When/How to buy new clothes

[lizonaplane 1,613]

I've lost almost 40 lbs and I am not looking forward to sizing out of clothes. I don't have any clothes from my previous weight losses and so far my clothes are a bit loose but since I had recently gained 25 lbs during COVID, they aren't too bad, except for some I bought at my heaviest, and those are just long sleeve t-shirts, so it doesn't matter. I have noticed that my pants start to fall down when I exercise, so I might be getting close on that score...

For environmental/human rights reasons I don't want to buy a lot of cheap clothes and the thrift shops near me are pretty gross. Also, for some reason they are arranged by color rather than size so it's impossible to find anything. I'm wondering how long I can put off buying clothes that fit, since I usually work from home except when I travel, about once a month.

Has anyone done Thread Up? I did Gwynnie Bee (plus size clothing rental) when I lost weight the last time, but it doesn't really work with my current lifestyle of working from home and traveling once a month for a few days.

[ShoppGirl 5,073]

I have never heard of it but would love to hear more about it. I have been wearing solid color tee shirts and jeans as my entire wardrobe for years and would like to add some variety now that I am nearing “normal” sizes but honestly don’t know what to buy to flatter my figure at this point.

[lizonaplane 1,613]

Thread Up is an online thrift store, but my guess is that if you don't know what looks good on you, it would be better to try things on at a store first before buying something "unusual".

[kristieshannon 1,685]

I’ve found that consignment stores often have better quality and selection than thrift stores do. We actually have one in Seattle that specializes in plus sizes, 14 and up. They only accept mid to higher range brands, and they’re really picky with what they take. I bought quite a bit there as I was losing.

[GreenTealael 25,622]

If you still love your current wardrobe perhaps a solution is investing in tailoring or learn to alter them yourself.

[lizonaplane 1,613]

1 minute ago, GreenTealael said:

If you still love your current wardrobe perhaps a solution is investing in tailoring or learn to alter them yourself.

I have a few shirts that I might get altered, but almost everything I own is a knit because I used to travel every week, so it's not stuff that can be altered easily. On the plus side, knits tend to look okay when they're a bit baggy. I know enough about fabric to know what does/doesn't alter well, even though I'm not the best at sewing. That is a good suggestion though, thank you.

[LaoDaBeirut 158]

I suggest getting a couple belts and then when you're choosing new things, get things that either have a belt or an elastic waist that can be cinched in. Otherwise a dress with smocking on the top can stretch a lot.

[Maisey 260]

I hate to shop. Losing weight has not changed that. I put off buying anything new at all until I absolutely had to.

I found I could get away with using a belt (another thing I dislike) and pulling my pants up "Urkel Style." As long a my top was longer, it hid alot.

But I am past that point now. I had to buy some new pants/jeans and some pants for the summer. I chose to order from places which permitted in store returns. I had no idea what size I needed to order so I would order 2 or 3 different styles/sizes knowing I wasn't going to keep them all. That was usually enough to qualify for free shipping and then I could return in person. At this point, I won't order anything that is not on clearance.

I had to break down and order new bras. The "girls" have packed up and left, what remains has migrated south 😪. Again, I chose from clearance.

Fortunately, my mother still has her sewing machine. She was willing to take in most of my cheap (Roamans, Woman Within) knit tops. Perhaps, lizaonaplace, you could consider that. All she did was run new seams up the sides and cut of the extra if needed. Everything is still big in the shoulders, but at least the tops no longer look like dresses (In addition to being big myself, due to where I work, I wore clothes that were baggy.

I have a lot to get rid of. I don't live in a major shopping area so consignment or thrift is not an easy option. I'm also scared to---you know, the what if's. If I hadn't purged all my clothes that had become too small over time, I'd have something to wear now. Selling them online seems more work that it's worth. For now, I'm hanging on to them until I find someplace to donate. Ideally, I'd like to find some place that would provide the clothes to a plus-size woman who is truly in need.

