what to wear when nothing fits

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I love how many of you are getting dressed this week — good for you! I’m also loving how thoughtful you’re being about the things that stop you from getting dressed. #1 on the list: Nothing fits any more.

If that sounds familiar, then it’s time to clean out your closet. I’m serious.

#getdressedLunch date #1: Pencil skirt for lunch with Pencil Shavings.

I had two lunch dates this week; for various reasons, I was racing to get dressed for both. These are the days I am thankful for my tightly edited closet — everything fits and it all goes together, which means that no matter how little time I have, I can find an entire outfit without losing my mind.

#getdressedLunch date #2: Showered and dressed in 20 minutes to meet Wade.

That hasn’t always been the case, though. I’ve lived with the closet full of things that don’t fit, and I know how frustrating it is to put together an outfit in your head only to find that some or all of the pieces are too small/big and absolutely will not work. It’s easy, at that point, to just put the yoga pants on again, because ugh.

When you’re in between sizes (and by that I mean not the size you used to be/want to be), it’s easy to start hording clothes. You don’t want to get rid of the things that used to fit, because they’re cute and with any luck they will fit again someday. But the things that fit get lost in the jumble, or overlooked because there are so few of them and they’re maybe not your favorite pieces.

It’s time to get over that and focus on getting dressed. The first step in dealing with your nothing-fits closet is to clean it out and rearrange.

Try everything on. Focus on finding what fits, not lamenting what doesn’t. If it helps, have a friend come hang out with you while you go through the closet. Choose someone who is positive and optimistic and who will keep you thinking about what’s working and won’t let you mourn what’s not.

Move all the pieces that don’t fit out of your closet. Ideally, if you have the space, move them to another closet or to a box or three under your bed. If that’s not feasible, then move them to the back of the closet, where you’re not staring at them every time you try to get dressed. You don’t have to get rid of the things that don’t fit, but you shouldn’t have them front and center. Save that space for what you’re really wearing right now.

Put together as many outfits as you can. Once you’ve identified what currently fits, think about how you can make those pieces work together. This is especially important when you’re dealing with a different size body — what you think will work on you may not, and it’s good to know that ahead of time. It’s also good to know that you have some real options for outfits, even if only a small section of your closet still fits right now.

Finally, there’s this: If you’re not loving your size or shape right now, consider that as an incentive to really get dressed every day. This is the size you are, right now, and you deserve to look great at whatever that size is. And I promise that the better you look, the better you will feel — and the more likely you will be to love your body, whether that means accepting this size as the new normal or taking steps to get to the size you would like to be.

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15 thoughts on “what to wear when nothing fits”

  3. I just did this last weekend (just back to work after maternity leave, and my sizes are ALL over the place) and it’s been a huge help. I put together a week’s worth of outfits on Sunday, plus an entra outfit in case I get spit up on before I walk out the door. I drop the baby off at daycare and then I’m usually at my desk by 7.30, so time in the morning is precious! Oh, I’m also wearing that polka-dotted top today!

  4. Thank you- from someone who is hating the size she is right now and hates getting dressed every day b/c it starts the day with self-loathing. It’s no way to live.

    Time to get the offending clothes out of there. And when I lose the weight I’ll celebrate by filling up the closet with new outfits.

  5. I used to not buy myself new clothes when my weight would fluctuate, and “punish” myself by wearing clothes that were ill-fitting, or my workout clothes. Now I do pretty much what you’ve mentioned above… A tightly edited closet – including some new, figure flattering additions – with the things that don’t fit right now stashed away. However, I’ve lost 38 lbs and cannot WAIT until I can buy some of the things I keep seeing here!

  7. Hurrah! :) I have to say one thing–I am currently regretting giving away some clothes last year that had been a size or two too big for two years. I really didn’t think I’d gain any of the 15 lbs. or so I’d lost since weaning my last babe. Well, this past winter I gained back 10 and I could really use those old size 6 chino capris and that cute printed ON skirt I loved so much but that were baggy on me and were taking up space I wanted to fill with new size 2s and 4s. How to win?!? I truly envy people whose weight stays fairly effortlessly stable over their adult years.

    That said, I have a history of gaining a few lbs. but still getting rid of them again before too terribly long, so I do sort of think this is temporary. I’ve had a lot of unusual circumstances going on in my life over the past half-year that have contributed to not exercising very much (injury after injury…) and snacking too much (stress….), and both are changing, so there’s still hope. :)

  9. I have recently lost about 25 pounds so I am absolutely hating getting dressed each day. I love my new body shape, but I absolutely hate my closet because nothing really fits. I have some items that fit okay, but several of my favorite go-to items are just too big to even belt much less alter. My kids think it’s cool that I can put on/take off some of my shorts without even unbuttoning them. I noticed that I seem to be wearing the same outfits over and over so I decided to try your #getdressed challenge. It’s only been a week, but you have me really thinking about what I’m wearing instead of just settling each day. I have been shopping some of the sales recently to replace a few items so I can’t wait to wear those next week! My plan is to see what I wear during the challenge and then edit my closet accordingly. Thanks, Susan!

  10. I’d been craving some boyfriend jeans lately. I have a pair but they’re too small. (I’m doing a cleanse this week to jump start weight loss) So I decided to run to Old Navy to buy some that actually fit, regardless of what size and how unhappy I was about the size. I found two pairs on sale that actually fit. I wore them yesterday and loved it. I was so happy with them that I didn’t focus too much on the number (especially because their sizing can be wonky; I have bottoms in 5 different sizes from Old Navy/Gap that all fit). I definitely want to get back to my smaller size, but at least I can dress cute and in clothes I want and like until then.

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