The Perfect Fit: 6 tips to manage your wardrobe while losing weight

Have you signed up for a new circuit class or nutrition program to kick off your 2016 fitness goals? Awesome. You’ll soon be feeling stronger, svelter and generally more fabulous. Yes, I have absolute faith you can do it. But be warned. Achieving success in the gym can wreak havoc on your closet!

It starts off well. Within a few weeks, you find your groove and are squatting, side-planking and slow-cooking with the best of them. Then one morning while dressing for work, you fasten that precarious middle button on your staple dress shirt almost effortlessly. It’s working! A few weeks later you’re admiring how your once snug pencil skirt now shimmies left and right across your waistline with ease. Sweet! And if things go really well, you even dare retrieve those old mid-rise, straight leg jeans from their time out in the back of your closet. They fit! It’s a wonderful feeling — almost as good as that PR you banged out last workout!

Then one morning while dressing for work, you fasten the last button on your staple dress shirt and frown. Humph. Your cutest tops now gape at the armpits, waist or back and your priciest bottoms sag where they once hugged. This is the bittersweet result of your kick-ass efforts in the gym, a new ill-fitting wardrobe. Oh joy.

As a fashionista, you may jump at the chance to coordinate new purchases in your new smaller size. Hello, a totally legit reason to shop. To others, the task of restyling may be daunting, stressful or even upsetting. Before you throw in the towel or take your credit card out for a marathon shopping spree, consider these smart solutions to help manage your wardrobe as your size and change:

1. Start At The Bottom

A sharp look starts with good foundation garments. Your bra and underwear size may change as you lose inches. If the underwire rides up or if that pretty black lace is no longer snug to your skin, it’s time to refresh. Visit a local boutique for a professional bra fitting and consider investing in at least one high-quality bra that fits well now and will also fit if you lose another inch off your bustline. With the girls well supported, you’ll appear taller and slimmer through the torso, while the right underwear will ensure a great rear view in your favourite outfits.

2. Tailor To Your Needs

Like your hairstylist and naturopath, a tailor could become your next best friend. A skilled tailor can alter different parts of your blazers, shirts, pants, skirts and dresses to ensure a better fit as your measurements change. This small investment in your best pieces can extend the life of your outfits by several months.

3. What’s Old Is New Again

Second hand shopping is a smart way to get “new to me” items while saving on cash and your environmental footprint. Bonus points for this eco-friendly option. Patience, savvy and comfortable shoes will serve you well in treasure-filled consignment and thrift shops where you can spend shockingly low prices on preloved pieces. If you’re lacking in patience and savvy, enlist the help of a professional stylist like Love Ur Layers. Online classified groups and clothing swaps are another fantastic way to find gently worn casual or work wear. This one’s win-win as you can also unload those larger sizes that no longer fit and often have leftovers donated to charity.

4. Think Fast

While they may not provide long-lasting relationships, fast fashion basics from popular mall brands can be a good interim solution as your size and shape shift. A seven dollar tee or fifty dollar jeans may be just what you need to get through the season and keep looking hot while you sweat off those last ten pounds. Resist the urge to overshop though. Remember your size may change again. Plus, the goal is less stuff, right? ;-)

5. Rent vs Buy

Whether you’ve achieved your goal or are still working toward it, special occassions are the perfect opportunity to celebrate your success. Go ahead, get dolled up and strut your stuff with new confidence and a fancy frock. But instead of spending a small fortune on a dress that may not even fit by time the next wedding invitation arrives, consider a designer dress rental. The expert stylists at Rent Frock Repeat will help select a style and size that shows off your assets and all your hard work!

6. Hold On

If you’ve followed the plan, you should arrive at a size, shape or fitness level that you feel great at and which you can sustain healthfully. At this stage, you’ll inevitably have a few great items in your closet that are just a smidgen too big and too nice to part with. Consider hanging onto these select few pieces for one more season. Life happens and in the case that you gain a few pounds or inches again, you don’t want to find yourself in the same situation with nothing to wear eight months from now. If by the next season they are still too big, part ways!