Can anyone help me please? Starting from scratch!

[Fuckitfuckit]

This is so exciting (and daunting!!)

So let me start by saying I've been massively depressed for years, and got to the stage where I was very very big. I was just shy of 24 stone.

I am reaching the very exciting point where I am 2oz off having lost 100lb. So bloody excited.

Because of lockdown, I've not really bought many clothes as I've shrunk. I'm currently a size 16-18 and 15stone 7, and 5"5.
I still have a fair few stone to lose, but I'd really like to start feeling a bit more polished and "done up"

I spend my time walking around in jeans that are 1-2 sizes too big, and I can't seem to find jumpers that either don't drown me, or seem to highlight my Fupa. Maybe its quite positive that I have nothing that fits, so I can get a whole new wardrobe!

I don't know how to tidy myself up though!

My hair is finally looking a little thicker, I've splurged on massive bottles of salon quality shampoo and conditioner, and I'm styling it each time I wash it (instead of scraped back!)

I'm moisturising my skin each day, giving myself pedicures, and as a minimum I'm moisturising my face, putting on mascara and filling in my eyebrows with a pencil. Most days I try to remember a simple pair of studs.

About twice a month I give myself a little manicure. Usually just with a natural nail colour to give me a bit of a sheen.

I'm trying to take care of thr skin on my face too.
I think maybe I've got a decent routine with all of that, but I don't know how to proceed with the clothing.

Sorry I think I'm rambling, where do people start?

Im very keen to ditch the baggy jeans, trainers and parka that I seem to live in.

Really well done on the weight loss. That is an amazing achievement.

I lost ten stone a couple of years ago, and because I was overweight for quite a while, I would say its taken me a while to find my feet with clothes again. A lot of styles I would have bought when I was slim and younger just don't suit me or my lifestyle anymore, some shops I would have shopped in no longer exist, and there were some great new brands that weren't even on my radar......

Firstly, I would say get anything baggy out of the house as soon as it is baggy, it did me no good to wear stuff that was too big for me.

I found supermarket stuff, especially some of the TU at Sainsburys good for basics while I was still losing, If I bought say, a new fitting pair of jeans and a pair of smarter trousers each time I went down a size, it got me out of wearing stuff that was too big without too much expense.

I also spent too much time on pinterest, looking at pics of eg a wool winter coat, to help me decide what colour, shape etc I would get most wear of. I also had a couple of people I followed whose style I liked to try and emulate their looks.

What really helped me was buying stuff from charity shops, so I could try out new things and see how I feel in them before committing a lot of money, sorry I know that is really unhelpful at the moment when they are shut, but I'd buy something as an experiment eg a pencil skirt, then realise OK I hate pencil skirts I feel I can't walk freely in them I'm better in A line or fit and flare, or whatever it is, I can cast them back to the charity shop with no guilt. Once I'd done this I would upgrade things I'd bought that I loved wearing to a new, more expensive version.

Well done on the weight loss.

Have a look in the charity shops when they reopen. They are likely to want to get rid of stuff quickly.
Look for things that aren't big and baggy, and don't buy just because it's cheap.

Look out for good quality clothes in dependable makes

eBay is good as well for buying a load of stuff for not an awful lot and seeing what works for you.

As pp said, look at ebay.

Look at brands that are good quality and that wash well - boden, seasalt, white stuff etc

Well done. It's really hard not being able to try anything on, isn't it! I agree that supermarket stuff is a good mid bet, and the quality of TU is really good. I'm on a similar journey to you and am actually enjoying having less in my wardrobe that I wear more, too.

I'd say you need bottoms that fit. Jumpers and sweatshirts can look OK too big, but baggy bottoms are always going to look terrible. So focus your money and shopping on your lower half.
If you are handy with a needle you can take in side seams on skirts and dresses quite easily - look on Pinterest how to do this, if there are clothes you still want to wear.
If you are still losing weight then you'll only need a few things in each size just to keep yourself looking presentable. Once the shops are open, you can spend time trying things on and getting a better idea of what you like and what suits you, but at the moment it's hard, and supermarket clothes you can easily return might be a good shout.

TU is good. The brands I listed are just some.