<p>Talbots has a line of Women’s Petites, if you’re not yet really petite.</p>
<p>Do you tend to wear mostly slacks or do you wear skirts and dresses often? </p>
<p>When I was in the losing-weight process I bought some leggings and slimmer cut, stretch slacks that were nice enough and got plenty of wear. These weren’t the humongous elastic waist pants that I hated from when I was fat. Rather, they were snug fitting enough that I would have been afraid to go out in public in them in my fat days, but I could buy them and continue to wear them as I slimmed down.</p>
<p>So basically, elastic continues to be your friend as you slim down. Though I must admit that once I hit my target weight, I was enormously pleased to be able wear regular jeans again.</p>
<p>I tend to wear mostly slacks. Casual office - I can wear jeans to work. I just spent almost two hours trying on clothes! Exhausting.</p>
<p>I found several pairs of pants that fit or are just slightly snug, so I am actually in better shape (no pun intended) with pants than I expected. Found a really cute casual pants/jacket with the tags still on in a PL that fit! I vaguely recall buying that at Lord & Taylor the last time I lost weight - I gained it back before I ever had a chance to wear it. Pants were a little snug, but I don’t care - wearing that this week.</p>
<p>Tops - surprisingly the bigger issue. Apparently I have a wardrobe of maternity tops. No, not really, but I have all of these XL and 1X tops that are huge. I really don’t know what I was thinking - was I really that big? I can’t decide if I should take them to a tailor or just donate/consign the entire pile. I think I have been not just an emotional eater, but an emotional shopper. I don’t know why I ever bought many of these tops - they are too long for me. Note to self - wearing oversize tops does not make you look thinner!</p>
<p>So, plan for tomorrow is jeans - Talbots sounds promising - and tops. I am not going to buy anything that does not fit well. And I really have to like it - no settling - no impulse buying. Wish me luck!</p>
<p>I gained weight gradually, so anytime I could no longer wear a pair of pants, I put it in a bag in the back of the closet. When I lost 20 pounds this last summer, I pulled out that bag and found I had a whole new wardrobe of pants. My biggest problem is that over the years I’ve bought some large size blouses that I really liked. Now they just hang on me and look dowdy. I still wear them, but I’ve promised myself to never buy large again.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Ummmm – that would be the latter. I betcha they are shapeless and not very flattering, so why not ditch them and buy new? </p>
<p>It’s not that I’m trying to get you to singlehandedly spur the economy, nor am I known for my spendthrift ways, but having those tops altered will (a) cost money and (b) not work. </p>
<p>Life is too short to wear things that don’t make you feel good. Clothing is about more than just covering your body.</p>
<p>Isn’t this a nice problem to have?</p>
<p>I have long worn what I think of as a uniform. I wear black pants (mostly in technical fabrics, like those from Lucy), a tank top, another layer if it’s cool out, and a nice sweater. I have now lost 31 pounds (with about another 30 to go), and have bought three new pairs of black pants and taken all the old ones to Goodwill. The tank tops that are too big are gone and I’m thinking about some new ones in trendy colors. The sweaters are still okay but I will need new ones in the fall. (I’m tempted to buy on sale, but resisting the temptation. I may be able to shrink some of the ones I have.)</p>
<p>I don’t have a lot of clothes that fit well right now… so I do laundry every other day. But I really don’t like the feel and fit of cheap clothes so I’m buying what I’d usually wear, but not much.</p>
<p>I go through my closet and bureau twice a year and get rid of everything that is stained, worn out, torn (and unmendable); this spring I am making a separate pile of “now too big.” I will NOT keep clothes that are too big.</p>
<p>Rockville, I find many women’s tops WAY too long - what am I suppose to do with all this length of material!? If you are petite, they are probably even longer. I find myself often saying a top would be perfect if I could take 6 inches off the length.</p>
<p>I use the following approach to get rid of clothes:</p>
<p>There’s a chair in the bedroom. Every once in a while, I’ll take some clothes that I don’t recall wearing in a while and put them on the chair. I’ll let some time pass and if I don’t wear them, then I move them to the basement. If I don’t wear them for a while, then I donate them. This gives me second and third chances to reclaim something.</p>
<p>Unfortunately for me, I have some old XL t-shirts that I like - mainly for what they represent and I won’t throw those away but I can’t really wear them anymore either.</p>
<p>BC, there are services that take old T-shirts and make them into quilts! That way you get to keep the memory but not the pit-stained crummy T-shirt.</p>
<p>At least everyday men’s clothes can be purchased cheaper than alterations. For example, Dockers or Haggar khaki and decent polyester blend Perry Ellis dress slacks can be found at TJMAXX or Marshall’s for under $20 if you look. It costs $15 to have a pair of pants hemmed, so I can’t imagine that having an old pair taken in at the waist and hips would be price competitive for that. Might make sense with an expensive suit or wool dress pants.</p>
