Oh how I love Ann Taylor and Ann Taylor Loft! I instantly become smaller just by walking through their doors :rofl:

Bought several pairs of pants (buy 1 get one half off), some tops on sale, and used my $25 coupons from the summer :)

Now my problem is shoes...back in my fat days, I could always buy shoes. It was the only thing I could buy without tears in a dressing room. Now I can't find shoes and who knew I'd lose a shoes size? ( And 10 year old shoes look pretty dated anyway :dizzy:)

Mel

They really are the worst. They're the only store where *I* magically turn into a size 4. It's silly.

I can't believe you lost a shoe size Mel! That's incredible. May I ask what your high weight was?

I'm planning a trip to TJ Maxx and Burlington Coat Factory this weekend (2 hour round trip). I need a winter coat and some winter-worthy workout clothes. I imagine I might find some other things as well. I love shopping. It's probably a good thing they keep all the stores so far away from me. :)

Thanks. ;)

And I second the black thing. I don't know why, it's just a color that appeals to me. I would wear it at my highest, at mt lowest-in-between--I didn't care. I'm naturally fair-skinned but not too much, with clear eyes, and it tends to enhance those attributes in a nice way, I think.

(I must admit it also makes lots of things convenient for me, since I don't own a washing-machine and have to go to the lavomatic nearby: at least I don't need to wash four different batch of different colors each time. :lol:)

Kristy, how was your shopping trip to TJ Maxx (my current favorite store) and Burlington Coat Factory?

Kerry, black is the only color I don't wear! Or at least I have very, very little of it in my closet. I just don't think it goes with my very dark brown hair.

I decided not to go last weekend. We have a 4 day weekend this weekend, so I thought it made more sense to go on Monday instead. This way bf gets to come with me and do some shopping also. I shall report on my purchases when I return. :) I have looooooooooongggg list though.

I was always into clothing when I was heavy, and in fact I dressed so well (nipped in blazers, flared fitted jeans, low cut tops) that I think many people didn't realise just *how* big I really was.
But now, man, I'm a clothes FANATIC. I'm even getting into high fashion - can't afford it of course, but I enjoy looking at the images which I never did before because it was just too upsetting!

I dress in mostly vintage fashion, and let me tell you it is unbelievable to go into the vintage stores I used to only be able to buy scarves in and find that at least half the stuff is too BIG for me! And you know those vintage clothes are cut small too! My biggest problems now: 1) clothes storage! my house is tiny and I have about 6x the amount of clothing I had before, sometimes it can be hard to put together an outfit cause I don't know where everything is and it's about 80% black which doesn't help! 2) stopping myself buying things. When you're big, and you find something that flatters you and looks good you have to buy it immediately because it's so rare. Well, these days, it seems nearly everything flatters me and my budget can't afford that! So I'm having to limit myself to essential items, truly exception items, items missing from my wardrobe, or something for a specific occasion.

I take my fashion very seriously, I relate it as being a direct expression of my mind, beliefs, ideas and what I stand for and am interested in. I dress in a lot of black and mostly monochromatically (I'm very into stripes), and have recently incorporated a Victorian/antique-meets-punk attitude to my fashion. A lot of people think I am a 'goth' but I don't adhere to those generalisations - and do not like vampires, have no interest in corpses, etc etc. I do quite like spiders and crows though, lol.

It has been so exciting for me to transform in this way, I've had many people tell me I am the best-dressed woman they know, which really means a lot. I get noticed a lot for my fashion, which I couldn't do if it weren't for my body. If you have an eye for it and the passion I highly recommend thrift shops and vintage stores for in-between-size shopping, as you can get things for not too much which won't fit you in a while. Also, I was really glad I shopped at thrift shops when I noticed how many mistakes I made - things I purchased cause I was so excited to fit into them that really weren't my colours or didn't flatter my figure on account of being too long waisted, etc. I made some mistakes of things I never wore that no longer fit me but thankfully they were all under $20, so I consider it a small price to pay for the joy of being slimmer!

Also, my mom lost a bunch of weight with me, and she totally does that thing you were talking about with the Talbots coats - she still doesn't have reality on how small she is (a size 4 hips and smaller on top and 5'1, so she's mostly wearing children's clothing for tops now!). She will often bring clothing to me to see what I think as a possible garment for her and it'll be far too large for ME. I guess it just takes adjusting!

