If you’ve been standing in front of your closet feeling like you have nothing to wear, I get it. If you dread getting dressed every morning and you miss just feeling cute, I get that too. I’m living it right now.
I’m a certified image consultant. I’ve written two books on style and helped more than 3,000 women find their colors and a wardrobe they actually love to wear. And since February of last year, I’ve gained 30 pounds.
Maybe there’s a little voice in your head saying, “Why would I even buy clothes for this body? I don’t even like myself at this weight.” I want to talk to that voice today.
Here’s how to dress after weight gain without redoing your whole closet, without waiting for the scale to move, and without the guilt. These are the four things I’m doing right now to find my style again.
The quick answer: To dress after weight gain without buying a new wardrobe, store clothes that don’t fit with a 3–6 month expiration date, choose fabrics with 2–5% spandex or elastane, rebuy your best-fitting piece in 2–3 of your best colors, and dress the body you have today instead of waiting on the scale.
Table of Contents
1. Put Clothes That Don’t Fit Out of Sight (With an Expiration Date)
This topic came up recently in the Radiant World Community. One woman said she felt like she only had a couple of items left in her closet that she could wear. The most common advice in the comments was “out of sight, out of mind,” and I agree. I just want to add one thing: an expiration date.
Should you keep clothes that don’t fit anymore?
Not in your everyday closet. Every too-tight piece is a reminder that you feel like you’ve failed at something. You walk in, you see it, and you feel guilty. That doesn’t help you make progress, and you can’t wear those clothes anyway.
Your closet should hold only the clothes you’re wearing right now, for the body you have right now. Visual clutter is overwhelming. It slows you down in the morning and steals time from the things that matter most. Saving everything keeps you stuck in limbo, but a time frame lets you set things aside without guilt.
How to do it
- Pull out everything that doesn’t fit. Be ruthless, and keep only your true favorites in rotation.
- Pack the rest somewhere else. I put mine in another closet in my house so I don’t see it every day.
- Set an expiration date. Three to six months is a good window to decide what you actually want to keep, whatever your body does in the meantime.
- Rescue what you miss. If I remember something I really love, I go get it and try to work it back into my rotation.
- Donate the rest when time is up. Honestly, I forget I own most of it, which tells me it wasn’t that important.
If your closet feels like too much to tackle at once, my 14-day closet clean out challenge breaks it into small sections. You can also declutter your clothes using color or try the container concept to keep your closet from overflowing again.
This is exactly the kind of thing we walk through together inside the Radiant World Community, with women in the same season and the same struggles as you.
2. Choose Forgiving Fabrics and Silhouettes
Now your closet only holds what works, so let’s talk about what to buy next. Some clothes are far more forgiving when your weight is shifting or when you don’t feel great in your body.
What fabrics are best for fluctuating weight?
Stretch fabrics are best. Rigid woven fabrics, like a crisp cotton, show every fluctuation. A fabric with a little stretch gives you room across sizes. That’s why fiber content matters so much, and why you don’t have to rebuild your wardrobe every time your weight moves up or down.
How much spandex do you need?
Look for spandex or elastane in the fiber content. A small percentage is plenty: 2–5% is all you need for some breathing room inside your clothes. Check the tag before you commit to anything.
Why dresses are the easiest win
I’ve worn only dresses for about six years now, and I always buy dresses with a little stretch. Because they aren’t very fitted, my dresses usually span two to three sizes.
In those six years I’ve had two pregnancies, and I haven’t had to redo my wardrobe. My dresses have moved with me through a 60-pound shift, and I’m a small person at 5’2″. That’s a pretty big range of sizes for the same clothes.
If you’re curious about going this route, here’s why I consider dresses a foolproof outfit type. For more simple formulas, see these 7 foolproof outfit ideas.
How to wear dresses in winter
If you’re thinking, “I can’t wear dresses in the winter,” here’s my honest take. A maxi dress with leggings is basically like wearing a blanket. You can also layer a dress with a cardigan, tights, and boots to stay warm through the coldest months.
3. Buy More of What Works in Your Best Colors
This is the move that changes everything. When a piece fits and feels like you, buy it again in your best colors. It’s the heart of my book Youniform: find what works, and wear it on repeat.
Why outfit repeating isn’t failing
You don’t need a new wardrobe. You need a few winners on repeat. Repeating an outfit is a system that makes your mornings easier, and it’s the idea behind creating a style uniform and the Youniform Framework.
Here’s what that looks like for me right now. As my weight has shifted, I’ve found a dress I’m comfortable in, and I own it in three colors: black, dark purple, and teal. I’m hunting for one more in a neutral, so I’ll have four dresses to rotate.
