Weight Loss and Wearing Skirts

General discussion of skirt and kilt-based fashion for men, and stuff that goes with skirts and kilts.
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JeffB1959
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Weight Loss and Wearing Skirts

Post by JeffB1959 »

The pros and cons of weight loss: Since early May, I've lost 43 pounds thanks to cutting out junk food, eating right and hitting the gym at least twice a week, I look better and, more importantly, I feel better, but the downside is that the majority of my skirts no longer fit well. For years, I've worn a size 14 and they looked good on me when I was well over 200 pounds, but since the weight loss, those same skirts (save for the ones with elastic waistbands) now swim on me as I've dropped at least one full dress size. Yesterday morning, I've tried on nearly all my non-elastic waistband skirts and only a precious few, maybe three or four out of two dozen still fit properly. Rather frustrating. But, the upside is now I have an excuse to replace those size 14's with size 12's, and that figures to be a lot of fun. I'm not going to give up my weight loss regimen as I want to stay slim and trim (which makes me look great when I wear dresses), so, I'll have to adapt my wardrobe to my physique. Has anyone else here faced this sort of situation?
I don't want to LOOK like a woman, I just want to DRESS like a woman.
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denimini
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Re: Weight Loss and Wearing Skirts

Post by denimini »

I haven't lost weight but have noticed that the smaller the size, the greater range of skirts. I see many I like but are size 8 (aus) and I am a 10-12. It could be the style that I like favours small sizes.
Anthony, a denim miniskirt wearer in Outback Australia
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crfriend
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Re: Weight Loss and Wearing Skirts

Post by crfriend »

JeffB1959 wrote:Has anyone else here faced this sort of situation?
I haven't had to face it head on the way you have, but during the fiascos of 2013 and 2015 I went from about 205 pounds to 185 (bottoming out at around 165) and the few size 16 skirts I had -- even with elastic waists -- no longer stay in place. (Normally I'm a 14.) This was mainly OK as they were starting to get ratty anyway.

I have a couple of very nice "new" skirts in size 16 that i bought in error and which want to have taken in so they'll fit properly. The issue with that is getting the time to actually take them to the woman who did my long purple skirt and maroon palazzos.
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oldsalt1
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Re: Weight Loss and Wearing Skirts

Post by oldsalt1 »

I can stand to loose a few pounds . That's why most of my pictures I have my hands folded in front to hide the love handles.


Our dialog changes . Jeff you look great with the weight loss. I just find it funny that when we discuss the weight loss we describe it in terms of dropping a DRESS size
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crfriend
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Re: Weight Loss and Wearing Skirts

Post by crfriend »

oldsalt1 wrote:I just find it funny that when we discuss the weight loss we describe it in terms of dropping a DRESS size
It is a bit of a hoot, but I suspect it's likely down to the fact that now we're torqued off that what used to fit doesn't, and if we're to fix that, need to put out the cash to solve the problem, either with alterations or new purchases. Sizing on men's stuff is imprecise at best, so there's lots of leeway. This is not the case with the female-marketed stuff, so if the size is off, sometimes it just doesn't work or look right.
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oldsalt1
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Re: Weight Loss and Wearing Skirts

Post by oldsalt1 »

When you have some nicer stuff the prospect of altering is a definite possibility. And within reason anything can be taken in a bit. Unfortunately this doesn't help many of when the alteration needed . is to be laken out :oops: :oops:
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Re: Weight Loss and Wearing Skirts

Post by Happy-N-Skirts »

I have lost nearly 60 pounds in a year. It gives me a reason to shop for new skirts. I have some favorites that I can't find replacements of. I will have those altered after I reach my goal weight. I wear skirts one day a week, but I wear one around the house for most days. I am out in the wilderness one day a week.
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JeffB1959
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Re: Weight Loss and Wearing Skirts

Post by JeffB1959 »

oldsalt1 wrote:I just find it funny that when we discuss the weight loss we describe it in terms of dropping a DRESS size
Well, I couldn't think of any other way to describe that as losing a dress size! :lol:

Meanwhile, while I've had a couple of those skirts that no longer fit for nearly a decade, it won't hurt to part with them as I'd rather spend money buying new skirts rather than on alterations of the old ones. Funny thing, yesterday, I was in Old Navy with every intention on starting the process of replacing the old size 14 skirts with size 12's, and guess what I bought instead? Yep, a dress! :lol:
I don't want to LOOK like a woman, I just want to DRESS like a woman.
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Re: Weight Loss and Wearing Skirts

Post by Darryl »

One interim measure my mom did was to place some elastic around the inside waistband of the older skirt. Up to a point, that bought her some more time...especially if she was still losing and expected to go down another size or so. Alternatively, if there was a folded-over waistband there was the possibility of fishing through it a piece of elastic, sewing its ends together and then sewing the entry point back up. Just a thought.
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Re: Weight Loss and Wearing Skirts

Post by pelmut »

