I'm the overweight pp. I get my workout clothes at Nordstrom (Zella brand). I wear a large or xl depending on the fit.

I'm a SAHM and I do work out a lot (I'm a big emotional eater, which is for another thread). So, I'm in zella most days. Their clothes are a flattering cut and the material is very body friendly.

One other thing- I wear shape wear daily. Do not underestimate the compression tank top- it really helps smooth things out.

If you have any gray hair, do not let it show. Cover it up..Even if it is a few strands.

If your hair is past your shoulders, wear it up when at work in a stylish up-do.

Even if your eyes are good, a pair of fashionable eyeglasses always make you appear smart and classy.

Good clear skin, straight white teeth and for woman, always wear at least SOME make-up when in public.

Stylish, well-fitted clothing, minimal/moderate jewelry and minimal body piercing. No tattoos. None.

Best of all....No slouching, no cursing, esp. no "F-bombs," and no fingernail biting.

Always have your nails at the bare minimum neatly filed and buffed. Polished optional.

Anonymous wrote:I also invest more in nice shoes, bags and outerwear - things that you use all the time and people notice most.

For me that means - an LV Neverfull for everyday. I use it all the time and necessarily ally worth it to me. Ferragamo myjoy ballet flats for casual looks, nice gucci pumps for work, a burberry jacket for spring and fall - wear it over my yoga pants and you still look polished. I buy jeans from Target or Macys - I refuse to spend on that and the difference is not noticeable. Same with workout clothes.

I also have one nice watch - Cartier. And always wear pearl studs or a pair of diamond hoops.

Invest in key pieces that you can wear often.

Hair done and a nice clean manicure is important too.

Sounds like your confidence comes from wearing high end brands, which is fine because I'm sure that confidence shines through. Personally when i see a person with designer clothing or accessories, it doesnt necessarily translate to a polished look. Like others have mentioned it's about clothes that look right and fit right. I love the look of the Burberry quilted jacket but no matter how many times I've tried it on at different stages of my life... it still looks hideous on me.

It can be hard to look polished every day, so let your accessories do some of the work for you: great understated handbag, shoes, tailored clothes, low maintenance hair style.

The only people I ever see looking polished in workout clothes are very skinny and getting out of luxury vehicles in front of a gym/club.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm overweight and give off a very polished look. It's all in the way you carry yourself. My make up is always impeccable. I wear high end workout clothing. Large diamond studs (mine are fake from nordstrom but no one would ever know). A little bit of self tanner goes a long way. Understated designer bag.

As for hair, my advice is that if you're a brunette, go dark. Light brown, washed out hair doesn't work for anyone.
Do a deep, rich brown and it will lighten your face and give you a more polished, exotic look.

Where do you get your workout clothes? I'm overweight and short - most of my weight is in the midsection and upper arms. So hard to find good stuff.

Lululemon hems complentary.

Op here-Wow! Such great advice. Thanks All!!!

Anonymous wrote:I'm overweight and give off a very polished look. It's all in the way you carry yourself. My make up is always impeccable. I wear high end workout clothing. Large diamond studs (mine are fake from nordstrom but no one would ever know). A little bit of self tanner goes a long way. Understated designer bag.

As for hair, my advice is that if you're a brunette, go dark. Light brown, washed out hair doesn't work for anyone.
Do a deep, rich brown and it will lighten your face and give you a more polished, exotic look.

Polished and workout clothes + overweight? maybe. maybe not.

Am not a polished person as I like fun clothes and don't spend enough time on my hair, which is a bit unruly.

Hair: Clean, well cut with no split ends, and very smooth. Wash and wear styles will not look polished on any but those with the mos fortunate hair. Can be pulled back into a chignon or small low lying ponytail that ends in a very smooth top half of a question mark wrapped with high end hair accessory. Any bangs (fringe style or otherwise) have to be meticulously cut and trimmed. Think Anna Winotur. If your hair is pulled back from your face, you need to have a really good hairline with no stray wisps of hair.

Makeup: If you don't have perfect skin some type of base to even out out color. Mascara and gloss for your lips. Get your eyebrows groomed by someone who knows what he/she is doing. If you are good at it, subtle eyeliner or a very neutral eyeshadow can add to the polished look. Your legs and arms should be free of hair. Of course excess facial hair should be taken care of. Teeth should be straight (consider braces if not) and teeth whitening might be advisable. Nails should be manicured, not necessarily polished. If you do polish it should be a subtle color although with the right coloring classic red would be okay.

Jewelry: Button type earrings; may be large if your face can take it. Bracelets, necklaces, rings should be very sparse and very well chosen. As much as possible, they should not be costume. (Fake earrings are okay, but they should look high quality.) A string of pearls is classic.

Clothing should be made of very high quality natural material, or blend with a high percentage of natural, though a high end synthetic is okay. Everything should be very pressed. Blouses for work would preferably be silk or high quality cotton. Solid colors look more high end and classic colors are preferred (a dress in a rich red would be fine). Blouses, though, can have a subtle print. You should be prepared to spend money on tailoring; you can skimp a bit on the cost of the clothes and just have fewer of them if you need to save your money.Scarves should be silk and are a good way of adding interest. They should be as crisp as possible and well folded; practice.

