How to dress while going down multiple sizes: tips and tricks?

girlviernes

Hey guys, I'm curious how others have approached this. I've been recommended to shop at thrift stores, but frankly plus size shopping in thrift stores is a frustrating process!

What I've noticed is that fitted pants are the worst because just a few pounds down and they start not to fit well any more. So for pants, I'm only buying elastic waist or if fitted must have belt loops. Skirts and dresses seem to get more mileage.

Mainly I'm trying to be okay with a minimalist wardrobe. 2 pairs of work pants and 2-3 skirts and dresses and then laundry every week.

kikityme

Yup, clothes are a pain. I get a lot of my work clothes from outlet stores, and they are really the only ones that have to look decent. I probably spend $30 a week just replacing clothes. Ohhhh...the first world problems

I find slightly looser black yoga pants paired with heels can actually work for work--nobody has said anything anyway!

And don't forget to hit up your friends!

diannethegeek

I hit every sale rack I went passed while I was losing the bulk of my weight. If it was less than $5 and not horrible, I would buy it. They weren't always the clothes I would have picked out under regular circumstances, but at least I had something to wear. The great thing about sale racks is that it's usually the clothes for the season right now, because they're making room for the next season to come in.

I also had a few friends give me things out of their closets that didn't fit/look good on them anymore. I never asked, but those helped fill in a lot of the gaps in my wardrobe because they were usually nicer skirts and pants that I could add a cheap top to and still look professional.

JenMc14

I hit Goodwill for in between sizes. Sale racks and outlets are also your friends. Belts and dresses will help as well.

dopeysmelly

I relied on one pair of pants which fitted me at whatever size I was. I bought camisole/tank tops and wore them under my big tops so it was a layered look until they started to look ridiculous. I only bought a jacket etc. once I was near my target weight.

lemonsurprise

I live in stretchy clothes and it seems to do the job! Leggings and cami tops/dresses. Buy them tight in the first place and you'll be good for a few drops in size!

jemhh

I've been sticking with a minimalistic wardrobe for work. A pair of black pants, a black skirt, and maybe one other pair of pants or a dress. Dressier t-shirts in solid colors. That's it.

brightsideofpink

I've been doing well with dresses, belts, camisoles and cardigans. I have always bought my cardigans a few sizes down because I like the fitted look a little better than baggy. Camisoles/dressier tanks will fit well through various sizes, just hug less as you lose weight. Dresses can easily be brought in with a wide fashionable belt. I also recommend scarves. They can hide/distract from a looser-fitting top. Lastly- maxi skirts. You can wear them as a skirt to start, then later hike them up into a strapless dress. Add belt, scarve, sweater. Google ways to wear maxi skirt. I have just hit 40 lbs lost and I'm only just now going to head shopping for new work pants.

girlviernes

I love all these ideas

earlnabby

My pants lately have been drawstring. I can wear them for a couple of sizes before they get too big. Tops are generally T-shirts for daily wear because it doesn't matter if they are too big. For dressier tops, I have found that tunics with princess seams or crinkle type fabric seem to work really well through several sizes.

My biggest issue is bras. I have some that were too small for me but as I am going down, my shape has changed where they don't fit as well as they did on the way up. If the band fits OK, the cups are too small and I get a four-boob. If the cups fit OK, the band is too large and rides up my back. My solution has been to wear an all-in-one body briefer. The cups might not fit the best, but because there isn't an actual band I don't have the issue of it riding up.

julesxo

Right now I am in between sizes so I have been buying dress pants with elastic waist band. I have too many pants that are either too big or too small so it seems to work.

helenarriaza

Goodwill. My reward is to buy in proper stores when I reach my goal weight.

sodakat

The resale shops that buy clothes seem to have the biggest selection of plus sizes from what I've seen. After that, I'd say Goodwill stores. Don't forget consignment shops, especially consignment shops that specialize in plus sizes.

The only things that still fit me about as well as they fit 50 pounds ago are my shoes and my underpants. I now realize that I was wearing too small undies but since there wasn't a bigger size in the type I like, I squeezed into them. Now I'm not squeezed quite as tightly and am about to buy the next smaller size. I have a soft belly (which is getting smaller thank goodness) and this style of undies gives a bit of support without feeling tight because they are cut high on the legs but then have a lace insert there. They are briefs, not boy-shorts or bikinis so not what most people want -- bali lace leg briefs style 8054- but I like not jiggling and I'm a granny, so...!

Bras are a whole other story. I refuse to wear bras that don't fit so I'm spending big bucks on new bras as I lose and being a cheapskate on clothes.

AmZam05

I have only shopped at Goodwill/Salvation Army all year and sometimes they have crap, other times they have good clothes, it's a toss up. But it's always worth looking. Also try eBay, a lot of people sell their old clothes in lots that can save you money.

If you get brand name clothes at Goodwill, you can try to resell them on eBay if they are in good condition to get some sort of money return.

