Fashion Saving Tips: 6 Ways To Perk Up Your Last Season Outfits

The change in seasons also asks for the change of wardrobe, but it doesn’t mean that you’d have to spend a small fortune because of trying to keep up with the trend and the weather. It just takes a little bit of creativity and a dash of resourcefulness, and you’ll find that you can breathe a new life to old clothes and get to wear them again.

Here are six things that you can do to revamp your clothes to fit different seasons:

Alteration
Cut the sleeves of an old shirt and sew the rough edges under, or leave as is for a rugged look. Slash off the sleeves of a tight-fitting shirt from armpit to armpit to make a tube top. Take out an old pair of pants and cut the legs off to make denim shorts. Do the same for slacks to make capris or Bermuda shorts. You can also make a mini-skirt out of them, and it will be perfect for summer. Come fall, layer this with tights or leggings to make a warmer outfit.
You can also have clothing items altered to fit the trend. For example, if you have flared or straight-cut jeans from a few years back that you no longer wear but still fits perfectly, have it converted to skinny jeans so you can still use it. Or, if you have an oversized shirt or sweater, you can cut off the top part and sew some elastics in place to make an interesting skirt.

Embellishment
Got some holes on your favorite summer top? Embellish it by patching a logo or an interesting print from an old shirt that no longer fits. Boring jeans? Put some studs on it. Adding embellishments such as rhinestones, sequins, buttons or fabric flowers will help make your clothes look less mundane. Another idea that you can try is to put trims on old skirts, blazers or vests to spice them up. You can use printed fabrics for trims to give them the extra “oomph”.

Dyeing
This is great for light colored pieces. If you have a cream-colored skirt that you want to perk up, try dyeing it with bright, summery colors in a washing machine. You can also make your favorite, well-worn plains look fresh again by dyeing them with the same color, or a darker hue. If you are the artist-type, try painting over a plain garment, or ironing some transfers onto them for some personalization.

Accessorize
This is probably the easiest thing to do. Pairing outfits with the right accessory can do wonders when it comes to transformation. Belt is probably the most useful one, as you can do so many things with it. Wrap it around an oversized shirt to convert it to a unique mini dress and wear it as it is on warmer seasons. When it gets colder, pair it with some tight-fitting pants or tights and throw on a coat.

Rip and Shred
This works best for jeans. You can use some common household materials like cheese grater to put some signs of wear on your denims. You may do the same for any piece of clothing made of thick fabrics. Cut some holes or interesting lines on some parts of your old plain shirt and sew the edges. Don it as is on summer and wear it on top of a tighter-fitting patterned one when the cold months are in.

Mix and Match
During colder months, mixing and matching clothes is the best way to sport a new look. With the aid of blazers, sweaters, coats, cardigans, leggings and boots, you can easily throw in some of your last season tops and have them layered over or worn under in order to create a rad outfit.

Participating in: Thrifty Thursday

Amy C. Fountain is crafter and interior designer who has an eye for fashion. She owns a couple of websites that help people make use Glass Vases and Tabletop Water Fountains for home decoration and relaxation.