The "Wow, I have the body of an 80 yo," thread - What to Wear

[BlsdMama]

So I lost a fair bit of weight strictly following the Wahl's diet.  I inherited my body from my mom's side - curvy in the right spots and otherwise fairly slender.  It was nice... was.

I'm at a lower weight now than I was throughout high school, but the proportions are all wonky.  I've gone down four sizes... in the bookshelves, kwim? Good news - I can wear a button down shirt finally.  Bad news? For the first time ever, I have this little pouchy tummy and that, paired with a flat chest, gives me an entirely different body type.  I'm very unhappy with previous clothing selections.  In the other thread, someone said women who are top heavy tend not to be flattered by dresses.  I've never worn dresses, preferring separate skirt/top because dresses never fit right (if they fit on top, they were too big on bottom) but it has me wondering if maybe now they would be flattering?

[Guest]

Maybe. I’ve never had a Yale library of bookshelves myself, more like the magazine rack at a hair salon...and now post-bre@st cancer, there’s even less to appreciate there. I do think a pouchy belly is pretty much a function of aging, overall loss of muscle tone and maybe also relates to lost tone in the baby-making equipment. In your case loss of tone may be accelerated? 

Personally, I have lost some of my rigid rules around what I “should” or “shouldn’t” wear. I think some of this is aging, too, but also, my dd said something about clothes and it really made me think. I was talking about a color and said, “I never wear that color.” She said something like, “I find it’s best not to box myself in with beliefs about what I do and don’t wear. It narrows my style choices unnecessarily.” Hmmm. She’s right! 

So now, if I consider some piece of clothing and my first thought is, “...But I never wear orange...” I don’t let it stop there. I am open to wearing clothes I didn’t used to...ordering some pair of pants is not a death sentence and I can always decide, “Nah...this is not for me.” I say if you want to try a dress, try one! 

[EmilyGF]

Do you have a good fitting bra? My mom refuses to splurge for a bra that fits, but the one time she got one, it instantly transformed her figure.

We're an apple family. DD13 is 5 ft 8, 115 lbs and has a tummy. We have to wear properly fitted bras if we want a figure!

[almondbutterandjelly]

Apple here.  Empire waisted dresses are more flattering.  Like this:

https://www.landsend.com/products/womens-elbow-sleeve-knee-length-fit-and-flare-dress---floral/id_335376?attributes=10179,43307,43324,44256,44959

Or this:

https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/122071?page=women-s-summer-knit-dress-short-sleeve-print&bc=12-27-506213&feat=506213-GN3&csp=f&pos=2

If you are short-waisted, LL Bean has good pants and jeans for that (although I confess they are more of an 80s high waist which I prefer being an 80s girl).

[ktgrok]

Agree with high waist!

I have three of these dresses in different patterns, and they are flattering at a range of weights, and I get compliments almost every time I wear one. Might be a fairly inexpensive way to try a dress 🙂

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07SRY1SRC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Wheres Toto]

4 hours ago, BlsdMama said:

So I lost a fair bit of weight strictly following the Wahl's diet.  I inherited my body from my mom's side - curvy in the right spots and otherwise fairly slender.  It was nice... was.

I'm at a lower weight now than I was throughout high school, but the proportions are all wonky.  I've gone down four sizes... in the bookshelves, kwim? Good news - I can wear a button down shirt finally.  Bad news? For the first time ever, I have this little pouchy tummy and that, paired with a flat chest, gives me an entirely different body type.  I'm very unhappy with previous clothing selections.  In the other thread, someone said women who are top heavy tend not to be flattered by dresses.  I've never worn dresses, preferring separate skirt/top because dresses never fit right (if they fit on top, they were too big on bottom) but it has me wondering if maybe now they would be flattering?

I've always been small busted, have the pouchy belly after kids, and slightly larger in hips/thighs.  I do NOT look good in dresses.   I'm too small on top and wide on bottom, they just emphasize the disproportion.  If you just have the pouch without the hips, you might do okay, but I feel like a slightly larger bust would make dresses look better in my case.

[Wheres Toto]

2 hours ago, Ktgrok said:

Agree with high waist!

I have three of these dresses in different patterns, and they are flattering at a range of weights, and I get compliments almost every time I wear one. Might be a fairly inexpensive way to try a dress 🙂

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07SRY1SRC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This actually could work for me!   I do have one dress that is almost a renaissance style with a scoop neck, same color embroidery on the front, definite waist with a slightly fuller skirt and it looks okay.   As long as you don't look from the back since I do have a big back end.  😜

[Carol in Cal.]

