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It's a scenario everyone hates: You wake up bleary-eyed and stumble to your closet to find garments with which to cover your nakedness. A desperate search reveals the awful truth, "I have nothing to wear!" Your husband looks at you quizzically, as though he hardly believes you. After all, your closet is stuffed to the gills with clothes. (Usually this uncompassionate husband of yours has successfully worn the same clothes for the past ten years and rarely goes shopping.) But what he doesn't understand is, you really don't have anything to wear.
It's time for you to cull the flock. Most of us are clinging to clothes we haven't been able to wear in ages. Whether out of sentimentality or the crazy belief that we will one day be able to fit into those size 0 jeans, we tend to hang onto clothes we don't need. I really dislike the TV show "What Not to Wear" because the hosts are so rude and uppity, but I do like the idea of an occasional merciless tossing. Trust me; it really is good for you.
Sort through your closet. Physically take everything you can't or don't wear out of the closet and sort it into piles. The unused garments in our closets typically fall into one of three categories:
1. It doesn't look good on me.
2. It doesn't fit.
3. I don't have anything to wear with it.
Categorizing your unworn clothes will make it a lot easier to determine what to do with them. Now that they are sorted in specific piles, you can see what you have and choose what to give away and what to keep.
1. It doesn't look good on me. Okay, first things first. If something doesn't look good on you or you don't feel attractive in it, get rid of it. Now. Fold it up, put it in the Goodwill bag, and send it on its way. You should never allow your clothes make you feel dumpy. If you think you can alter the garment to make it look better on you, have at it. Otherwise, out it goes. Easy enough.
2. It doesn't fit. When you try on the garment, look at it and ask yourself "How badly does this fit me?" Does it make you look like a 2-bit Hussy? Toss it. Is it uncomfortably tight? Toss it. Does it make your spouse/child/dog laugh out loud when they see you in it? Toss it. (Or if the too-small clothes are super-cute, you can give them to a smaller friend of yours, because almost everyone loves free clothes.)
However, if the garment only sort-of doesn't fit, there are several ways it might be altered. Let's say you have a dress that is too short. Cut the dress off at the waist, hem it, and make a shirt. Or let's say you have a dress that is too tight in the bust. Cut it off at the waist, hem it, install a zipper or elastic, and make a skirt. Or if you have a long skirt that is too tight in the waist, you can "move the waist down." You can do this by cutting off the existing waist and installing a zipper or elastic at the "new" waistline, a few inches down from the original one. Skirts are comfortable, very easy to make, and fashionable year-round.
Sleeves are another thing that can be easily altered to suit you. I have several long-sleeved shirts that were too light-weight to be considered "proper winter clothing," so I cut them off at the shoulder or elbow. 3/4 length sleeves are also a good option.
Hoods on shirts are another thing I am fond of chopping off. I've transformed some weird hooded tops into nice-looking sweaters simply by cutting off the hood and hemming. I've also ruined a couple doing this. When chopping off hoods, take note of where the hood begins. In the shoulder area or the neck area? If the hood starts in the shoulder area, it might look better if you don't cut down to the base, but rather cut enough off to add a collar. If the hood starts at the neck, just cut and trim, no further design necessary.
A note on altering clothes: Don't be afraid! The worst that can happen is that you can transform the garment you can't wear into...a garment you can't wear. No loss there. Also, you don't have to own a sewing machine to make these basic alterations. In fact, for a lot of fabrics (such as stretchy fabrics) the result is much nicer if you sew by hand.
3. I don't have anything to wear with it. Let's say you bought an awesome skirt for a great price but have never been able to wear it because you don't have a top to go with it. Keep this needed item in mind when you go shopping. In fact, make yourself a "wish list" of the items you would like to purchase for your incomplete outfits. When you go shopping hunt for these specific items instead of merely "grazing." I know...I love to "graze" too, but it's a good way to wind up with still more incomplete outfits, so be careful. I always head straight to the clearance section of whatever store I'm in. You should try it, because you might be amazed at what you'll find...I've found great items at clearance prices at Wal-Mart, Target, Goodwill, Old Navy, Kohls, etc.
Money is a little tight for most folks right now, which is forcing everyone to take advantage of what they already have and keep their eyes peeled for bargains. This is a good thing. By making the most of the clothes you own and shopping wisely you can make your wardrobe a success even when times are tough.
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