Choose me a new look.

I genuinely don't know any. They're all trendy and skinny and stylish down here. I stick out like a sore thumb.

Zaha Hadid is not the leanest woman, but my God, she rocks. Please don't dress like her though. She seems to be wearing clothes resembling the buildings she designs.

Maybe you should get out of Cornwall more

God no. It's worse in London.

You don't have to be thin to be stylish!

All the clothes in my size are fucking hideous though. Or they're too short. Or they're just shit.

Right, I'm off to bed. I expect this thread to be teeming with photos of sexy, bohemian fatties by the morning.

You're not looking in the right places Stop making excuses!

I'm off to bed too so good luck with the photos.

This isn't really about how you look madz. You are doing that hating on yourself thing!
But yeah..I'll play

Get more hair cut into your fringe, the pic of you in the orange wig with the thick fringe is hot...and look at the way the rest of the hair is off your face aswell, that's really flattering

As for clothes...I have no taste, ask spangles

Stylish bohemian artist with in linen'y expensive Boden type clothes says floaty and unstructured to me which like you've said can be a bit Dawn Frenchy

So fat middle aged women who look ok curvy women who I can think of off the top of my head who look gorgeous are Nigella, Christina Hendricks and Queen Latifah, And they all wear structured and tailored stuff. Probably not very practical for when you're grafting in the studio though.
And even though she's skinny as owt and possibly somewhat up herself, Daphne Guinness wears beautful clothes and has an interesting style. Two-tone hair, loads of diamonds, 9 inch heels, fishnets and veils do for you??

I know it feels that way and seems that way, but it's not true. You just need to look a bit harder, on a day when you're not feeling miserable etc.

Too much legs??



Only decent photo I could find where the lady is wearing trousers>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>^^^^^

I look all the time. ALL the time. Anything that is in my size is ill fitting in other ways. It's either too short on the hem or too short on the waist so it'as tucked up under my tits. I'm really not making excuses. You can either be tall or fat. If you're both it's really hard to get anything that fits.

And if it's that easy where are the photos?

Sorry gem. I hate all of those.

If you like your tutor's lineny look, then how about getting yourself a good pair of tailored linen trousers, wide legged? I think it might be sale time right now? Places like Phase Eight, Fenn Wright Manson, Hobbs can do some really well tailored trousers. I always liked Fenn Wright Manson for their trousers because they come up really long (I'm 5'9 and they fit perfectly).

If you had a couple of really good pieces then maybe it would inspire you to build your wardrobe around them?

I am fully prepared for you to not like this idea though!

She doesn't wear tailored trousers. What shoes would you wear with trousers?

I'd wear whatever, cos I'm a bit slummy. If they're wide-legged trousers then you should be able to put boots, heels or trainers underneath without spoiling the line. I think I mainly wore those cheap flat primark shoes, like dolly shoes/ ballet flats.

Do you like those drapey cardis, by the way?

That's the thing that puts me off trousers. I think most shoes look shit with them.

I don't know what I like right now tbh. I have a drapey purple cardi but I think it just makes me look like a potato.

this kind?

I didn't look shit!

I know what you mean but if they're wide-legged then only your toes will peep out.

Not really. I have something a bit like it but it's a bit more fitted.

I don't want to dress inappropriately young but I don't want to look frumpy either. I can't seem to get it just right.

I'm sure you didn't
I used to wear wide legged trousers in the summer because they looked alright with chunky sandals but I've tried in winter and I look down at my feet and think 'I look like my mum'.

Anyway. I'd better find something hideously unflattering to put on and get to uni where I can spend the rest of the day trying to avoid anything reflective

Have a good day, madz.

At least you're getting dressed, I'm 8 hours ahead of you and I'm still only wearing my drapey cardi.

Madz you should know what I'm like by now - I don't/can't do photos Seeing as you've described yourself as both tall and fat, you could probably get away with dressing as anyone of 'normal size' would, as long as it fits you.

FWIW re the lineny look - found a linen top in TK Maxx this year which looked like every other linen top - 3/4 sleeve notch neckline, white on white embroidery on the front. But unlike the others, it didn't make me look barrel shaped. Instead of the front being one panel, maybe shaped with darts, it was made princess line with 3 shaped panels at the front (the back was still one flat panel) so that it draped better. IMHO that's the kind of subtle tailoring you need to look for if you want to go down the drapey linen route.

As for which shoes you'd wear with trousers, IMHO more or less the same ones as with a maxi skirt: Whatever you like, not much of them's going to be noticed anyway.

Sorry no quick & easy answers here. Got the opposite problem of having shetland pony proportions. You think having the waist under your tits is bad? Try having the bust darts almost over your waist, making you look like you've got an extra pair. Or putting on a winter coat, and finding that it looks like it's trying to swallow you.

you need practical stuff, right madz? stuff you can work in? which kinda rules out structured/tailored things. but you already wear a lot of dresses, right? i'm not gonna go suggesting you make your own but why not explore the vintage repro stuff that's around atm? not the costumey ones but there's loads of high st stuff that's "vintage-inspired" atm. for a start a lot of the vintage stuff has a more "modest" silhouette than standard fashion, longer skirts etc. i haven't looked at pearl lowe's latest peacocks stuff, but that might be a place to start. i dunno if they go up to 16 or 18 as standard but i've found a lot of it is very generously cut, though i don't know what size you are.

if you had time you could do a shopping day in a department store where you just grab everything in your size in one colour (e.g. black), and try it all on together - at random - to see if you can hit on a basic silhouette you like. don't buy anything but take pics of everything in the changing rooms and post them here for opinions. then you can search out those shapes in a colour you like - if not black - that you can use as a basic wardrobe adding prints/other colours as and when or with scarves etc. (heh don't take my word on that one though, i don't do scarves).

why not take a look at a few real-life fashion blogs? yunno, the ones where they show their outfits every day, or wardrobe remix on flickr. that way at least you can pick out a few looks that appeal to you as a starting point. and then there's the newsy blogs like this one that tell you what's actually in the shops atm.

I don't want to go down the drapey linen look. It's one of the looks I want to avoid at all costs.
I also wouldn't wear a maxi skirt