Quality buttons are usually a sign of well made clothes. You can make a very ordinary piece of clothing look more expensive by replacing the buttons. Vintage buttons add character to any clothing and are an easy way to add a vintage or retro feel to any outfit. If you have a piece of vintage clothing that is missing a button, the chances are that you will not be able to find a matching button. The best way to replace it with buttons that are in keeping with the vintage character of the piece is to get a whole set of vintage buttons.
There are plenty of websites that offer vintage buttons. I have found a great Etsy store Gramsvintagebuttons with a variety of lovely buttons. Buttons can also be used to create interesting designs on clothes, all you need to do is get a bit creative.
Defra Minster Lord Hunt announced a sustainable clothing action plan, last week, at the launch of London Fashion Week. We are really pleased to hear that another step is being taken to help combat the environmental impacts of fast fashion. Amidst the glitz and consumerism of London Fashion Week, it is great to hear some really positive news about sustainable fashion.
Full details of the action plan are available on the DEFRA website but it is basically about bringing together the major players in the fashion industry including retailers, designers and textile manufacturers to make positive changes which will make a significant difference to the environmental footprint and social inequalities which blight some of the production and retail processes of consumer fashion.
More than 300 organisations have joined up including Marks and Spencers, Sainsburys and Oxfam with the actions being taken ranging from increasing ranges of Fairtrade and Organic to supporting green clothing factories and increasing consumer awareness on the environmental benefits of clothing reuse.
We at Posh Swaps are in complete support of the Governements action plan and will be continuing to our bit by promoting and enabling the reuse and recycling of second hand clothes.
Never let it be said that those wearing second hand and vintage clothes are not up with the latest trends. At London Fashion Week, Charles Anastase showed a great collection inspired by second hand clothes. His collection reflected the eclectic style that many vintage and second hand clothing enthusiasts already love and regularly wear.
I love the mixtures of textures and colours. Charles managed to create a very fresh and vibrant collection using old ideas. A great collection but I really prefer the real thing when it comes to second hand clothes, much more cost effective and better for the environment!
I was really excited to see the collection for the Central St Martins MA Graduate show by Michael Van der Haam. I was really inspired by the mixtures of textures and colours in this collection. Most of all I was inspired to think of all sorts of possibilities for restyling second hand clothes in a similar sort of way. Admittedly this is probably a project for someone with advanced dressmaking and sewing skills and I am not sure that is a category that I would put myself into, but the temptation of creating a very gorgeous and completely original creation is just too much to resist and I am starting work on my first creation as I type.
This week we are delighted to feature some great second hand outfits and some amazing photographs.
This ditsy print floral dress gets a real colour lift from the gorgeously bright cardigan. It’s not what you wear it’s how you wear it. Picture tagged as Thrift by Ampersans on Flickr.
This is a really elegant black evening dress, a classic and a real investment buy. Who would have though that it was bought second hand from a thrift store. Picture by Irina Slutsky on Flickr.
Today I found a great idea for customising or reworking second hand clothes at archdiva on Etsy. This vintage mens suits has been reworked for women by sewing lots of different buttons onto the lapels and trim onto the lapels and pockets. This is a great way to make men’s jacket look a little more feminine whilst keeping the loose shape for an eighties feel which is very much in fashion at the moment. This is definitely a simple DIY project for anyone to try but with a great end result.
Junky Styling was probably one of the first labels to use second hand clothes from charity shops and the like to create completely new pieces. With 11 years of designing and making their unique designer clothes and countless collections under their belts, founders of Junky Styling, Annika Sanders and Kerry Seager are still best friends and have the same team working in their Brick Lane shop and production site.
The original Junky Styling clothes were made from recycled mens suits that were deconstructed recut and transformed into completely new pieces with a twist. These days they create all sorts of gorgeous creations and also show at London Fashion Week. You can even have their designs made up in your own old clothes.
Kate Winslet - Oscars 2009, picture from www.sify.com
The key to finding the right clothes that look stylish is all about finding the clothes that are right for you whether they are designer, high street, vintage or second hand. Finding the right colour clothes is an important part of looking really stylish.
Depending on your skin tone and hair and eye colour, you will have a range of colours that make you look amazing. You will probably already own some clothes in these colours. These are the clothes that make your skin glow when you wear them. You will also notice some colours that really don’t look great and make you look washed out. Celebrities pay stylists of lots of money to find clothes for them in their best colours. This is part of the reason that they always (welll almost always) look amazing in their Oscar gowns.
You can use the expertise of the celebs stylists without spending the money. It is simple, all you need to do is find a celebrity who has a similar colouring to you. All you need to do is find pictures of them in magazines or on websites going to big events. You can bet they have had a stylist to help them pick out their dress. If the colour looks great on them, then it will probably also look great on you. Of course you never actually know until you try it so it is worth holding a fabric in the colour close to your face to see how it looks.
It is also worth experimenting and trying colours that you have never considered before, you may be suprised by how good they look.
Second hand clothes are a great starting point for creating your own restyled unique and individual clothing. As you will not have spent too much money, you can experiment and be as creative as you like. I have been seeing lots of very inventive and stylish ideas for restyling second hand clothes. So here are just a few ideas to get you started. If you have restyled any second hand clothes yourself, we would love to see your pictures and hear what you did. Please email them to ceri@heathcotecommunications.co.uk.
Dyeing - Dip dying or the ombre effect was a big trend last year but still looks great. You can also try dying clothes a whole new colour, tie dying or batik. A cream or white chiffon prom dress would look amazing dyed with an ombre effect. You could also try shortening and dying a second hand wedding dress for a really different evening dress. For instructions and ideas try http://www.ritdye.com/Ombre+or+Shadow+Dyeing.37.lasso
Embellishing - there are so many different ways that you can embellish a piece of second hand clothing to make it really special. Try sequins, beads, ribbon, embroidery, fringed trim, applique and buttons.
Painting - a very ordinary silk dress of shirt can be changed into something magical by painting on it using specialist silk paints and gutter resist.
Shortening - a number of items can be shortened to create something different. Try shortening skirts, dresses and trousers. A longer style top could also be shortened to create a cropped top.
Complete restyle - You can change a piece of second hand clothing into something completely different. Try jeans into a denim skirt, a dress into a top, a mans shirt into a ladies blouse or mini dress, any garment with a beautiful pattern into a scarf.
Target cardigan (2 1/2 yrd old)
Floral vest - Village Thrift
Vera Wang for Kohl’s top (I just got it 2 days ago and I’m in <3)
Mossimo jeans - Rugged Warehouse
Italian leather rididng boots - Village Thrift
What really strikes me about this picture is the beautiful colour and how well it suits her colouring. It is well worth working out the colours that really suit you and then seeking out second hand clothes in these colours.
