Clothes for losing weight

[vvviola]

(Sorry, I think this is going to be pretty long and rambling.. style and beauty discussions aren't my natural habitat)

I'm pretty stylistically challenged at the best of times, and so this dilemma made me realise I needed some outside help - and thought MN might be able to help.

I had my lovely DD2 three weeks ago. At this stage on DD1 (and for a considerable time afterwards) I was still in maternity clothes or massive baggy tracksuits. This time around, I barely put on any extra weight when pregnant, so, combined with having had a bouncing big 9lb baby, it means that not only have I already lost my pregnancy weight, I'm actually lighter than I have been in about 2 years, and the weight is still dropping off. The maternity clothes have already been packed away. (Yes, I'm well aware of how lucky I am - it sure as hell didn't happen this way last time around!)

So - the style and beauty issue. I'm back in my old clothes, and some of them are already too baggy. My jeans won't stay up, and half of my trousers look huge on me. I'm hoping to continue the downward trend (I was very overweight when I got pregnant).

So - what to do? I need clothes to wear - I've already dropped from an 18/20 to probably the top end of the 16s. But I don't want to go buying clothes that will (hopefully) be too big for me in a couple of months (I'd say that naturally, when I'm not carrying excess weight, I'm a 14). All the clothes I used to have at those sizes have either been donated or wouldn't suit my post-pregnancy shape. Added to all this, I'll be on a career break after maternity leave - so for the next few years, instead of a wardrobe focused on office wear/suits etc, I'll be a SAHM and (later) a student. I've lived in suits for the past 10 years, and casual wear has always been a problem for me.

So - where do I start? Do I just live in baggy oversized clothes (mainly office type with a few baggy jumpers & jeans) until my weight loss stabilises a bit? How do I even figure out what suits me anymore? (5 ft 4, DD bust, carrying weight around the belly, long-ish torso, short but decently shaped legs - if all that helps in ideas). I'm breastfeeding too, which probably limits me a little.

Anyone who can help a stylistically challenged woman before she has to go out to do the school run in her pyjamas? Please??

[cleanteeth]

I would say IMO now isn't the time to start channeling your inner style goddess. Get yourself some cheap basics and make do with them until you feel you have reached a weight that you will stay at. There's no point searching out lots of stylish clothes when you dont really know what your shape/size is going to be, just relax and enjoy motherhood for a bit before you start to worry.

Plus once you have lost all the weight you want to loose then you should have more confidence with trying out different styles.

Congrats on the new baby :o

[PerAr6ua]

I'd go the other way - get a small number of bits that make you feel good about yourself now. Just don't spend much - jeans and tops from supermarket ranges/peacocks/primark or whatever. Then you can practise putting outfits together before you're down to your target weight and can spend up a bit knowing what suits you.

Make sense?

[TrillianAstra]

Once you have lost the weight (or even for playing around with now) I'd recommend Dressipi - you put your measurements in and they recommend clothes that will suit your shape.

[InvaderZim]

I've found skirts and leggings invaluable as I've lost weight, especially since leggings are pretty cheap!

[SayItIsntSo]

I think that wrap dresses/wrap tops are your friend here - my weight has gone up and down but the wrap aspect of wrap dresses and wrap tops has been adjustable enough to cope.

[vvviola]

Trillian Astra - thank you so much for that site - looks like it could be really useful.

Thanks everyone else for the ideas. I guess cheap & cheerful is the way to go (maybe with some suggestions from the site Trillian mentioned). I suppose part of the problem is that even the cheapest ranges add up when you've nothing at all to wear - and unfortunately no cheap supermarket ranges over here really, so C&A and H&M etc are my only options

Maybe I just need to develop some sewing skills & alter what I already have!!