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Do any of your clothes get a second lease on life...

Aziraphale

Veteran

...after a major alteration?

I just got back a pair of shorts today. They started life as crisp dark denim skinnies, but I found I rarely wore them because they were a tad tight in the calves (anyone else have this trouble? Loose in the thighs, tight in the calves?), so off they went to the tailor to become a pair of classy knee-length walk shorts. Now they are fab.

This has happened with quite a few pairs of pants -- sometimes it's just the scissors at home for a pair of cutoff shorts, and sometimes it's a more professional job. I've given a few skirts a makeover, too. Some of my favourite garments are ones which started out substantially longer than they are now.

Dressing

17 replies

Latest reply was from Deborah

Mo

(website)

Veteran

Yes! Two items come to mind. Army green capris cut to bermudas. Then wide legged black matte satin trousers turned into cigarette legs. Each got double the wear after alterations, even though they were worn before as well. It was more a moving on of trends, than a fit issue for mine.

Aziraphale

Veteran

Mo -- Oh that's right! I did that too. Last year I took a pair of flared jeans (circa 2003) to the tailor's and had them made into straight legs. I wore them back then, and they were (are) in a really appealing wash, and the extra-low rise waist fit me really well. But flares have fallen out of my repertoire, and so I decided what the hey, I'll see if I can get more use out of them as straight legs. It was a good decision. They are my favourite casual art-school jeans now.

Neel

Veteran

My recent denim skinnies turned into rolled up shorts. I wore them 3 days in a row. Lol. Finally threw them into the wash yesterday .. Talk about a new life to the skinnies that I never reached for because I didn't like how the fading looked from the back! But on shorts ... I suddenly don't mind

Aziraphale

Veteran

Neel -- it's funny how that is, right? Somehow really casual fading looks better on shorts than on jeans.

Gaylene

Veteran

Well, sometimes. Flared jeans into straights or shorts--yes. But some of my other more creative efforts have been more amusing than wearable. I once tried to turn a trench into a sleeveless, trench-coat-style dress inspired by a picture that I saw in Vogue. It actually sort of turned out, but I felt like an idiot wearing something like that in real life. Maybe if I lived in a penthouse in Manhattan... and need to economize?

cciele

Veteran

Definitely the jeans -> shorts alteration for me. Not able to think of other alterations, really! I've fiddled with some t-shirts to adjust the neckline and sleeves, but that's just playing around with destroying things

lyn*

(website)

Veteran

Sure do, I just posted about some dresses I swapped into skirts.

Mander

(website)

Veteran

Since I've started learning to sew I have made alterations to quite a few things, which has helped make them wearable. Most of the time it's taking in the waist or letting out hems, but I have become a bit more daring and fiddled around with the crotch seam on a couple of things, and I have a couple of shirts that I have more or less completely ripped apart and have been trying to revamp into something wearable.

Actually, I have a whole laundry basket full of items that I am going to try altering. I figure it's one way to overcome fashion frustration. If I can't buy what I want, hack something to make it instead!

chadya

Veteran

I just did that with some JCrew Matchstick white denim jeans that were really long and I was done with rolling them up, flash forward to 2014 I couldn't find the right kind of white jeans for this summer so I had them hemmed.

viva

Veteran

These posts really make me think. When something stops working for me, I consign it almost immediately, so I never give anything the chance for a second life. I may need to rethink that approach.

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

I certainly hope so - I just went to the tailor this morning so I will know for sure in a week!

Alassë

Veteran

I alter substantially too long skirts all the time. Other major alterations (a-line to pencil, several sizes too big tailored down, etc.) don't usually turn out well enough to satisfy my picky eye.

Aziraphale

Veteran

Lol Gaylene -- I haven't gone in for anything too creative, alteration-wise. After reading your post, I think I'll keep it that way.

Viva -- I only seem to do this with bottoms, but I've been successful many, many times. It's definitely worth a try. When I say successful, I mean that I wear the altered pants/skirt as much or, often, even more than I wore it before.

texstyle

(website)

Veteran

I have to say I haven't had as much luck with this. My few alterations never went as planned - I don't have a good tailor to rely on and they never seemed to come out properly. I don't overly invest $$$ in any one item so I guess I also feel that it's not often worthwhile to put more money into something that's not working if I can find a newer item to replace it. I won't say never of course because I'm probably going to cut off some straight faded jeans this weekend so I have a pair of faded denim shorts the length I want.

patriciach

I finally found a great seamstress/alterations place. Many of my clothes are getting a second life. Sometimes I feel guilty about altering used-not so fancy- clothes, but I figured that for 10$-20$ I'm getting a "new" item that fits perfectly and that I love. Now I'm planning on converting a couple of dresses into skirts.

abhicreative12

Certail hope so with all the info...!!

Deborah

Veteran

Not that I can think off. Items might get a new lease on life if I purchase something new that I realise will work with the forgotten garment. The newer piece will refresh it and it goes back I to regular rotation. But once I'm done with something out it goes.