I thought about this as I was commuting home. I work in part of the fashion industry and must dress accordingly. A lot of women at my office are on diets and they all must look stunning every day. My boss is a well-known icon of beauty advice and I'd thought I'd share some tips so that your wardrobe doesn't cost you an arm and a leg while you lose.

1. Elastic waist bands. Oh, I know, ew. But you can get a lot more mileage from a pair of well made trousers or skirts if you have a scrunchable waist.
--TIP: have waist band gap? you know, when the hips fit but the waist is too big? Take a piece of elastic that is about the height of your waist band (watch that you use black with black, etc) Stitch one side first then the other... stretch to fit your new sized back and stitch into place... not too gathered but it will help you get through a few sizes.

2. wrap skirts, shirts, and dresses. Look for clothing that can be cinched in as you go.

3. knits. Buying fitted blouses seems like such fun as you lose, but investing in some knit shirts that will shrink with you will keep you fashion forward and out of the poor house inthe long run.

4. colour. Use bright colours in your wardrobe that you might never have dared before. A great scarf, piece of fashion jewellery, or wonderful cami in a jewel tone can light up your face (sometimes dieters look a bit tired or drawn).

5. buy pretty shoes. Your feet might lose some size (really), but invariably your shoes will fit as you lose. Spending some money on some awesome shoes can make many outfits look amazing.

6. Try a belt. if you're thinking, What? with my waist? go big and wear a blazer or over shirt and leave it open. Get used to seeing a new waist.

7. smooth out the cellulite and other lumps and bumps. Spanx, girdles, and control top stockings are your friends! (oh, and wear beige under white please!)

8. Get your bra fitted. It takes a moment to get the right bra. Lots of department stores offer this service free and it will make the girls look great. Nothing says dumpy like a deflated bosom.

9. Dark colours where you want to hide stuff. Ok, so you're sporting that new emerald green blouse but you've lost less on your booty. Deck out the bottom (or maybe the top if you lose butt first) in a dark colour. The bright colour moves towards the eye, the dark recedes.

10. Cut your hair. Lanky hair, and bushiness is something most of us 'hid' behind. Let it go. Get a face framing, attractive and modern hair style.

11. Makeup. you might need to go to see what wonderful ways a makeup artist can highlight those cheekbones you can see now! Want to lose 10 years off your look? Smooth out your skin with makeup. (Mac cosmetics offers this free and they do a good job)

12. OH you old sew and sew... if you are handy with a needle and thread, start making darts, tucks, and take up those too-long pants before you look like you're always in pajamas.

13. remodel. Oh, you hate to buy new, do you? Well check out the 2nd hand clothing, but be very careful you don't end up looking like you should have driven up in a Delorean (note: shoulder pads are a no no). Just because the jeans at Goodwill only cost 2.50, it's not an excuse for wearing 'mom' jeans.

14. The staples. One pair black pants. One white, crisp blouse. all the rest can work around it.

16. 'Accessorize the positive'. Again, lovely scarves, jewellery, shoes, and some awesome cool purses (yay, Payless) can make you look hot.

17. Read fashion magazines. You have a new body to dress. You might need new rules!

18. Ignore fads. You love the metallic look this season? fine, buy a pair of ballet shoes in gold, or a neat bag. Just because your thighs are looking amazing doesn't mean they should be packed into gold pants.

19. Know how old you are! Yes, you can now fit into the juniors section, but are you over 30? Get back to the right department, missy! nothing ages a woman more than trying to look younger than she is with fashion faux pas.

20. Mani/pedis... if you can't afford it do it yourself, but along with lovely shoes, grooming your nails really goes a long way to making yourself look polished all over!


Okay now strut your new stylin' butts! (be the diva, be the diva)

Love it! Thanks pennink!

What a neat thread!

And just in time for those of us who are struggling as we try to find our new 'size'. Shopping in the plus size stores has meant a limited selection, and now that the 'plus size' clothing doesn't fit me anymore, I'm finding myself a little lost. I'm hesitant to buy anything too expensive, because I'm still working towards my goal, but at the same time - really confused as to what to wear or buy.

One thing that's helped - buying jeans with a bit of stretch in them - they last a lot longer as I lose the weight.

I'm looking forward to getting some new makeup sometime soon. That, and a fresh haircut.

I've spent so much time buying the cheapest stuff I can find...and sticking to really boring basics. I can't wait to branch out into some more colourful things.

I really like the idea of decent shoes and some nice accessories as I carry on losing the rest of this extra weight. I have a funny feeling I'll be living in jeans and black turtlenecks this fall.

But hey - as you've said - why not get the better shoes, the nice belt and the pretty scarf in the meantime?

wait... you mean pajamas AREN'T work-wear? even the soft yellow ones with the very artsy-yet-tasteful french poodles on them?

what about my blue-ish purple ones with the multicolored stars on them? those were always a great hit on saturdays, especially with my beat-up black fuzzy slippers (and yes, i did wear this to work one day).


now wait a second, those gold lame leggings of mine are a PERFECT accent to the sequinned-mosaic leopard print blouse with the linebacker shoulderpads and the tiger's face on the back. and with the faux zebra-fur messenger bag and my knee-high giraffe-print ugg-style boots with the electric blue fleece accents, i'm the hit of the no-tel motel!

