Recycle your Wardrobe

It is common for people to wear 25% of their wardrobe, 75% of the time. You will be one of these people too if you feel you have a wardrobe full of clothes but nothing to wear! There are so many good reasons to make a new purchase - you find a new cool boutique, find a bargain in the sales, or you simply can’t leave the store without it! But, do you really need all those clothes? Your closet can become like a one way street, one way in and no way to get anything out! Do you have 'closet jam'?

If you are at the point where you feel you have a wardrobe full of clothes but nothing to wear, then it is the perfect time to clear the jam. Pull out anything that you haven’t worn in the last few years, items that don't fit, clothes that were given to you as gifts but never worn, and anything that looks like it came from another decade. Examine these items and consider how often you have worn them, if you are ever going to wear them, and if you are ready, get rid of them! Do not be afraid if you are left with little; in fact, you are probably left with what you actually wear from your wardrobe anyway.

And, what do you do with all the clothes you don’t need? There is a good chance you are looking at a pile that cost you a lot of money. Suddenly the skirt you bought in the sale last winter with the tag still on, doesn’t look like a steal anymore. Will it all go to waste?

Simple options:

-Give them to Goodwill
-Take them to a consignment store and get some money back when they sell them
-Have a clothes swamping party with friends
-Take back any items that are returnable
-Make alterations to items to make them fit you properly or make them wearable
-Sell them on ebay

Or you could be even more creative, and that is just what the team at Panache (www.getpanache.com) are doing in St Augustine. Clothing is a recyclable item; you can pull it apart and create something new. Panache are hosting a fashion show (April 9th 2006) with designs that are recycled using discarded clothing as well as recyclable materials. A dress is created out of several old Henley tee-shirts, another from a skirt with mesh and bottle caps and other bits and bobs.

This is not a new idea, we just don’t often think about doing it. I recall transforming a pair of old Levis jeans that no longer fit me into a denim skirt. It actually became my staple skirt for several summers, and now sits in my 'antiques' section of my wardrobe, i.e. rare items never to be discarded that I just love!

Most items we purchase do reflect some aspect of our style and we are sad when we realise that for some reason, be it cut or fit, they simply don’t work for some reason. So, why not turn them into something that does work instead? Call up a few friends and have a brainstorming session together. They may suggest new ways of wearing the outfit, how to alter it so it works, or how to make it an art project.

Tip: skirt or dress length can totally change the look and the length depends mostly on your personality. A skirt that sits mid calf can look so much better taken up to the knee if you have the maiden archetype in your personality. Equally, wearing a dress as a tunic top with jeans may look much better if it is too short and you have the matriarch archetype.

This article by Sarah first appeared in the Savannah Morning News in April 2006.