Several months ago I saw a fabulous pair of pinstripe wide leg trousers for sale on Unique Vintage.

Unique Vintage High Waisted Trousers

I immediately fell in love with them, however there was something holding me back from buying them and that was because they were a little out of my comfort zone.

This was because they were very high waisted with attached braces. Now with my wide hips and huge bosom, I just didn’t think it would look nice.

As much as my body positivity and confidence has grown over the past 5 years,  there are still a few things that challenge me somewhat and it seemed like these high waisted trousers were just one item of clothing too far.

But I kept looking at the trousers over a period of months and I just really loved them.

It got to around September of last year and there was a deep discount on the website. I looked at them, looked again and in a fit of happiness decided to order them.

I mean, if they looked that bad I could take the braces off, get the waistband taken off by my seamstress and wear them as normal trousers.

Whilst waiting for the trousers to arrive, I took a leaf out of an old friends book, the beautiful Jenny Tree who had gone with a stunning gender fluid look when using a mans shirt and tie to complete the look with her wide leg trousers.

The Stunning Jenny

All I needed was a shirt, tie, shoes and maybe a fedora to finish off the look.

Jenny Tree at her best!

As luck would have it, I was visiting a workplace over the other side of the County. When it got to lunchtime I had a wander around the town and popped into a couple of charity shops.

In the British Heart Foundation shop I saw this tie. It was a stunning purple colour with cream dots. It also had an iridescent sheen to it and I thought it was a perfect look to go with my trousers.

Absolute Bargain!

I asked how much it was as there wasn’t a tag on it. The assistant popped out the back to check and when she came back, she asked if £2.99 was ok. Well of course it was!

I bought the tie and a couple of other things; Aurora Borealis brooches. It was a very successful day.

Aurora Borealis Brooch – Just needs a polish.

When I got home I had a better look at the tie. It felt lovely and was quite heavy.  Turning the tie over I saw some embroidered labels; Handmade and also a makers label, New and Lingwood of Jermyn Street.

Who?

As I go to London quite regularly (and it is pretty famous) I am aware of Jermyn Street, home to the Tailors and Bespoke clothing.

Of course I had to go and Google the name just to see if something came up.

When it did I was literally gobsmacked!

New and Lingwood do indeed trade on Jerymn Street and clearly I didn’t know what I was buying, nor did the Charity Shop know what they were selling.

Dressing Gowns for £2,500, Suits starting at £995. Opera Capes for £1, 250.

And Silk ties for £125.00.

Just like my silk tie.

What an absolute surprise. I genuinely had no idea what a bargain I was buying when I picked up the tie in the shop, but I am so glad I did.

My first Windsor knot!

So I have the trousers and the tie. I just need a shirt, shoes and a hat.

In actual fact, I just needed a shirt as I have so many hats that I could wear. The front runner wear with this outfit was on I got last Winter from Birmingham; a black felt tilt caplet with a side bow.

The perfect hat?

Now to look for a shirt and shoes.

This is where I came a bit of a cropper. Trying to find a decent formal female shirt that can be worn with a tie, in a plus size was impossible. It was as rare as could be.

That is not to say I couldn’t find a shirt; they were just all flimsy, thin cotton and soft collars. Just not what I was looking for.

I had no other choice but to go towards the mens section.

Thankfully I managed to find a fabulous option on the Ambrose Wilson at a pretty good price point. The white long sleeve formal shirt has the perfect collar for wearing a tie and is only £14.00.

Mens Formal

Literally this just leaves shoes.

I know precisely what I want, which is a pair of black and white Oxford style brogues. Or a plain white pair. And I can find them in a lot of places, Ebay, Etsy, Amazon and more.

Beautiful Brogues

All I need now is to buy these last couple of pieces in order to pull the whole look together.

Too Plain?

What do you think? Will it all work?

Watch this space to find out….

Till then,

SPSG xxx