Also, about the shoes - I lost 2.5 shoe sizes! I was a 9.5 when I was a size 22 (maybe 245lbs or so?) and now I'm a size 8 hips and my shoes a size 7, sometimes even 6.5. The shoe size thing is because my feet were always small/short but they were puffy cause of the fat so needed bigger shoes I guess. I grew into being overweight from my childhood so I never had a clue that wasn't my proper shoe size, it was quite a shock! I got rid of all my old shoes (which was ok cause they were mostly pretty comfortable looking, I couldn't carry all that weight around on heels ya know?) but I have bought a few pairs of irresistable size 8 boots which I wear with two pairs of socks. Ah boots, my life is complete!

I had an incredible shopping experience last weekend. In Maryland, we don't have Dillards but I was out of town and my hotel was next to a mall. I was ecstatic to see that the mall had a Dillards in it. They have some awesome sales. So I walked into the store and they were having a 30% off clearance item sale. A lot of the clothes were fall styles as well.

I bought about 20 items for $200. I bought 5 pairs of dress pants. One of the dress pants doesn't quite fit and will need to be hemmed but they felt so comfy and they were cheap ($8) that I figured it was worth it to get them hemmed. I bought other casual pants including my new goal pants, a pair of size 14 DKNY pants (for $9). I bought a few shirts for work as well as some casual shirts. I "splurged" on a Calvin Klein crochet top that was my most expensive item at $15. It is really cute though so I couldn't resist.

I will admit that most of the items I bought, I bought stuff that was a bit snug because I don't plan to stay at my current weight for too long. So I am hoping that the stuff I bought that fits well now will be too loose for me and the stuff I bought that is too snug will fit perfectly soon.

Hi nelie! Isn't Dillards the same as Macy's? Everything is on sale there now, too.

Welcome SugarSpunSister!

I have to stop shopping- except for shoes and maybe sweaters. My closet is stuffed.

Baffled- Pre-kids, I wore a size 6-6.5 shoe. My feet gained a half size with each kid. Post kids and at my highest weight which was somewhere around 185, I was wearing 8's. 65 pounds less (ok, I'm up two pounds so it's really 63), I'm wearing size seven shoes in virtually every brand. At least size creep doesn't seem to have affected shoes!

Mel

I need to slow down with the shopping as well. It's definitely becoming an "issue" for me. I keep justifying it by telling myself I have lots of catching up to do, but nevertheless, it just may be getting a tad out of hand.

There was so little for me to buy when I was 287 lbs, that now it's almost like I'm hoarding, for fear that there won't be anything further when I need it down the road. Especially with the shoes. My foot was so wide back then, it was next to impossible for me to find shoes that fit me and now that I can, I just keep on buying them ..... and buying them ..... and buying them. Oh yeah, and buying them some more. I don't even want to think about my credit cards bills. :fr::fr::fr:

Hi everyone! I got a little shopping while on vacation. A brown blazer at TJMaxx ... you could get worn out in that store! Whew for stacks of stuff! My current favourite is Academy Sports. They had racks of stuff for 2.88. I got four pairs of shorts.
In Old Navy I got a pair of brown tweedy knee pants. I have to fiddle with the length but rolled up to just at my knee is pretty good. I kinda like them.

Hi guys,

We went on our shopping trip yesterday and I have to say, it wasn't particularly successful. TJ Maxx let me down!!! I had a very long list of stuff I was looking for, and the list remains pretty much unfulfilled. I didn't even find a new belt. :(

I found a very cute short sleeve blue cotton blouse at Ann Taylor Loft that was practically free, and I got a cozy knit wrap/shawl thing from TJ Maxx that I'll wear around the house and office, but that's about it. (This would mark the first time in my life that I've left TJ Maxx without a giant pile of stuff. I spent hours picking through everything--and it is exhausting--to no avail.)

I had slightly more success at Sport's Authority. I got a pair of those super-tight running pants that will double for cycling on Sundays (no more tucking workout pants into socks. Hooray!) I also got two long sleeve wicking shirts for running outside, and a pair of weight lifting gloves to bring to the gym. I DID NOT find a new sport's bra, unfortunately. My current sport's bra is too big and too sad looking. But I don't like those racer-back uni-boob bras, and the SA doesn't carry underwire sport's bras. *******s.

I also didn't find a winter coat. :( I have a wedding in a famous lodge on a famous mountain in Oregon next weekend, and I was hoping to find a dress, boots and coat to inaugurate at that event. I failed on all three counts. It's already snowing on that mountain, and I have NOTHING to wear!!! (But really, a wedding in winter on a mountain? I'm sure it will be lovely, but ALL my wedding outfits are summer cocktail dresses and strappy sandals that just won't do.)

Thank god for the internet. It's my only hope with the coats and sport's bras and the like.