<p>But, if it’s just off-the-rack stuff, might as well buy something new and feel good about your new “skinny jeans”.</p>
<p>Congratualtions! May I suggest to purchase some in between size clothes at J.C. Penny for work. Maybe a pair of black, grey and tan slacks with a white, french blue and a stripe button down shirt for work. They also have some nice skirts and sheath type sundresses. A pair or two of capris and T-shirts. This shouldn’t cost too much. I also have pretty good luck at the Goodwill and Salvation army for slacks. Keep up the good work!</p>
<p>Just back from shopping. Kind of a mixed result. Found jeans that I love at Talbots, fit well, petite length, bought two pairs. Tops - a bit more challenging. Talbots had some possibilities, but I decided to wait another 10 pounds before buying anything else. I really want to fit into petite sizes, not quite there yet. </p>
<p>Have huge, growing pile of clothes that are too big on son’s bed. Plan to keep adding to it for a few more weeks and then donate.</p>
<p>Want to try taking a few tops to the tailor and see how much it would cost to have them shortened. These are tops I really like, have never or seldom worn, and would wear if they were shorter and did not look like maternity tops!</p>
<p>I have realized that I have so many clothes, in so many different sizes, spread out in closets all over the house, that it is really ridiculous. I am aiming for a small, mostly casual wardrobe of clothes that fit and that I really like by the end of this process.</p>
<p>Congratulations on the jeans! That must feel good!</p>
<p>It sounds like you’ve got a real achievable goal in regard to your current clothes. I think you’ll discover it feels very liberating to own only clothes that you like, that fit, and that you wear.</p>
<p>Congrats on the jeans! Now, I’ve got to ask - since you are still losing did you feel you needed two pairs or could one pair have done ? Just trying to help you think so you don’t end up with TWO pair that don’t fit in 2 months!</p>
<p>I lost 35 pounds.</p>
<p>I have a credit card that is tied to an online retailer, so I use my coupons to shop there.</p>
<p>I found several great pencil skirts at Coldwater Creek’s online outlet store. They looked really nice on me. With various discounts, they cost 16.67 each. I bought a 14, a 12 and a 10 petite, and I am now wearing the last one. </p>
<p>My daughter discovered right before a missions trip that she would be required to wear dresses or skirts every day for a week, so we went to Wal-Mart to buy them in a hurry. One of my favorite skirts of hers, several years later, is one of the Wal-Mart skirts. As with all purchases, I check the construction of the garment, such as hemming and whether stripes match at the seams. As long as the garment is well-made, the label doesn’t matter much to me.</p>
<p>I hope this is helpful!</p>
<p>abasket - I know - I thought about that - but one is blue denim and one is white denim. I think I will get a lot of use out of them, as I can wear jeans to work. Twenty pounds from now, if they are too big, that will be ok by me!</p>
<p>I think I am a clothes hoarder. I spent an additional 3 hours this afternoon going through more closets and more drawers. I cannot believe the stuff I have. My husband is amazed that I can hold up an outfit and remember that I wore it to this wedding 20 years ago or this Bar Mitzvah 15 years ago. No wonder I feel like I don’t have enough closet space! I swear I have donated clothes in the past, but nothing on this scale.</p>
<p>I have enough that fits for now. I am going to focus on continuing to try on every piece of clothing I have and gettind rid of everything that is outdated, too big or way too small. I am not buying anything further for the next few weeks, as I have decided it is not necessary.</p>
<p>Schokolade - my favorite mall has Talbots, L & T and Coldwater Creek right in a row. But I am imposing a moratorium on any further shopping until I lose another 10 pounds.</p>
<p>Rockvillemom, congrats on the weight loss! I have lost a lot and I bought stuff along the way. I needed to see the progress, and I sure as heck don’t see it when I look in the mirror while in my underwear!</p>
<p>I have donated so much stuff over the past two years, and it’s about time to go through the closet again. I have stuff from the 80s that I can finally fit into again. Do I want to is the question… </p>
<p>One thing I have realized as I’ve gotten closer to goal – I’ve really had to reconsider what styles of clothes now look flattering on me. They are not the cuts I’ve been wearing for the past 30 years!</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>The first time I walked away from a pair of pants that fit me but that didn’t look good, I was afraid I’d never find another pair of pants that fit me! Luckily that turned out not to be the case.</p>
<p>Oh, blue denim and white denim - really two totally different pants options!! Thumbs up!</p>
<p>I am the same height as you are, and have worked on losing almost 50 lbs over the past 2+ years. I have needed to go down a clothing size about every 15 lbs. I have found a majority of my present wardrobe at Goodwill. Most of the labels are nicer than I usually purchase for myself!</p>