Be careful with kilts or wrap-around skirts if you are losing weight. I went folk dancing in a kilt and didn't notice how loose it was becoming; when I turned in one direction it tightened and gripped - then when I turned the other way it loosened again and slipped slightly. By half way through the evening it had rotated completely backwards and I was beginning to wonder why people were staring at me. Now I check at the end of each dance.
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Re: Weight Loss and Wearing Skirts

Post by rivegauche »

No need to abandon the skirts or even dresses. I am afraid my weight change was in the upward direction from 14 to 16. You can shift buttons on skirts yourself but anything more complicated needs to be taken to a dressmaker unless you have these skills yourself. They have successfully altered all the skirts I needed let out, but a couple of them lost a bit of length in the process. I have also had dresses that didn't fit changed into skirts.
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Re: Weight Loss and Wearing Skirts

Post by oldsalt1 »

rivegauche wrote: . I have also had dresses that didn't fit changed into skirts.
Never thought of that Idea I have a dress that I ripped the top part because my shoulders are to big I am going to take it to my tailors and see if they could make the bottom half into a skirt
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Re: Weight Loss and Wearing Skirts

Post by mugman »

As I was just south of 13 stone (sorry I don't do pounds) which is too far north of 11...my preference...I'm now following a new meal arrangement. So far it appears to be slowly working. A medium sized breakfast, main meal at midday and just light snack around 5-6pm. Apparently the digestive system begins to run down after midday so any heavy meal in the evening gets a less than adequate processing and more fat occurs as a result. Of course the down side is that all the skirts recently purchased in size 18 will soon be dangling around my ankles. No more purchases until I get down to a 14 - so some way to go yet.

Pete
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r.m.anderson
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Re: Weight Loss and Wearing Skirts

Post by r.m.anderson »

SELF
Remind Self when looking for new clothes of the potential of augmentation or reduction in sizing should that happen in the near future.
An elastic waist or Velcro wrapped skirt can have plenty of possibilities over its life span.
There are limits to what Omar the Tent Maker can achieve but I don't think Omar had pencil skirts in mind.

Enjoy your healthy weight loss that you may have plenty of other size clothing to try on and wear.
"YES SKIRTING MATTERS"!
"Kilt-On" -or- as the case may be "Skirt-On" !
WHY ?
Isn't wearing a kilt enough?
Well a skirt will do in a pinch!
Make mine short and don't you dare think of pinching there !
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Daryl
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Re: Weight Loss and Wearing Skirts

Post by Daryl »

JeffB1959 wrote:The pros and cons of weight loss: Since early May, I've lost 43 pounds thanks to cutting out junk food, eating right and hitting the gym at least twice a week, I look better and, more importantly, I feel better, but the downside is that the majority of my skirts no longer fit well. For years, I've worn a size 14 and they looked good on me when I was well over 200 pounds, but since the weight loss, those same skirts (save for the ones with elastic waistbands) now swim on me as I've dropped at least one full dress size. Yesterday morning, I've tried on nearly all my non-elastic waistband skirts and only a precious few, maybe three or four out of two dozen still fit properly. Rather frustrating. But, the upside is now I have an excuse to replace those size 14's with size 12's, and that figures to be a lot of fun. I'm not going to give up my weight loss regimen as I want to stay slim and trim (which makes me look great when I wear dresses), so, I'll have to adapt my wardrobe to my physique. Has anyone else here faced this sort of situation?
I lost a lot of weight in my quest to be healthier, and all my skirts and kilts got too big. Almost all of these are things I made for myself, and many had some way to resize them built into their design.

My straight and A-line skirts were all made with no waistband, just the fabric folded over once then belt loops attached. These were a simple matter to take in a few inches just by putting in some darts from the waist down a few inches. When I regained some weight (I did) I could remove darts. Simply not having a separate waistband is the very easiest way to make a skirt that is easily resized.

My kilts were resizeable to an extent by virtue of being wrap-around skirts. At first just moving the buttons or adding snaps was enough, but the range of resizing was/is not as great as with my straight and A-line skirts and I now have three kilts I cannot even wear until I spend hours on each one altering it, and it's probably easier to just make new ones except I can't find the same tartans quite as conveniently (Canada Maple Leaf and Nova Scotia). My black UK is not resizeable at all. I keep meaning to put it on Craig's List...

Some pleaty skirts of my own manufacture were relatively easy to take in a bit just by unpicking some pleats and making them deeper. Still a pain but not as bad as trying to alter kilts.

The skirts I wear the most, at least for that past few months, are the circle skirts I made, and since they have elastic waists size-changing is pretty much a non-issue. The biggest problem with an elastic waist as the sole support for a skirt is that it precludes putting any real weight in pockets. I did put some inner pockets on one of them just to see if they were useful. Once my cellphone, keys and wallet were in place, the skirt pulled down too much. Tightening the elastic just made it uncomfortably tight. I can carry all those things in the pockets of my belted skirts no problem, so I almost always carry a purse when out in my circle skirts. Often I will change into a belted skirt just so I don't have to carry the purse.
Daryl...
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