Weight loss /thrifted/charity shop capsule wardrobe

[crochetmonkey74]

Hello . I'm currently losing weight and have a lot to lose so I am going to shrink out of literally all my clothes. I've been considering using it as a time to reinvent my wardrobe and have always loved capsule wardrobes. I was thinking of waiting until absolutely necessary to replace each item and then buying from charity shops/returning when they become too big. Has anyone managed to do a capsule from charity shops? There's a great thread on here that I love about a woman who used a spreadsheet to track her wishes and purchases so was thinking of doing something similar but will the charity shopping make that impossible due to the random nature of the clothes or should I build the wardrobe ideas first then search the charity shops for what I need? Anyone done similar?

Sounds like a fun project to me. I think you could achieve it with thrifted clothes but I don’t think you could do it purely with charity shops. I think you stand a chance if you also use eBay / Vinted etc. ( although the downside is the trying on aspect I appreciate). You will have to stick to your guns about only buy the exact thing you need although you can improve your chances if you have a good tailor in the wings to alter anything that doesn’t fit perfectly. They may also alter some of your current wardrobe to go part of the way with you if you have items you think are worth keeping.

It depends where you live I think. I have access to a lot of well-stocked charity shops.

I think it is s great idea. I get the majority of my stuff secondhand and it is great when you find something brilliant for a few quid.

The main thing is be realistic about the time input needed.

Many decades of charity shopping experience here, and I'd say it's more likely to give you the exact opposite of a capsule wardrobe, unless you are extremely focused and ruthless. As PP have said, you'll need to invest a lot of time, consider eBay etc. and hope the charity shop gods smile on you. Good luck.

I'm not interested capsule wardrobes but I'm a big charity shopper and I'm afraid I wouldn't recommend this.

Every charity shop is different - that's partly why I like them - so you might get posters who've done it successfully, but my experience is that, as you say yourself, they're too hit and miss for such a big and systematic project. I sometimes use them to look for specific, non essential things and it can literally be years before I find what I want in the right size and colour.

Also you'll presumably be looking for basic, every day items? These are often in poor condition in charity shops because they've been worn to death. The top finds are more likely to be items that have been saved for best.

What you could do instead is buy your basics on the high street so that you've got a functioning wardrobe and then use charity shops to upgrade those basics, and also to look for interesting extras.

Or you might have more success if you supplemented charity shops with Vinted and EBay - I don't use them so can't help but I'm sure other posters can.

I did this coming back from maternity leave but exclusively used Vinted. I can’t really be bothered with charity shops & don’t have the time anyway.

I sorted my return to work with fairly high end high street brands for about £100. It was my equivalent of a capsule wardrobe for work: four dresses, two shirts, trousers & a coat, most brand new.

I've never found anything worthwhile in a charity shop, I suspect I live in the wrong area. I'd happily do it on vinted though.

It does depend on the area I think, here there are several charity shops and often they have good quality stuff for reasonable prices. It's hard to plan though as it's more luck of the draw what's in! I'd say though if your open minded and look for shapes and colours you like then its worth a go- can always try something else if it doesn't work.

I went through a similar weight loss journey -lost 14 stone in about a year, and I bought my clothes from Vinted. I did look at charity shops but there was never anything I wanted. I’m still buying a lot on Vinted because the pricing is so good.

You can but you'll need a good eye for what suits you.
You'll be limited as regards the colour of your clothes - navy and black is easy to get hold of.
Jeans are easy to get in charity shops.

If you are buying from charity shops, be prepared to return items that don't fit or don't suit you. I buy far too much.

Buying preloved gives you more choice, but what you are looking for won't always be available.

I like the idea of it being a long running fun project - hadn't considered getting things altered but I could definitely look into that. I'm keen to do a sewing course as well so that could be a good crossover project.

Yes I think it's a time thirsty project - but maybe I could make a rough list based on my style 'oversized button down shirt' 'crew neck jumper' 'chinos' and then buy things that co ordinated to each other rather than thinking 'i can only buy navy or black'

I do use Vinted so I will try this

Wow that is incredible! you must have felt like you were permanently shrinking

I am losing 5-6 stone and have given myself a year to do it

I am 1.5 stone down so far!

Wel done, @crochetmonkey74 !
Do a capsule list but also be open to keeping an eye out for something fabulous.

Make sure you check out the men’s section of any charity shop / vintage shop you visit. I have blazers, cashmere sweaters, t shirts and shirts from the men’s section. I even bought a pair of high waisted (very) vintage evening trousers ( although they’ll need altering ). Last time I found a Versace sweater which I think has escaped their attention ( I didn’t buy it though).

I found a ladies' size 10 coat in the men's section. I bought it.

Ooh good tips for the mens section. I do like a mens shirt and I often buy a vintage t shirt so good shout!

@Whatthediddlyfeck congratulations, that must have taken such a lot of will power.

I did something similar when my shape changed at menopause, but I used eBay rather than charity shops (not many charity shops in my area). And I used a spreadsheet too. It was useful for keeping track of what I was spending, and also making notes about my priorities, and which brands were likely to fit best etc.

And yes to looking at men’s clothes! I find some men’s clothes fit surprisingly well, considering I’m not actually a man (menotummy and now-flat bum changed my waist-hip ratio).

Not will power as such, I had gastric sleeve surgery, still a huge mental/mindset thing, but in a different way. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done, I’ve gone from a morbidly obese size 28/30 to a very normal 12/14

I have found Vinted to be brilliant although of course you have to take a chance on the sizing. Also had some amazing charity shop finds but am blessed with some very good ones in my area.

@Whatthediddlyfeck, it's still a huge achievement. Very well done.

Can I please asked how you organised your spreadsheet?

I have never done one before

I had different columns for different things, so tops, trousers, skirts, dresses, jackets etc. I listed everything I had that fitted me: black long sleeve top, white shirt, navy/white stripe blouse etc.

Then I made another list of things I needed, in order of priority. So for example I had lots of black tops and three pairs of jeans, but no black tailored trousers, which I like to have for work. So that was my top priority. I also needed some summer clothes, so I added a few things to the list e.g. white tank top, navy linen trousers etc. I had a column for how much I was willing to spend on each item, and a column of how much I actually spent, so that I could track my budget.

And then I just worked my way through the list of things I needed in order of priority and searched eBay. Once I bought them I moved them on the spreadsheet to the list of things I have.

My wardrobe is fairly boring and minimalist but it works well for me. Most things go with most other things, which is useful because I’m not a morning person and don’t have the patience to plan outfits every day.

There might be better ways to organise a spreadsheet, but my way was fairly quick and easy for me. (I also used colour coding, but it’s not really necessary. I just like a bit of colour in my spreadsheets.)