Easy ways to refresh , revamp & upcycle your wardrobe.

Hey there, and welcome to My Taylor'd Closet where I share my journey and assist you in creating a wardrobe that is perfectly tailored to fit you and your personal style, with sustainability in mind . For me that includes my upcycle journey. I was upcycling before there was even a name for it. 

For some, upcycling  is a completely new term and I know what some of you are thinking. Taylor, what even  is upcycling? Well I’ll tell you.  The upcycling of  clothing involves taking old or unwanted garments and turning them into something new and unique. This process can involve cutting and sewing , adding new embellishments, or repurposing one-of -a -kind pieces that is both fashionable and sustainable. Think recycled fashion. 

I believe the most sustainable thing you can do to have a sustainable wardrobe, is to wear the clothes you already have. 

But that doesn't mean you can never add in  something new and fresh. Shop your closet first, and see what items you can upcycle. I know it may seem overwhelming . Start by pulling out anything you no longer in love with and don’t wear. 

After you have grabbed items in need of a face lift , you're ready to start the transformation. Next, get inspiration. Look at this season's fashion magazine, runway shows, your favorite fashion girlies online. Or even get inspired on  pinterest. Pinterest is usually my go to for inspiration but also looking online at my favorite brands, new in section. Look for things that you would like to own in your own closet. You're basically window shopping for inspiration.

 Study those pieces  and see if it's something you can upcycle from the items you grabbed out of your closet. Break down the key elements or main features of the items that you want to recreate. Think of the clothes you want to upcycle as fabric. Or if you already own something that has a similar silhouette , think about what you can add or take away to update it. 

Here are a few examples of things I have upcycled in the past and the inspiration. 

 There are some simple and easy upcycles you can do, even if you have little to no DIY or sewing skills. As you can see from my previous examples some are very easy ,even no sew. It just takes creativity and not being afraid to get your hands messy. I think a major key point of upcycling is trial and error so patience is a must. But it's a really fun way to express your style. Not only that, it can save you a lot of money. It's the splurge versus steal or in this case  DIY versus BUY. Plus your keeping your items out of a landfill.

Here  are some easy and beginner friendly upcycle projects to try. 

• DIY no sew t- shirts. There are so many easy yet cool t-shirt upcycles you can do with just a pair of scissors. You can start as simple as cropping your tees or cutting off the neckline for a more scoop neck or off the shoulder style. 

I really love this book  Generation T  108 ways to transform a t-shirt by Megan Nicolay.  It has so many projects, (I.  personally thrifted this copy after I had read it many times from the library).  Cutting up your T-shirts is  super easy and a great way to start upcycling your old clothes.

• Embellishment/ Paint ,   You can add patches, appliqué  ribbon,  trim whatever your mind can dream up. Even embroidery. And if you're an artist try using textile/ fabric paint to add fun details and customize a piece.  Some brands of textile paint that I like are:  Jacquard textile color paint , and the Tulip brand. They have everything from 3d paint to fabric markers.  Even if you're not an artist you can use stencils. 

Here is a Diy tutorial vlog I made of a jacket I redid and added gold paint to, inspired by a runway piece. Check it out below.

https://youtu.be/qADALV7iacE?si=iJHnRW4clyEU_nAu

 

• Dye your clothes, Rit dye is the best and they have a whole website with color recipes so you can create the perfect shade. They have dyes that are made for natural and synthetic fibers. Not to mention there is an entire  world of natural dyes just using what you have in your kitchen and food scraps. You can also dye with flowers too. That's super cool from my experience of trying it. 

• Mash up two items. I took a stained sweater and a basic denim jacket and swapped out the sleeves and combined them with the sweater sleeves. Pick 2 things and see how they would look as one or two whole  new garments. 

• Even turning dresses into tops is super easy and the transformation has a huge pay off. Just cut off the skirt part. 

If you look on Youtube , Instagram, Tik tok upcycling content is everywhere. That can also be a source of inspiration and following a tutorial will also help you learn to upcycle and gain new skills whether sewing , dying or even resizing your clothes. Here are a few upcycling channels  of DIY-ers ,  sewists and creators I love and have learned  alot from over the years. 

