Bored with your old clothes and ready to donate them? Read on and get inspired to re-love your old jeans!
Like most people, at the start of the year, full of good intentions and positivity, I duly decluttered my closet, neatly packed away what didn’t give me joy, and parked my “donation” pile in the boot of the car, where it has comfortably settled for the past few months (despite my husband’s annoyance at having the boot of his car filled with stuff which does not relate to music/ fishing/ DIY). We’ve all been there, I know. However, every time I opened the boot of the car, I found myself going back to one particular bag where I knew I had packed a pair of ancient skinny jeans, and a slim fitting t-shirt.
Now, according to the fashion industry, the time of skinny jeans and slim fitting t-shirts is apparently over. And in a moment of madness, in which I had convinced myself that I somehow needed to be a bit more aware of modernity, I had felt that this particular pair of jeans were a bit too old school skinny (mid-rise, ankle length, faded black…you know what I mean) to stay in my “new and improved” wardrobe. Yet, every time I opened that donation bag, my old trusty skinny jeans kept reminding me of a happy time in which I was blissfully unaware of the (admittedly much more flattering) high rise fit. In which I cared less about a bloated tummy and just enjoyed wearing a t-shirt because I loved the pattern and the design. So after much thinking and soul searching (probably far more than some old clothing items actually deserve…) I realised that I was not ready to let go yet, neither of the skinny jeans, nor of the person I was when I used to wear them.
But – to avoid making me look like I just stepped out of a time capsule, I tried styling them in a few different ways, which I felt were a bit more contemporary. And just by doing that, I realised that I actually still loved them. They still made me happy and they still made me feel great. And ultimately, that’s what we want from our clothes, is it not? So, the moral of this story is to think carefully about what you are donating. Make sure that you are not giving away pieces that you love, but feel that are not trendy anymore. I shall repeat it one more time. WHO CARES ABOUT TRENDS. The most important thing in your style journey is to wear what makes your heart sing, whether that’s a pair of old school skinny jeans, or a pair of hiking boots. That’s all. The rest is marketing. And it should go without saying that restyling your old clothes is the most radical and achievable act of sustainability that you could do. It’s good for your wallet and it’s good for the planet. What’s not to like? So here’s three easy peasy rules to follow before donating any clothes.
3 Golden rules for restyling your old clothes:
1 – Assess the item: is it still in wearable condition? Is your heart still making a happy dance when you see it?
2- Try it on: Does it fit in a way that makes you feel comfortable and great? If the answer is yes, move to step 3, if the answer is no, the donation piles awaits, sorry.
3 – Create new outfits: now for the fun part! Challenge yourself to create at least three outfits that you would realistically wear. No point in pairing them with your cutest high heels if you only wear them at weddings (and only if you know you will be sitting down most of the time). The secret here is to recreate your failsafe outfit formulas, the ones that you know you will wear on a daily basis. For example, I know I prefer to add a layer to add interest (and warmth) to my basic jeans and t-shirt combo. But, as you can see below, rather than adding a cardi, I added a corduroy shirt and a pair of tan ankle boots. Super simple, and yet it felt a little more elevated. For more outfit inspiration on revamping your wardrobe, make sure to follow me on Instagram, where I share weekly, wearable and realistic outfits.
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