Six Ways to Overhaul Your Wardrobe—Without Spending More Than $100 or Buying Anything New

Wall Street Journal

16 hours ago

When Tanya Amini, 48, soured on an orange wool Marni coat she had worn for a decade, she didn't get rid of it. Instead, she turned to her tailor. 'It's probably sacrilege, but he transferred the fur collar to a black Zara coat I owned, and suddenly, something plain became unique,' said the New York fashion consultant and magazine publisher. The cost? $60. Clothing prices are largely inaccessible now, says Amani. 'It's important to make use of the pieces we have.'
Amini is part of a growing group of fashion-lovers choosing creative clothing and accessory upgrades over new purchases. On TikTok, over 490,000 posts bear the #diyfashion hashtag, says a spokesperson for the platform.
Amid the current anxiety about tariffs and the threat of a recession, 'it's kind of lame to post about the newest, most on-trend pieces,' said Mandy Lee, a trend forecaster in New York. Instead of shopping hauls, Lee frequently shows off her dyed dresses and transformed shoes using the hashtag #mendedhaul. In uncertain times, she said, 'people invest in little luxuries rather than expensive ones.'
Kristine Frailing, the founder and creative director of the New York Sewing Center in Manhattan, recently opened a Brooklyn outpost in response to the 'huge increase in people aged 20 to 60 wanting to learn how to sew, upcycle and embroider,' she said. In addition to saving money, the old tradition of crafting is therapeutic and promotes well-being, she explains. 'Once you've felt that dopamine rush, you'll want to create more.'
Ahead, six ways to reinvigorate the existing pieces in your closet—from DIY projects to clever upgrades you can request at the cobbler and tailor. The best part? Nothing here costs over $100.
Annie Cobb, 51, routinely takes a needle and thread to her dresses. Since the Brooklyn interior designer hates spaghetti straps, she swaps them for 'thicker grosgrain or silk ribbon ties that are more flattering.' She likes to hunt for the vintage trimmings, which cost less than $15 per pair, at Paris flea markets. For trickier projects, Cobb calls on New York tailor Magie Lochard. The seamstress recently added ribbon drawstrings to one of Cobb's bell-sleeve dresses that now 'gathers prettily at the wrists,' Cobb said. The cost? $70. 'There's new life hidden in every garment,' said Lochard.
Having a tailor on speed dial is imperative, says Tanya Amini, a fashion consultant. Her golden rule? 'Get it altered and make it work.' For $100, Fabrics, a dry cleaner in Manhattan, recently added darts to Amini's amorphous jacket by the Row. With a few simple nips to the waist, it no longer 'looks like it belongs to my dad,' she said.
Swapping the plastic buttons on a blazer to gold or fabric-covered ones—found at notion or vintage stores—is an easy DIY entry point for dilettantes. The payoff can be surprisingly effective. 'Nicer buttons make a garment look more expensive,' Lochard said.
If a pair of boots feels too tight around the calf, consider stretching them, says New York cobbler Life Levi. He charges around $40 for the service. Pinched toes? You 'can't stretch a size eight to a 10, but it is possible to add a half size.' Instead of parting with towering old heels, shorten them for $20 to $40, says Levi.
Holes may be considered an inevitable part of your knitwear's life cycle. But when a sweater belonging to Flora Collingwood-Norris falls prey to a 'moth incident' or a dog with 'a taste for sleeves,' the Scottish 39-year-old knitwear designer turns to a repair strategy dubbed 'visible mending.' The process, unlike darning, covers the tear with colorful embroidery intentionally left visible. Those aspiring to re-create the sprawling floral scenes Collingwood-Norris is know for (seen below) can book a prerecorded video workshop for around $100 (CollingwoodNorrisDesign.com). Neophytes might consider simply adding bold slapdash stitches in contrasting colors to a holey cardigan. Think of the outcome as 'an impressionist painting,' urges Collingwood-Norris. 'The aim is to repair the hole and make sure it doesn't get worse.'
For statement-making denim fixes, Lauren Gonzalez-Johnson, founder of San Antonio repair business Socorro Society, offers wash-away 'stick and stitch' templates ($10 to $85 at SocorroSociety.com). Choose from nature scenes or graphic stitches inspired by a Japanese reinforcement method called sashiko. 'Denim has so much elastic in it now that it disintegrates in the wash,' she said. 'When you wear out that one perfect item, this is how you keep it going.'
Designer items with flashy logos increasingly induce sticker shock. Consider pivoting instead to monogramming.
