Just wear a superhero outfit every day!!
***
No, seriously. That is a pressure suit I got from a physiotherapist (and a corset belt to help my lower back stay in position) because of the Ehlers- Danlos syndrome.
Well.
Sometimes I when I get a glimpse of myself at the mirror I freak out a little bit. After Indi was born I got used to having a curvy, soft, feminine body. I would have liked to drop the baby weight, but it didn't come off naturally and I refused to starve myself. It just wasn't that important. Indi liked that I was "soft and warm". When I met my husband I was not skinny. He never even hinted at preferring me skinnier, curvier, with long hair, short hair, no hair. He always just said I was beautiful.
Never ever did I think I'd be in this situation where the weight just keeps coming off. I eat chocolate and cheese in the evening, and tried to calculate how many calories I need to eat to keep a certain weight. It just keeps coming off. Frankly, I'm bony. I can't eat that much. I don't even exercise so you'd think it would be easy to eat sufficiently . I try to choose higher calorie versions when I eat. I put a lot of butter on my bread when I eat it. In the end, I still just don't care about eating, and even less about cooking or making any effort on that front. I should have a 1500 calorie meal delivered to my door daily haha.
Tops and tunics in wool, cotton, organic velour, linen/cotton mix and merino/cotton mix
I started buying new pants when the old ones didn't stay up anymore. Then the new ones didn't stay up and I got a couple of belts. Some of my old tops and sweaters still work, at least at home, and over sized is in style right now, isn't it ;)
As I still work from home, being simple and comfy with clothes continues to be very easy. We don't have a laundry machine as ours broke while moving, and I never got a new one. I use the laundry room once a week (it's possible to use more often as needed) and I find this works really well for us.
I still hate going to shops and malls, so I buy from the internet. I recently discovered a truly Finnish brand (most of the supposedly Finnish brands don't actually MAKE the clothes in Finland, or even the fabrics.. it's just basically designed here).
The great thing is that all their clothes are jersey knits, cotton for summer and merino wool/cotton or merino wool for winter. So they are comfortable, and warm. They are expensive, as is anything made in Finland, materials and labor are so costly here (which is why hardly anything is made here anymore) but there are always sales, and often you can find something second-hand. The brand has only existed since 2010 and I hope they do well and stick around! I don't think they are shipping abroad, but all you Finnish people, I'm talking about Kaino
I still love Toast too, and will check out their sales. Otherwise it's so expensive. The same with untouched world, the New Zealand brand of ethical merino wool clothing. Both they are oh so soft, and durable, and warm... I could live in merino wool for most of the year. Right now they are having a sale as the summer season is staring there :D
Doing over your whole wardrobe - eh. But I have also gotten a few freebies and bought a many pieces secondhand.
I have more than I used to have in a long time, because I've kept the oversize tops and whatever works as an oversized "look". Most dresses and pants just look pitiful now, as they are supposed to fit well, so I can't wear those and I've gotten rid of most of them. I'm keeping some in-between sizes for now, in case I can get back to a more normal weight.
But I would say that the core of my wardrobe consists of leggings and other stretchy pants, and jersey tops and tunics. They are comfy and a few kilos off or on won't matter. I have a couple of nicer dresses that fit okay (the one with the belt is my mom's old from the early seventies), and a jeans skirt and a corduroy skirt, corduroy pants and four pairs of jeans, one skinny black and one faded blue with front patch pockets and wider legs that actually need a belt to stay up already - and two dark skinny stretch jeans that need a belt also already so I notice I don't often choose to wear them.. I have a few cardigans as most of the time I'm either wearing a cardigan or a wool tunic. I only wear wool socks, and in the summer I don't wear socks at all.
With shoes, I'm at eight pairs of shoes (one summer, one in-between season, one sneakers, one pair of unlined leather boots, one pair of Lappland boots (worn sooo much, I bought them while we lived at my dad's house after the mold craziness) and also one pair of sheepskin lined leather boots. And a pair of Crocs in a more stylish design than the original one. They are great for the beach and to just slip on. And a pair of Nokia wellies.
I don't need stuffed closets and junky drawers and dried out cosmetics in my life. But after catching lice twice last winter, and several nightly nose bleeds, last night Indi coughing so much she threw up... I've realized the usefulness of having a few extra clothes, sheets, towels and even outer wear!
So simplicity is having enough to last until laundry day, and to take us through surprises and accidents.
