@pigtailsandall I find Joe Browns to be vanity sized (like so many shops now, so perhaps we should consider it the new normal?). Tops I like a bit of room in but trousers I size down. They've got a size guide on there now so I don't know if anything has changed, according to the size guide my usual size is too small, never mind the sized down version I usually buy. I've ordered an 8 same as I usually would from them (I'm a 10 really), so will see. Refunds take time to process but I never send anything back, so I'm talking from what I've read in reviews not personal experience. Returns are post office or Hermes.
@KimDeals not a stone but I lost half a stone this summer by skipping breakfast for 8wks after failing to fasten my favourite cargos and busting the zip on a pair of jeans when I sat down! Around a stone crept on over lockdown and not fitting into things just won't do. In your situation I'd buy maybe 3 outfits in a bigger size to get through the autumn season, supplementing those with whatever you have already that will stretch to accommodate the new you. Then tackle the extra weight before it becomes a daunting task and requires a whole new wardrobe. Unless you're not bothered by that prospect? I'd be gutted if I couldn't continue to wear my favourites.
I'm broke having bought two pairs of boot flared trousers, a polo neck top, three cotton blouses, two cord miniskirts, a fitted t-shirt and three pairs of coloured tights.
On the subject of Sainsbury's TU, I find the quality amazing. I've been wearing a drapey dress which has kept its shape, the fabric has just started to fade and I think it might bobble before the year's out. A pair of dark denim jeans which have held their colour and little holes have started appearing in the springtime around the back pockets, the bottoms which trail on the floor have only just started to fray. A black pair of Gok Wan skinny jeans which are still perfect although they're now charcoal grey. This is ten years of wear for 6 months of the year and they're not done yet. Very happy.