Hi Leslie! This New Years I made a big commitment to my health (Thank you Dinner Diva!!!!) and as a result, I lost over 30 pounds! I'm so proud and I feel great, but now that fall is here I literally have nothing to wear. I had an MSP membership some years ago and knew that would be an essential tool to renew and rebuild my style. I ordered that and my color ID, and I know now I can shop with confidence. Like many of us, I have budget constraints and I'll be shopping over 3-4 weeks. My question is: Where do I start? Shoes? Pants? One outfit at a time? I'm a bit intimidated by the thought of buying a whole new wardrobe! I'm an almost-40 year old stay-at-home mom that loves the outdoors and owns more boots & sneakers than pumps. However, I need my style for volunteering and being seen when I'm not in the woods. Thanks so much for the help! I can't wait for my new looks! Mary Kay

Hello Mary Kay, First, congratulations on your weight loss! I understand where you are coming from as I have lost some weight over the last year. I've decided to start with the basics. I paid for MSP's style recipes and there is a nice list there about what 25 basic pieces you should have in your wardrobe. It is going to be slow going for me, a piece at a time, but I am determined. I recently ordered a nice, button down white blouse. It sounds like you are pretty casual most of the time (me, too) so maybe a pair of jeans in one of the bright colors Leslie has talked about in her weekly posts (I assume you have some regular blue jeans), or if you don't want the colors, a pair of dressy jeans. Then maybe T-shirts - whatever is your black and white, then one in an accent or jewel color. You might want to add some accessories, maybe fun necklaces or a pair of flats. Then something to go over the t-shirts, like a sweater or jacket/ blazer. You can probably tell I'm new to this, so I'm hoping some of the more experience fashionistas will chime in. Good luck! Sarah

I am in the same place in life as you...late 30s, stay-at-home mom (I homeschool), and just lost about 25 pounds and am now 5 pounds from my goal. I need to replace EVERYTHING that is not an accessory. This will be a long, long process for me due to budget restraints. My first purchases were a pair of nice jeans that I feel really good in, a pair of shoes that will dress them up, (already had a pair of low boots in black that will also work), with a couple basic shirts that I will add scarves or other accessories, or jackets to in order to change the look. Oh, and I also got a nice jean jacket at a second hand shop...because the price was a steal and it looked amazing on me. I hope to hear some more replies to this.

Congratulations on losing weight and decluttering your closet! This year I started a new job. I began with 1 nice pair neutral dark shoes and 1 light, same with nice slacks. Then I bought tops I loved as I found them (about 6 I guess), a new purse and 3 belts. Voila! Work wardrobe.

I like catwomanbert's suggestion: a couple of basic pants, and then tops to match, as a place to start. Also, have you found the article about "Must Have Basics for Your Wardrobe"? That is where I started! Elaine in CO, who is very slowly losing weight and recently entered Size 18/XL territory, which means a huge wardrobe change!

Thanks for all the great advice! My colors weren't done yet for my first expedition which made shopping a little easier- I just focused on neutrals. I printed out the "Must-Have Basics" and highlighted those items you all had suggested. I spent way more time than I usually do, trying every single thing on. (Previously I was a buy-and-return type shopper. It might be quicker in the store but it tended to make things worse for me in the long run.) I came home under my budget (yay!) with: 2 pairs of casual pants, one black one brown, a nice green t-shirt, and 2 neutral shells. Next week I continue my quest for the perfect pair of jeans! Mary Kay And Congrats on the weight loss ladies!

Any suggestion for updating your wardrobe when you are still losing weight? I have lost 30# over the last year and have 15-20 to go. I need to start getting some new things but don't want to spend too much until I get to my goal weight. MSP has me as a B.

Yes!! I have a suggestion or maybe two. I have lost 75# since April gone from a size 22 to a 12. I have alittle more to lose, but I have this problem and some experience to share. First of all -- go through the closet cleanout procedure here on MSP. I have given away so many clothes, as you can imagine. I did this when I first subscribed and again a month ago. This makes what you do have accessible to you. (And it's freeing, emotionally, somehow.) I have started keeping my dirty clothes seperate from the rest of the family's so that my few outfits don't get lost in rotation. Second -- buy cheap now. Invest later. And/or buy one work and one casual outfit per size. I made the mistake of buying alot of things in Size 18 that I could only wear for 2 weeks. For the next couple of sizes, I was broke and had nothing to wear, practically. You don't want to have to wear clothes two sizes too big - what was the point of losing the weight if you look still look frumpy in the mirror? (OK, there are many other points, but you want that reward of seeing yourself slimmer.) It's equally bad to have to wear tight fitting clothes you can't breathe in, because you are waiting to "lose" into them. So, shop the lower end stores now, since you don't need the clothes to last. Target's good. J.C. Penney is excellent (and I find their clothes do last.) T.J. Max is great. MSP has an article on consignment shopping she put out last month. Warning: it's fun to shop now. Set a budget and stick to it, because you'll regret blowing it when you can't afford to dress the next size down. Thirdly -- several types of basics tend to last you through a couple sizes. I can wear loose shirts but look horrible in loose pants. I can wear dresses and skirts for 2-3 sizes and still look OK. I have one black suit jacket I've worn through all 10 sizes, and it still compliments my shape to some degree. Find out which pieces you can't wear long and buy cheap in those items. OK, I've said enough. You hit on my current passion. You can't go naked through 100 pounds, and I don't intend to. I love MSP for figuring out how to dress then and now. (I've subscribed to her since months before the weight loss.) Hope this helps.

Thank you so much, kwgarner, that is so helpful to me.

kwgarner - your post was helpful! Can I ask how you've lost 75 pounds this year? Are ou doing a program like weight watchers?

Thank you kwgarner for sharing your "lessons" learned. Your suggestions make a lot of sense. My biggest problem seems be finding things that fit. I seem to be between sizes. Too big for one but not quite ready to comfortably wear the other. I have started shopping for work slacks/ jeans. Hope too find some soon. Thanks again.

Twats, I find great bargains at a good thrift store. (some thrift stores are WAY better than others!)

Hi Ladies! Thanks for asking about my weight loss. I am going to a weight loss clinic. I started there on 4/4/12 and have lost 78.6# to date. It's exciting! I have about 30# to go!