5 CREATIVE WAYS TO SALVAGE YOUR DAMAGED CLOTHING

Circa 1998, my mom lost her mind over Downy Wrinkle Release insisting it worked magic spells on all our clothes. I argued that this freak mist was turning all of my clothes blue. As this demi-fight continued, my dad sprayed some Wrinkle Release on the window for cleaning; turns out he had filled the Wrinkle Release bottle with Windex and just didn’t tell anyone. (Ergo, I win.)

However, in a fight in which winning felt like losing, I was left with several faintly blue shirts. To recover from this fashion catastrophe, I dyed my entire collection of t-shirts and washed them for a faded black tie dye look to recover some of my otherwise unsalvageable clothes. If you’ve ever felt my pain at seeing a fashion mishap occur to your beloved garments, here are five suggestions on ways to turn a mishap into a, “this-is-totally-on-purpose” look!

1. Runs in your tights. This is not a suggestion for the faint of heart. However, for the brazen, cut off the top part of your hosiery and scrunch your tights down as socks and jump on the “socks and sandals” bandwagon properly – just steer clear of the tube socks and Teva nonsense.

2. Pulls in your sweater. Not to be melodramatic, but snagging a sweater might be one of the most stressful and panic-inducing moments, second maybe to thinking you’re being pulled over by a cop. Instead of fretting over a snag, pick a few more strategic places on your sweater (think the neckline or shoulder, not so much the bosom area) and gently, intentionally pull on the knit cables to create a perfectly deconstructed Rodarte-inspired sweater.

3. Broken watches. When your metal watch stops working and you’re not terribly attached to its face, try taking your wristbands to a jeweler. Have him connect the bands to old chains and bracelets to create an interesting wrap bracelet or necklace. I really wouldn’t recommend making anklets.

4. Fraying jeans. When your skinny or straight leg jeans are worn down a little and the ends begin to fray, try trimming the bottom a bit. For a more mature approach to cutoff shorts, put the jeans on and mark just one and a half inches above the skinniest part of your ankle. [Special note: Take off the jeans before you try cutting them. This shouldn’t require further explanation.] Now, slip into a new pair of flattering cropped jeans!

5. Receiving dumpy hand-me-down skirts. Apparently your aunt thinks you really enjoy wearing A-line skirts that go past your feet…? To salvage any frumpy and dumpy skirts, consider taking them to a tailor to transform them into high-waisted versions instead. If you’re on a budget and can barely afford the dryer at the laundromat, put the skirt on inside out and carefully gather the waistband to fit snugly at your waist. Secure the faux-inverted pleats with a safety pin. Return skirt to its fully upright and locked position for a cool, reworked look.

Article courtesy of Stylecaster.com