When/How to buy new clothes

[Arabesque 6,840]

it’s time to buy smaller sizes when your clothes are drooping down or falling off you. The day my knickers almost fell off was the day I bought new underwear. 😆

Invest in a belt, some leggings (I buy black ponti leggings which have elastin not shiny Lycra so they look dressier especially with a jacket, long line cardigan, white button thru shirt, etc.), elastic waists, smock type dresses or tops. I found these styles carried me through a couple of size drops.

I had three formal events to go to while I was losing. I found a loose straight through dress. First wearing I wore it straight but the ones after I added a sparkly belt. Took me through 3 or 4 size changes.

As to working out what styles will suit you, the best way is to go to some stores & play dress up. If you don’t have a trusted friend, sister or mother to go with you, take pxts of what you think looks good so you can take time later to decide if it really does suit you. Do this out of the dressing room for better lighting & mirrors.

You don’t have to buy. And don’t let the sales person convince you something looks great on you if you feel uncomfortable or not confident. It’s like some can scent your uncertainty & pounce, overflowing with compliments just to make a sale.

You may find you enjoy shopping more when you can wear smaller sizes - so much more choice.

[lizonaplane 1,611]

16 hours ago, Luna Girl said:

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! 😊

I just took some too small clothes to the women's shelter... and then started on this journey and started to lose weight! I will have to see what we have in Boston area by way of consignment.

[kristieshannon 1,576]

On 06/10/2021 at 11:54, lizonaplane said:

I just took some too small clothes to the women's shelter... and then started on this journey and started to lose weight! I will have to see what we have in Boston area by way of consignment.

Hey-you’re in Boston? I’m living and working here this summer as a travel nurse. I’ve only found one consignment store here-it was on Newbury St so the prices were insane. $200 for a used dress??? I don’t care what brand it is, I’m not paying that!!! I’ll let you know if I find any others.

[lizonaplane 1,611]

1 hour ago, kristieshannon said:

Hey-you’re in Boston? I’m living and working here this summer as a travel nurse. I’ve only found one consignment store here-it was on Newbury St so the prices were insane. $200 for a used dress??? I don’t care what brand it is, I’m not paying that!!! I’ll let you know if I find any others.

Yah, Boston is expensive and Newbury St is ridiculous. I try not to shop downtown, but if you don't have a car you might be limited to that, since the T doesn't go very far outside the city and Cambridge. I live in the suburbs. You could check the Somerville area maybe?

[blackcatsandbaddecisions 845]

I shop on thredUP! I love it. Their pictures are bad and the descriptions are worse but I’ve gotten some super deals. My advice
1. There’s a promo code going on all the time, so don’t buy without one.
2. There are great and terrible deals- ignore the retail prices listed. Set what you’re willing to pay per item.
3. Shop by brand. I buy a lot of Ann Taylor, loft, limited, ModCloth, stitchfix brands, etc there. I know how these brands fit me.
4. Overall it’s a lot of fun- not every item is a winner but enough are that I have made multiple hauls!

[PomelKatrin 3]

I've lost 60 lbs and I'm confused

[MANDY2910 6]

There are a few Bariatric Weightloss forums on Facebook that have “stores” for gently used clothes in all sizes. One of them is Bariatric Family. Might not hurt to see if there is one in your area. I have done it a couple of times. The clothes are always super nice

[lizonaplane 1,611]

6 hours ago, Imodjin said:

I've lost 60 lbs and I'm confused

What are you confused about?

[lizonaplane 1,611]

Update: I initially started this post WAY back. I've gone from a 3x/24 to a M/10! What I did was buy some stuff at thrift stores, and then a few things in stores/online, just enough for a week's worth of clothes in any one size. I have found that I can actually wear things a BIT big, so for example, the pants I just bought (one pair of casual pants and one pair of jeans) are a size 10, but today I am wearing size 14 dressier pants, which are loose, but since they're stretchy, they don't look ridiculous. Also, I have some shirts in every size from S-XL that fit.

I had all sorts of hopes to get everything from thrift stores but in the end, I am too picky for that. I have been donating my "bigger" clothes on Buy Nothing or if no one in my neighborhood wants them, I donate them to the thrift store. Mostly I'm able to give my bigger clothes to my neighbors on Buy Nothing, so they are not going in a landfill just yet!

