New and Where do I start??

Melaine

I'm excited to find some advice and help here....boy do I need it! I am a stay at home and homeschooling mom to three kiddos and have recently lost the baby weight from all three. Happy to be back to my wedding day weight! But money is tight so I cannot afford to replace all my clothes and because of the rapid weight loss even my "new" clothes aren't fitting well. My closet is in terrible dissarray with multiple sizes, styles and some really old and worn clothes too. I still have stuff from highschool (and I'm now 30). I am going through my closet this weekend. I would love tips on what my criteria should be in keep or toss? And any other help and advice for pulling my "style" together?

13 years ago

General

12 replies

Latest reply was from Sveta

Krista

Veteran

Hi Melaine, welcome to the forum and congratulations on your weight loss!

One place you could start is with Angie's posts on "Mom on the Go" formulas and see if the ideas for those outfits work for you. Then you can purge your closet based on those ideas. It's also a good idea to consider your lifestyle - keeping the clothes that work for you versus what you know you rarely wear.

The best place to start (really) is to make yourself a cup of tea or coffee and spend some time searching through the forum for ideas on what you've mentioned - purging/keeping/tossing/, style for your lifestyle, etc.

Others will chime in with ideas - looking forward to seeing you post on the forum!

13 years ago

cheryle (Dianthus)

(website)

Veteran

I think you should start by purging the items you know don't work so that you only have the items you like and that fit available or those with some hope to be pinch hitters.

I agree with Krista that you should do some reading and possibly start a fashion board on pinterest to identify your preferences. Buy what you wear the most first so if you wear casual most days, focus on casual. Also, buy a few good staple pieces (jeans come to mind) and work from there.

Good luck and congrats.

13 years ago

Mochi

Veteran

Just dropping in to welcome you. I think anything that's clearly way too big should be tossed/donated. Other stuff, I'm sure you will get some good suggestions, especially if you start posting pics. Congratulations on your weight loss and looking forward to your participation here!

13 years ago

Claudia

Veteran

Welcome. The first thing I'd recommend is getting a professional bra fitting and purchasing a great bra if you haven't already done this. It can make a world of difference in how you look and how your clothes fit. The second would be to get a great pair of jeans.

These can be the foundation you build the rest of your wardrobe around at a speed you are financially comfortable with. These two items I would buy the best I could afford and pay a premium for. They'll earn their higher cost.

13 years ago

cinnamon fern

Veteran

Hi Melaine! I don't have much to add but just thought I'd welcome you.

13 years ago

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Welcome!! And congrats on your recent weight loss!

I would quickly purge anything that is way too big or way too old! Then, go back and read some of Angie's blog posts. Here is the link to the complete archives: http://youlookfab.com/archive/

I spent hours and hours there when I first joined (and just before that) reading various posts. It's a great learning tool. Yes, some of the photos are dated now but as Angie always says, she sows the seed of an idea. So take the IDEAS from any year, and combine with the trends of 2013.

Meanwhile you can do some thinking about your own style goals. Keep in mind that your lifestyle/ work, geography, and needs should be in the forefront of your planning!

and have FUN!

13 years ago

goldenpig

(website)

Veteran

Yay, another mommy board member! Welcome! So excited for you and congrats on the weight loss!

I second Claudia about the bra fitting and jeans, also would add getting a new haircut if needed. Also consider posting a pic or two to get your body shape sorted out (you have to be a member for 10 days and have a certain number of posts before posting pics on here, so you can put in a link to another photo hosting site in the meantime). Then check out the archives--you can look up Angie's tips on how to dress for your shape. Also esp since you're a SAHM make sure to look up her Mom On the Go Formulas--they're several years old but still relevant.

As for how to purge, it depends on whether you like to do it all at once or in small chunks. I would try EVERYTHING on and ask yourself 1) Does it fit and flatter my body? 2) Does it fill a wardrobe need? 3) Do I feel fab in this? Keep everything that's all yes. If all no, donate. If it's 2/3 yes, but maybe a little big because of the weight loss, keep if it's something that's easily altered to fit you better, but if it's way too big let it go. I eventually got rid of most of my old pre-YLF stuff that was dated and/or no longer my style or didn't fit right for my post-baby body, but there are a select few pieces like my 15 yr old Banana Republic wrap dress that I still love and wear a lot. If there are things that you are not sure about, post a keep or purge thread with pics and you'll get lots of great advice here!

I couldn't find a good blog post about wardrobe remixing, but Redbook does articles on remixing clothes that I found to be really helpful, especially when I was just starting out (this was one of my first few threads):
http://goldenpig.lookfab.com/p.....ew-outfits
http://www.redbookmag.com/beau.....13#slide-1
http://www.redbookmag.com/beau.....12#slide-1

And finally, just have fun browsing through other members' WIW's...you'll find lots of style inspiration there! This is such a great community, you'll get a lot of help and hand-holding and it's lots of fun!

13 years ago

Caro in Oz

Veteran

Nothing to add except welcome:)

13 years ago

Melaine

(website)

Active Member

Wow Thank you all for the tips. I've been checking out all these great links and cleaning out my closet most of today. I am sure I will need more help but I am making progress!

13 years ago

Ingunn

(website)

Veteran

Welcome to a warm and friendly place on the web! I think you've got great advice already, so I'll only underline what's been said already: If you have pieces in your wardrobe that are not absolutely necessities, and they don't fit properly or make you feel good wearing them, then you are better off purging. I try to cultivate a fairly small wardrobe myself, and it is amazing how many outfits a small, well chosen wardrobe can produce.

A list that origins from Harper's Bazaar suggests the following:

4 sweaters (2 work/2 casual)
7 tees: Short sleeve, long sleeve, turtle neck
4 coats and jackets (Coat, trench, blazer, sport)
4 pants
4 skirts
2 tops for every pant and skirt (8 dressy, 8 casual)
1 suit for every season
5 dresses (2 day dresses, 1 cocktail, 1 formal, 1 FAB)
4 jeans (1 slim, 1 relaxed, 1 cropped, 1 for heels)

To me, this is way more than I need, but it is a great starting point you easily can adjust to your own liking, ie you probably don't need several suits, and maybe one dressy pant is enough, and so on... Good luck purging!

13 years ago

qfbrenda

Veteran

The other women have you sorted out, but I wanted to welcome you and say hello! I'm a SAHM and homeschooling mom to 5.

13 years ago

Sveta

(website)

Veteran

You already received all the tips from the ladies here, I just wanted to say welcome. This forum is the best place ever!
The only thing I can add that if you are not sure if you should keep or toss something you can post the pictures here and get the advice. This is what I did and it helped me tremendously.

13 years ago

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