An injustice: Macy's was having a buy-one-get-one-free sale in the men's department, including dress pants and sport's coats. After bf dragged me in to help him decide between several pants of pants, I reluctantly made my way to the women's department to avail myself of the excellent deals. You know what? No buy-one-get-one-free in the women's department. Just a sad 15% off. I didn't wind up buying anything.

Kristy - so sorry your shopping trip wasn't productive. Thank God for Internet shopping. Let us see what you find for the wedding.

Yesterday, I stopped by Burlington Coat Factory just to browse while I was out doing errands. I found a navy blue zippered sweat shirt to replace the one that I got paint on. Plus a black belt that I think will work with my low rise jeans. And a very thick, very large cable, black, 3/4 length sweater jacket with hood. It goes great with my black and cordavan cowgirl boots. I had been looking for one of these bulky sweaters which seem to be a fashion must if you look in the magazines.

It's Oct 10th and still summer temperatures here in South Jersey. I'm really itching to get into my new fall clothes. Still wearing summer shorts, skirts, and capped sleeved shirts. Yesterday, I even wore just a tank top with a mini skirt. I've put away the sundresses. Not because of the temperature, just because it's October and it doesn't seem right to be wearing them.

Oops! I did it again. I was out on an errand and couldn't help myself from stopping in my 'favorite' store again - Goodwill.

Found a whole bunch of gems - a medium carmel colored suede skirt and a dark carmel lacy, soft wool v-neck sweater, a deep violet cardigan sweater with fringed edges instead of buttons and a wool skirt that matches perfectly, two black skirts - one causal and one more dressy, a light pink zip up sweater with soft pink suede on the front (which I'm wearing right now and feeling oh so cozy in), a white, thick, big holed crotched cape like jacket, and 4 belts.

Then I went home and moved my summer clothes out of my main closet (I have 3 to myself, not counting the downstairs coat closet - don't feel bad for DH, he has the bedroom walk-in closet) Now all my fall/winter shirts and sweaters are lined up by color. I can see I really favor all pinks to burgandies to purple, lime green, and loden. And black seems to be creeping into the mix. I've got 2 brown items just to be in style this season. At Goodwill prices, I don't care if I only get a few months out of them.

So off to Targets I had to go today for more hangers for all my 'finds'.

Hi,

Caroline...I can totally relate to your favorite store...Goodwill; My favorite store for the past weeks has been our local recycling outlets. the concept is that you donate the stuff you don't want anymore, and they sell this. The proceeds are used to pay the staff & other costs involved, and the idea is that this is a good way to recycle stuff. Also, it is a great place to pick up a bargain.

I found a couple of nice knitted sweaters, and T-shirts and a very cool workout top. Strange, because i was never even interested in clothes, and now i look at myself in the mirror and I like what i see. New clothes cheer you up, who would have thought !

Rabbit

Although I haven't received any of the clothes yet, my new favorite online only store is Sierra Trading Post. I need to buy some clothes for Antarctica and I wanted to buy some now to get a general idea of what I can find online and what I can't. I bought stuff all a size smaller, *gulp*. I bought stuff for DH and myself but one thing that helped is that I found a 30% off coupon for them and used it.

I bought lots of shirts for $4 or $5, bought some wool sweaters for $10 and tons of other stuff for a lot cheaper than I would find them in the store especially pre-season. I will report back when I get the stuff to see if it is really as good as they say :)

How many of us will ever get to say that we're buying clothes for Antarctica? :dizzy: So how long until you leave?

I leave in 2 months and 2 days! I am hoping that all the clothes I bought will fit properly by then :)

I'm cold just reading that!

I tried to go shopping for sweaters and wool pants and skirts today. Ugh- it was so hot I gave up after my first trip to the dressing room. I did get a really cute argyle vest for which I paid waaaay too much money, but I've been wanting it since the catalog came from Talbots. It's exactly the kind of thing I NEVER would have tried to wear when I was heavy. I knew I'd have to pay full price if I ever even found it- they've been sold out of smalls everywhere since the end of August. Someone returned one today! Then I scooted out of there and headed for Steinmart and TJMax. Peeling my sweaty jeans off once was enough- by the time it's cool enough to try on sweaters and wool the stores will be comletely sold out. :(

I agree Mel. I hate shopping for warm clothes when it is hot outside!

I just finished cleaning out all the closets and organizing for fall. And I finally bit the bullet and got rid of the (many) clothes mistakes that I bought right after I reached goal back in 2002.

I needed a whole new wardrobe but was completely and utterly LOST about what to buy and what looked flattering. There were too many choices! My head was spinning and I ended up buying the styles I had always bought. But I didn't realize that they weren't right for my new body and that I didn't need to dress to camouflage any longer.

