DEAR HARRIETTE: I have recently lost a lot of weight. I’m down about two sizes of clothes, which makes me elated. I want to get rid of the clothes that don’t fit anymore. With good intentions, I offered some of my clothes -- that I think are very nice -- to one of my girlfriends. She was highly offended. She told me she is not that big and how dare I assume she could fit these clothes. She went on and on berating me for calling her fat, which I did not. I had selected some really nice pieces I thought she would appreciate, but the whole thing backfired. How can I get her to forgive me? And what should I do with the rest of my clothes? They are really nice, and I didn’t want to just give them to charity. -- Generosity Gone Wrong, New Orleans
DEAR GENEROSITY GONE WRONG: Congratulations on your weight loss. You should be proud of your accomplishments. You are already seeing that weight loss and friendship can be a prickly pair. While your intentions were good, offering a friend clothes that are too big for you is tough to do without hurting feelings. Another way to handle that could be to send out an email to a friend group or to individuals saying you have some clothes you are looking to give away. State what the size of the clothing is, and invite people to contact you if they are interested. This way the individuals have to be proactive in order to receive them. If nobody bites, it’s perfectly good to give your clothing to charity. Be sure to get a receipt so you can write it off your taxes.
(Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)