Downsizing the Wardrobe Without Shopping
 

So, I'm almost at goal. ("Almost" is taking forever to go away!) I've started to notice that a lot of my shirts that used to make me "look skinny" make me look fat now! I don't want to go buy all new shirts. Sure, maybe I "deserve" a splurge, but I'd personally rather splurge on other stuff, not clothes! :) Other than t-shirts, I mostly wear either button-down shirts or outlandishly-patterned "hippie" shirts. I've considered trying to tear-apart and re-assemble the button-down shirts, but I'm thinking that might be a lot more of a pain than I'm prepared to endure. Most of those shirts are Old Navy's XXL and I need to have a L now. As for the "hippie" shirts, I'm thinking I might have better luck with those, either by stitching in some elastic in the back, using one of those little clips they sell to gather shirts of sewing in ties. Anyone have any luck with such endeavors?

I also have a couple of broom skirts that I love that I can hardly keep up any more. But, I'm thinking they'd take really well to just trimming the elastic. As for jeans, I've just bought more.

Here are some ideas you can try...they sound kind of wacky...but I've done these before and they can be pulled off:

With your broom skirts, do you mean flowy layered ones? If so, you can wear them as a tube dress (just hitch the waist around your bust, and take a cool belt and wrap it around your middle. Throw a sweater over it and add some knee boots or heels or cool flats and it's a whole new outfit!

You can also sew, strap to the top of the skirt waist to make it a strapped dress. You can get pretty experiment-y here: thick straps, spaghetti straps, crisscross strap in the back.

As far as your big shirts go, why don't you belt the middle so it looks like a short dress and add skirts, leggings or fitted jeans underneath? Or if the shirt is long enough, maybe you can wear it as a mini-dress by itself!

Hope these ideas work!
;-)
Rachelle
http://3fatchicks.com/diet-blogs/etherence/

I think you can do somethings to prolong the life of the shirts, like taking in the waist, but not forever. The problem I find with trying to downsize tops is that the necklines, shoulder line, and armholes are too big, and those are hard to fix. And when those areas don't fit, it looks sloppy.

It sounds like your clothing style is very similar to mine (part hippie, part bohemian, with a splash of black and artsyfartsy for good measure) :lol:

My recommendations (similar clothing style, plus I do seamstressing) :

~The too big clothes are going to hide your new figure. Even if you belt a too big top, or redo the elastic in a too big skirt-it is still going to come out sloppy. The shirts for instance-the arms, armpit holes, neckline, and all of that are still going to be too large for you-even if you nip in the waist. It just isn't going to look right.


~GOODWILL/GARAGE SALE/THRIFT STORES~
Go nuts. Dig through, and find some treasures that will fit. I get broomstick skirts with the elastic waists and the little bells on the strings there all the time for about $4.00 a piece, the ones made in India. You will be able to find a few things if you dig around there long enough, to get you by for a while. :)

I understand your plight, because I don't like spending a LOT on clothes, when I plan on losing more and won't be in that size for too long. No sense in spending $50 on a pair of jeans that will only fit for a couple of months. Hit the thrift stores about once a week.

Trust me...you will look 10X better, and people will notice your new figure more if you are wearing things that let it show. :)