As the semester starts to wind down, year-end events can tend to creep up quickly. For many, this can mean formal or other banquet events. When you can’t carve time at the mall out of your hectic schedule or just don’t want to drop $50 on a new dress, borrowing one can be a great option. Here are some quick tips so that you can still rock that borrowed dress and make it totally your own.
1) Pick a simple dress and accessorize to make it personalized.
Everyone has slightly different styles and certainly different accessories. If you borrow a simple dress, either in cut or color, you can make it your own with a statement necklace, belt, or colorful shoes. Any outfit can instantly become original with a personalized touch — whether that be a girly, feminine style or more edgy. You can always get fashion inspiration from sites like Pinterest, where outfit collages are easy to find.
2) Borrow outside your organization.
If you’re worried that people will recognize your dress from previous pictures on Facebook, just expand your closet “network”. If you’re in a sorority, borrow from a girl in a different sorority, or just ask different people every time. This way your wardrobe will constantly be changing and you’ll have new options for every event.
3) Alternate seasons.
Another way to get a new look for every event is to alternate seasons between dresses. If your friend wore the dress with sandals in the fall, try borrowing it in the winter and wear it with tights and booties for a totally different look. In order for this to work, it is important that the colors transition between the seasons appropriately, but neutrals like black, navy, and beiges do the job just fine. Avoid bright seasonal colors like corals and lavenders for this trick.
4) Pick something that you’ll be comfortable in all night.
There’s nothing more annoying than having to tug at your dress all night when you’re trying to get down on the dance floor. Don’t pick something from your friend’s closet that you wouldn’t buy at a store just because it’s cute. If you know that you hate strapless, don’t pick out a strapless dress. Basically, just try to be comfortable because you’ve probably got a long night ahead of being on your feet.
5) Borrow from someone with a similar body type.
One dress can look drastically different on different figure shapes. Know what your defining features are and accentuate them the best you can. If you know that you have an hourglass figure, borrow from friends with a similar frame. That way you already knows how it will look on and you can look your best even on a time crunch!
Images courtesy of: www.windsorstore.com , www.pinterest.com and www.ruelala.com