Good Morning. What Not To Wear

Well - I've come full circle with you. I have to try EVERYTHING on - gone are the days I could pick a pair of size 4's off the rack and they'd fit perfectly.  The regain and redistribution have made me very frustrated!

I have about 5 pairs of dress pants - black, grey, brown - the typical colors.  Depending on the time of year, I pair pull over sweaters with them - coordinating colors.  I also like (and do this often) wear dress pants, a dressy tank with a cardigan.  They have some real cute ones out there now - that way you can control how hot/cold you are in the office.  Summer is the same pants with short sleeved shirts - and you can get quite colorful there.  It may be time for another trip to the Talbots outlet. 

I also have dresses - I like to wear sleeveless (even in the winter) because I can pair them with a jacket or again, a dressier cardigan sweater.  Same with skirts.  Then I have stuff I can wear year-round. 

I just bought some sweater dresses to wear with my knee high boots - haven't done it yet, but probably will tomorrow since it will be warmer (and my toe is feeling better).  One has some short sleeves, so I'm good wearing it alone (but always bring a sweater with me), the other is sleeveless so I'll be pairing a cardigan with it.  I also have bought some black tights to wear with my dresses this time of year.  If I'm wearing a black dress I will wear nude hose and still a dressy boot or shoe.  It's a no-no to wear a black dress, black hose and black boots.... I'd look like 1 big blob....

Shoes range from my Aerosoles I bought when you and I went shopping, to ankle boots. 

I've done quite a bit of googling lately myself to see how people wear knee high boots, or sweater dresses.  It gave me some good ideas - the challenge is finding something I like.  Right now I'm looking for a plaid, knee length skirt - geez - it must be the wrong time of year - even online!!

My leggings/long sweaters with boots I keep for a dressier/casual out of the office.  Some people can pull it off, but I'm not comfy with it - unless the sweater is REAL long....

Ha ha, I totally misread what you put for a second there Jody.  I read @rsesoles instead of aerosoles - did make me wonder what type of shoes you have in the US.  Thank you for putting a smile on my face and making me LOL!!  My mind is back out of the gutter now! 

Gina,

Shopping has never been my problem - if anything it is a problem because I do too much of it and as I kept losing weight and kept changing sizes, I just kept shopping.  I have clothes in so many sizes.  When I went to the Conference in Rye, NY in Oct 2009 - it was my 1 year anniversary, I brought in light 4 really big bags of clothes that didnt fit for the clothing exchange.

Since I dont work, I have all casual clothes.  I have alot of sweats, first off since for the past 2 years I have had tons of abdominal pains, so I could adjust the waist.  I also have tons of jeans, I like stretch jeans - straight legs, since I have a tiny butt, thin legs but a bigger waist due to excess skin and still some excess fat in my abdomen.   My jeans consist of dark blue, fadded blue, black, purple, raspberry, white.  Corduroy - black, lime green, eggplant purple,   Then I have tops to go with everything - knits, sweaters, vests - alot of tank tops and several sweatshirts, zip ups and hoodies.

I get most of my clothes at Kohls, a few things at Macy's, some jeans I still get at Avenue (I can still wear the size 14 bottoms at Avenue but cant wear there tops - too big),  I love the Chico;s outlet about 30 minutes from me - a bit expensive but treat myself once in awhile. The outlet has much more casual than the regular store.

I am also a shoe/sneaker nut.  I love sketchers = the ones that roll.  I have a few pairs of those but get  either at Famous footwear or DSW, so much cheaper.  I also love aerosoles shoes.

I have never had any problems not know what to wear.  I am pretty good at picking out clothes and know what clothes go together and what is in style. Too bad you dont live in NY, I would go shopping with you anytime

Here are a few tips .  People sometimes complain that very classic clothes arent sexy .Well they CAN be -  the trick is sizing and relative proportion . ( and a BIG wardrobe of high quality mixables )    For instance if  I am wearing a loose drindl type skirt I am going to look for a color coordinating tight and short blazer to go over it ... similarly if im wearing tight pants i may choose a longer and slightly looser one .  If im wearing very baggy pants ill probably choose a narrow gauge very close to the body sweater for the top .

Whereas i wouldnt wear a bulky handknit ski sweater with anything but  skintight leggings on the bottom .  

Most designers deliberately make one part or another of  their outfits tighter .thats what makes  it sexy .. well you can do the same thing by having a variety of sizes in your closet - and the pieces shouldnt all have the same proportions .  I have black blazers that are nipped in at the waist , that almost cover the butt , that  just extend  a tiny bit below the waist  and that are baggy and boxy .  And thats just in black wool and velvets for winter ...

Make sure what you buy in real stores makes Ur skin and hair pop .and always buy suitable high quality overcoats because that  how almost EVERYBODY sees you dressed - in Ur coat .  You ll rarely find great cashmere coats in the  salvation army . .. but if you can buy coordinating  high quality stuff on sale go for it ... pretty much all classic stuff goes with each other and Ull make a pile of outfits using each piece

I also like to have a

 variety of comfortable classic but attractive leather shoes on hand in each color with a range  of heel heights .  Nothing like feeling stoopid because  your heels are a bit too high for business  and U have nothing else  that goes with the outfit .  If you cant afford a lot of shoes ... I suggest black patent leather  semi high heeled penny loafers - they look great with pants , skirts and even slightly formal outfits .  Just make sure theyre real leather n super comfortable . The visually lighter  black patent also looks seasonally appropriate all year round  from  summer through the winter and looks WAY sharper than plain blah black leather .  ...   (((())))  I even like patent leather for brown range  outfits  I have a couple of pairs of  slightly metallic patent leather maryjanes i bought on sale at Aerosoles  , one green/dark blue  , one purple to maroon irridescent ... they have amazing sales i found over the years and very  comfortable walkable shoes  in the higher heel heights .  

Heres another handy tip - always check the mens section in thrift shops for cashmere sweaters in all sizes .  Even a massive extra large one properly washed in woolite , dried on a rack and ironed with sizing will look fantastic over leggings .. and when the moths eat holes in it ten years later .. Ull still be wearing it around the house to stay warm in Ur pajamas .  

No Grrl should have  to wear  sweats in any material  but cashmere !    believe it or not  ...  a mens cashmere sweater over a white cotton turtleneck ( target has GREAT  ones ) a with black skinny jeans and a nice cashmere coat n scarf  n  mittens .. ( n cute litle black combat boots )  is a truly HOT  and elegant   but very easy to wear stay-warm in the winter casual outfit ...  

I'm getting ready to move and just had to clear out my closest so my current (lousy) landlord could get someone to finally fix the ceiling in there before all the plaster fell down. I went through most of my clothes and went ahead and packed up the majority of the stuff that didn't fit. Which was the majority of my clothing. Incredibly depressing. But! I discovered things I had forgotten I owned, so that was cool. I plan to go through it post-surgery as I lose and only hang stuff up if it fits, and toss (into the trash or 'to donate' bag) stuff that has become too big.

Why do you feel lost? Do you not trust your own instincts about the type of clothes to wear or do you not feel confident dressing your current body?