7 ways to revamp your Wardrobe for Under a Tenner!
Most of us love to buy new clothes, but not so many of us can afford to all the time, so we’ve put together some fantastic ways for you to revamp your wardrobe for next to nothing.
With lockdown easing, we’re starting to think about going out a bit more and want the outfits to match. However, we don’t want to spend all our spare cash fitting out a whole new wardrobe.
So, here are some cheap ways to revamp your wardrobe without spending an arm and a leg. We’ve also made life easier and found some fantastic websites that will save you time and money.
- Swapping – revamp your wardrobe without spending a penny
- Neutral shopping means free shopping
- New life for your old clothes
- Embrace the internet – we show you where to look
- Revamp Your Wardrobe at an Outlet Village
- Second Hand Stores
- Don’t Forget to Accessorise!
1. Swapping – revamp your wardrobe without spending a penny
Clothes swapping has really taken off in Britain and is likely to continue due to Covid-19 and more people struggling financially than before.
Research found we all have an average of 7 unused items sitting in their wardrobe. This totals a staggering £4.6 billion sitting in our wardrobes at an average of £93 per person. Just think what could be done with that much money!
Where can you swap?
Fashion Revolution host clothes swapping parties.
You could even become a host if you want. Just register on their website and you’ll get sent a pack with all the information you need to hold your own clothes swap! You can host a party in your living room, your office, in your local community centre or a public event space.
Online, label-lovers can use websites like Bigwardrobe.
It’s free to join – you just have to fill out a registration form.
You add items into your ‘wardrobe’ where other people can look at them and make an offer on anything they like.
You can have up to 50 items in your wardrobe and three pictures per listing for free.
When you list an item select the option ‘I’m open to all offers’ which means that people can offer you either cash, swaps or combos (i.e. combination of cash and clothing and/or accessories!).
You can browse through hundreds of bags, jackets, dresses and shoes etc. They even have an impressive selection of maternity wear, knitwear and swimwear.
2. Neutral shopping means free shopping
The idea behind neutral shopping is that you use the profit you make from selling your old clothes to buy new ones.
The key is to not spend any more money than that. This means you have, in effect, got a load of new stuff for free.
Be strict with yourself and make sure you really do only spend what you’ve made. Also, don’t forget to factor in postage and packaging costs when selling or buying.
Where to sell
There is a charge for every item you list and also a final value fee 
once it has sold but this is never more than 7.5% of the final sale price, (and quite often less).
Also if you make sure you accommodate these costs when you price your item it won’t make any difference.
Read all about selling items on eBay.
On Gumtree you can ‘Post an Ad’. Simply select the ‘stuff for sale’ option and choose the clothing/accessories section it goes in. You’ll have to fill in a few basic details then you can just sit back and wait for offers!
Unlike eBay, there is no listing fee – instead you’ll pay ASOS a small commission (either 10% or 15% depending on the kind of seller you are) for everything you sell.
You can either sign up as a ‘Basic’ seller (no fees but 10% commission) or a ‘Boutique’ seller (£50 a month and 15% commission).
Find out more about selling items on ASOS Marketplace.
When you sell an item, Depop will charge you a 10% fee on the total amount of your listing, which includes shipping costs. The charge will be taken from your PayPal account or the card you are using for payments on your Depop account.
Also…
Try selling your unwanted clothes at car boot sales. Read our top tips on making money at car boot sales.
Ask in upmarket second-hand clothes shops if they’re interested in buying any vintage-style clothing and accessories that you have. Vintage clothes are in demand so check in a few (and try the posher areas) to get the best price.
3. New life for your old clothes
You may think your clothes are old and tired but all they really need is a bit of TLC and they’ll be good as new, ready for you to strut your stuff!
Don’t spend – mend!
Before you throw something away see if you can alter or modernise it in any way. Experiment with fabric paints, buttons, ribbons and lace to add some shabby chic to your wardrobe! Try shortening a hemline, sewing on quirky buttons or patches.
You can even try pairing an old pair of jeans with a new top – you’ll be amazed what a difference a new pairing can make!
Altering and customising your old clothes will give you a new lease of life. Try Start Sewing and Online Fabrics for top tips and cheap tools and accessories.
Try your local charity shop for cheap material, like old curtains and sheets that you can cut up. You can also get some helpful videos and online advice at Thread Banger.
You could even learn to knit and make you’re own jumpers and scarves! If you master the skill, you can even make money from knitting if you find you have a talent for it.
Dye(ing) for new clothes?
