If Your Weight Fluctuates Constantly, Read this.
For my whole life (and the last three years especially), I find that my weight is always going up and down, which makes it extremely difficult to build a wardrobe. After many nights crying at my new jeans not fitting yet again and a lot of trial and error, I wanted to help others so you don’t have to go through the same heartache and share what I’ve learned! I’ll update this as I learn more so it’s always up-to-date. 😊
This biggest piece of advice I can give you straight off the bat is buy items at your biggest size! I’ve noticed that I tend to reach a peak size during my biggest, and I rarely go bigger than that. This way, when you’re at your lower end of the spectrum, the clothes will 1) still fit, 2) have a cool oversized look, and 3) you won’t need to worry about keeping multiple wardrobes! Remember: it’s always easier to make baggier clothes fit you through tricks rather than vice versa.
The second most important advice is to buy stretchy where possible, such as pants with elasticized waist bands or ones that have buttons or ties on the inside you can adjust as you fluctuate. I mainly do this for non-denim bottoms and day-to-day basics such as tanks that I will wear almost nonstop, as they will get a higher use and be a more sustainable buy in the long run. For denim on the other hand, I prefer to buy non-stretch and use a belt for when they’re loose so that the denim can eventually be recycled into new fibers (mixed fiber contents don’t usually recycle, so please be strategic when buying in the future!).
The final piece of advice I have for now is don’t rush to give away all of your old stuff! Life happens, and you can gain or lose weight at any time in the future. That’s why I recommend keeping key, timeless items such as your favorite jeans, sweaters, jackets, etc. and donating/selling the rest. It’s always best to use what you have rather than keep buying new items! If after several years you notice you haven’t touched the clothes you’ve saved away for the body changes, then you can Marie Kondo away! If you’re worried about storage space, I highly recommend fabric under-the-bed storage to keep them fresh. I’ve learned that storing in plastic bins yellows your clothes over time and doesn’t give them room to breathe, so just keep that in mind when choosing how to store.
I have included in the pictures above some of my items I keep around using this same advice for when my body decides to change in either direction. Here’s the list written out for clarity:
A dark teal peasant blouse with collar and white polka dots - Universal Thread
Wrap-top - VERTIGO
Assortment of tank tops in green, black, and red - Target
Black tube top - J. Crew
Long blue and white striped button down - Universal Thread (men’s)
Tuxedo-style Hawaiian print button down - Alexa Chung
Pink, long linen button up - vintage
Black, long cotton gauze button up - Anne Klein
Red shift dress - See by Chloé
Ankle split black ribbed leggings - Zara
Elastic waist wide leg satin black pants - vintage
Mustard yellow paper-bag shorts with tie - Athleta
Smocked black cotton dress - vintage
White waist tie corduroy jacket - Zara
Pink knee-length overcoat - Kensie
Brown trench coat - Ralph Lauren
I hope I helped clear up some anxiety over the issue! This advice may seem very obvious, but sometimes it takes a while for these ideas to pop into our heads! If you found this helpful and want more tips for travel and life in general, sign up to my newsletter below! No spam, just vibes ✨ will be sent to your inbox.