You're hilarious Kvon!

Just hilarious.

Wanna know how bad I am? I won't even wear running shoes with jeans. In fact, I won't wear runners unless I'm actually exercising. Which is..um...never.

There was a time in my life when I didn't actually own any jeans....

Where'd ya get that zebra-fur messenger bag... I soooo need one

I really hate running shoes. I will buy the little white simple ones (H&M has them now) like we wore in the 60s before Adidas made them all chunky. Jeans make most people look hefty.

Wear DARK jeans, watch how high or low they go (too high mom jeans, too low skank). I would suggest nice shoes even pointed toe shoes with jeans to make your legs look longer.

You're sooooo good at this!!!

I've made it a 'rule' that the jeans have to be dark, and not too high or low. And no, I wouldn't be caught dead in running shoes with or without jeans.

Am I awful?

Pointed toe shoes? Ack - I need a style maven to help me out with this. A personal shopper or what have you.

Right now it's black loafers. In summers, slides are good.

But pointy-toe shoes?

Ok...I need *help*!

When I do finally get to goal, I'll be looking around for someone to go shopping with. Or someone to help suggest where to buy what. I'm new to the US - originally from Vancouver, and now living in Colorado with my husband. All the stores are different, and at first - I was ok with the plus size stores...and now that they don't work for me anymore, I don't exactly know where to shop. Or what to buy...

In the meantime, I'll be living in my bathrobe.

Don't laugh - it's a very nice robe..and one of the few things that still fits me.

Oh, I'll figure it out when the time comes, but - this is truly a great thread, and it couldn't have come at a better time. Thank you

And make sure you're wearing the right colors. If I wore black pants with a crisp white, white blouse, people would ask me if I was sick. I once had a white blouse and brown blazer. Everytime I wor it I would get sent home sick. It always made me looked flushed. When I wore black my skin would look gray.

What about wearing straight-leg jeans when you have a big butt? Is that a fashion don't?

I know this is an old thread but I really some help. DH and I have been invited to a private concert next weekend. I'm told that "everybody who's anybody" will be there and that it's formal--tux for me, if possible.

DH has no problem but I really have nothing to wear. What would be considered appropriate for such an event? We both need to make a good impression.

Thanks ever so much for any advice.

Hi there JAnn,

Long time no talk And I still love this thread too..

Anyway, I just wanted to mention that Dillard's really has a good selection of all kinds of evening/formal wear in all manner of sizes at what I consider to be pretty reasonable prices.

I think the first thing is to think of what you'd be comfortable in. For instance, when I was recently looking for some dressier clothes, I realized that I personally wasn't going to feel comfortable in a strapless or sleeveless dress (only because I'm self-conscious about my flabby upper arms). This helped me narrow down my choices.

There's a whole section on the Dillard's website in their 'special occasion' area that's got nothing but dressy separates - which is kind of nice if you're like me in that you don't necessarily want a ballgown type thing.

Here, take a look:

http://www.dillards.com/endeca/Ende...rvlet?N=1604010

And here's their entire 'special occasion' section, just to give you a few ideas:

http://www.dillards.com/endeca/Ende...rvlet?N=1000894

When's the concert?

I'm thinking you might also want to consider buying something that's somewhat versatile in that you can wear it almost year-round, in case you need to go to something fancy again like this. Plus, you also want something that will not go out of style in one season or anything.

What about colour? What colours do you like on yourself?

Personally, and I hope this doesn't sound boring - but I love midnight blue as a dress-up colour. It's just as dramatic and elegant as black, but it's better when you don't want black - ie. if there's a wedding to go to or it's summer and black is too dark or whatever. I like midnight blue because to me, it seems like a year-round colour. If you pick a nice material - a seasonless 'cool wool' material or something that isn't too hot or too lightweight...you'll have a winner.

Anyway, I'm glad you brought this thread up again - I really enjoy it.

Sara
PS - editing to add: I just did a search on the Dillard's website for all their 'special occasion' outfits in the plus section too:

http://www.dillards.com/endeca/Ende...rvlet?N=1003100

Here's another site you could look at:

http://www.anntaylor.com/catalog/ca...TEGORY_SEQ_1159

I hate to break the bad news, but...

Some WEIRDOS (ok...ME!) lose weight in their FEET. Yup....lost a half size. It was just enough of a loss for me not to fit in to my brand new leather FILA tennis shoes and my new pair of hiking boots. They became lose enough to cause blisters and now I can't wear them anymore.

Anyone need 2 slightly used pair of size 11's?

Can you double up your socks. When we lived in Alaska we always bought winter shoes oversize to compensate for heavier socks.