How To: Little Things to Revamp Your Wardrobe
I am a strong believer in buying timeless pieces of clothing over throw away fashion any day of the week; classics that will last you years to come.
I like to think of my pricier purchases as investments. Yes it is more expensive than what you would find in your high street stores, and no it is not what everyone is seeing on Instagram and trying to keep up with, but these are items that will always look good, whether it's 2 years ago or 5 years on.
With that being said, obviously fashion changes very quickly. Although the basic items stay the same, there are variations that are made to make them more modern and up to date but I just don't agree with buying the same item twice because it is in a different shade or has a different hem line.
To make the most out of your outfit, there are certain things you can do to revamp the items that are already sitting in your wardrobe, and I am about to tell you how.
Firstly, belts. Belts can change an outfit from zero to hero. They can provide you with well fitted jeans/trousers, a beautifully cinched waist, a bit of extra detailing etc etc. A belt can do a lot of great things, one way which I mix up an outfit is, with dresses. This works best I'd say with a tshirt, jumper, shirt dress, anything along those lines. As you can see in the pictures above by adding a belt, I can give myself a bit of shape by adding the illusion of a smaller waist and bigger hips and I can shorten the length too. It's a specifically good trick if you are a short arse like me as dresses are always a bit too long and drown me, so I end up looking a little strange.
Belts also amp up an outfit. Even if it's just with jeans or skirts, adding a belt can tie all your accessories together, and take an outfit from looking a little bit boring, to totally put together and stylish. So definitely invest in a good belt that fits well.
Fishnets
Fishnets are a little overdone now, but nevertheless I still think they look great. It's an awesome way of taking an outfit and making it a little more edgy. Which of course I can understand it's not everyone's style, so if it isn't move on to the next one. But if it is, then fishnet tights under ripped jeans, or joggers looks so so good combined with a crop top. It's a definite instaworthy outfit. You can also get fishnet socks which if you style with chunky dad trainers and a cute mini dress can do magic. It's kind of like a oxymoron, which is what I LOVE to do with my outfits.
Styling Tee's
There is sooo much you can do with baggy jumpers and oversized tees. You could probably wear the same tshirt everyday for a week without having to style it the same way once. Of course, I am not recommending you that because, hygiene.
Similar to that is the bra tuck, this is where you tuck the hem of your jumper/sweatshirt/tee into the bottom of your bra. This makes a baggy crop look, and also gives you a great figure by making your waist look small.
My favourite way of styling tee's are the tuck ins. I think they neaten up a look, and make it look a more polished. The French Tuck (if you watch Queer Eye, you know) is my personal preference. It is when you tuck in only the front of your tee into your jeans, trousers, skirts etc. I love doing this with Men's XL tshirts.
A few other variations would be tucking your whole tee in, this is good for layering with oversized shirts, or to create a really sleek look, similar to what a bodysuit will achieve.
Rip it, Crop it, Cut it
Grap your scissors, we are doing some DIY.
If you have an old scuffy pair of jeans from the 00's, to make them a little more modern start by making some incisions and make your very own ripped jeans effect. This is suuuper easy, I have done it to many of my garmets and you can find tonnes of youtube videos on how to actually do it.
Crop tops and culottes are pieces that have been in fashion for a while now and I don't think they are going anywhere soon. The thing is, who wants to pay £30 for a crop top and £20 for a full length top when there is significantly less fabric used. Same with jeans and culottes. It's again, very easy to do this and many youtube videos exist.
These culottes were full length when I bought them and they were a couple sizes too big. When I looked at culottes my size they were £30 plus. These were £12 in the sale and all I did was chop the bottom off. So easy and more than half the price!
Layering
Quite a broad topic, I know and one that surely does not need explaining. But layering is great! I don't just meaning piling coats over jumpers to keep warm in the winter. I mean clever layering that transform garments into totally new pieces.
For instance, lace bodysuits and bralettes can add some real sex appeal to an outfit. I could find lots of pictures on Instagram of women wearing them under shirts, over shirts, without shirts and they just look so good. A few of my favourite combos to do are a lace bralette under an oversized shirt and a lace bodysuit under a smart, tailored blazer.
If you have any mesh or see-through tops, then wearing a bodysuit or bralette underneath those look so pretty and provide a little bit more coverage for colder seasons, or if you're just not very confident venturing out in lingerie like me.
You can also layer over things with a bodysuit such as jumpers and tshirts. I have seen @FashionInflux on insta do this previously, and she makes an entirely new outfit. It looks so good.
A few other ways you can layer up are strappy dresses over tshirts, shirts under jumpers and shirts over tshirts and vests.
Styling Button Down Shirts Differently
There is the very normal way of wearing button down shirts, which is to button it up leave it as that. However, if you like to jazz them up a little, and maybe make them a little sexier and unique there's a few ways of doing so.
Firstly, knots. You can either undo a few of the last buttons and tie the two ends into a knot, like a cute cowgirl lol. Or another way, which is a way of dressing the outfit up is to wear the shirt off your shoulders, creating a sort of bardot look. It will look great with high waisted trousers or jeans.
You can also tuck in one side of your shirt into your jeans and roll up your sleeves to make them 3/4, this gives a really natural easy going vibe. Looks effortlessly cool and casual, but totally chic.
DIY
Finally, a little more DIY if you're up for it.
Being an extremely tall person at 5ft, I have such a difficult time when it comes to trouser legs fitting me properly. I will have about a metre of fabric at the bottom that I have to gather up at my ankles, but I also get serious anxiety about chopping it off, because once it's gone it's gone which means there's no room for mistakes. ANYWAY. I usually either roll my trousers up or tuck them into boots. So, providing that the fabric is stretchy and provides a little give, I sew some elastic into them to create elasticated cuffs. This makes them easier to fit into my boots and helps lose a lot of the length off the bottom transforming the trousers.
Another little DIY for you to attempt would be embroidery. You can easily find cute, artsy embroidery patches on sites like Etsy that are really simple to apply. You can use them to make your clothes a little more 'tumblr-esque'
Finito!
Apologies for the terribly long post, but as I was going I kept thinking of more and more ideas. Of course I have only used a few examples when describing each, but you can apply these methods in very different and unique ways. Also sorry for the lack of pictures on the last few, I didn't have the right things to photograph and I was trying to use pictures I already had so you could see them in action. I have tried to explain them the best I could, I hope they make sense!
What other ways do you revamp your wardrobe?
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