Down'sizing' part 2 - getting the most out of each size

Blessed are those who only need to lose one size.

I'm not one of those people. I love shopping and love shopping for smaller sized clothes that make me look great. But once I set-up my budget, it was obvious that binge shopping to wrap my new body in the threads it deserves was not going to happen.

It comes down to 'when'. When do you buy the smaller size. My thoughts...

1. Pants Depending on where you lose weight first, pants can be the first to go loose. I'm bottom heavy and when I lose weight the pants are the first to show. Pants also have a higher 'frumpy' index, loose pants can ruin the look of the outfit. Tops not so much.
   
   Pants became my priority in buying. Loose pants had Goodwill in their near future. I bought pants for every new size. Not so in blouses.
   


2. Blouses Most blouses can be worn plus a size or two without the top looking too big. To trick is not to go beyond 'one size too big.'
   
   I had an 'ah ha' moment about this. At size 16 I bought a fun purple striped cotton sweater set. I loved it. Sometime and some pounds later (size 12), I was wearing the outfit out shopping and noticed the same outfit was 80% off and available in a smaller size. Before trying on the smaller size, I would have sworn the larger size was a good fit. One look in the dressing room mirror told me how wrong I was. I looked like a puddle in the larger size. The smaller size looked that much more fantastic.
   
   Exception: Stretch knit tops. The trick is buying the knit top so it's not that tight on you to begin with. I knew a top was too tight when my Mom told me that I should get the mole on my tummy looked at. That same knit top, I still wear on my several sizes smaller body. You'd have to feel the fabric to know that its stretch, but tucked in it still looks great.



3. Skirts Depending on the fit, skirts can be like pants, jean skirts particularly. Those with gathered waists not so much. If you wear a skirt with a long jacket, you can get away with a larger size much longer. Watch the fit if the jacket is short or fitted.
   


4. Jackets can be like blouses unless you buy something super fitted. While losing weight, super fitted jackets aren't the best buy.
   


5. Dresses To make them last longer try belting them. I've tried putting jackets over them but then the ample amount of material showing around the jacket hem looks bad. Overall dresses aren't the best buy for a weight losing gal.

Other posts in this series
Down'sizing' introduction
Part 1 - the plan
Part 3, focus
Part 4, what to buy