Well, congratulations! I'm really happy for you and your improved health.

My local tailor would charge at least $25 a piece (likely more) to do the type of alterations you'll be needing. I would choose 4-5 pieces from the current wardrobe to alter in this interim period, and then reassess later.

Yes I have had pants and skirts altered when I was training for a half marathon, and if you find a very good tailor in your area it can be worth having your altered. Ask around if you can. Or take one pair and see how they turn out. Prices might vary by area and it’s been a while since I had mine done, but if you talk with them they can give you a price, for example, for several pair.

Congratulations on your weight loss!

As a petite I unfortunately have to get many things tailored. And, these are not for investment pieces.

Yes to finding a good tailor and having a few pieces resized. But the key is finding a good tailor. Mine will actually refuse to do something if we can’t get the result that I need. He “orders” me to return it!

my tailor is expensive. I really can’t quite off hand though. This would differ anyway from area to area.

This is very good news so brag away!

Not a bad problem to have, losing the weight.

Cost of alterations vary by garment. If pants have pockets, waistband, side zipper (as well as lining) it will be more expensive then an easy ‘take in’ of more basic slacks.

We’ve used the same gentleman for alterations for over 30 years. Luckily for us he is training his daughter to take over for him.

Do you have Nextdoor? I found an great seamstress who works out of her home and used to work for some of the bridal shops here (Alfred Angelo and a local shop) before they closed, so if she can do bridal, she can do anything IMO. I never hesitate buying anything because I know she can work with it.

Congrats, IdaClaire on the loss!

What is your weight goal and how successful have you been in the past in keeping the weight off? I ask because at some point you can't alter pieces enough and have them still hold their structure and lines. You may have to buy new.

I lost a lot of weight in 2009 and it's still off but I did buy basic good pants and a jackets as I went along. Blouses and tops are easier to absorb a weight loss and still look decent. nice fitting pants and jackets are not.

Congratulations! If you're still losing, simple skirts are your friend. They are easy to alter successfully and can ride up and down your midsection while you lose weight. Currently mine are close to being empire-stye! heeheehee

Aside from the cost of alterations, you should know that the success is dependent on the type of garment, amount of the reduction, where the alterations are needed and the skill of the tailor.

Simple garments like straight skirts can be taken in considerably by a decently skilled seamstress. Same for dresses. Blazers and pants can be much more complicated and cannot be taken in as much because of the complexity of the construction.

I've had blazers taken in one size with mixed results, but these were tailored blazers that were "meant" to be altered - made by men's suit makers. I've also had simple pants - no pockets, simple lines - taken in by a size with mixed results. I've had simple tank dresses and various skirts taken in by 2-3 sizes with great results.

Keep us posted on your success!

Maybe not with your professional clothing, but I have had success shrinking items by washing them in hot/ warm water. This is for things that you don’t mind giving up if they get ruined.

I was surprised with clothing that I have always babied really wasn’t as delicate as I thought it was.

Shopping can be hard when you need specific pieces. I would just alter a few favorite basics as suggested then shop for a smaller size. If you are still planning to lose than look at discount stores like Marshall’s to fill in until you are at goal.

Kudos on the weight loss and fitness improvement.

Well done on the weight loss.

Like blfenton asked, have you been able to keep your weight loss off in the past? For how long?

I would save the good pieces you have now and purchase cheaper items while you are still losing weight. When you have reached your goal, you can buy a nicer new wardrobe or attempt to get a few of the older pieces tailored.

In my experience, having things taken in has been less successful than merely adjusting the hem.

Due to how I'm built, if I buy a pair of slacks that fits and then lose even a few pounds, they hang on me in a very unattractive way. For this reason my work wardrobe has mostly skirts. Skirts are much more forgiving in terms of continuing to look good when weight fluctuates.

Thanks so much for the kind words and helpful input. The items I'd want to have altered are more complicated pieces -- lined slacks with pockets and waistband; structured, lined jackets with pockets, back pleats/detailing. So perhaps not the best candidates for alteration, which is a shame. Well, I did get a couple years of wear out of everything, and if I have to try to resell or donate at this point, I suppose I can just bite the bullet and do so. I just got the name of a local tailor from a colleague, and she comes with a lofty recommendation, so perhaps I'll take an item or two to her to just see what she says. Couldn't hurt. And maybe the thing to do for the time being is to look for some less structured pieces (sweater jackets and the like) that can fill in. It's not a bad idea to buy a few things in the "next size down", although I don't know exactly what size I'll be when I "land".

My weight doesn't yo-yo. I lost 44 lbs in the early 90s, and actually got down to a place where I was TOO thin. That weight loss stayed off for years, until I began to neglect regular exercise and that soon combined with mindless eating habits, and for a time I "got away with it" without much change in my shape or size. Once menopause hit, however, things changed and I definitely found myself larger and flabbier. I started this journey at around 167, and presently have 130 to 140 as my target, as that is where I was before when I was at my most active and it was a good weight for me. It remains to be seen how my weight will shift, though, as I've noticed more in the redistribution department than before, which I think has something to do with how my body adapts to exercise post-menopause. It's interesting to observe!

One of my DD says "if it's not too tight, it's too big." The exception of course is things that gap or are unflattering overall ... but otherwise I have come to think she is right. I think most people look better in something on the small side than something that hangs.

