15 Clothing Tricks That Can Help Update Your Wardrobe

Around 85% of textiles are thrown away in the US. These either end up in landfills or are burned. But instead of throwing away old clothes, people have been inspired to repurpose old pieces in new ways. You can now turn an old pair of jeans into a new bag or a pair of shorts.

Bright Side is excited to share ways you can reinvent old clothes by making some minor changes. At the end of the article is a bonus tip on how to breathe new life into old bed sheets.

1. Use shaving cream to remove makeup stains.

• Spray the shaving foam onto the stain and leave for 2-3 minutes.

• Work the shaving cream into the stain with a clean cloth or fingers and rinse with cold water.

2. Repurpose wide-leg trousers.

If you have old, wide-leg trousers that you want to repurpose, you can turn them into a dress with unique details.

• Step into one of the trouser legs and pull them up so it fits like a boob tube.

• Twist it so the other trouser leg hangs in front, and cut the other trouser leg in half.

• Wrap the 2 halves of the cut trouser leg around your waist and tie it up at the back.

3. Spruce up old slides.

If you have old, scuffed-up sliders, you can add new detail to make them feel brand new.

• Find a new piece of fabric for the top of the sliders — faux fur, silk, whatever you like.

• Cut the fabric to fit the top of the sliders and use fabric glue to stick it on top.

4. Create a bag from old jeans.

• Cut the bottom of the legs off the jeans.

• Cut along the length of each leg piece so you have 2 square pieces of fabric.

• Sew the 2 square pieces along the sides and bottom, leaving one opening. Then sew across the bottom corners.

• Cut the top waist part of the jeans and cut it in half to make 2 handles and sew them on.

5. Add a new detail to some plain heels.

• Before putting your shoes on, place the fabric under your foot and leave a small amount of the fabric out.

• Place your foot inside your shoe and tie a bow with the rest of the material.

6. Make a dress from a piece of fabric.

• Gather the material from the center or an old shawl and cut a head hole.

• Cut 2 arm holes on the sides.

• Then add a belt around the waist.

7. Turn an old, oversized T-shirt into a skirt.

• Cut the bottom of the T-shirt so it has fringe.

• Sew the sleeves up so they are closed.

• Tie a knot using 2 pieces of the fringe at the bottom and keep going to form it into a pattern.

• Use the former head hole as the top of the skirt and tuck the sleeves in to form pockets.

8. Make a skirt and top from an old, oversized hoodie.

• Cut the hoodie where you want the top to the end, all the way around, making 2 pieces of material.

• With the lower half of the material, turn it upside down so that the bottom of the hoodie forms the waist. You can add a belt to secure it.

9. Revive an old pair of sneakers.

If you have a hole on the top of your sneakers, you can make them into a new pair.

• Using a new piece of fabric, glue it over the area of the sneaker you want to cover.

• Cut the piece of material to fit the section and secure the edges with glue.

10. Create a belt from an old scarf and a bangle.

• Wrap the scarf around the waist or wherever you want the belt to go.

• Put the ends of the scarf through the bangle and pull the material around the sides and tuck it into the other material.

11. Combine pieces of old clothing to make something new.

You can combine 2 old shirts to make something half and half, or add the sleeves of an old dress you love to an old shirt to transform it into something brand new.

• Cut the parts of each item of clothing you like and want to use.

• Sew the pieces together.

12. Use soap to fix a stuck zipper.

• Rub a bar of soap along the zipper where it gets stuck.

• Run the zipper pull up and down where the soap is a few times.

13. Use an eraser to remove marks from sneakers.

This trick can help spruce up old sneakers by using an eraser to remove dirt and stains from sneakers. It works well on nubuck, suede, leather, and rubber.

14. Transform bra into a pushup bra.

For this hack, all you need to do is sew the bra cups together a few cm where they meet in the middle. The result is a lifted effect.

15. Create a new detail to your sleeves.

You can add this ruffle effect to any item of clothing with a simple zig-zag stitch. Pull the stitching tight and it creates the effect.

Bonus: Convert old sheets into a new top.

• Take measurements of the bust and add 4 cm. Then measure the length of the top by taking the tape measure and crossing it across the chest and back. Multiply the length measurement by 2.
  Cut the length material and sew the 2 pieces together. Sew a hem around the piece of fabric.

• For the sleeves, fold a piece of fabric in 4. Measure the circumference of the bicep and add 1 cm. Measure the outer and inner sleeve length and add 4 cm to each measurement.

• On the folded fabric, mark the bicep circumference down one of the open ends. From one of the endpoints, mark the outer sleeve length. From the other endpoint, mark the inner sleeve. Join all the points to create the sleeve shape.

• Cut the sleeves and sew across the edge. Hem and sew both the bottom and top of the sleeve, but leave a small unsewn space at the top of the sleeve. Cut the elastic the same length as the bicep measurement, put the elastic through, and sew.

• To make the middle part of the top, bring the long piece of material around from the back to the front. Wrap it across at the front and tie a bow at the back. Mark on the top where the sleeves will go and sew them on.

Have you ever tried any of these? If not, which ones would you like to try? Do you have any other tips or hacks to revive your wardrobe?