Hi Caryn,

I am wondering if you could give me some pointers. I am 27 and just had my 3rd child. I feel young, but my body looks more like a woman who’s in her mid 30s.

I am pretty tall (5′9″ or so) and slender. I have large breasts (G cup) after nursing my three children…and of course, I have a baby belly. I’m just not sure what kind of clothes would look best on my young but motherly body.

Thanks!
Erin

Caryn replies:

Hi Erin,

As a busy, young mum you need clothes to be practical as well as stylish, I’m now going to recommend lots of clothing solutions that will help you to dress your ‘tall and top heavy,’ shape – these are just some of the tools I feature in my e-books for dressing your body type.

But let’s start from the inside out.

The first step is to go and get your bra correctly fitted. If you are still breast-feeding then you obviously need to still wear a soft bra. If however you are bottle-feeding then you can invest in a good underwired bra to give you lift. Check out Marks and Spencer in our shopping mall who offer an excellent service.

Once measured you can then buy bras that are supportive but also sexy. In particular M&S sell a bra called Ceriso DD-G Embroidered Trim, it’s underwired and structured for support and enhanced shape and a great colour too!

Try also a high waisted knickers- again Marks and Spencer who do a range called Magic they are actually sexy teamed with a matching bra. More importantly they will help to sculpt your body, giving you shape and confidence. Try their ‘bodies,’ which also work well with dresses.

Next invest in a good pair of jeans; as you are young you can easily wear the latest jean trend – the kick flare. You will probably find that you still need to wear maternity jeans, so if this is the case check out Topshop’s maternity range who do a gorgeous pair of them. ‘I Love Jeans‘ is a great website and one you can use to research your jeans solutions. Another label I’m always raving about is the ‘Tummy Tuck’ jean you can get these from the above site and having tested them on a few make-over features, I know they work.

For your top half you need to minimise your bust area, avoid fuss such as ruffles and go for tops to flatter such as v-neck, scoop neck or wrap style. Printed tunics are good for you as they look Summery and fresh over a pair of jeans – perfect for spring, and great for covering a tummy, but check that the design gives you fit around the bust – some are rather gathered and smock-like and will make you look bigger.

When it starts to get warmer check out handkerchief halternecks which are also good for you as they will flatter both your bust area and draw attention to the central fold detail, and therefore act as a distraction from your middle area. Warehouse in our shopping mall have a printed version you can easily wear with a cardigan to tone the look down.

Dresses are also very much on trend now with the emphasis being on floral, feminine dresses that are A-line in shape so will skim your body. Dress down with a pair of footless tights and flat pumps. And add layers such as cardigans, denim jackets or wraps for warmth.

The Parka is still around and Oasis have a great version that you can throw onto any of the looks above and look stylish. The selection of pockets also makes it extremely practical!
Finally finish off any look with bright accessories, such as a big bangle and long beaded necklace or scarf.

Remember you’ve been out of the loop for a while (occupied by much more important things) so do a little research on our site by looking at the high street images we post for spring and summer. Here we talk about each trend and it’s suitability for body shape. This will acclimatise you before you go shopping.

Have fun, Caryn.

Related posts:

1. Jeans are great … but need help with colours and patterns!
2. What to Wear to a Wedding
3. Capsule Clothing for Pear Shapes
4. Weddings – what to wear?
5. Curvaceous body shape: what to wear?