How Do You Revive Items Already In Your Closet?

[fashionista-ta]

This thread is meant to help us all take full advantage of what we already have

So how do you take what's not working and make it work?

Lately I've been buying Foot Petals' Heavenly Heelz to resuscitate flats that have stretched out & don't want to stay on my feet anymore ...



drugstore.com

Please share your tips and tricks

 

[ellesea]

The tailor. I'm really bad about getting off my behind and doing things like bringing shoes to the cobbler, clothing to the dry cleaner, and clothing to the tailor.

But I do have several items that I really should bring to the tailors. I have some pieces that are a little too "authentic vintage". I plan to have some hems shortened and sleeves taken off.

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ I try to get shoes to the shoe repair when they need it, but one thing that works for me is to take things to the tailor at the beginning of each season. I have had good luck with having things that are too big taken in at the waist and hips for a more flattering (and comfortable) fit.

 

[GasolineRainbow]

Do you mean resuscitating clothes that have become worn-out and old-looking?

I've never had much luck with mending old shoes. I don't have a multiple-shoe personality, so the few shoes I do wear always eventually pass over to no-man's land, may they rest in peace.

As for clothes, it's really easy to dye cotton clothes that have become faded with wash and wear. I dye them with Dylon and salt as directed, and have never had any trouble with my machine. What else? I had a bad tear on the bottom of a beloved dress, so I simply shortened the hemline and turned it into more of a tunic. Changing broken zippers and faulty buttons isn't too much trouble to do on your own either. But mostly I take my clothes to a tailor to see what can be done. I went through a period of significant weight gain a few years back because of this medication I was taking, and I've been able to alter some of my clothes into a smaller size.

 

[softgrey]

most of the answers to this are going to fall under DIY or Customizations i would think...



that is probably the place for this question..

 

[fashionista-ta]

Do you mean resuscitating clothes that have become worn-out and old-looking?

I just mean, how do you take something in your closet that you're never wearing, and change it into something you do wear? This seems like an ideal time to go shopping in one's own closet, so I thought I'd bring it up

Another way to do it is to give yourself an assignment to create an outfit with an item you're never wearing.

 

[Crying Diamonds]

I love suddenly discovering a piece of clothing I forgot I had.

It's usually a jacket as I have like four hooks to hang about thirty jackets on and they get buried. I heart my jackets.

Most of the old clothes that could be resuscitated are way too big for me now. Which is a shame as there are some lovely pieces.

 

[waxy]

I love suddenly discovering a piece of clothing I forgot I had.

So true in my case! It's as if someone has given me a gift.

 

[fashionista-ta]

Something else I've done is had a tailor replace a lining ... they seem to always be the weak link. Got an extra year out of a favorite & irreplaceable black skirt that way ...

 

[softgrey]

i've been in my closet playing dress up for the last couple of days...
the seasons are beginning to change now ...so it's time to figure out what i am going to be wearing as it gets warmer...
so- i've been trying stuff on and taking pics to see what works and what doesn't work...

it's been really inspiring from a creative point of view and i am definitely going to do some more of this...

the other day i wore a top that i hadn't worn in maybe 8 years?!?...
...
and i have started wearing a pair of grey ankle boots that i haven't touched for a couple of years now...

as long as you have good stuff that you buy because you love it (not because it's trendy) and you take care of your stuff...
it's easy to revamp by just switching things up...



*best thing to do in these economic times...or in any economic times for that matter.!

 

[softgrey]

i've got an idea to bring back some boots by asking the shoemaker to put a thicker sole on them so they seem a bit more modern...

 

[softgrey]

i recently resurrected a black and white striped 'boyfriend' shirt from the gap circa 1994...
in the 90's the gap was doing all of that experimentation with more fashion forward pieces and testing a lot of things in the NY stores...
i got a whole bunch of stuff then that was made so, so well and i still really, really love...
classic stuff but in good colours and prints, etc...
nothing like the stuff they are doing now...

it's really nice cotton and a very basic style...
just really big and oversized and i wear it with skinny stretch pants and motorcycle boots...or ballet flats...

i think it was the hedi slimane for YSL menswear collection that inspired it...
he did this whole 90's grunge thing and i was like...
hey- i still have those clothes from when they were actually in style...
so i just pulled the shirt down from the top rung in my closet and started wearing it...

so comfy and cute...
can be very audrey hepburn or very rock n roll...
i get so many compliments and people asking where they can get it..

i have another one in black and white gingham that i am going to bring down next...
i'm sure that is going to be even more Audrey...

i confess...i feel a bit smug about it...

 

[Betinapple]

I always take my shoes to the cobbler. Leather shoes can easily be mended, have the sole or heel cap changed etc.

My clothes I alter. Shorten skirts, transform items. I used to sell the clothing I did not wear but these days I turn them into new items.

Trying new ways of styling can also revive your wardrobe. I sometimes challenge myself to wear things I do not wear that often to figure out ways to style them. Or I will do the 30 for 30 challenge (taking 30 items from my closet and turning them into 30 outfits in 30 days)

 

[barbaraaa]

Lately I've been buying Foot Petals' Heavenly Heelz to resuscitate flats that have stretched out & don't want to stay on my feet anymore ...

Are these some sort of inserts that make shoes tighter (smaller)? If so, I definitely need some and thank you very much for letting me know they exist!

 

[fashionista-ta]

Are these some sort of inserts that make shoes tighter (smaller)? If so, I definitely need some and thank you very much for letting me know they exist!

Yes, that's kind of the deal ... they also provide something for your foot to 'catch' on.

 

[barbaraaa]

I'll definitely have to try that, then. One of my feet is about a size smaller than the other and it proves to be complicated with some shoes (weirdly, not with all of them )


On topic: I've altered some of my clothes in order to give them a new life. Altered hems, taken parts in, taken embellishments off (this is what I do the most, actually).

 

[softgrey]

so- I have a pair of blk granny boots...
from the 90's...

changed the laces, reglued the insole and polished them to a high sheen...
worn the other day with yohji head to toe...
perfect!

as I was walking I just kept thinking how they are just so perfectly broken in and fit the shape of my foot completely now...

need to wear these more often...

 

[softgrey]

rip it up and start again...

 

[ediesedgwick]

Just adding that I bought Foot Petals (I think from the idea on this thread maybe) and they were really good at eliminating odor in my everyday flats I wore to work. You can take them out and wash them. I also liked that you could personally customize the exact size you want the inserts to be, no guessing like “fits sizes 8-10” or anything.

 

[amycooper]

I do it by myself. I often recycle the clothes that are no longer in use into something creative like rugs, bed quilts and bags. in addition I add some embroidery patterns to my tops and old jeans to give them a new life.