So I've held off on shopping for the last year (mostly), figuring that anything I bought was an absolute waste of money as it would be too big in roughly three months. But yesterday, seeing as I am now down 45 pounds, I decided to reward myself, just a little, buy some things that could either be altered to fit in six months or that were over-sized anyway, and therefore likely to fit regardless of my size.

Now shopping is something I have always loved. Because I carried the bulk of my weight in my lower half I could always find tops, despite my size. Jeans were a challenge, but a few years ago I discovered that Lucky brand easy-riders in a size 32 fit me, and I proceeded to live in them for the last four years. Problem was, I adore jeans. Designer denim is an obsession of mine even though pulling on a pair was impossible until recently.

Every few months, in hopes of a miracle, I'd go to Holt Renfew, ask for a pair of jeans in a mid rise, with a bootleg or flare to balance out my lower half, in the biggest size they carried (32), and fail to fit into them. Two years ago now, I bought a pair of Paige jeans in hopes that I would soon, because I was of course on one of my many failed weight-loss kicks at the time, fit into them. The first time I actually fit comfortably into the Paiges was in April, a year and eight months after purchasing them. Now those Paige's are heading towards the 'too-big' end of the spectrum.

The real challenge for me though, was the skinny jean. Hours of scouring denim-blogs have revealed to me just how truly flattering the skinny jean can be when worn right, and I've been dying to get to the point where instead of looking like a fat girl trying to squeeze herself into slim-fitting clothing, I look, not celebrity-thin (something I should mention, I do not aspire to), but good in a pair of skinnies.

So yesterday, I decided, seeing as my Paiges were almost too big I would go shopping. I had to drop my boyfriend off downtown anyway, so I figured now was as good a time as any. I started at American Eagle. I had never been able to fit into their size 14 jeans and wanted to see if now I could. I grabbed a few pairs, and pulled them on, and promptly pulled them off; without unbuttoning them. The 12s were still a bit big, the 10s a bit tight. I was nearing a size 10, or a 30 in designer sizing. Not small by any means, but better than I'd ever been in my life.

I left American Eagle, without having bought anything, but with a giant grin on my face as I headed down to Aritzia, a much hated store by many for being overpriced and filled with small sizes, but almost as much a mecca for designer denim as Holt Renfrew not to mention having a serious sale. The girls set me up with a pair of Paige skinnies and a pair of Current/Elliot ones. Although I didn't end up buying them, I had to size down the Paige jeans to a 31, after which point I did a silent victory dance in my change room. Designer denim sizing is notoriously small, and with rises getting lower every year, the fact that my butt fit into a size 31 is significant. I fully expected to leave with the Paiges, but after trying on the Current/Elliots I was in love. The dark denim wash, the oversized pockets on the back and the way my legs looked in them, I left with them instead, as well as a beautiful dark green top and this gorgeous oversized draped sweater that is the coziest thing in the world. The bill made me cringe, despite the sale, but it was so absolutely worth it, because I own a gorgeous pair of skinny jeans that make me look and feel so damn good.