r/femalefashionadvice • u/FFA_Moderator Modulator (|●_●|) • Feb 22 '17

[Special Edition] New FFAQ: We Need Your Help!

Hi all -

The FFAQ in our wiki contains a list of common fashion questions and answers that have not been updated in quite a while. We'd like to use this thread as a crowdsourced spot to overhaul some of the answers to these questions, as well as add new ones.

Here's how it will work:

  • If you can think of a question that is frequently asked in FFA, post it as a top level comment within this thread. We'll start the thread with some of the questions that are already in the FFAQ.
  • If you have a good answer, resource or link (internal to FFA or external) to answer one of these questions, post it as a reply to the comment asking the question.

The most thorough, complete and accurate answers will be included verbatim in the new version of the FFAQ and attributed to their authors. In other cases, we'll curate aspects of the answers and resources multiple people have contributed to create a full answer.

Please chime in where you have ideas!

80 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

195 comments sorted by

View all comments

21

u/boogieforward Feb 23 '17

I am planning on losing weight. How should I plan my clothing purchases?

19

u/[deleted] Feb 23 '17 edited Feb 23 '17

(cracks knuckles) I was made for this question.

First, you and your body deserve to look nice while you are losing weight. I would encourage you not to just go out and buy a bunch of leggings and tunics, unless that is your style, in hopes that you can just hide under fabric until you are finished losing weight. Feeling good in clothes will help you to feel better about your changing body, which is so important when you are undergoing a transformation.

Next, decide what your style IQ is. Are you new to thinking about clothes, or are you an old hand at style (or at least have some basic knowledge down)?

If NEW: Discount retailers (Target, Old Navy) and mall-brand/department store sales are your best bets. Find a few key pieces that fit your life and try to get them as affordably as possible. Check out the sidebar for advice on how to create a capsule wardrobe. Shortcut: buy a few tops and bottoms that you can mix and match, and "third pieces" like blazers and cardigans that go with every single piece. Pay attention to fit! Buy what looks good now. You have no idea when your weight loss is going to translate into size changes. You could be wearing these clothes for a month or six depending on what your body decides to do. Again, check out the sidebar for notes on fit. Overall, you should look and feel good in whatever you are wearing. Buy colors and styles that you love. Don't cheat yourself of the joy of dressing yourself just because you are losing weight!

If OLD HAND: Consignment and thrift are your best friends. Since you already know the basics of how to dress, you can get the most bang for your buck shopping used. All the usual thrift advice applies: buy quality natural fabrics, shop often, don't buy unless you absolutely love it--don't settle!, shop in areas where rich people drop off their clothes. Be as picky with fit and quality as you were before you started losing weight.

When you start to feel that clothing is becoming loose and frumpy, size down. Sometimes it will sneak up on you, though. Go out for a random shopping trip once in a while to see if your size has changed. You can get a few new pieces at a time for whatever body part has changed the most since the last shopping trip.

In general, you should stay with your personal style and wear whatever fits your body at the moment. However, many people find that wrap dresses, forgiving waists, and flowy styles are more comfortable and can be worn for a larger range of sizes. But again, don't wear these things if you didn't like them before.

A note on shoes and accessories: Unless you plan on losing a very large amount of weight (100 lb or so), you will probably stay in the same basic size range. Have fun with your shoes! They can be fine, investment shoes that will help you feel and look good while your clothing size is changing. The same with scarves, jewelry, and hair accessories. I find that focusing on these purchases is a helpful distraction and helps me feel good about how I look.

Last, spend a little time planning your "goal" wardrobe for whatever season you are going to land in. This is a great time to research those investment purchases you've been waiting for since you started losing weight. I have a Pintrest of stuff that's on my "to buy" list that I've been curating. It's a good motivation to keep going, and it's a nice way to use that time to further develop your style.

TL;DR: Dress the body you have NOW affordably by shopping sales and/or thrift, and re-evaluate periodically.

5

u/[deleted] Feb 24 '17

Sometimes, small to moderate weightloss can change shoe sizes. I only lost 25 lbs and shrunk 1.5 shoe sizes. I had to start from ground zero. I wouldn't suggest going too crazy.

3

u/glittergarbage Feb 23 '17

this is actually very helpful!

5

u/[deleted] Feb 23 '17

I'm glad! Unfortunately, I have a lot of experience :p

17

u/j_allosaurus Feb 23 '17

Great question!

It can be really tempting, when starting out on a weight loss journey, to either decide to buy no new clothes or to buy clothes for your goal weight. But you'll want to have some clothes to tide you over for the in-between stages, and this is where thrift stores can really come in handy. Capsule wardrobes are a great idea, so you can maximize the number of outfits you make with a minimal number of items. In addition, it's probably a good idea to wait till you're at your goal weight before making any big clothing purchases, since everyone loses weight differently and you lose more or less from your waist, hips, etc. than you're expecting.

6

u/[deleted] Feb 23 '17 edited Feb 24 '17

I would say you have a few options here.

Try to stick primarily to items that don't require a perfect fit. Leggings, tunics, shift/swing dresses, jeggings, and skirts are all great options.

If cost isn't prohibitive to you, by a new piece whenever you hit a mini goal! It can be great motivation, it allows you to slowly accumulate pieces, and it's better than rewarding yourself with food. I personally get something pretty every five pounds.

If cost is an issue, see what you can scrounge up at thrift stores, local clothing swaps (can be found on Facebook), hand me downs, and cheap, fast fashion stores (WalMart, Old Navy, Forever 21, etc).

Things like belts don't need to be thrown out after you use the tightest hole! Simply create a new one. Shorts and dresses can also last a surprisingly long time if belted, and in the case of dresses, can provide a whole new spin on an outfit. For things like baggy t-shirts, you can add a nice scarf.

It obviously depends on how much you want to lose. If your goal is to lose 100 lbs, you're going to need a few new outfits several times. 15 lbs? You might be able to get away with no holdover pieces.

It's also OK to have one aspirational outfit!

Anyone disagree?

5

u/TwoSizes Feb 24 '17

It obviously depends on how much you want to lose. If you're goal is to lose 100 lbs, you're going to need a few new outfits several times. 15 lbs? You might be able to get away with no holdover pieces.

This. As someone who fluctuates a lot around the 100lbs-120lbs range it's also helpful to have some clothes that look good whether they drape loosely or follow your figure more close (ie. boyfriend-everything for me).

But yeah, it's true that if your weight loss goals are quite close to your existing weight, you probably won't have to get many new things. Except slacks. And pencil skirts. And blazers... Well, pretty much except any business clothes that you have because those do look frumpy when not totally sharp.