Get hold of some dye and give boring, old clothes a bright and colourful new design.
What you can dye…
Cotton, linen and viscose all dye really well but note that any fabric that’s mixed with polyester will result in lighter shades than shown on the dye box. Wool and silk should be dyed with a hand fabric dye.
What you can’t…
Polyester, Nylon and other synthetics.
Dylon say that if you’re unsure about the material of your item, you can cut a small section of the hem, send it to them, and they will let you know whether it’s suitable for dyeing.
So many of us have that special little black dress which we cant bear to part with. But if yours is faded, dyeing it will give a whole new lease of life. You can get black, brown and navy blue dyes which are perfect for faded clothes.
For a real change choose from one of 24 colours you can use in your washing machine. You can also use a pre-dye to return the fabric to a neutral shade before dyeing. This will enable you to achieve a colour closer to that shown on the pack.
4. Embrace the internet
Do these three things and you should be able to find some great bargains.
1. Compare prices
Check out price comparison website Kelkoo where you can enter the item you’re looking for and see where to buy it for the lowest price.
Pricerunner and Shopping.com are also worth looking at if you want to find the cheapest prices out there.
2. Online swaps
Why not try discount fashion sites like ASOS and Boohoo?
ASOS stocks premium brands like Chloe, McQ by Alexander McQueen, independent designers, plus all your favourite high street brands like Miss Sixty, Morgan and Oasis. Go to the clearance section for mega savings here.
For your high street favourites, check out High Street Outlet.
It offers clothing lines from loads of high street shops, from Warehouse to River Island and Zara, at reduced prices. Go there now for fantastic savings on all your wardrobe essentials.
If you like H&M… why not try Peacocks?
Forget what you used to think about Peacocks – more and more magazines are featuring their lines.
With very low prices you really should check out the online store. Go to the sale section for mega bargains. Peacocks also has a Just Arrived section for trendier items.
3. Check out other sale sections
Nearly every website selling clothes has a sale, clearance or special offers section, so check them out to bag yourself a bargain.
You could also try shops like TK Maxx. There you can save up to 60% off designer and high street brands.
Essential Clothing Company – who promises you will always save between 45% and 85%. Essential Clothing offers free shipping on any orders over £50 to the UK, any orders below this amount will incur a shipping charge of £4.25 for the entire order.
Revamp your wardrobe at an Outlet Village
Outlet stores claim to boost discounts of up to 70%. The reality suggests the discounts are actually closer to 30%, but this is still a bargain not to be turned down!
Also some of the big brands only sell special clothing lines at outlets, so if you have a spare weekend get down to one near you, when shops open again.
There are now more than 50 outlets around the country. Check out some of the most popular ones here.
Second-hand stores
Check out charity shops and second hand shops in posh areas to get the best clobber for a great price- of course once non-essential shops open again on April 12!
Some celebrities are even rumoured to donate their old designer garments to their local charity shops.
Oxfam Originals are great for retro, vintage pieces. Find your local Oxfam Originals with this search tool.
Find all the second-hand shops near you here – just click on your region and it will bring up a list of shops near you. Visit the Time Out website for the top 20 second-hand/thrift stores in London.
Don’t Forget to Accessorise!
Adding cute and chic accessories to an old outfit can have such an impact and make you feel like you’re wearing a completely new outfit.
Tights and socks
Check out Tights Please which has a fashion hosiery section full of tights in every colour imaginable. There are funky printed tights, knee highs and much more.
Jewellery
We discovered a great auction site called Rocks & Co TV.
This company holds live auctions every evening online.
There is a real auctioneer and the opportunity for users to interact with each other and the auctioneer in real time. Check out the website during the day to find out which pieces which will be available that evening, and then log on to bid from 5pm till 11pm.
Our top tip would be to visit the site as soon as possible and take full advantage of the fact that the site is new with fewer people bidding – pieces are being sold at incredibly low prices and you stand an excellent chance of getting yourself a real steal!
If you want to buy some of their off the rack pieces, you can get £20 off just by signing up to their newsletter.
Shoes
Office has a brilliant clearance section with footwear starting from a just £2.25!
Bags and belts
Amazon has a section of bags and accessories which can sometimes feature surprisingly fashionable items.
Useful articles
Like this article? Want more ideas about how to look good for less? Then check out these articles too…
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How to make money selling clothes on ASOS Marketplace
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MAKE MONEY FROM DESIGNER FASHION
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DISCOUNTS AND FREEBIES FOR FABULOUS CITY LIVING ON A BUDGET