So today I packed up the long shirts (to be worn open over a Tshirt), oversized Tshirts (even in a size small, you can buy oversized Tshirts), pleated pants, and matronly tunic tops and dropped them all off at Goodwill. It made me feel bad, but I didn't wear them and never would, so better for someone else to benefit from my mistakes.

If ever there's a time for a personal shopper or taking someone along who knows fashion, it's when you've lost a lot of weight and don't know what to buy! Landing in the Misses department was like being on an alien planet or in a foreign country where I didn't know the language. I had to learn how to dress all over again and yep, I sure made some mistakes along the way. :dizzy: But they're history now!

Hey Meg, did you ever hear anything from What Not to Wear? I know when I first joined 3fc I saw a post that you submitted an inquiry for a few of the maintainers here to be on the show.

A new episode comes on tonight. I love that show!

I love WNTW also!! You're right, I emailed them about our group but haven't received a response. I'm hoping they keep us on file for the future -- wouldn't we make an awesome show? Internet buddies and big losers who have never met in Real Life? :D

That is a brilliant show idea. Why aren't they jumping on this opportunity. Oh well, hopefully you'll here something in the future.

My secret weapon has been the Diabetes Assn around here. Once a month they phone and I tuck my mistakes into a box and leave it on the front porch.

Yesterday, I was on the hunt for trimmings. I found a few scarves and things ... cheap pretties.
I was thinking about Carolyn in Good Will. I got a Mexx blazer -grey with a wee bit of leather trim on the pockets- for $7.!

I did a "mistake purge" a few weeks ago, which left me with little except jean and my new business wardrobe. My problem was the opposite- I didn't dress like a small version of my former self; I landed in the jr's department and dressed like my then 19 year old daughter! :o In retrospect, some of it was ridiculous.

On the other hand, I have a few stunning dresses that I bought a steep markdowns just because they fit. They are super dressy and I'll probably never have anywhere to wear them. But every once in a while I put on the turquoise silk column dress with the one spaghetti strap and the one link chain metallic strap and feel elegant...then I put my jeans back on :) A mistake, but fun, never-the-less!

I still need sweaters. It's cold and rainy now and I don't want to get wet to go shopping.

I have to tell you guys about my shopping victory this weekend. I need at least 3 suits for a conference in Vegas beginning January 4. Ann Taylor is having a FABULOUS sale and I got three suits! Everything was at least half off. I got (can only link one, the other 2 aren't on the website):

* Black flippy skirt with matching jacket (will go with a pair of black pants I already have)
* Dark grey charcoal pants/jacket (jacket was originally 289, marked down to 89) with a fine light blue pin stripe. Got a gorgeous blue silky shirt with a soft neckline to go with it (shirt was also on sale)
* Dark brown pants/jacket, also with a tiny lighter blue pin stripe, got a beautiful light blue silk button down to wear with it (shirt was not on sale, but matched perfectly)
* Pair of gorgeous dark brown suede pumps (round toe, ankle strap) - marked down from 188! to go with the dark brown suit (I didn't have any dressy brown shoes)

I already have a pair of very nice black pumps and a couple of shirts to wear with the black suit (a lavender silk button down and a fun burgundy, black, charcoal paisely button down).

That should be 5 days worth (if I wear the black suit more than once, which should be fine!) I've been stressed about having to buy "business" stuff, it's a relief to have found it all - and on sale!! It is also VERY good encouragement to not gain 1 lb over the holidays, everything currently fits perfectly.

I have a question - I have a gorgeous size 14 suit I got at Macy's, can a suit be taken in from a size 14 to a size 6? I might just consign the suit, but it's sooo pretty, I would love to keep it!

Glory- What a coup! I love the Ann Taylor blue blouse. I have a similar one that I got for my birthday.

A size 14 skirt can be sized down, but most likely the jacket can't be or it would cost you much more than just buying a new one! I had a few pairs of good pants sized down but the tailor just shook his head at the jackets. Consign it- Macy's is having sales every weekend.

Why do shoes fit in the store and become painful after a few hours at work after I've already walked across the parking lot?

Mel - when are you trying on the shoes? Beginning of the day? Feet swell as the day goes on, so I do my shoe-shopping LAST (after I've walked around at the mall).

I am making a Goodwill run today. Not sure what I'll find but I am running into a problem of having -no- winter clothes (Last year I was a 14-16, now I'm an 8) and not enough money to completely re-wardrobe at standard stores. We'll see.

Latest fashion trend noted: big buttons. Really big, oversized buttons on sweaters and jackets. Like 2 1/2 inches in diameter. I think I like them. :)

The long shorts we talked about earlier in the season seem to be gone; I guess it was a fall look. I didn't see many people wearing them for real -- did any of you?

