A wardrobe refresh ... without buying anything new!

* Warning in advance, this is going to be a LONG post.*

I'll be the first to admit, that I'm the WORST when it comes to saving money. I can save to a point, and then I will go on a massive spending spree and bam, it's all gone within a week. I really need to crack down, and take control of how much I'm spending week to week. There's nothing worse than feeling like all you do is work, but then you also don't have any money to show for it. For this reason, I've challenged myself not to buy anything unnecessary for the month of September. By unnecessary, I mean room decor and clothes. I'm also going to make a conscious effort to limit eating out, as I find most of my money is spent on food. Anyone else??

Okay so, if you couldn't already gather, I love clothes, and styling, hence my love of shopping and trying new outfits. So I didn't want to just feel uninspired and repetitive for the entire month. Which I tend to feel occasionally anyway, even when I purchase new items.

I thought I would use this as an opportunity to really make the most of what I already have in my wardrobe, and to make it feel fresh and new, without actually accumulating any more stuff.

Originally the main point of this post was going to be solely about saving some coin. I’ve had this post sitting in my drafts for over a month, never actually getting around to finishing it. I recently watched a video by Luke Meaghre (aka. Haute Le Mode on Youtube) all about fast fashion and how detrimental our throw away mindset is, not only for the people who make our clothes, but also for the planet. It really opened my eyes and pushed me to stop procrastinating and get this post up.

If you haven’t seen ‘the true cost’ on Netflix, I would highly recommend that you do. A link to Luke’s video is here. In no way shape or form am I perfect, or saying that you are a horrible person if you purchase fast fashion, I’m certain that we all do or have in the past. But having the knowledge that I have now, it would feel wrong of me not to make a conscious effort to not only consume less, but ensure I get the most out of what I already have!

Okay, so with all of that said, let’s get started….

So I think the first step in this ‘getting the most out of what you already have’ post is actually working out, what DO you have?? Go through EVERYTHING, and be brutal. Sort your clothes into 4 piles. The first, is the definitely keeping pile, this is for things that you are constantly reaching for, things that make up the core of your wardrobe. The second pile should be clothing that fits well, and that you really like, but maybe you don’t wear as much as you would like, maybe you find it difficult to style? or maybe the colour is a bit bold? anyway, put all of these kinds of clothes together into pile number two. The third pile should be a bunch of clothes that you like, but need to have work done to them. Think, faded black jeans, t-shirts with holes in them, pants that are too big, shirts of an unflattering length, or items that are just a bit boring and could use a bit of a revamp. The fourth pile should be the ‘get rid of’ pile. Items that you just don’t wear, don’t fit you quite right, or just aren’t really your style anymore. Put those to one side also.

Okay, great, so now you have your four categories, what now??

​1. Cut it up

For this step, we are going to take clothes from our ‘need to have work done to them’ pile. Do you have a t-shirt that is way too long and unflattering? Take a pair of scissors to it. The beauty of T-shirt fabric is that it doesn’t fray, so no need to have any sewing skills (yay). It’s super easy and can ensure you get a heap more wear out of an item than you would otherwise. Try not to waste the excess fabric either, it can always be used as a rag for cleaning.

Another thing I love to do with a pair of scissors is cut jeans into shorts. I had one thrifted pair of jeans which had a massive bleach stain on the back of the leg. I tried adding distressing over it to cover it, but let’s just say that did not at all work out how I’d hoped. So I was left with a weirdly distressed pair of jeans that fit really nicely, but were not very wearable. I thought about maybe adding a patch?? but I didn’t know how and that kind of seemed too complicated. I was going to give up and just part with these jeans, but then I thought I should just cut them into shorts. I’m so glad I did! They are perfect as shorts and I was able to give the jeans a new life and get a new pair of shorts in the process! Perfect!

This tip works best with a baggier style of jean! I also love cutting the hems off a lot of my jeans, it allows me to choose the perfect length, whether that be cropped or a bit longer, and I love the effect of a raw hem. You could even get a bit more creative and do a fringed hem or something like that! Definitely adds new life to an old item of clothing.

2. Re-dying items

This is another one for the ‘need work’ pile. Any items (usually for me, it’s my black items) that have faded, do NOT need to be replaced with a whole new garment. Simply buy some fabric dye, and re-dye your clothes, it will make them look brand new TRUST me. I do this to my black jeans all the time. I have a hard time finding good jeans so when I do, I want them to last me as long as possible. This trick keeps my jeans looking perfect for so much longer than they would otherwise. I usually use this machine dye. It is $20 or so, but when you think about the cost of buying a whole new pair of jeans, not just the monetary cost, but also the environmental impact and labour etc. (you get the idea). It’s just so much better to re-dye an item rather than get rid of it and buy something new. You can also do this with a white tee, for example dye it yellow or orange or some other colour, if you are tired of plain white! You could even use bleach to spice up an old pair of jeans, try to get creative!!

3. Add embroidery to t-shirts

Yet another one for the ‘needs work’ pile (can you feel it getting smaller and smaller???). Any plain (or not plain!) tee can be spiced up with a little bit of thread and a needle. You can pick up embroidery thread for literally a dollar at any craft/fabric store and it is SO easy to give a tee new life!! Check out 'Yeah Right NYC' here for a bunch of inspiration!! Whether it be a word, a phrase, or if you actually have talent, some kind of cute picture or plant or something, a little bit of embroidery can make such a difference to an otherwise boring piece!

4. Tailoring items to fit you better

This one is pretty self explanatory, but if It doesn’t fit you, MAKE IT FIT YOU. I always find that trousers don’t fit me properly, no matter how hard I search. So I’ll just buy jeans and pants that feel really nicely around my legs and then get them tailored to fit my waist aswell! it make such a difference to how much I wear a piece. Even little things, like making a dress slightly shorter, or getting those weird sleeve frills removed. Anything that can be fixed with a bit of sewing, Get it fixed. Yes it may cost you a little bit to actually get these items tailored, but I can assure you that it will be a whole lot cheaper than trying to buy a whole new wardrobe!!!

5. Researching outfits on Pinterest

This is one for the ‘clothes you like, but don’t get enough wear out of’ pile. Do a quick search on pinterest for an item, and an abundance of styling possibilities will come up!! I do this all the time and it helps so much when trying to style difficult pieces. For example, I have a red knit jumper that I love, but because it’s such a bright colour (not my forte`), I can get a little overwhelmed when trying to style it. So I would just try to make a moodboard to help me visualise ways I can wear an item with other things in my wardrobe! Super simple and allows me to get a whole lot more wear out of an item that would otherwise be sitting in my wardrobe!

6. Buying/selling on depop

Such a good way to rotate your wardrobe! Depop is almost even better than donating a heap of things, because it ensures a new home for your items!! Selling items that you don’t wear, and using the money to buy things you will wear, maybe even off another depop seller is the perfect way to keep your wardrobe feeling fresh, without over consuming or accumulating too much stuff or creating an excess of waste. Win, win!!

outfit details: (side note, these photos have literally nothing to do with this post, just had no idea what photos to use hahah) top: valley girl, skirt: glassons, blazer: thrifted, bag: mimco, lipstick: dior 999, necklace: mimco

#fashion #lifestyle #writing