How to find your winning piece
- Find the one thing that’s working. Pick the item in your closet that fits well, feels good, and that you actually enjoy wearing. Bonus points if it has some stretch.
- Note what works about it. Write down the fabric, the length, and the neckline.
- Buy it again in 2–3 of your best colors. If you can’t find the same piece, look for its closest twin.
- Rotate it into your wardrobe. Your mornings get easier, and you stop obsessing because you have one great outfit you feel confident in.
If you’re not sure what to look for, my Youniform Style Guide walks you through the whole process. It’s a hands-on workbook for discovering the colors, shapes, and style that already belong to you.
Why color matters more than the scale
Your best colors bring life back to your face. When your colors are working for you, you care a little less about what’s happening on the scale. That’s why color analysis is such a powerful tool for feeling confident at any size.
New to color? Start with my ultimate guide to color analysis, then explore the 12 seasons. Once you know yours, a capsule wardrobe for your season makes shopping simple.
4. Dress the Body You Have Right Now
Finally, I need you to hear this: forgive yourself and let it go.
Forgive yourself for what came before
We all know some parts of maintaining our size are our responsibility, mostly what we eat and how we move. And we usually know whether we’re doing well at those things. But at the end of the day, you can only control so much.
So let go of what you should or shouldn’t have done, and steward the body you have today. If you struggle with that, I wrote about learning to love your body the way God made it and how to stop putting yourself down.
Don’t let your body keep you from your life
When we don’t like how we look, we start avoiding people. We skip the dinners, hide from the photos, and stay home. Those are moments we can never get back. Don’t let how you feel about your body keep you from the people you’re called to love.
Getting dressed isn’t a reward you earn by losing weight. It’s how you show up in your life and for the people around you.
You have to get dressed to live in this world. It’s non-negotiable. So stop with the “maybe later” thoughts. You only have right now. Accept the body you have at this moment, dress it the best you can, and keep doing your best moving forward.
Bodies change, and that’s real
Most of my weight gain over the last 18 months came from a run of health issues. I’ve also been bad about what I eat and how I move, and I’m working on that, because I want to feel good in my body for the next 40 years.
Maybe you just don’t like yourself at this weight. That’s okay. You don’t have to love the number on the scale to show up in love and do your best.
How to Dress After Weight Gain: The 4-Step Recap
- Put it out of sight. Store clothes that don’t fit, set an expiration date, and donate what you don’t miss.
- Choose forgiving fabrics and silhouettes. Look for 2–5% spandex or elastane, and try dresses for the most room across sizes.
- Buy more of what works in your best colors. It’s the uniform principle in action.
- Dress the body you have right now. Forgive yourself for what’s gone before, and show up for your life.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I wear if I’ve gained weight?
Wear what fits your body today, not what you hope will fit later. Choose pieces with a little stretch, like dresses with 2–5% spandex or elastane, which can span two to three sizes. Then buy your best-fitting piece in two or three of your best colors so you always have something that works.
Should I keep clothes that don’t fit anymore?
Keep them out of your everyday closet. Pack them away somewhere else and set an expiration date of three to six months. Bring back anything you truly miss, and donate the rest when time is up. Most of it you’ll forget you even own.
What fabrics are best for fluctuating weight?
Stretch fabrics are best because they move with your body as your size changes. Look for spandex or elastane on the tag; 2–5% is enough. Rigid woven fabrics, like crisp cotton, have no give, so they stop fitting with even small changes.
Are dresses good for weight gain?
Yes. Dresses that aren’t tightly fitted and have a little stretch can fit across two to three sizes. I’ve worn only dresses for six years, through two pregnancies and a 60-pound shift, without replacing my wardrobe. In winter, layer them with leggings, tights, cardigans, and boots.
How do I feel confident in my clothes after gaining weight?
Start with color. Your best colors bring life back to your face and make you care less about the scale. Pair that with one great outfit you can repeat, and forgive yourself for the past. Getting dressed isn’t a reward you earn by losing weight.
Let’s Start Over, Friend
If you’re feeling frumpy right now, the best thing you can do is start with color. Your best colors bring you back to life, and honestly, they make you care a little less about the rest.
- Find your colors: I do one-to-one color analysis, or you can get a complete ColorEssence Style Report.
- Read the books: Grab Youniform and the Youniform Style Guide to build your own repeatable wardrobe.
- Join us: Come work on your style with women in the same season inside the Radiant World Community.
Let’s start over, friend. Not from scratch, but from where you are right now.
