The Mock Turtle

I've got a load of these and they don't suit me. They are so comfy and convenient for work (and in general) but I also don't want to look like something out of French and Saunders.


Sorry for the grumpy face, I'm just tired.

I love wearing them with my Snag tights.

Can anyone suggest anything else please? Thanks.

Oh FFS the bastsrd things are still the wrong way around. I give up

Oh Lily, your grumpy face did make me smile ! There’s nothing wrong with that shape and if it’s comfy then crack on. The only other style I’d suggest would be a wrap style dress.

This from Unfolded pops up a lot on my feed
And this website has a lot of cute dresses.

Your grumpy face resonates deeply with me, Lily!

I wear a lot of "comfy, not too smart" dresses for work, so if it's helpful: I'm curvy, not tall, proportionally have wide shoulders and a wide back with a defined smaller waist, wide hips and a weightlifter's bum and thighs. In certain things I look blocky (not that I particularly care, it's just an observation). I have no idea if I'm in any way stylish (I suspect many of the young people I work with think I look vaguely frumpy!).

If I want to look not blocky, I usually go for:

"Fit and flare" dresses or whatever they're called now. Caveat, anything with a defined waist can make your shoulders appear wider and I remember you saying you were self conscious about yours. Frankly I think wide shoulders are awesome and should be celebrated but if you really want to minimise the visual impact look for dresses with a v or scoop neck, or wide shoulder straps, and think about sleeve length (avoid cap sleeves). A full skirt can also help balance your silhouette if that concerns you.

Wrap dresses as Luna suggested - I love them.

Fine knit jumper dresses, going for something lightly fitted rather than loose (although they can work with a belt).

Are skirts an option? I wear a lot of full jersey skirts with fine knit fitted jumpers.

I think there are some good suggestions above and I don't actually think the dress you're wearing is that horrendous, particularly if you had some chunky jewellery or something to take it a bit further away from leisurewear. I don't think the grey is a particularly flattering colour on you - your colouring is similar to mine, are the other similar dresses you refer to in brighter colours? I think you probably suit more of a jewel tone palette if you're like me.

Yes, dark reds, greens and pinks would look great.

Yes, that's a good point. That particular grey is quite neutral so you could also add something near your face in a jewel colour - a scarf is the old standby (are those tights deep pink or burgundy? If so I'd go for something in a crisp lime colour, perhaps with chocolate brown boots). I like the idea of chunky jewellery too.

I like dresses I can just throw on with tights or leggings underneath so I’d also go for fit & flare as Geek suggested, preferably jersey. M&S are good for this type of dress.

The dress looks fine, Lily. Wear it if it's comfy and you love it!

For summer, how about a jersey dress like this: https://www.hush-uk.com/elisa-jersey-mi ... -4317.html

I like the black version but I think you'd look nice in the pink!

I was going to suggest Hush too for comfortable jersey dresses which look smart. I also agree about you suiting bright colours, I am very pale with dark hair and I stick to jewel colours or black.

I also think that midi length looks better than knee length. I've gone right off knee length dresses these days, I'm often a late adopter with fashion though so midi dresses might not be that current

Thank you all. This has been really helpful. I didn't really think about colour, I just grabbed the same dress on eBay as many times as I could find it. It's interesting what you say about waists: I've always thought I need to define mine because I have a small one and it balances my shoulders out. I have never thought about midi length dresses either. I don't need many, just a few to make myself feel a bit smarter. I will look some out tomorrow and ask your views (probably going second hand for them).

Also - I do like skirts but very few suit me. I have some ruched ones from Baukjen which are the only flattering ones I've found - I can't wear pencil skirts as they're too tight over my hips. I try to find tops to go with them but I don't really know what goes with anything - for example can you mix textures? If the skirt is tight the top should be loose or I look like mutton dressed as lamb?

I have got a couple of scarves but not bright colours so maybe that would help. I don't have any chunky jewellery!

Do you follow any fashion influencers on instagram? Although they present an unachievable lifestyle a lot of the time, they are useful for inspiration and how to put an outfit together.

Back of the wardrobe 70 is a good one and I think she has codes for Baukjen

I think pencil skirts can a bit tricky for work, they make my arse look enormous and I always feel a bit exposed in them, in the same way I would if I had (accidentally) worn a low cut top at work.

I have a couple of work skirts like this but not leopard print. I wear them with a fitted black top or a fine knit jumper.

https://www.roman.co.uk/animal-printed- ... cIQAvD_BwE

Also look at how outfits are styled online. I love a midi skirt with a t shirt and there are loads of examples of that and the shapes that work together on the Hush website: https://www.hush-uk.com/clothing/skirts/midi

I wear a lot of t shirts actually and think they are very versatile. I've got a meeting at a fashion PR firm later so made more effort today and wearing a plain black fitted one today with a short black cotton jacket and jeans plus loads of jewellery (gotta rep for the brand ;) ) and feel pretty put together.

Oh and I am very into chunky jewellery, especially bracelets and necklaces in this kind of style: https://www.orelia.co.uk/products/emera ... gIVtvD_BwE

Definitely agree with Emma. I'll wear a t-shirt with different shapes of skirts, cigarette trousers, trainers, brogues and add a boucle little jacket

Big fan of tee shirts or very lightweight knits too. Zara sometimes has good tees (I have some stripy ones which are ancient and have held up well for years).

I mostly only wear pencil skirts for work and then only when I want to look more formal (I might sometimes wear one with a slouchy jumper and biker boots or a weird tee and trainers at the weekend). The kind of thing I had in mind was a flippy jersey skirt (kind of like the ones from Snag I guess). Very easy to wear with a tee shirt tucked in.

On me the fit of the jumper (loose, slouchy, fitted, whatever) matters less than the point at which it finishes. E.g. a loose hip length top over a skirt makes me look the same width as my hips and shoulders all over. However, wearing a top that finishes on my natural waist, or is belted, or tucked in (partially or otherwise) gives the whole look more definition by drawing the eye to a narrower point, and also visually elongates me. If that makes sense....!

I really wish I had some of you closer to me! Especially Geek - I always love your style.

I have tried cigarette trousers and really wish I could wear them, but I have never found a pair to suit me. I really like this https://www.hush-uk.com/raquel-midi-car ... -0408.html but have always thought something like that would be shapeless on me. I've been taught to show my legs off a bit to make up for the bulkier bits upstairs and I feared a midi skirt would make them look short and chunky but I always think they look lovely on other women so maybe I should give them a shot!

Let's assume I need a whole new wardrobe but I don't have much money so what should I get to create a capsule wardrobe and get several nice oufits out of?

I currently have ALL the jumper dresses. I got them simply because of the style.
I have two pairs of jersey trousers from Baukjen which are snug but are probably on their way out. I also have a pair of Hobbs trousers which are smart.
I wear these with long sleeved Oasis tops and scarves. I have two blouses. I did have a tunic thing to wear with jumpers but I just looked at it and realised how utterly shapeless it is.
I have the two ruched skirts from Baukjen which I adore. Their new style aren't as good so I am searching for a black size 14 on eBay.
I have got a real Thing about ensuring that my waist is tucked in because otherwise I look very bulky. So I never know how to wear a T-shirt or anything loose with a loose skirt like a Snag one.
I have lots of Snag tights and love wearing them so more ideas of how to wear skirts or dresses with them would be great.

I don't go on Instagram anymore; the problem is I see things I like, try them on and look ridiculous as they're not made for my body shape but I don't know what does.

French tuck a t shirt in to see if that gives enough sight on your waist.