When Your Body Changes, What Should You Do With Your Clothes?
I work mostly with women in their 40s, 50s, 60s, and beyond. Naturally, body changes and weight gain are often part of our conversations. They can also be a real pain point for many of my clients.
And I understand it. I ask myself some of the same questions.
How do we deal with the changes in our bodies? What should we do with clothes that no longer fit? What if we lose weight? If we do, will it be difficult to maintain it? And at what point should we simply accept that we wear a different size?
The answer isn't simple.
I think it depends on each person, her body, her lifestyle, and what she is going through at that moment. But there is one thing I believe is true: no matter how much our bodies may change in the future, we need to feel good in our clothes now.
And there are practical things we can do with our wardrobes while we figure out everything else.
Take clothes that don't fit out of your closet
If something is too small right now, I don't think you need to see it every morning as you're getting dressed. You don't necessarily have to donate or sell it. Just take it out of your main closet and store it somewhere else for a while.
Getting dressed is much easier when the clothes in front of you are actually options you can wear.
Don't rush to get rid of everything
If your size has recently changed and you're not sure whether the change will be permanent, give yourself some time before selling or donating clothes you still love. You can store them and revisit them later. There is no need to make every decision today.
But this is also a good opportunity to ask yourself another question: If this still fits me today, would I want to wear it?
Maybe that dress doesn't fit anymore, but it also doesn't fit your current lifestyle. Maybe those office clothes belonged to the version of your life when you commuted to an office in NYC five days a week before the pandemic.
If the clothes no longer fit your body, your lifestyle, or your style goals, you probably don't need to save them.
Look for clothes that allow some flexibility
There are many styles that can work beautifully even when our weight fluctuates a little. And actually, many of the silhouettes we're seeing right now are perfect for this. Relaxed dresses, elastic or adjustable waistbands, looser trousers, button-down shirts, knitwear and pieces with a little more movement can give your wardrobe some flexibility.
This doesn't mean hiding your body or wearing oversized clothes. It's about choosing clothes that fit well and feel good without requiring your body to stay exactly the same size.
And remember: size really is just a number
Or a letter.
I know we hear this all the time, but it's true. Sizing isn't even consistent from one brand to another. What matters is how the clothes fit your body.
Sometimes, buying the larger size and letting a garment fall beautifully on your body will make you look much better than squeezing into the number you are used to seeing on the label. And when your clothes fit properly and you style them well, nobody is looking at you wondering whether you went from one size to another. I promise you.
Our bodies change. Our lives change. And our wardrobes need to change with us sometimes, too. You can still have goals for the future. You can keep a few things you hope to wear again. You don't have to make permanent decisions about every piece in your closet.
But don't let the possibility of a different body in the future stop you from dressing and feeling good in the body you have today.
Hi, I’m Marcia Crivorot, a Personal Stylist based in NY. Once a month, I send newsletters featuring style tips, recommended brands, and a shopping guide. Unlock previous editions of my newsletters and receive my emails firsthand by subscribing.
Disclosure: Remember that I link products and companies based on their quality, my personal opinion, my experience, and my professional expertise. Some of the links in my posts are affiliate links, and if you go through them to make a purchase, I will earn a small commission. The decision is yours, and whether or not you buy something is entirely up to you.