Tights, or better yet wool pants. I’m not stupid after all 
I’m not stupid either, but I am allergic! Cotton for me.
Yeah my wool pants have to be lined also. Forget wool socks too, I’ll scratch till I bleed. Better to have bare legs then I guess.
I’ve switched totally to tights in the winter, and putting self-tanner on my legs in the summer. I own one pair of pantyhose, for wearing with boots when the skirt doesn’t match the either brown or black tights I keep on hand.
What field are you in, and what style is appropriate where you work and play? What styles are you attracted to? What items have garnered you compliments?
I ask because I was going to recommend Lands End for good quality basics (and custom pants-hemming) but you may not enjoy that style at all.
I am an insurance agent right now but I believe I am losing my job tomorrow. I have a couple of interviews with some other places over the next few days but I have no idea what the dress code there will be.
Now that you’ve gotten the bra thing out of the way, I strongly encourage you to at least consider something that I’ve heard over and over on WNTW…
Try. On. Everything. You. See.
Even if you hate it on the hanger, even if you think “wow, this is going to look so terribly AWFUL on me!,” even if you HATE IT.
Seriously, that’s the one and ONLY thing I’ve taken away from that show (pointy-toed shoes? get out), and it’s resulted in some amazing purchases. Some weird ones, yes, but I’ve bought things I would have never bought before that look incredible on me.
During some free time (the only time I have enough time to do this during a weekday when nothing’s incredibly crowded is in the summer), seriously consider trying on everything that you see that’s in your size. You may end up walking out with a single item after an eight-hour day (yes, it sucks, yes, it’s exhausting, yes, you will feel that it’s a waste of time), but you also may run into a style or pattern or look that you’d never have considered but just looks…RIGHT…on you.
At least think about it.
I just ordered this shirt. A friend of mine, though surprised that I would order a plus size, said that she thought those colors would be beautiful on me (a redhead). We shall see. The shipping cost almost as much as the shirt, but all together less than $20.
When you wear your new bras, I’ll bet that you need to tighten up those straps! That’s why that empire line is above where it should be. Get those baZOOMS up!
Also, hook your bra in the loosest hooks. Your bra will stretch out and then you can tighten up more.
If you haven’t finished losing weight, you may just want to buy a few things. After all, these things may become to large for you before long.
Don’t be surprised if you keep picking out sizes that are too big for you. It takes a while to get used to the new you!
Tim Gunn says that all women should have a trench coat. Make yours single breasted.
I so envy your coloring! Have you tried wearing gold metallic? Copper metallic? Yellow? Various shades of green?
I loved the ideas behind his very brief-lived show Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style. His list of 10 essential items every woman needs in her wardrobe really helped me as I rebuilt my own wardrobe after losing weight.
Overall I like WNTW much better but that list of the 10 essential items was just great.
I think, maybe possibly, based on the evidence in this thread, we need to stop giving each other this (very financially sound) piece of advice. Sure, you maybe don’t want to buy a wedding dress right now if you haven’t met the groom yet, but don’t let your projected weight loss stand in the way of your feeling good about yourself and your clothes now. Check out some thrift stores, stick with pieces under $50, and maybe do laundry more often with a smaller wardrobe, but don’t wear that gawdawful ratty t-shirt* one more time!
*you know the one, the saggy one with an oil stain 'tween the boobage that won’t quite wash out? We all have that shirt. Make it your cleaning house shirt and never wear it in public again!
So, what are the other nine things, besides the trench coat?
This would be a good idea if any of my current clothes fit me very well. I think I have a couple of pairs of capris/cropped pants/bermuda short type things that fit well enough to keep in my wardrobe but everything else is going to be thrown out or given away so I am just revamping the whole wardrobe. I will drop a few hundred dollars, I’m sure, but I can’t count on continuing weight loss when making wardrobe decisions.
Even if I spent $1000 on new clothes that I had to replace this time next year because I lost another 50 lbs it would be the best reason to throw out $1000 worth of stuff I can possibly imagine. I think I am going to give myself a $400 cap to prevent me from ending up with a closet full of stuff I never wear but I am going to consider this an investment in my image so I look like a grown up instead of a 16 year old kid going to a ska concert (which is pretty much what I look like on a day to day basis.)
Basic Black Dress - The basic black dress has been around for a long time. It is often called the “Little Black Dress”, and it’s true that shorter skirts on the basic black dress, when they hit you in the right place, can be more flattering than a long black dress.
Trench Coat - The trench coat is one of the pieces that is both classic and currently a hot fashion item. Most any store sells this piece now. It is great for fall and you can pick it up in a wide range of lengths.
Classic Dress Pants - Although it doesn’t say black, this is probably what you want to look for. Black is flattering on all figures and goes with everything.
