RE-SHOP YOUR WARDROBE

with

T H E S U S TA I N A B L E S T Y L I S T

BONUS RESOURCE – MONTH 9

WHY RE-SHOP YOUR FROCKS? 5 reasons to shop within your own wardrobe

1. no more wasted money & guilty purchases

2. no more pushy sales staff oblivious to your real needs

3. to nurture your personal style without following generic fashions

4. to validate past purchases by tailoring them to your form

5. to slow the frock-up by reducing landfill waste

EXPRESING YOUR PERSONAL STYLE

A wardrobe tells a thousand tales.

Personal style is about finding the current tale that captures the essence of who you are today, while paying homage to who you were and what you wore yester-year.

"Fashion goes out of Style – Style never goes out of Fashion"

CocoChanel

Your personal style is a reflection of your identity. Your personal style is unique to you!

WHAT IS SUSTAINABLE STYLE? gentle on the self - gentle on the earth

art by Sally Smart

Reflecting the unique personality of each individual, sustainable style embraces the physical, practical, financial and environmental realities of today’s lifestyle.

It is about making your existing clothing work for you by learning what truly flatters your figure.

A sustainable style includes sustaining yourself. It encourages accepting and dressing for the body you have today, and allowing your clothing to reflect and compliment your personality and physical essence.

Treading gentle steps on the self on the earth.

HOW TO HAVE SUSTAINABLE STYLE STEP 1. CLEAN OUT YOUR CLOSET If you can’t easily find your clothes you won’t remember to wear them. An organised wardrobe is a critical step in becoming more sustainable in your personal style and lifestyle.

a. group garment-types together – skirts with skirts, frocks with frocks

b. Separate suit jackets from their partner. This will hopefully remind you to wear each garment as an individual piece.

c. If you’re limited for space, rotate summer and winter wears, putting some away. Vacuum pack garments if necessary.

d. Accessories need to be accessible.

e. Hangers take up valuable space. Storage shops offer multi-hang alternatives. Invest in quality hangers, find another use for your cheap wire hangers – they ruin your wears.

GETTING STARTED..

HOW TO HAVE SUSTAINABLE STYLE

f. Pick a happy, non-judgmental day where you can look at the clothes you are trying on objectively, without scrutinising your body.

g. Put on some uplifting music and pour yourself a light drink.

h. Make sure you can see yourself in a full-length mirror, without being crammed into a corner. You need space around you. It may be time to invest in a portable mirror.

i. Go through your wardrobe and let the try-ons begin!

STEP 2. CULL & CLEANSE Are you among the masses who wear 20% of their wardrobe 80% of the time? Perhaps you need better racking to remember what you own, or perhaps it’s time to own less?

HOW TO HAVE SUSTAINABLE STYLE

1. HOW DO YOU FEEL IN THIS PIECE OF CLOTHING?

STEP 2. CULL & CLEANSE (continued).. Questions to ask when looking in the mirror…

Do you feel confident and know you look good? – this goes in the ‘yes’ pile Do you feel ok, not too bad? – this goes in the ‘almost’ pile Do you feel awkward, uncomfortable or drab? – this goes in the ‘not yet’ pile

2. DOES THIS SHAPE FLATTER YOUR FIGURE?

Not your ideal, aspiring figure, but your current figure as you look today – even if you’re having a ‘fat day’?

(if your weight does tend to oscillate, be gentle and keep a selection of clothes that suit you during varying weights)

HOW TO HAVE SUSTAINABLE STYLE?

3. WHY DOES THIS SHAPE SUIT YOU?

STEP 2. CULL & CLEANSE (continued).. Questions to ask when looking in the mirror…

If the shape really works on you and you know you get compliments every time you wear that piece, have a good look at it. Is it the length that’s so fabulous? Is it the colour that makes your skin glow? Is it the neckline that works wonders on your chest?

Make a list of the positive and not so positive shapes on your body.

4. DOES THIS COLOUR SUIT YOU?

Despite some of the sweeping statements we tend to make, like ‘I can’t wear green’ or ‘yellow makes me look sick’ we are actually able to wear every colour - it just depends on the tone of that colour. It is well worth finding out which tones work best for you. Friends and family can help, as can asking a colour or style professional.

HOW TO HAVE SUSTAINABLE STYLE

5. IS THIS GARMENT STUCK IN THE PAST?

STEP 2. CULL & CLEANSE (continued).. Questions to ask when looking in the mirror…

Does your garment look like a throw-back from a different era? Is it stuck in the 1970’s or 80’s, and does it look like you’re going to a costume party? Most vintage or retro garments can be gently modified or updated to bring them up to date. Here are a couple of quick tips:

BUTTONS – a button can make or break a garment. By changing the size, colour and number of buttons on a garment, you can give it a totally new look. Perhaps instead of buttons you could also have a zip put in? For inspiration, jump online or look in current fashion magazines to keep up to date with the contemporary look.

