Reworking Your Clothes

All colours Barry M. Right: 306 Blueberry, 272 Shocking Pink,
318 Peach Melba, 308 Berry, 309 Strawberry.

I checked my bank balance today and boy am I in trouble!

So all those lovely dreams of chunky knits, vintage style dresses and a respectable length LBD for graduation are going to have to be put on hold while I make do with what I've got and try to put myself back on track financially. Even when I do get back on track, I will have to bargain hunt, so I will be keeping you lovely lot updated with more savvy, affordable buys. Just not this week.

So today I had no idea what I was doing, just knew it would either involve the cinema, grabbing some lunch, just chilling or all of the above on one of the few days me and my boyfriend didn't have to worry about either of us going to work. None of these required me to make too much effort, so I thought I would go for casual, comfortable leggings and put this River Island top to good use. I paired it with bright, mismatched Barry M nails as I had a horrible shift at work the other night and decided to cheer myself up by painting my nails in happy colours for my day off. For some reason, I'm having difficulty uploading a picture of that outfit, but this is from River Island's website and it's not too hard to imagine with leggings. 

I bought this top for £10 a few weeks back and have no idea why I haven't worn it more. The bright colours and bold print work the summer Aztec trend, while it's not too summery and will still be workable with boots and dark winter knits, making it a good transitional piece. As I explained, I am currently in a dire financial situation, so I'm going to use this top as a perfect example of reworking old or more seasonable pieces to make an entirely different new outfit, or to take it from season to season, and hopefully, show you how to breathe new life into your clothes while reminding myself that as nice as it would be, I don't need new ones every few weeks. 

Left - Top: £10 River Island, Shorts: £15 Vintage, Wedges: £22 New Look (Summer 2010) Belt: £2 Primark, Aviators: £15 River Island (Men's wear, Summer 2010.)
Right - Top, Shorts and Belt: same as before. Cardigan: £14 Primark (Winter 2011.)  Chelsea Boots: Vintage, Tights: £8 Topshop.

When it was warmer, I paired the top with these vintage Levi cut offs and aviators, but for autumn at least, I see no need to rule out the Levi's when paired with chelsea boots, opaques and a chunky knit cardigan. I will also be wearing the top with dark skinny jeans and the cardigan. If you're in need of an affordable chunky cardigan like this one, never fear, Primark are starting to stock some very similar and will almost certainly get more in as we move into autumn. 

Voila - One top, two seasons. So have a rummage through your wardrobe or recent summer buys and get recycling! 

Crimson. x