FashBlog.com

If you are like me, you probably get bored with your clothes long before they wear out or become irreparably damaged. Some people donate them, while others hang onto them in hopes they may again serve a purpose. The problem is, after a few years, there could be a good deal of room taken up in one’s closet with items rarely, if ever, worn. Since there is usually a specific reason why something fell out of favor, it’s actually doubtful that it will ever be worn again. But, since hope springs eternal in almost everyone, we like to think that just maybe something may come in handy, if not for us, then for a friend or family member.

But what if you don’t have anyone who could use the piece, and still can’t bring yourself to get rid of it? What if you just love the material but don’t like the length? Or, what if the color is great but the sleeves aren’t right? Well, there are many things you can do to salvage your purchase. Even if you never implement any of these suggestions, hopefully they will get you to thinking about possibilities when it comes to alterations. Simple changes in your wardrobe may revive a fashion style and allow you to feel like you’ve gotten a few new clothes.

First is the obvious: hemming. Shortening a dress or skirt by a few inches will definitely prolong the garment’s life, if you’ve ever felt just the tiniest bit dowdy when wearing it. It can also slightly change the line of the item, especially on an A-line skirt. Hemming pants may also be liberating if you’ve procrastinated wearing them because your summer sandals just didn’t boast heels high enough to keep the bottoms from dragging on the floor…now you can wear them with fancy flip-flops, casual moccasins or even ballerina flats without stepping on the hems or allowing them to clean your sidewalk. You could also go a step further by cutting down pants which may be already too short for comfort to give them a second life. Probably the most versatile result comes from cutting them just a few inches shorter. This way, they can be worn as cropped pants, with still enough material at the bottom to be folded up into capri’s. (This only works with straight-legged or minimally flared pants; wide legged pants have too much material.) Of course, you could also cut them down into Bermuda shorts or go even shorter, but you need to be careful; some styles and fabrics just don’t work for shorts.

The next easy places to tackle are the sleeves. Long sleeves can obviously cut to ¾ lengths, but this is always tricky. You need to make sure they won’t just look like short, ill-fitting regular sleeves, and too short so they'll ride up into your elbow area and become annoying. Cutting them further up to a short-sleeved length may be an option, as is, of course, making an item sleeveless. Both may have their share of drawbacks, however. Cutting down certain material into short sleeves may cause them to stick out at the sides (which you may not like), and cap sleeves often take more experienced seamstress abilities. You also must check to be sure that making a top sleeveless won’t result in the seam ending too far below your armpit. (This can be remedied by taking in the side seam, if it won’t mean too tight of a fit.)

If you’re really adventurous, you could even cut a dress in half, supplying you with a nice top to wear with other pants or skirts, and a skirt that may get more use with a variety of tank tops. To do this, you need a loose dress-preferably longer than knee length-to prevent either the top or bottom from turning out too short.

Finally, there are some very basic options that you can focus on, such as replacing a belt (or wearing a bought one instead of the included cloth sash), changing the buttons, or wearing it in a different way, like with a scarf or vest.

Think it through, be careful and you just may be pleasantly surprised at the outcome.