HOW TO HAVE SUSTAINABLE STYLE STEP 2. CULL & CLEANSE (continued).. Questions to ask when looking in the mirror…

HEM LENGTH – Find a length that flatters your leg and don’t be scared to stick with it. Just because you’ve always worn a specific style or shape, it doesn’t mean it’s the best one for you. We are creatures of comfort and habit and may still be wearing shapes that suited us 10 or even 20 years ago.

SLEEVES & SHOULDERS – Are the shoulders super padded and giving you the physique of a man? Does the shoulder seam sit out further than your actual shoulder joint? A fitted shoulder line is a key to a trimmer silhouette. Same goes for sleeves. When your arm is down, can you see a gap between the body of the garment and the sleeve? Is the sleeve all saggy and baggy, making your arm look bigger than it is? A trim sleeve can take visual inches off your figure.

HOW TO HAVE SUSTAINABLE STYLE

YES

STEP 3. SEPARATE GARMENTS INTO 3 PILES

Good shape, good colour, good fit. You feel and look great in these garments.

ALMOST Good fabric, good colour, these are almost right, just not quite.

NOT YET You don’t feel or look like yourself in these garments yet.

HOW TO HAVE SUSTAINABLE STYLE STEP 4. THE YES PILE These garments look and feel fabulous on you! So, it’s time to wear them in as many ways as possible…

Layer tops over each other..

Can that skirt be worn as a dress? Try that cardigan on upside down…

How does that jumper look inside-out or back-to-front? Mix dressy with casual

ADD ACCESSORIES! Try to recreate a look you’ve seen in a magazine

Don’t be afraid to ask for help…

HOW TO HAVE SUSTAINABLE STYLE STEP 5. THE ALMOST PILE These garments are still in good condition, they may just need a bit of tender loving care or may need to be tailored to truly flatter your form. Jump on your sewing machine or have them altered by a professional.

Darts under the bust

Sleeve and hem lengths altered

A new lining

A change of buttons or a new zip

WAIST ADJUSTMENT

change of silhouette shortened

THESE ARE SOME COMMON ALTERATIONS

more shaping

HOW TO HAVE SUSTAINABLE STYLE STEP 6. THE NOT YET PILE These are the garments that are no longer being worn and are not looking great on you in their current form.

BUT DON’T THROW THEM OUT! THERE IS STILL A LOT THAT YOU CAN DO…

HERE ARE A FEW SUSTAINABLE OPTIONS

1. Refashion your garment into something new – or get someone to do it for you.

2. Swap your garments at a clothing exchange

3. Sell your garments at a market stall

REFASHIONING YOUR WEARS This dress was made from two men’s business shirts

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Join a sewing circle

Book into a weekend refashioning workshop and learn some tricks

Have a professional refashion your garments for you!

Get inspired by craft blogs online

HOW CAN YOU START REFASHIONING?

S WA P P I N G Y O U R W E A R S Give your clothes a new lease on life – on somebody else!

It doesn’t cost a cent!

Jump online and find an organised clothing exchange near you.

It doesn’t add to landfill.

Organise a swap with a few of your own close friends.

HOW CAN YOU START SWAPPING?

WHY SHOP WHEN YOU CAN SWAP?

S E L L I N G Y O U R W E A R S Don’t trash them when you can get cash for them!

Have a garage sale and cleanse your house of other bits & bobs at the same time!

Local markets love recycled clothes – research the best market for you – trash & treasure / vintage / retro / pre-loved designer wears.

Stay at home and sell your garments on e-bay

HOW CAN YOU START SELLING?

$

$

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SUSTAINABLE STYLE =

ACCEPTANCE OF SELF

+ SHOPPING WITHIN YOUR EXISTING WARDROBE

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+

TAILORING GARMENTS TO FIT

REFASHIONING UNWORN WEARS

Kim Kneipp – aka Frockerphiliac believes in slowing the frock-up.

A qualified fashion designer with 14 years of design, costume and retail experience, Kim is an advocate for ethical and individual style and reduces fashion consumption by refashioning and re-styling existing wardrobe wears.

Spreading her sustainable style message, Kim is also a fashion lecturer at The Whitehouse School of Design and runs community-based refashioning workshops, showing participants how to reinvigorate their old clothes, embracing the old-fashioned values of ‘make, do and mend’.

You can read more about her work and book your own sustainable styling service at:

www.thesustainablestylist.com

P

…read on for a

SPECIAL OFFER exclusive to The Shop Your Wardrobe participants…

THE SUSTA INABLE STYL IS T a bit about me

To support you on your year without clothes shopping, I would like to offer you a discounted introduction to my services.

Choose between a complimentary first hour of a face-to-face session or an extended virtual session of ‘Shopping Within Your Wardrobe’.

CONTACT ME TO FIND OUT MORE

-  call me on 0406 245 077 -  email me on kim@frockerphiliac.com.au -  subscribe to my blog

I look forward to helping you explore new style combinations and to help tailor your garments to truly fit your form.

www.thesustainablestylist.com .

S P E C I A L O F F E R