The Fashion Industry has conditioned us to feel that if we’re not fashionable were not groomed and beautiful. Many of us think that clothes need to be replaced or used as rags if the clothing begins to show wear. They have made us more concerned about what others think than how we feel we look our best. By conforming to the whims of fashion adults and children sometime, wear clothes that are not right for them or wear styles that detract from their personal beauty rather than enhance it. The need to feel current is important but buying fashion doesn’t have to be expensive or updating older clothes in your closet doesn’t have to be hard.
Make the commitment to purchase classic clothes only. If you are not sure what is considered classic in clothes read the book, The Classic Ten: The True Story of the Little Black Dress and Nine Other Fashion Favorites by Nancy MacDonell Smith, this book is a great start to finding the classics in your closet. A good book to define men’s classic clothes is called The Indispensable Guide to Classic Men's Clothing by Josh Karlen. Both these books will give you the essential classics for any wardrobe.
My Mother often used to tell me as a child “Buy classic clothes, and use accessories to stay current with fashion.” She knew how to stay on a budget and dress fashionably. From her I learned to use RIT dye to create a black dress from a dress that had a stain on it. No one knew its original color and I have received a number of complements on transformed dresses.
Here are some few more tips on remaking and repairing clothes in order to stay trendy and hip.
- To repair worn and holey in jeans, trim the hanging thread from around the hole. Then apply an iron on patch to the back of the hole for reinforcement. Select an appliqué patch with a trendy design and sew the appliqué to the front over the patched hole.
- To update or repair a T-shirt purchase Iron Transfer Paper for your printer and download Iron on Designs from the Internet. This is a quick and easy way to get more mileage out of that T-shirt.
- Have skirts narrowed or shortened for an updated look. This is an easy fix for someone with a sewing machine or you can take it to a local tailor for alterations.
- Have clothing and accessories swap party with friends, one person’s trash can be another’s treasure. Make it co-ed to get more variety.
- Old men’s ties make great belts and headbands.
If you are really, a crafty person a book to read Make Your Own Clothes – 20 custom fit patterns to sew by Marie Clayton. It an especially good book with systematic directions on how to sew with software to create patterns custom fitted clothing. The big plus to this book is that the majority of the patterns shown are good classics.
By updating your old wardrobe and having a base wardrobe of classic clothing you will be well on your way to becoming a fashion statement with your own personal style. After all, it’s easy to be a fashion follower, but a becoming a fashion trendsetter is more fun!