Wear good quality stockings in a shade as close as possible to your natural skin tone or colored sheers that match the base color of your dress, skirt, or pants. (if your legs are not splotchy you can do without stockings in summer.) Shoes should be leather and heeled (not too high) for work. At one time I would have said no patent leather, but these are now widely available in high end brands. If you wear colored stockings, the shoes should be in the same shade. Shoes should be a classic style and the highest quality you can afford. You can get years of use from a good leather shoe, so they are not so expensive in the long run. They should be polished and reheeled and resoled as soon as those are needed. Fit is important; you can't look polished if one can see your heels don't properly fit in the back of the shoes.

A good structured leather bag. A neutral color is perhaps most versatile, but it is okay to have one in an unexpected color like orange or cobalt.

No tattoos or piercings other than one in each ear. Dyed hair should be your natural color unless it is mousy--agree with PP who advised going darker in that case.

Good posture. Do not slouch, hold your back erect, shoulders back and extend your neck. It sounds silly and old fashioned, you will feel stiff/fake at first but you will look fabulous.
Good quality clothing in simple cuts and solid colors. Nothing torn, saggy, faded, or stained. Focus on black, taupe, grey. Natural fibers look best.
Do not use a clothes dryer, you clothes will wear faster and fade.
A good quality white shirt that has been tailored to fit
The best quality shoes you can afford. At lease one pair of heels and one pair of flats
Buff or polish your shoes every day
Stop wearing makeup and start caring for your skin. You might look like hell for a while but it will force you to get flawless skin which screams wealth
Push back your cuticles, hands and feet every night after your shower. No polish. Short, clean nails always.
One good trench coat always clean and pressed
Silk scarf
Cashmere blend shawl

I also invest more in nice shoes, bags and outerwear - things that you use all the time and people notice most.

For me that means - an LV Neverfull for everyday. I use it all the time and it is totally worth it to me. Ferragamo myjoy ballet flats for casual looks, nice gucci pumps for work, a burberry jacket for spring and fall - wear it over my yoga pants and you still look polished. I buy jeans from Target or Macys - I refuse to spend on that and the difference is not noticeable. Same with workout clothes.

I also have one nice watch - Cartier. And always wear pearl studs or a pair of diamond hoops.

Invest in key pieces that you can wear often.

Hair done and a nice clean manicure is important too.

Anonymous wrote:Have a tailor alter your clothes to fit (especially jacket sleeves);
Keep shoes and boots polished and without scuffs;
Good haircut; no scrunchies, claw clips, barrettes or distracting pieces
Understated, subtle makeup
clean, not too long nails, with or without polish
Good fabric -- no cheap polyester or anything that pills

Hems too! Hem your pants for either flats or heels, but you cannot do both (except with skinny jeans).

Anonymous wrote:I have been studying my peers (ages ~ 45-60 yo) to get ideas for this exact same question.

In addition to agreeing with most PPs, I would add "do whatever is nece$$ary to achieve excellent $kin" if you are 45 and older (and white -- we don't need to revisit the 'black don't crack' thread from a few months ago.)

After observing well-heeled white-ish women in their late 40s+, and discussing with my own dermatologist, I am convinced that these women's skin is the result of MEDICAL and quasi-medical interventions and maintenance -- and not some pablum about "sunscreen in your 20s." I mean, yes we should all seek to avoid skin cancer, but these women are *also* all getting Fraxel / IPL lasers every few months; using tubes of $120 prescription cream like obagi and triluma; using Latisse; getting a tiny tasteful bit of Botox every few months; skin peels; restalyne in the "parentheses". Laser hair removal on the chin and cheeks.

Note I am not talking about plastic surgery, intentionally.

So anyway, I notice that many of the middle aged women who ALSO possess all the traits described by PPs (hair, tailored flattering pants, etc) always have fresh dewy pink skin with no splotches and blemishes or fuzz. For most of us, that doesn't come easily by slapping on neutrogena stuff from cvs -- at least once you're looking at 50 (and white, needs to be said again.)

+ 1 I am newly 45 and coming to this same conclusion.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm overweight and give off a very polished look. It's all in the way you carry yourself. My make up is always impeccable. I wear high end workout clothing. Large diamond studs (mine are fake from nordstrom but no one would ever know). A little bit of self tanner goes a long way. Understated designer bag.

As for hair, my advice is that if you're a brunette, go dark. Light brown, washed out hair doesn't work for anyone.
Do a deep, rich brown and it will lighten your face and give you a more polished, exotic look.

Where do you get your workout clothes? I'm overweight and short - most of my weight is in the midsection and upper arms. So hard to find good stuff.

I found out that Sports Basement has a fat section.

Anonymous wrote:I'm overweight and give off a very polished look. It's all in the way you carry yourself. My make up is always impeccable. I wear high end workout clothing. Large diamond studs (mine are fake from nordstrom but no one would ever know). A little bit of self tanner goes a long way. Understated designer bag.

As for hair, my advice is that if you're a brunette, go dark. Light brown, washed out hair doesn't work for anyone.
Do a deep, rich brown and it will lighten your face and give you a more polished, exotic look.

Where do you get your workout clothes? I'm overweight and short - most of my weight is in the midsection and upper arms. So hard to find good stuff.