Cry for (fashion) help

[Anonymous]

I am 3 months postpartum and 30 pounds over pre-baby (pre-first baby, 5 years ago) weight. (Thank you, bed rest, for those bonus pounds. Oh, and a special thanks to dairy products as well.) I am starting a new job with business casual dress. Nothing in my closet is (1) business casual or (2) comes remotely close to fitting me. Suggestions for how to go about assembling a minimalist (in terms of number of pieces) business casual wardrobe, cost effectively, so that I can replace items as I scale back down to my more "usual" size? I'd appreciate tips on good stores for fashionable but not too expensive items. For the last 5 years I have been wearing either maternity clothes or suits, or maternity suits, so I feel way out of touch with where to shop. I am NOT looking for pieces to keep long term, because my current size/shape is NOT my norm, at all (recovered well after the first two babies, expect to do the same with this one, but it takes some time).

I also need shoes- cute flats, preferably. And cute jewelry! I am moving from a VERY conservative/stuffy/old school office setting to a much more laid back casual place, so this is my chance to reinvent myself in a cuter but still business-y casual fashion. I am late 30s, 5'6", and (shudder) 165-170lb (today, anyway...last week it was more, hopefully next week will be less).

Thanks in advance!

[Anonymous]

Try H&M for basics. I did a lot of that for in-between clothes, and they have a fair amount of "business" clothes that I think work for a more casual office. They're relatively cheap, so you won't feel bad about ditching it and replacing it with better brands in a in few weeks/months. That way you can buy some trendier pieces and mix it in with their standard black/blue/grey slacks and blazers look.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Try H&M for basics. I did a lot of that for in-between clothes, and they have a fair amount of "business" clothes that I think work for a more casual office. They're relatively cheap, so you won't feel bad about ditching it and replacing it with better brands in a in few weeks/months. That way you can buy some trendier pieces and mix it in with their standard black/blue/grey slacks and blazers look.

H&M runs pretty small, so I'm not sure I'd recommend it for this poster. (Their sizes only go up to 14 but their 14's are more like 12's.) Maybe Old Navy and the Gap for a few basic pants? Also try the Editor pants at Express - they have a little stretch to them and the ones with the wider waistband are very tummy-friendly. Get on the email list to get coupons.

[Anonymous]

post-partum I was able to find some great deals on basic pants at the Gap. Cotton with some stretch. H&M, Old Navy, Target for tops. All works for a more casual office.

If your feet have not changed size, you can invest in some good, comfy, cute flats. Love my Ecco and Cole Haan flats.

[Anonymous]

Ebay! If you know your size in a few brands (say JCrew, Banana Republic, Theory, Ann Taylor) you can get good deals for cheap. Then you can wear them for a few months and get rid of them with a clear conscience.
OP, if you get a few pairs of pants in your current size and some nice unstructured jackets and cardigans (wear open over button down or top), decent flats and jewelry, you can basically wear that until you lose the weight.
Basically that was how I got thru my pregnancy fat-but not quite maternity clothes ready-phase.