It's accepting that I'm this way now and I need clothes that stay up and don't show my belly button when I bow down... It's taking an opportunity to support a domestic, ethical brand and wear clothes I feel good in.
If you find yourself in a total wardrobe malfunction, just start with the basics, a core of stuff you definitely wear weekly and daily, be it jeans or sweat pants or a suit. You can always add stuff later when you see what works for your new body / life.
I'm off to eat some chocolate or something now. :D
4 comments:
Stress can do this - I lost 15 kg in 6wks when my marriage hit the rocks. All people say is wow, you lost so much weight (in an admiring tone of voice) which is bitter when you have alway wanted to lose weight and couldn't so easily… Although things worked out for me and I am now way too heavy again (15 years later), I no longer necessarily see weight loss as a good thing :(. You are are doing really well with trying to keep yourself healthy, though, so I hope everything will balance out for you eventually.
Like you, my "uniform" is colourful tights/leggings with tunic tops and dresses, all more forgiving of a few kg more or less. I love that sunburst design on several of your garments! A lot of my stuff is the Swedish Gudrun Sjoden which I can order online, as I don't like or suit the regular fashions in the shops anyway.
Many good wishes to you and Indi from Switzerland!
In the last few years I started falling for designer brands (although second-hand so much, much cheaper). I have often wondered why I struggle with these two images of myself - 1) looking sort of chic and 2) looking relaxed in linen, cotton, wool and silk. I would love to find a brand of clothing that is natural, eco, organic, authentic, non-slave labour and just stick to it because my life isn't chic at all!
Thanks for this post, Vappu. My divorce also did this to me - my weight dropped quickly to 110lbs which was very light for me. Now, I'm overweight and trying to shed the extra lbs. I'll check out the Finnish brand. You turned me onto buying from one company alone to simpify my life - I loved that idea: still do.
Stay well, Anna.
Hehe, now I think it was a good thing to have that baby weight as "emergency storage" :D It's not good to be underweight, like for when you get sick you have nothing to fall back on. I was told I look anorexic. I guess medically speaking it is anorexia when you lose a lot of weight suddenly for psychological reasons? Even if you didn't aim to do it. I think I still lost like five pounds after that "superhero" picture was taken.
I used to have quite many pieces from Gudrun Sjöden as well (and we have their store in Helsinki now) but since finding Kaino I'm in <3 with their clothes and that it's a Finnish company, so I probably won't be buying Gudrun Sjöden.
It definitely simplifies things when you have just 1-3 brands from which you get your clothes. The colors and patterns from different season go together and you know the sizing and quality and so on.
I tried sewing myself a pair of leggings from an old jersey maxi dress (it had started to pill so it wasn't in a great shape anymore to pass on..) and they turned out perfectly, so I ordered some merino wool jersey on-line to make myself some leggings and long sleeve tops. I'm cold all the time, right now I'm wearing a merino long sleeve undershirt and a Kaino merino/cotton sweater tunic on top, plus the leggings I made and another pair of Kaino merino/cotton leggings on top of them, plus hand knit wool socks.
I never liked layering leggings under jeans or other non-stretchy pants, but this kind of layering works!
I started knitting leg warmers too.
Anna, I think it's possible to combine both of those images! My two images, simplified, would be grunge/bohemian vintage dresses, jeans, cords, boots and cardigans, and everything comfy and stretchy, that needs no ironing :D I never wear jeans or non-stretchy dresses at home. Usually you don't find knit or jersey pieces that are fit for a nice party, like a wedding, but Kaino actually makes some. And I did attend two weddings in my red jersey maxi dress (which has now become a pair of leggings).
At some point I decided that if a piece of clothing doesn't come of the drying rack ready to wear (minor wrinkles don't bother me) it's not for me.
I'm a believer of being realistic with your clothing choices and closet, it should be in tune with the life you actually lead. I spend a lot of time at home, and anywhere I go to doesn't require dressing up much either. But it doesn't mean I should just wear the same dingy T-shirt and sloppy sweat pants with holes in them, either ..
I could do another clothing post with pictures of me in the actual clothes, and of course an update on school girl's closet -that is a whole other story there :D
Ooh, yes, would love to see you in the clothes: I am minimising again now my weight is going down. You probably will feel extra cold if you are underweight. People throw around words like "anorexia" which is silly. You are not avoiding food - you lost weight having come through a period of stress which is natural. Definitely don't worry but keep up your intake of nutrient dense food. This will make sure your body stays healthy.
Were you pleased with the exhibition?
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