Recession-proof your wardrobe

What do you do when you love shopping but the recession has crunched your fashion budget? Follow our money-saving tips that make frugality fashionable. By Prima fashion editor Amanda LeGonidec

A recession is the perfect time to re-discover what's in your closet. Root in the back of the wardrobe to uncover items you'd forgotten you had, and look at everything with a fresh eye. Get creative or use magazines for inspiration - you'll be amazed at how many new outfits you can create by mixing and matching your existing clothes in different ways.

 

Don't bin faded black items - use fabric dye to restore them to their former glory. We like Dylon Washing Machine Dye, £4.80 for 200g from John Lewis - it's so easy to use! Donating unwanted clothes to a charity shop is a good idea, but it's more fun to take your cast-offs to a clothes-swap party. You'll come home with ‘new' items to replenish your wardrobe, free of cost, safe in the knowledge that your old items have gone to a good home.

 

For a waste-free wardrobe hunt for the best-quality classics you can afford, and simply update your look seasonally with some cheap ‘n' chic accessories. Every wardrobe should have a pair of denim jeans, a little black dress, a white T-shirt, a belted trench, a cashmere cardi, black tailored trousers and a plain leather bag.

 

Always go for fit ahead of fashion fads. Don't obsess over the latest' must-have' items or new trends - instead, focus on what pieces you really need.

 

Scale back on dry cleaning. Dry cleaning is one of the easiest ways to empty your pockets. Instead, freshen up clothes with an odour remover, such as Febreze.

 

Treating the clothes you already own with extra-special care and attention means fewer replacement purchases. Little things such as catching stains early, using fabric softener, mending holes and sewing missing buttons back on will make your clothing last longer.

 

Always choose quality over quantity. If you buy a top that's £60 and you wear it all the time for many years, it's a better buy than three tops for £20 you hardly - if ever - put on.

 

When you buy something new, keep the tags on. If you don't wear it within two weeks, take it back. You may have loved it at the time or maybe it was a bargain, but it's not worth keeping if you'll never wear it.

 

There's no shame in collecting coupons or money-off vouchers. Try www.moneysavingexpert.com, www.fashiondiscountcodes.com, www.myvouchercodes.co.uk, www.discountshoppinguk.co.uk and www.moneyoffvouchercodes.co.uk - they have savings for great high-street shops including Marks & Spencer, Gap, Karen Millen, Debenhams and Uniqlo.

 

Donating unwanted clothes to a charity shop is a good idea, but it's more fun to take your cast-offs to a clothes-swap party. You'll come home with ‘new' items to replenish your wardrobe, free of cost, safe in the knowledge that your old items have gone to a good home.

 

And remember ...

 

There's always an enormous growth in sales of accessories during a recession because, if money's tight, a bag or a piece of jewellery will feel like an affordable treat and can still totally change the look of your outfit.

 

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