Should I wait until I've lost weight before I book a shopping trip is a question I've been asked a fair amount, and I get it - if you've been trying to lose weight, you don't want to waste loads of money on updating your wardrobe, only for it not to fit in 6 months time.

But for some people, the losing weight thing just never quite happens, so they always feel a bit rubbish about themselves and are constantly putting anything to do with their appearance on the back burner.

So, unfortunately there's not really a straightforward answer to the question, but in this blog post, I'm going to walk you through some of the options you have to help you make your decision.

Be realistic

This is a big one - be really honest with yourself - how likely is it that you'll actually lose the weight, or have you been saying the same thing for years? If you have, and you're not ever likely to get much lighter than you are now, perhaps it's time to accept the truth, and your body the way it is and get some new clothes to show it off to its best advantage.

I know you want to shed some pounds to feel good about yourself, but getting a whole new wardrobe will do the same thing.....and ironically, it's likely to have the knock on effect of helping you lose weight! If this happens, no worries, I know a great tailor who can alter your clothes to fit your new size, or we can book in another personal shopping trip for men.

Use a shopping session as a goal

Book in your personal shopping session and pay for it now, and let's put a date in the diary for a few months time for me to take you shopping, so you have something to work towards......I'm happy to book it in 3 - 6 months ahead. And if for any reason you don't make the date we've chosen, I'll give you some added accountability with a deadline of a year from when you bought the session to use it by!

Buy a cheaper basic wardrobe

So this may not be the most sustainable way of doing things, but we could go shopping together for a less expensive capsule wardrobe. We can get some good quality basics from places like Uniqlo and Arket etc, so you don't have to wait to lose weight but will instantly start to feel more put together and good about yourself. We could spend a bit more on accessories (see below) too which will last well beyond any size changes. 

Once you've got to a weight that you're comfortable you can maintain, then we can go shopping again and invest in more exciting and long lasting pieces........ones you've always liked the look of but never had the confidence to wear.  

Book a Colour & Style session

We could also get started by doing a Personal Colour & Style Consultation. This is a great way to get clear on what suits you and how you really want to look. We can plan your shopping attack for once you've lost the weight, so you can hit the ground running!

During the session, we'll find out which colours look fantastic on you and which styles, fabrics and looks you're drawn to. I'll concentrate less on what shapes to wear than I normally do as this will be changing, but there's still plenty to dig in to.

We can use the time to figure out how you’d ideally like to dress, and then we can start putting together a Pinterest board of looks you like, find a celebrity to follow who's style you admire, and note down all the details about the clothes they wear that you'd like to try out too. 

Lots of people think they don't have a definitive style, but once we start looking at it together, it usually becomes obvious you have - it might just need to be drawn out of you a bit! 

Buy new accessories

Accessories can make and sometimes break your outfit - as my client always jokingly likes to tell me “The only thing that separates us from the animals is our ability to accessorise” -  a quote from Steel Magnolias.

So book in for an Online Shopping session and we can up your accessory game with scarves, belts, hats, watches, jewellery, shoes, trainers, socks or bags - there's loads to choose from!

It's a great way to show personality through your accessories, and they'll help you feel good about yourself and the way you dress while you're on your weight loss journey, but the best thing is you'll still be able to carry on using them afterwards as the size won't change.

Book in a wardrobe edit

You might be hanging on to lots of things until you "get back into them" but are they definitely things you'll be excited to wear once you've lost weight? It can be hard to tell on your own if things look dated or worn out so I can give you a fresh pair of eyes on your stuff.

We can make sure we're only keeping things you love for your future sylph like self, and we'll take them out of the wardrobe and put them somewhere else to be re-evaluated for fit in a few months time.

It's such a cathartic process doing a Wardrobe Edit and you'll have a lot more direction and clarity on where you'd like to go from here. We can fill in the gaps for your current situation with a couple of pieces, and create a clear shopping list of things you'd like to get once you’ve lost weight.....or maybe now, if you've decided that really isn't going to happen.

I hope that helps to answer whether or not you should lose weight before having a shopping trip. If you'd like to book in a shopping trip or any of the other sessions mentioned above, then click the button below to do so. Or if you'd like to have a chat first then email me here and I'll get straight back to you to discuss.

And here's what one happy client (who's a larger guy) said after we'd been shopping for an outfit for a party:

"The party was brilliant. everyone was saying how slim and well I looked.......it was the suit!"

Have you seen these posts too?

Men - This is how to dress to look slimmer!

How to dress if you're a larger guy