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Lost Or Gained Weight? Here Is How To Make Your Wardrobe Work For You
Beauty & Fashion

Lost Or Gained Weight? Here Is How To Make Your Wardrobe Work For You

I have been on a weight loss journey since 2016. It definitely has had its ups and downs for sure. I was on a trajectory of slowly gaining weight. All of sudden, I was 20-40 pounds heavier than I used to be. And this is when it became difficult to dress myself. I no longer could wear the stylish clothes I was used to wearing. I was so out of shape and nothing looked good on my heavy-set curvy body. I had to learn how to dress myself all over again. It wasn't fun because my clothing options were limited. I could no longer play dress-up. I mainly stuck to t-shirts, jeans, hoodies, sweats, and athleisure wear. Everything in my closet was black, gray, or blue too.


But five months ago, I decided to participate in a transformation challenge at my local gym. I was tired of my excuses, lack of discipline, and poor choices. Basically, I was over my own bullshit. What I did do was become committed and lost a total of 16 pounds. I started to be able to wear my "skinny clothes" again. Even clothes with the price tag on it from five years ago began to fit. Now, I am almost halfway to my ideal weight for my age, height, and body type. Since the challenge, I have maintained my weight, having gained only a pound or two.

Fortunately for me, I kept my old but smaller-sized wardrobe. I mean, I have a lot of cute dresses, jumpsuits, and skirts I have only worn once! I still have the 30th birthday dress I bought on sale from BCBG. I am not about to give that away. As I work my way back to my goal weight and clothing size, I have purchased a few staple wardrobe pieces to complement what I already have. I try not to buy too many new things because I don't want to have to give them away or not be able to wear them anymore.

Here's how you can make your wardrobe work for you when you're in between sizes, gained weight, or lost weight.

Take Inventory Of Your Closet

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Whether you have gained or lost weight, it's important to know what you have in your closet. Try everything on to see what clothing items fit and what doesn't. You then want to make two piles: clothes that fit and clothes that don't fit. Reorganize your closet with only the clothes that fit. This way you know what your options are. Now, most people donate or trash clothes that don't fit. If you are not ready to part ways with your skinny clothes yet, it's OK. Put the clothes that don't fit in a storage container and keep them in a different area of your room or house. If you end up losing weight, at least you don't have to buy a whole new wardrobe. Investment pieces never go out of style.

Get You Some Transitional Pieces

You might have a few of these in your closet and not know it. Transitional pieces include items like wrap dresses, skirts, and shirts. Think jackets, blazers, sweaters, and shirts made from cotton or knit fabrics. Consider pants or skirts with elastic or adjustable waists. If you have any transitional pieces in your closet, I urge you to keep these! There was this denim maxi skirt I had bought fromSheIn. It was too cute to pass up. What I love about the skirt the most, is that even though I bought a size 10, the skirt is completely adjustable because of the multiple buttons at the waist. So, regardless of whether I lost weight or gained weight, the skirt would still fit me.

Visit Your Local Seamstress

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The first time I lost an excessive amount of weight, a lot of jeans didn't fit. I had a pair of jeans that I absolutely loved. I didn't want to get rid of them, but I didn't want to wear them as jeans because I no longer liked the style. So, I took them to a seamstress and turned them into shorts. If you have favorite clothing pieces you just can't get rid of, visit your local seamstress or alterations shop. They can transform your wardrobe for you by taking in the material of taking out seams of blouses, jackets, pants, skirts, and dresses to make them fit you. Keep in mind, you don't have to tailor all your clothes, but it's way cheaper than buying new clothes.

Stock Up On Budget-Friendly Essentials

I'm a fitted t-shirt and jeans type of girl. It's my go-to look outside of athleisure wear. So, I always have black, grey, tan, and white t-shirts in my dresser. You can find these at any clothing store for $5-8. I always look for stretchy cotton dresses in different colors and patterns that I can dress up or dress down too. I can easily throw a denim jacket over it with a pair of sneakers or sandals. I can dress it up with a pair of heels too. Jeans or pants are hard to find. I try to find denim and pants that have some stretch in them. You can find inexpensive jeans or pants almost anywhere. Online or in-store.

Numbers can be misleading. Certain brands run small, run large, or in between. I have learned to accept this, you should too. Don't let these brands get you in your feelings. It's not always about the size of clothes, it's how the clothes fit, compliment your body, and how they make you feel.

And this is how I make my wardrobe work for my constantly changing body.

Featured image by Prostock-Studio/Getty Images

 

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