[newyorklady20 97]

I have found that investing in leggings and just wearing them regularly is a good solution to a shrinking midsection. Because they're elastic, you can wear them for a long time. I have lost 50 pounds since preop and I am still wearing the same leggings I was wearing before.

[GummyBearQueen 115]

On 06/09/2021 at 12:42, newyorklady20 said:

I have found that investing in leggings and just wearing them regularly is a good solution to a shrinking midsection. Because they're elastic, you can wear them for a long time. I have lost 50 pounds since preop and I am still wearing the same leggings I was wearing before.

I wear leggings and knits! There’s no way around buying new clothes. I buy then donate to Dress for Success as they always need clothing of all sizes.

[Maisey 260]

I buy then donate to Dress for Success as they always need clothing of all sizes.--I just googled Dress for Success. Unfortunately, the nearest chapter is nearly 90 miles away. But that is the type of organization I hope to find.

Leggings may be a good option for some. Unfortunately, I am not permitted to wear leggings to work.

[lizonaplane 1,613]

Yeah, these are all great suggestions but I don't feel comfortable in dresses or leggings or belts. I guess I can just buy one or two pairs of pants and do the laundry more frequently. It doesn't matter if my shirts are too big unless I'm on the road for work and I can worry about that in a few months. Donating clothes isn't really a great fix as most donated casual clothes end up in the trash, and that's what I wear. Dressed for Success is really for business wear, and I don't wear suits.

[ShoppGirl 5,073]

4 minutes ago, lizonaplane said:

Yeah, these are all great suggestions but I don't feel comfortable in dresses or leggings or belts. I guess I can just buy one or two pairs of pants and do the laundry more frequently. It doesn't matter if my shirts are too big unless I'm on the road for work and I can worry about that in a few months. Donating clothes isn't really a great fix as most donated casual clothes end up in the trash, and that's what I wear. Dressed for Success is really for business wear, and I don't wear suits.

Maybe ask your doctor if they have a clothing exchange. Mine doesn’t but I have read on here that some of the bigger practices do have them for patients.

[It’sMe 14]

Hi - Congratulations on your journey so far! You could also maybe try garage sales or estate sales? There are a lot of those this time of year where I live. Also, I’ve heard positive things about poshmark but have never used them myself.

[Luna Girl 310]

6 hours ago, Maisey said:

I hate to shop. Losing weight has not changed that. I put off buying anything new at all until I absolutely had to.

I found I could get away with using a belt (another thing I dislike) and pulling my pants up "Urkel Style." As long a my top was longer, it hid alot.

But I am past that point now. I had to buy some new pants/jeans and some pants for the summer. I chose to order from places which permitted in store returns. I had no idea what size I needed to order so I would order 2 or 3 different styles/sizes knowing I wasn't going to keep them all. That was usually enough to qualify for free shipping and then I could return in person. At this point, I won't order anything that is not on clearance.

I had to break down and order new bras. The "girls" have packed up and left, what remains has migrated south 😪. Again, I chose from clearance.

Fortunately, my mother still has her sewing machine. She was willing to take in most of my cheap (Roamans, Woman Within) knit tops. Perhaps, lizaonaplace, you could consider that. All she did was run new seams up the sides and cut of the extra if needed. Everything is still big in the shoulders, but at least the tops no longer look like dresses (In addition to being big myself, due to where I work, I wore clothes that were baggy.

I have a lot to get rid of. I don't live in a major shopping area so consignment or thrift is not an easy option. I'm also scared to---you know, the what if's. If I hadn't purged all my clothes that had become too small over time, I'd have something to wear now. Selling them online seems more work that it's worth. For now, I'm hanging on to them until I find someplace to donate. Ideally, I'd like to find some place that would provide the clothes to a plus-size woman who is truly in need.

I have started to take my clothes that are too big to my local women's shelter. And will start to buy at consignment. All about recycling! 😊