Glory, I :love: your new clothes! But have to agree with Mel about tailoring a jacket that extensively. The problem is that the shoulders and armholes are cut too big and there isn't any way to add fabric to close up the armholes. Bummer, I know!

Meg,

I bought a red sweater with big buttons, I love it. It is still a bit snug for me but I also bought it for my end of the year trip so hopefully it won't be by then.

Amanda, have you ever looked at Sierra Trading post? I found a few good items there and they keep sending me 20-30% off coupons (you can find some online as well) My winter wardrobe has come from Sierra Trading post, the huge sale I hit at Dillards and Costco.

What I need now are brown boots. My brown shoes are leaving my feet cold and my previous brown boots finally fell apart. I guess it is off to check Zappos or Shoebuy.

Nelie, after your post last week I had a look at the Sierra Trading Post. I wound up buying some more workout clothes--a sleeveless shirt for the gym and a zippered turtleneck for running outside. I also ordered a new bathrobe. The one I'm currently wearing is lovely fleece but it's a VERY generously cut XL and was always too big; two of me could easily fit in here now. :) The 30% off plus free shipping thing is very nice.

Thanks for the head's up!

So I was shopping the other day since returning a wedding present gave us a $45 credit at Kohl's . . . Saw some cute stuff, but since we had already spent half the credit on other stuff I didn't want to spend the money on something expensive (haha, "expensive" meaning $30 or more), so I bought some new PJs instead! I got a cute fleece nightgown, it's pink with little stars and doggies wearing sweaters on it. Anyway, I didn't try it on, I just grabbed a size SMALL off the rack and bought it, and it fit perfectly. :D

Normally, I HATE panty hose. Hate them, Hate them. I even buy them in sizes 2 to 3 times bigger that the charts say for my height and weight - that means little me is usually wearing Queen size and still feeling like an over stuffed sausage.

This fall, I picked up a few pairs of tights since their so in style - they probably always were, I just never noticed. The ones I'm wearing today for my Halloween black cat costume feel devine. Their Leg's Size B - only one size bigger and feel so slippery smooth and flexible. I'm in heaven with them.

Can anyone explain the difference between tights and panty hose?

Glory - your suits and blouses sound great. Hope you find more occassions to wear them. I only have two suits left from my former thin days - a paisey spring print (that I wore for Easter) and a blackwatch plaid heavy wool (that I will probably wear for Christmas).

But my lifestyle doesn't call for that kind of dress up anymore. 2 years ago, I gave away all my other thin suits from working 14 years ago. They were classic so it wouldn't have been a problem to wear them now. I just have to remind myself when I think of them now that I don't need them.

My sister gave me more clothes again, so now at least I have more warm things to wear during the winter months. :) I'll definitely have to take a few pictures, whether I'm actually IN those clothes or not.

Tights should be opaque. Hose is usually (somewhat) see-through. I'm a huge lover of tights. I've actually got an entire "tights" drawer. I've got some extra skin around my thighs and knees, and the tights do an awesome job of "firming" that up! :)

Interesting. We call them all tights over here! For us, hose are the leggings worn by men in the fifteenth and sixteenth century. Must be a word which went over with the Mayflower and then went its separate way! :)

Thanks scgirl32. That makes sense. I haven't worn tights since I was in middle school and had to wear white tights with my black patten leather shoes, white gloves, and fancy dresses every other Tuesday night to Barcley's Ballroom Dancing Lessons for girls and boys who were supposed to go on to cotillions and other coming out parties. Luckily, I didn't have to suffer through that agony!

Apparently there was an article in a local paper this week about how clogged up customs and all the delivery services are with Canadians shopping on-line. Our dollar is really good lately and I'm as guilty as the rest.
I bought short boots, long boots, scarves, scrubs, VS under gotchers ....

Ya know that commercial where they slap the guys forehead for not eating vegetables? This must be the 4th or 5th Cherokee uniform I have. I didn't try it on when I got it. I just jumped out of the shower this morning and pulled it on.
Smack! you shoulda bought a petite!
I'm going to wear it dragging today but I'll have to shorten the pants.

I had fun shopping this weekend. I was looking for coats and stumbled on a low out of last year's suede. I ended up with 3 suede jackets -- 2 less than $30 and 1 less than $20 (though I might return that one, it is a style I'm not sure I like). It was fun! I still need to buy a wool coat, however.

I also bought a few sweaters. Last year I didn't teach in the winter and survived on mostly too big turtlenecks. That's not gonna fly this year, so I need more stuff!