[PomelKatrin 3]

Quote

You can buy clothes like people usually do in the stores, or purchase them online. And don't waste your money buying thousands of looks and accessories. Buy only clothes you need and really want and will wear. And if you don't already need anything (like a T-Shirt that's too small and short) I advise you to give your old things to charity or recycle them. For example, I use birmingham green waste removal services that help me get rid of unnecessary things.

totally agree with that!
we should throw anything just in bins
better recycle

[Esi 179]

On 6/9/2021 at 11:35 AM, LaoDaBeirut said:

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.

Agree! I know this is an old post, but it might help people who are newer to the surgery. I still buy dresses with belts. I also took some of my dresses that were size 2X and 3X, and learned some easy Tailoring. Since the arm holes were huge, I folded some of the fabric together under the armpit, and sewed it together. My bigger dresses now fit still, and I wear a size 12/14.

[Smanky 743]

To date, I've gone from a size AU/UK 24 (US 20) to an AU/UK 16 (US 12), so I can now buy from most "regular size" stores. But because I'm still losing, I've been buying second hand jeans and pants off Ebay. I'm able to wear the smallest clothes I had in storage from before my obese years, so it's nice finally giving those (now vintage) items some love before they too start to look too big on me.

I've given a metric tonne of clothing to goodwill, and will be pretty much sticking where possible to buying second hand stuff until I reach maintenance. Then I plan on doing the whole sustainable capsule wardrobe thing, along with thrifting.

[tamm2x 11]

You should take all your measurements and find some online size charts. Then look up what body parts you want to emphasize (small waist) and what you want to hide. See what styles work with that criteria. Sounds like a lot of work but for so many years I spent hiding away because of my weight. You might find that shopping is a bit more fun now. More than once as I was trying on clothes long since hidden in my closet, I heard my husband (who I thought was asleep, ask, “Are you done playing dress-up yet?” Lol

[Vassarini 10]

On 6/10/2021 at 8:42 PM, blackcatsandbaddecisions said:

I shop on thredUP! I love it. Their pictures are bad and the descriptions are worse but I’ve gotten some super deals. My advice
1. There’s a promo code going on all the time, so don’t buy without one.
2. There are great and terrible deals- ignore the retail prices listed. Set what you’re willing to pay per item.
3. Shop by brand. I buy a lot of Ann Taylor, loft, limited, ModCloth, stitchfix brands, etc there. I know how these brands fit me.
4. Overall it’s a lot of fun- not every item is a winner but enough are that I have made multiple hauls!

I endorse all of these suggestions. I work in a conservative business attire organization. Although the pandemic gave me some leeway in terms of sizing down over time, now that office work and in-person meetings are occurring, I need suitable business clothing (pun intended). ThredUp is part of my arsenal.

I’d add to the above the following suggestions:

1. Filter clothing by “excellent condition” or “new with tags” — I’ve found anything graded below that to be rolling the dice.

2. I don’t buy final sale items unless they are dirt cheap (<$5). I haven’t tried ThredUp outlet; maybe that’s an exception.

3. Batch orders so it makes sense to return items.

4. Even though they say they don’t accept clothing past 5 years old … they clearly do carry a number of “vintage” brands, and fit by sizing has changed over time for many brands.

5. Don’t buy designer labels without price-checking against designer resellers (RealReal, etc) — sites that specialize in premium labels have more thorough vetting info available and often better prices. I haven’t invested in designer, but I have tried a few fine-fiber fabrics — cashmere, merino — via ThredUp and again would not suggest doing this unless it’s New with Tags and returnable.

6. The app and the web interface have different functionality. I find searching refinements to be easier to do online. Their e-commerce platform is constantly tweaked, so mileage varies.

7. You will (not) grow to love the frequency of black clothing put on a black mannequin for photographing so that little-to-no details can be discerned. 😂

[redhead_che 824]

This thread is older but for anyone still browsing: also check local Facebook support groups. I’m in a St. Louis one and Kansas City one and we exchange clothes all the time for my local. The KC one is my surgeons city and they have a clothing closet for patients. I bet a lot of major cities have Bariatric Facebook groups.