Also, I found a belt I think at K-Mart and it has decorative holes all the way around. But these holes can also be used to buckle into. So if you find a belt like that it can theoretically be your only belt for a while.

BigT555

I just said *kitten* it and wore clothes that didnt fit for the majority of the time

still thanking my dad for that y chromosome....

Francl27

I honestly didn't care if it didn't fit, as long as it wasn't falling off, lol! I bought too much last year thinking it would fit at my goal weight anyway, as I was 22 pounds away, but nope... too baggy now, and I just ordered a bunch of shirts a size smaller. The pants still fit, but I bought them tight last year on purpose. Lesson learned, I guess, although I have no intention of being in the same situation again.

kendalslimmer

Charity shops, outlet stores... and friend's/family's closets. All good places to scrounge from! Also it's worth cleaning out your own closet - you never know what you'll find in there from days gone by. :-) You can also buy new clothes online for pretty good prices.

kaspatore

New answer I haven't seen on this thread yet- I spent $60 on a sewing machine that came with a how to DVD. I turned my pants inside out and sewed the outside of the leg from mid thigh up. Cut off the excess fabric from the inside and VOILA! Fits again! Did the same for some shirts, too.

GothyFaery

I literally spent a good 5 minutes crying, no joke, crying (TOM might be to blame here) in my closet this weekend because all my dresses (don't wear pants) are too big and look like a tent on me. I've looked into getting them altered and it's $40+ depending on the dress. I'm thinking I just need to spend a good chunk of change and buy a whole new wardrobe.

So my advice while you're losing weight is buy as little as you can. Wide elastic belts can make dresses (and even longer shirts) still look good even when they are 3 sizes too big. Go for fabric that naturally stretches, that way you can get them a little on the tight side and get even more wear out of them.

skippygirlsmom

Big pins are your pant's best friend and you wear a top over them and belt if the top is too big. I also shop the sale racks trying not to spend over $5 - 7 for a top. Got 2 nicer pair of dress pants for work at Target they were under $25 and really are nice, they are now belted.

Kalikel

Belts, eBay and a few new things.

If I buy it new and only wear it a handful of times, I sell it on eBay and use the money to buy some other clothes. The rest gets donated to battered women (who frequently start over with nothing but the clothes on their backs, so keep them in mind when it's time to donate!)

I'm trying really hard to skip size 14 and wait for 12, lol.

I started at 24/26 and it's just getting ridiculous. Plus (!), the smaller you get, the faster you go through sizes. I cannot buy entire wardrobes every ten or fifteen pounds, for Pete's sake.

MrsJane05

I have lost almost 20kgs, and have found that my FOOT is now a full size smaller. I went shopping yesterday, so much fun!!!

abatonfan

I'm in the process of swapping stuff with my younger sister. We're both around the same weight, but I am losing while she is most likely gaining. I get to receive all the stuff that is too small on her, and she receives all the stuff that is too big on me. Unfortunately, we both hate each others' fashion sense.

The Target clearance rack has also been my best friend. If I see something a size or two two small but on sale, I purchase it and can easily use it for next season.

girlviernes

I checked out sears.com, and it is crazy, they have a lot of clothes for 3.99!

yellowlemoned

Clearance racks. Lots and lots of clearance racks. Sears has a great clearance section, target occasionally has some nice clearance. I love torrid's clearance section and they constantly have buy one get one 50% off or buy one get one for $1 sales going on.

Kaelitr0n

If you've got a Clothes Mentor near you, I highly recommend it. It's a women's only second-hand store that caters to sizes 0 - 26. I practically live in Clothes Mentor, spend about $100 on each size and have a whole week's worth of work clothes. That's the only way I've been able to get from a 26 to a 16 without being completely destitute all the time. I'm trying to skip 14 on my way to 12, though, so I've warned my colleagues I'll be looking a little raggedy until I get there.

I don't mind looking like a hobo when I'm lounging around at home, so I keep my jeans until they're falling off me. I still have all my ginormous graphic tees, too, but I figure I can wear those forever, right? If no one else has to look at them? lol

girlviernes

Oooh looks like there's one about 30 minutes away

AmZam05

kaspatore wrote: »

New answer I haven't seen on this thread yet- I spent $60 on a sewing machine that came with a how to DVD. I turned my pants inside out and sewed the outside of the leg from mid thigh up. Cut off the excess fabric from the inside and VOILA! Fits again! Did the same for some shirts, too.

That is awesome! I wish I had the time to do that, and sewing is a great skill to have that is dying off.

threnjen

I hit up Goodwill for "new" stuff. Just bought a new jeans wardrobe yesterday.
I like to buy new things when I go down a size because it gives me a more tangible feeling of accomplishment. Otherwise I have a bad tendency to start feeling bad about myself (which is stupid)

Liftng4Lis

Try consignment shops as well as Goodwill.