Take a second. Back away from that store, get back in the car, and rethink your shopping approach. Go back and look through all of your old clothes you have stored away because some of them can actually be altered and revamped to fit the coolest fall trends. As college students especially, it’s important that we watch our spending habits. These simple ways to utilize your old clothes will cut down on some of the new things you may have been planning on buying for fall 2012.
1) Remember denim vests? You might’ve had one back in high school or even middle school and you might’ve decorated it with pins or jewels. But this spring and summer denim came back and overtook wardrobes. Therefore, a denim vest would be a perfect transition from summer to fall. Pair this with a plain tee and some printed floral jeans and you can take your new denim vest into this upcoming season.
2) You probably have an old, plain white t-shirt lying around somewhere. These never go out of style but if you’d like to spice it up for this fall, simply go to an arts and crafts store like Michaels and pick up some studs. Try adding them along the trim of the shirt or on the top of the sleeves. This simple DIY trick will save you money and you will instantly fit in with this popular studded-trend.
3) Blue and black proved to be a popular color combination on this year’s fall runways. Normally, black and blue tends to be tricky to pull off. But take an old pair of dark denim jeans and pair it with a simple black tee and you’ll automatically be more fashionable than you thought you’d be. Or, if you have blue pants like these trousers from Forever 21, add a black sweater and a feminine necklace to complete the look.
4) Knits are back for fall as well. You may have an oversized, knit sweater laying around your closet somewhere. As seen on runways, embellishments are all over knits. If you’re feeling crafty, add some red jewels (a popular fall color) or other embellishments to get your knit a boost. Or, if you’re not in the mood to craft, simply add a bold collar necklace instead (and collars are also very prominent this fall so you’ll be that much more trendy). Ditch the cropped, fitted cardigan and get comfortable with this trend!
5) This may come as a shock post-Labor day, but white apparel was all over the fall runways. Therefore, you can take your white summer dress and belt it with a leather belt and take it into autumn. Or, find your old white winter sweater and throw it over the top of your white dress (or with a white skirt). This will keep you cozier when it starts getting chilly and you’ll look extra elegant as well.
If you’ve got other old clothes that you’re still in love with, try searching for fall 2012 fashion trends online and hone in on the basics you might have. Then simply draw inspiration from the runway pictures in order to make them work for this year! (Just don’t try to make your scrunchie from 4th grade work…)
Image Sources: http://www.marieclaire.com/fashion/trends/fall-2012-fashion-trends#slide-2
http://www.shopsosie.com/skylar-metal-collar-necklace-8170.html