By Leanne Powell
Nearly a year on from Lockdown One, we have probably accumulated more delivered parcels than ever before. These include countless Amazon deliveries of gadgets that we do not need, and Missguided parcels full of clothes that we purchased just because they were on offer (and yes, that up to 70% off sale must have caught your eye too).
But why spend more when you could spend less – simply by turning your old clothes into something new with a few tips and tricks?
Tie Dye
When the world went crazy baking banana bread, creating at-home spa kits and watching Netflix non-stop, they were also tie-dying old clothes they no longer use.
For as little as £2.99 you too can purchase dye to test out at home. And don’t just do it on your clothes, try and tie-dye with old bed sheets, cushions and even tea towels.
Holly Jenkins, 23, a Sales Associate from London said: “Tie-dye was one of the first lockdown trends I tried, I got a little bit addicted to doing it but it was so on trend at the time.
“I thought, why buy clothes for double the price when you can do it at home with what you’ve already got for so much less!”
Turn that shirt into something new!
Take an old long-sleeved shirt that you no longer use, lay it flat and cut off the sleeves and the collar to turn it into a vest top. For a grungy look, fray the edges with scissors or sew around it to create more of a tailored finish.
If you don’t want to hack into your shirts then style them in other ways by making them into crop tops. Button half of a shirt up and take it off the shoulder, then create a knot at the bottom, giving you the perfect evening wear piece. Style it with leather leggings or high waisted jeans and some heels!
Cardi top
The cardigan trend is set to be big this autumn/winter season, and many of the high street stores are stocking up on the chunky knits. If you have one hanging in your wardrobe take it out and make it into a fancy new top.
Either wear it back to front, tucking it into your trousers at the back creating a low V-back jumper or take each bottom corner of the cardigan and wrap it around each opposite side, tucking it in at the back to create a V-neck jumper.
Jackie McDonald, 45, a Seamstress, who has a love of sustainable fashion said: “Turning something you already have into a completely different outfit is such a great idea! I love trying out hacks and DIY on my clothing, it’s a much more sustainable option.”
Jeans shorts
Everyone has that one spare pair of jeans lying around that they just don’t like the fit of. Well, take those jeans and turn them into a new pair of denim shorts! You can do so much with denim like fraying the edges to make them look like a classic pair of vintage Levi’s or even create a ripped effect.
Grab a needle and thread and personalised them by purchasing patches, which you can find on eBay or Amazon and sew them on to the shorts. This gives you a completely one-off pair that no one else will be able to get their hands on.
Buttons, buttons, buttons…
For this trick all you need is an old jacket or shirt and to be able to source some vintage buttons which you can buy from market stalls, fabric shops and Etsy or save your money and rummage around the house for those spare buttons we leave laying around.
Cut off the old buttons and sew on some new ones, just make sure you measure the new ones with the old ones that you are swapping out, so they fit through the button holes.
Daughter of Jackie McDonald, Zoe McDonald, 17, a student said: “During lockdown I have learnt how to use a sewing machine, so doing stuff like this is really cool. It gives you a piece of clothing that no one else will have.”
Blanket Scarves
Large blanket scarves come out year upon year as they are the perfect accessory to add to any winter outfit. These large scarves are perfect because there are many hacks you can do with them to turn them into waistcoats and even make them into capes. Saves you from spending over £75 on a cape from high street chains such as Zara!
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