting them together, and you’ll have fun experimenting, but these are your basics, attractive, comfortable outfits that work for you.
Some general points.
Stand up straight! I truly believe everyone in the world could look five pounds lighter if they cultivated good posture.
Invest in good underwear. You don’t have to be buying La Perla, but you want stuff that fits you (very important for bras), is supportive and comfortable.
Mostly things with a bit of stretch in them (a bit of stretch, as opposed to skin tight lycra) will be flattering and comfortable.
Don’t buy clothes that don’t fit. If it doesn’t fit, if it pulls, stretches, gapes,is tight, is uncomfortable or whatever, walk away, no matter how great the bargain. If it doesn’t fit, it won’t flatter, and you’ll never be comfortable wearing it.
All designers and manufacturers work off slightly different shapes for making their clothes. This means that clothes from two different designers, even if they’re the same size, will fit quite differently. Some labels, even if you like their clothes, will never fit you well for this reason. See if you can find a brand which fits your body shape.
Don’t buy clothes just for the sake of having something to cover you. Unless you’re painting the walls or digging ditches, wear clothes that suit you. You have to get dressed anyway, why not get dressed in things that look nice on you? This could mean something as simple as buying tshirts in colours which suit you, but if you look good, you’ll have that bit more confidence which is always a nice thing.
If you can afford it, buy (or make) a couple of pieces in wonderful fabrics and just the right colours for you. A great jacket can make a simple outfit look extraordinary, a beautiful skirt can be worn with a simple tshirt, a wonderful pair of shoes can make jeans and top look like designer wear.
), so I’m not entirely sure – are skirts an option? If so, you can probably do a fair amount – go with skirts that are cut full and gathered, so they’re easy to move in – knee length or so (longer than mid-calf and you start tripping over yourself going up and down stairs). Try solid colors in a sturdy material (denim or twill, something like that). You can mix and match those with sweaters and turtlenecks, both in solid colors and in patterns – wear 'em with opaque tights (navy blue, black, other dark colors) and comfortable flats (loafers, oxfords) and you’ve got a look that’s nice but very practical. Add a scarf, necklace, some funky earrings, and you’re a bit dressed up – but even without, you look a little more pulled together than jeans, jeans, and jeans.