 Blueprintdiy 

Angelina has great no sew to epic diy’s and upcycles. Perfect if you're just getting started or need some inspiration. I love that she does fashion week recaps and breaks down elements seen on the runway that can be upcycled. And if you're a beginner she has a whole series of no sew tutorials to help get you started. Angelina has a good pulse on what's trendy and  on trend. She has a great Facebook community ( Renegade upcyclers) where you can share your projects, ask advice and get help. The Next top upcycler game show is a great series where upcyclers all over the world participate in the ultimate upcycle challenge . (I might have been in the 1st episode of the pilot season) 

https://youtu.be/C07FtUN3bjA?si=TcMebyb2tbT3eHQ2 

Seamingly Sera 

(non active currently) Finding Sara’s channel was just what  I needed to bring the joy back to my creative sewing. She is extremely hilarious and entertaining. She takes you on the journey of her thrift flips. I'm a fan of her random fabric series. I really love that she shares the real behind the seams of sewing.  All the mistakes, fears, and problem solving. Plus she's an original Ohio girl from Cincy! 

https://youtu.be/0d-m1_vNLgg?si=VKBELE1LxbehD6dB 

Thediydesigner

Orly Shani is  The designer dupe queen,  always showing us how to recreate it ourselves. She diy’s high end designer pieces for a fraction the the retail price and she's really creative. Orly also has  some awesome no sew projects as well. Including a few full sequined dresses. She even walking the red carpet in her diy no sew dresses. She really shows the power that scissors, fabric glue, a needle and thread are all you need to create unique fashion masterpieces.

https://youtu.be/upIbYKzUd6U?si=Fi-Fb9K8TELmC6W0 

With Wendy

Wendy  is the DIY queen and OG diy creator . She is always educating her viewers on sewing techniques and  terminology. Wendy is  very skilled with sewing, using and drafting patterns. You will definitely learn how to be a skilled sewer learning sewing basics and beyond. She is Canadian and has a whole series where she makes  coats  from blankets, quilts and even sleeping bags. I also love her Can She DIY It , and Sewing Things I Can’t Afford series where she takes you along on the journey of trying to upcycle something popular that's floating around the internet or that is very pricey. 

https://youtu.be/mMzA50RE1v8?si=U9JBnlequDbRatUd 

The Essentials Club   

Maddy of the essentials club has created a little hub for curious and conscious  creatives. She focuses on making what you can and ethically sourcing the rest. She has great Diy tutorials, styling tips and chats about sustainability. Maddy is all about sharing simple living and she often creates vlogs of her travels where she sports her me made wardrobe. Maddy is an Aussie so I just love hearing her accent. I can't lie! Her style is  more breezy boho and she is often at the beach and even surfs. She has made her own swimwear which is a project on my own bucket list. Her  upcycles are fun  and she does a  great job explaining pattern making and sewing technique. 

https://youtu.be/JgLHgtjdEyI?si=kRgJOmU5J0agtgDQ 

Littletoh 

Tiffany is one of the sweetest people, she does a great job at being very detailed and often shows how to modify patterns. Her skill and clean finishes are so satisfying to watch. She is  very creative with her thrift flips and upcycles. She sometimes makes matching outfits with her dog Lucy. I love that she always honors  her heritage of being Chinese Malaysian and incorporates that into her projects.

https://youtu.be/A50cQ9MJweU?si=eAtd9SUcvApPd0TQ 

Coolirpa 

April is another OG Diy-er her  thrift transformation series is a must watch. She mostly focuses on cosplay at the moment. But she has definitely inspired me over the years. She also has a fun wedding dress transformation series as well. She recently published a diy book about thrift flips. It's available for purchase now. 

https://youtu.be/IOg8gCtPXlQ?si=N4tTP8ov8bkJAGwi 

Necoda Matthew

 There are many guys who upcycle too. Upcycle  designer Necoda  gives you  the behind the scenes  of being an upcycled designer and enterpurer. He has the best before and after shorts and reels. He  took his viewers along as he made collections to show at Charlotte Fashion week. Truly showing that even if you're from a small town in P.A you still can do big things. 

https://youtu.be/ezIaqZFh7CY?si=PXnMwi-dP9O8-9E9 

I hope I was able to inspire you to get started upcycling. Please check out those I mentioned above , I know if I didn't get you inspired they definitely will. You can start small by customizing your old and forgotten items in your wardrobe. The most important thing is to be creative and have fun. So join me on this upcycling journey.