Whether you’re too nostalgic or just plain don’t want to clean out your closet, it’s easy to let old clothes accumulate. Here are a few ways you can spruce up your worn out wardrobe.
Rip it up
Rather than throwing out an old pair of jeans or last year’s sweater, cut it up. Turn jeans into shorts by putting them on, taking a sharpie to about 2-3 inches below where you’d like them to end and taking a scissors to them. You can let the fringe hang down or roll them up a few times for a cleaner look. For tops, just decide what you’d like to do: sleeveless, crop-top, both or even look up a design on Pinterest. It’s completely customizable, but just try to work with fabrics that don’t fray or buy seam glue to keep it neat.
2019 bedazzling
While adding glitter and glitz may not be the hip trend anymore (but you do you), getting crafty with your clothes isn’t out of the question. Take an item of clothing with dense, thick fabric like denim (jean jackets work perfectly for this), head over to the craft store, pick up some fabric paint and go wild. Floral landscapes, abstract colors and shapes and words and other designs have popped up in lines by Balenciaga and the like. If freestyling it on your own isn’t your thing, try ordering patches or badges that fit your style — they’re not just for Girl Scouts anymore.
Turn them into bags
Rather than using plastic bags at the grocery store and farmer’s market, repurpose old shirts. Pull a shirt or tank top inside out, and sew it along the bottom. If sewing isn’t your strong suit, you can also tie the bottom in a tight knot or use seam glue to secure the bottom closed. If it’s a t-shirt, take a ribbon or yarn and tie it through the sleeve and neck hole so that the “handles” are sturdier. If you’re truly a seamstress, you can even add a waterproof lining. Keep the contents of your new bags to be below a few pounds— while they’re a great alternative, bags made with thinner fabrics may not be able to hold a lot of groceries.
Get rid of them
If all else fails, consider donating your old clothes to a thrift store, consignment shop or resale store (to get some money back). Or, if you don’t want to part with them completely, organize a clothing swap with your friends. Tell them all to bring their clothes over, and everyone can pick out what items they want. That way, you get rid of your old clothes and find new ones. Then, donate the remainders. If you’d like help figuring out what to get rid of, look at PAGE 5 in our features section for information on the KonMari method of tidying.