White Shirt - The white shirt is a definite classic. But it can also come in many different styles to make it look trendy and not dated or like a man’s piece of clothing. Find one that accentuates your best attributes and minimizes trouble spots. For example, if you have wide shoulders, stay away from large collars.
**Jeans ** - Everyone has a pair of jeans, but does everyone have a pair of jeans that make them look great? The wider leg, low-rise jean style has been popular (and still is) but a narrower leg is coming back along with a higher waist, which eliminates the unflattering “muffin top” look.
**Cashmere Sweater ** - This is one item probably not many people own. But including it forces people to buy a piece of clothing that is high quality and that is also a luxury item. Having a cashmere sweater in your closet is like giving a gift to yourself. And aren’t you worth it?
**Skirt ** - If you need dress pants then you also need a skirt. A skirt is womanly and can be flirty or businesslike. Nowadays women do not wear many skirts or dresses, which makes a lot of them fall into a rut of dressing sloppily or like men. See number 8.
Day Dress - Women also are not wearing as many dresses anymore. It was certainly liberating to go from the '50s when women wore dresses every day to wearing more practical pants for gardening, exercising, and so forth. But the dress does not have to be abandoned altogether. They can be very flattering, and there is nothing wrong with “dressing up” for daytime.
**Blazer ** - The blazer sounds very masculine, but when you get the right one with a proper shape it is not. Women’s blazers should follow the silhouette of a woman’s body and accent the hourglass curve at her waist. It is also a perfect piece to put with the skirt or dress pants, and white shirt. Or make it casual with a pair of jeans.
**Sweat Suit Alternative ** - As mentioned before, women wear fewer skirts and dresses these days. But some women have taken casual to the extreme and spend days on end in sweat suits. It is possible to be casual and comfortable without looking like a slob. Find a comfortable material (that’s why this doesn’t say jeans again – denim is not as comfortable as a nice soft cotton) that you would want to wear every day. It could be khakis, cords, a cotton dress, or much more.
Bonus: One Indulgent Trendy Item
So, yes, the basics of each type of piece. I agree on black trousers and a good neutral skirt, but the white shirt doesn’t work for me. Red and white are the two colors that look like crap on me.
Has anyone ever had a shirt made for them? And if so, where did you go and how much did it cost? I’m almost entirely sure that if I get a fitted white shirt tailored, I’d have to have pretty much every seam ripped out (I have a weird upper body) and by the time it was done, I may as well have started from scratch.
I don’t sew well enough to make my own, otherwise that would probably be my best option.
I’ve never found a white shirt in any style that I really liked and felt good in. I have two or three classic button downs which used to fit and one that does now, white with salmon and brown stripes, but most button down shirts either make me look like a man or strain over my boobs (and we’re not talking about the Himalayas here.) The ones I like tend to not have a man’s collar (they do have a collar but also a v-neck, if you know what I mean) and have some stretch to them.
I don’t have a trench, but want one. That list is pretty sound. I’m trying to find more day dresses that I like and that are machine washable - I wear dresses to work fairly often, but not usually on the weekends, and my boyfriend really likes them. If you feel awkward about your waistline in dresses, look for the kind with a defined waist - a belt, a wrap dress, something like that.
ETA - I’ve also been wearing suits to work lately. Suits, you say? Yes, suits! (Pants suits, mostly, and one skirt suit.) Not in black or pinstripe or “interview” - I’ve got a taupe one and a brown one and a navy stripe in a cut that isn’t “navy severe”, and I LOVE it. It’s like being a man. What am I going to wear to work today? Well, I have a couple tops that go with each suit, so I wear my suit, and you know what I wear with it? The rest of my suit! I’m not at my best in the morning, and that really helps. 
Plus, I get a lot of compliments and the patrons give me less shit. If I do lose weight, like I want, I’ll have the pants taken in. I did drop some cash on them initially, but I’ve gotten a TON of wear out of them these last few months and I feel it’s very much worth it, since I’m bucking for a more managerial job.
That’s the only bad part about losing weight—buying nice clothes for yourself only to have them not fit a few months later. Have you ever considered selling your clothes on ebay? I’ve done this a lot since I’ve been losing weight. You’re not going to get back your whole investment, but in most cases you can at least make some of your money back.
Thanks, gigi! That’s a great list. The dress comment is a little dated though since this year dresses seem to be big again. The blazer comment is a good one also; I’ve found some spiffy jackets at Coldwater Creek that are feminine and in beautiful colors.
I agree about the cashmere, but honestly you don’t have to spend big bucks to get it. I found a gorgeous black cashmere sweater at Dillard’s last spring for $25 – 75 percent off! But since it was “off season” (early March) it was marked way down. I think I wore it until May!
I’ve decided to focus on my legs when buying new clothes. They’ve got great tone from doing yoga, and frankly being in my mid-40s they ain’t gonna look good forever. I’m going to go for some shorter skirts and dresses next time I shop.