Congrats! A good tailor can alter anything. My son got a "custom" suit for his wedding. He has a very athletic/weightlifter build and off the rack was never going to cut it. It was not very custom, but the excellent tailor we use was able to make it fit like a glove! She undid some stuff the shop did trying to alter it the first go round. It was a remarkable transformation but was fairly expensive. We were able to get the original shop to cover the cost of the tailor. I think if there is a piece you love that you would truly wear many more times if it were sized correctly, it would be worth it.

Congratulations!! No matter what causes us to get out of the fitness / weight we want to be, it usually takes hard work to get back. Sounds like you've been putting in the hard work and you have every right to be both excited and proud. I've had waists taken in on pants and taken in on dresses. In fact, I had a bridesmaids dress that looked like an oversized paper bag on me taken in to a perfectly fitted sheath dress. So a good tailor can definitely make changes.

Check local reviews and try a tailor out with one item of clothing that isn't your favorite. That way if the tailor doesn't meet your expectations, you can move on and try another. I want to say hemming costs me about $10 and I do it all the time. Taking in pants or shirt or jacket will probably be considerably more. So you'll want to weigh the cost of a replacement item with the cost of tailoring. It never hurts to take a piece into a tailor and ask how much it would cost to have the item tailored to fit again. You can always walk out again if it's too much to spend.

And buy yourself some not too expensive pieces in the meantime. Expect that you may need to replace them again soon. But just as it's important to have clothing that isn't too tight, looking sloppy because your clothing is too big isn't fun either.

Good luck on your continued fitness journey!

Congrats on your weight loss but I wouldn't bother altering if you're only part way through your journey. Instead, keep the baggy stuff going for awhile yet. If you need a "good" outfit for special days at work then I'd get maybe a couple of new pieces.

One of the things that is hardest to alter is the crotch of the pant which can go lower but not higher. And the better the quality the clothing, the harder it is to alter. I bought an expensive, well made skirt and when I went to alter it to fit my weight loss, it was a nightmare...I do alterations myself. I kept kicking myself saying if I'd only bought a cheap piece of clothing, it'd be a cinch to fit.

Ida, congratulations on your success.

Mtn, form-hugging clothes may look better, but if I feel the least bit constricted in my clothes, it makes me insane. Even though I'm sorta petite I can't stand snug tops that hug my arms.

However, I do desperately need some new jeans that don't bag out at the butt and then start drooping off my hips. Freshly laundered, I love the fit, but once denim heats up with wear, down go my pants.

FWIW, I find I can get away with much cheaper clothes when I am thinner.

It also depends on where the weight has come off. I too lost some weight this past year and am working at keeping it off. (It was the chemo diet, I wouldn't suggest it! 🤣).

I rarely wear dress slacks as it is jeans to work and then scrubs. Anyway I have needed to wear dress slacks a few times recently and my old ones are hanging on me. They are loose thru the hips and seat which make them look sloppy. I sew and this would be an easy quick fix to just take the seams in a little.

Perhaps for a few pair of your slacks, especially if they are unlined, you could just have this done. It would inexpensively buy you some time until you hit the next size. Removing waistband, messing with zippers, etc=YUCK!!! As a sewer I would rather just start from scratch.

Good work on the weight loss and keep it up. 🏃‍♀️

Yay Jenn! Congrats! I might do like you said and try an item or two - pieces that I really liked. Otherwise, I would hit some consignment stores, outlets, etc. and pick up some inexpensive pieces to hold until you hit the next "baggy" phase. Then when you get to where you want, go hog wild and buy a new wardrobe!! That's your reward! I sew a bit and some things may be able to just be "seamed up" to get you a bit more wear out of them, but the more involved, the more expensive it will be. I have to disagree on getting things that are tight though. You don't want to give the wrong impression and you don't want to be uncomfortable. I know too that you need to look professional in your workplace. There are alot of end of season sales going on and you can actually find some transitional items. You're going to be a new you with that gorgeous hair and the weight loss!

I greatly appreciate the very kind words! I think I've hit upon a temporary solution by purchasing three pairs of slacks (Talbots brand - I know how they fit me, for the most part) from Mercari in like-new condition, in what I believe to be my current size. Provided they fit reasonably well, they should help tide me over for now, and then I'll revisit alterations once I'm in the range I intend to stay at.

As a side note, I haven't been using the Mercari app long, but have made a few purchases and have been pleased with each one. I've also sold (and am currently selling) there myself, and it was a pain-free process.

Good to know about Mercari. It sounds like a great solution for you since you know the brand, plus you can re-sell if needed.

You might want to look at creating a "capsule wardrobe"--a small amount of pieces that fit you right now that you can mix and match.

Yes -- great idea, as a "capsule wardrobe" is what I've been trying to put together. I'm currently waiting on receipt of 3 pairs of pants and 5 jackets that can be mixed/matched and help get me through this transition period. I think most of these pieces should work well for the foreseeable future too. I suspect a couple of items may be borderline tight at the moment, but have weighed again this morning and am down a total of 12.6 pounds, so fingers crossed that it won't be long at all before these new pieces are fitting nicely.

Congratulations and good luck ! I understand you very good, when you change your body in weight, clothes are looking differently on you or are not even suitable. It is annoying because you should change all clothes, maybe for somebody is a great thing cause they will go to shopping but for example I hate such things cause ahaha I should waste money. I lost in weight 15 kg from 100 to 85, I am looking so good, I have bought on Gentleman's Guru some new suits cause I am working as showman at night events.