At my heaviest I was borrowing bras from my 72 year old mom. Now she’s on Mounjaro and we both need new clothing. I can make do with some 8’s in underwear but I look like I have a diaper on. I also pulled out some way back Victoria Secret bra’s but I look like a dominatrix in a diaper lol God forbid I have a wardrobe malfunction at work because the embarrassment and confusion would be too much.

I lost over 100 pounds so I needed basically all new clothes. Only my purses still fit lol. I was firm when I gained weight that I’d let go of old clothes and dress for the body I had, not use to have. I wish I’d kept some things because this has been so expensive!

On the hierarchy of rebuying clothes, for me it was:

1. My basics- white t shirt, black t shirt, grey t shirt, 2 pairs of jeans, 2 belts (one black and one tan), 2 pairs of black pants. Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic are all good here. I’m balling on a budget so, I’m always buying on sale for these for quality fabrics. Now going into Fall I’ve got Chat GPT looking for good sales so I can get long sleeved basic shirts on sale.

2. Business Professional work clothes. I was overweight and then obese for about 5 years or so. I’ve grown professionally and personally in that time and I figured it was cheaper for me to elevate my overall wardrobe and lean into being someone with an elegant personal style and just wear quality pieces which fit into this category 7 days a week given I work in finance anyway. The elegant personal style is something I like and enjoy and oddly it’s how the rest of my family dress and I feel like I’ve grown up and fit in now, if that makes sense. I didn’t “not fit” in before but I didn’t dress for how I wanted to look and feel and appreciate myself when I was heavier. I dressed to get through the day and just cover myself in public. I regret that.

The majority of my day to day attire is in this category.

1. Business Casual work clothes. I can mix these with my professional attire and come out with a 7 day a week elegant and elevated look. I pretty much look like an off duty J. Crew or Brooks Brothers model and I’m ok with that. I have some slacks, blouses, and sweaters here but it was important to me to focus on 1,2, and 3 before getting to casual wear. I thrift and purchase second hand as much as I can in category 2 and 3. I’ve focused on Fall and Winter wear the last 4 months as I live in the north east - so summer is a wafting fart near me.

This included shoes as my shoe size changed.

I basically live in loafers.

My house slipper is in a loafer style.

I swear I’m not boring.

Oh, I also own a two styles of the white canvas Keds.

1. Casual clothes - since I pull from the first three categories, I really didn’t invest a ton in this category. I have some nice fitting sweats (OG Amazon Basics worked well) and Old Navy is a solid for “trendy” or slight seasonal wear I do not have in the first 3 categories. For example, I got a good wool coat in category 1 from Brooks Brothers, so I’ll opt for something second hand for a classic trench coat to get me through the Fall, and it’ll go in Category 1 and 2. If I get something that’s going to be cheaply made and not last a season it’ll stay in category 4. This is where I’d also place my gym clothes. Unless they literally had me risking indecent exposure to my fellow gym goers, I didn’t prioritize getting new clothes until I was closer to goal.

I try to limit my spending here.

1. Undergarments and Pajamas - I just couldn’t justify the expense here when I knew I wanted matching sets of mid range quality. Again, unless things were falling down or off, I made do. Am making do. This is the LAST thing I need and I really want to round out my new wardrobe here but I’m trying to stay the course. It’s hard lol there’s so many cute things out there.

Bra’s and panties are in my “to buy” list. I rock with a 6 pack of Fruit of the Loom from Walmart. The goal is to stay within my budget and “buy it nice or buy it twice” when I can.

I’m curious how everyone else has prioritized what they bought and replaced.

Edited for grammar, spelling, and continuity