Skimmy tunic tops and dresses without waists are your friend, as are underwire bras.

Why is it that during weight loss my breasts are all like “I volunteer as tribute!”?

[MercyA]

I am pear-shaped and there are lots of flattering, inexpensive dresses on Amazon. Here are a couple I like:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0778TGGKQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JMVR485/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Guest]

2 hours ago, Carol in Cal. said:

Skimmy tunic tops and dresses without waists are your friend, as are underwire bras.

Why is it that during weight loss my breasts are all like “I volunteer as tribute!”?

Well hell, mine tried to kill me! 😄

[regentrude]

You could embrace the loss of boob volume and go for a slim androgynous look. Non-curvy can look very attractive, too.

[Alicia64]

Just jumping on to say huge congratulations re: losing weight on the Wahl's diet. I don't follow it exactly but b/c of her I eat a huge salad every single night for dinner.

Has Wahls helped?

W.

[Pen]

I think this sort of style is meant for smaller top bigger bottom shaped women: 

https://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/product.do?pid=582040

 

[ktgrok]

6 hours ago, Where's Toto? said:

This actually could work for me!   I do have one dress that is almost a renaissance style with a scoop neck, same color embroidery on the front, definite waist with a slightly fuller skirt and it looks okay.   As long as you don't look from the back since I do have a big back end.  😜

I have that black top/striped skirt one, the purple flower one, and the teal/turquoise floral one. All are very flattering. 

[Pen]

12 minutes ago, Ktgrok said:

I have that black top/striped skirt one, the purple flower one, and the teal/turquoise floral one. All are very flattering. 

 

I’ve decided to try one 😁. Gotta watch out for buying threads!

[Carol in Cal.]

Dude.

Two words.

Vikki Vi.

Check out their Classic Shift Dresses.  These are just about all I wear.  They work for business, pleasure, a night out, whatever.  The material is heavy enough to hang well and never cling, and light enough to skim nicely.  I LOVE them.  

Edited July 26, 2020 by Carol in Cal.

[Soror]

22 hours ago, Quill said:

Maybe. I’ve never had a Yale library of bookshelves myself, more like the magazine rack at a hair salon...and now post-bre@st cancer, there’s even less to appreciate there. I do think a pouchy belly is pretty much a function of aging, overall loss of muscle tone and maybe also relates to lost tone in the baby-making equipment. In your case loss of tone may be accelerated? 

Personally, I have lost some of my rigid rules around what I “should” or “shouldn’t” wear. I think some of this is aging, too, but also, my dd said something about clothes and it really made me think. I was talking about a color and said, “I never wear that color.” She said something like, “I find it’s best not to box myself in with beliefs about what I do and don’t wear. It narrows my style choices unnecessarily.” Hmmm. She’s right! 

So now, if I consider some piece of clothing and my first thought is, “...But I never wear orange...” I don’t let it stop there. I am open to wearing clothes I didn’t used to...ordering some pair of pants is not a death sentence and I can always decide, “Nah...this is not for me.” I say if you want to try a dress, try one! 

I agree with this. We naturally lose muscle as we age, you have to work just to keep what you have, combine that with a disease that steals your mobility and weight loss and that is a big combo for even more muscle loss and the resulting shift in how your body looks. When I finally lost all the weight after ds was born my body was a different size because I was the same weight but I had way less muscle. 

You might have to throw out all your clothes rules. How do you want to look? Athletic? Feminine? Classic?

I used to be an hourglass but am more of a pear shape now. I tend towards fitted tops, skirts that flair or straight leg pants. Good bras help, no matter what the size. 

I have a friend that is flat up top and she wears button up tops or polo tops, for bottoms she likes polo pants or shorts. 

[Pen]

You could also go for comfort  and functionality (whatever you like) in colors that make you look good! 

[Carol in Cal.]

23 hours ago, regentrude said:

You could embrace the loss of boob volume and go for a slim androgynous look. Non-curvy can look very attractive, too.

It’s not easy to pull off fat androgynous, though.  Almost impossible.

[Jenny in Florida]

20 hours ago, peacelovehomeschooling said:

Mine too! 

 

And mine, which is why we have parted ways. Talk about a challenge figuring out how to dress . . .