One of the most accessible ways that teenagers have to express their personality is through their fashion style. However, it can be difficult to find clothing that matches your exact style. Luckily, with some adjustments, you can transform your existing wardrobe into a unique extension of your personality.
A simple T-shirt may be one of the easiest clothing items to alter. A popular trend among young women is to cut the collars off their t-shirts. This gives t-shirts an off-the-shoulder look and can easily be achieved by cutting the hem of a shirt’s neckline.
The best tip is to start small; cut off the collar first before making small adjustments so that your shirt lies the way you want it. Remember to stretch out your shirt where you cut it and try it on before cutting further to get the best look possible.
The same principle goes for cutting off shirt sleeves or when transforming a boring t-shirt into a cute crop top. A t-shirt with a cute graphic on the front can also be easily transformed into a backless halter top.
When it comes to customizing jackets and sweaters, you can create a patchwork vibe by cutting out pieces of fabric from old t-shirts, jeans, or any other source of fabric you have lying around. You can be as creative as you want with the shapes — stars, squares, or funky blobs are all great options.
These fabric patches can be added anywhere you want on your jackets, sweaters, or even jeans. They can be placed on a jacket’s elbows and make excellent patches if your favorite jeans get a hole.
This trick does require some basic sewing knowledge, but with just a little bit of practice, anyone can master it. Luckily, for those of you who find sewing tedious, you can buy iron-on patches in many shapes and colors.
If you decide to sew on the shapes, keep in mind you must always cut more thread than you think you’ll need so you can tie knots at the beginning and end of the thread to keep the stitches in place. A simple running stitch is sufficient to keep the patches in place, but you can use more advanced stitches to elevate the look.
Another way to customize your wardrobe is by adding your own embroidery designs to jeans, jackets, and even shirts. This does require time and patience (as well as knowing the fundamentals of embroidery), but it will create a piece of clothing unique to you.
The easiest way to embroider your design is to first stencil it on a piece of embroidery transfer paper. Once you’re happy with your design, you can fasten the paper to your clothing and begin sewing right over the paper, using it as a guide. When you’re satisfied with your results, just wash your clothes, and the paper will dissolve.
As you get more comfortable sewing, you can come up with more elaborate designs. Different thread weights (thicknesses) and stitches can create textured looks and is especially useful for floral details. Eventually, you can even begin beading some of your work.
The best benefit of embroidery is that you can easily remove your designs if you don’t like them or grow out of that style. Unlike painting, you can just use a seam ripper to remove the embroidery thread to produce a fresh canvas. Just keep in mind that if the needle or thread you used was too big, you may end up with holes left behind by your embroidery.
There are plenty of ways you can customize your wardrobe. Altering the clothes you already have is a fun and sustainable way to create pieces of clothing that truly show off your sense of fashion.
These suggestions are just the tip of the iceberg; plenty more styles and alterations exist on the internet, just waiting for you to discover them.