Lochard will stitch custom initials on a shirt cuff for between $30 to $50, depending on the size of the letters, she says. Embroidery classes can be found at sewing schools across the country. At the Sewing Center in New York, a class costs $95. (You bring the shirt; they'll supply the tools and know-how.)
Adding a singular touch to a handbag that has seen better days is another personalization option. Chicagoan Helena Kim, 33, prolonged the usefulness of a nylon Longchamp tote—a graduation gift from her aunt—by slicing out the damaged sections with a craft knife and patching them up with printed fabric swatches ($2 each on Etsy). Vintage dealer Sarah Hidalgo, 42, suggests adding adornments to a basic carryall. She recently jazzed up an old black handbag by pinning brooches, sourced at thrift stores, to its smooth exterior. 'If the hardware is gold, choose gold brooches to match,' she said. When it comes to scouting the best ornaments, she advises seeking out 'something that invokes a memory or reflects you in some way.' She has paid more for talking points like dachshunds and mermaids (around $7), but you can find cheaper options if you 'buy in bulk on eBay or take the time to hunt in flea markets,' Hidalgo said. Another tip? Avoid hard-to-pierce coated-canvas bags.
Dunking tired clothes into a steamy sink of fabric dye might seem intimidating, but Mandy Lee, a New Yorker in her 30s, says that it elicits the same rush as 'adding to cart.' Her shopping pause—partly prompted by tariff-related shipping costs—led her to plunge a blush-toned slip dress into an inky black bath. 'It's now a critical layering piece in my wardrobe,' said Lee.
Kim, who posts upcycling videos as @Yooon_ie on TikTok, says to 'wear gloves, cover your counters and thrift a big pot if you're worried about your sink.' Before dipping the whole garment, she suggests cutting off and submerging a bit of the inner seam to test the color.
Dyes retail for under $10 at Michaels craft stores, but not all are created for the same task. Ask yourself: 'Is the fabric makeup of your garment natural or synthetic fiber?' directs Lee. Select your dye accordingly and employ a little common sense. 'Don't try to dye a dark blue dress light pink, it's not going to work,' she said.
Another option most people don't consider? 'You can dye shoes, too. It's easy,' said Kim. Most cobblers will do it; the brave can opt to tint at home.
When a seasonal color is trending (such as pale yellow this summer), 'instead of going out and buying new clothes, [you can] just dye a whole new wardrobe,' said Kim.
When Kim happened upon a Coach crossbody bag during a rummage at her local thrift store, it dangled uncomfortably around her knees. 'Some people think it is wrong to punch holes in designer bags, but to me, it is your bag, your life, your rules—why not customize it to your body shape?'
This season, short-strap bags that rest in the crook of the armpit are on-trend. To quickly shorten a long strap, Kim recommends a basic leather hole punch ($12 on Amazon). The process, Kim says, is the same as using a paper hole puncher. 'You don't [even] have to know how to sew.'
The risk-averse can take their handbags to a cobbler. Levi will extend too-short straps or replace a handle entirely for as little as $60. Should your handbag require significantly more TLC, there is likely still hope. 'Most people think, if a part is missing, then it's not repairable,' said Levi. 'But I can change the whole lock system—even if it's not exactly the same one.' The service costs between $30 and $100. If you're simply looking to mend an errant thread or loose buckle, Levi suggests acting at the first sign of trouble. 'Take care of your repairs sooner than later—smaller repairs are cheaper.'
A pair of grandpa's cuff links that hasn't seen daylight in decades can be converted into earrings at a surprisingly low cost. Jeweler Tommy Guthrie at Gem Rock Collective in Houston said he recently turned a pair of stone and silver cuff links into stud earrings for $100 by soldering them onto silver posts. (An earring-to-cuff-link swap is also possible.) Another transformation Guthrie says he sees 'almost daily?' Clients asking him to bring a contemporary feel to an heirloom pearl necklace. 'They'll add beads to spice it up a bit.' At his store, re-knotting a 16-inch necklace will cost $64, while the beads he sells start at $2, 'depending on how fancy [the client] wants to get,' Guthrie said.
Cobb, meanwhile, had a pair of fringed 1980s Chanel earrings, passed down from her stepmother, converted from clip-ons to posts for $80. To transform costume clip-on pairs at home, Hidalgo advises using a wire-cutter to remove the original backs and gluing on gold-plated post ones ($4 on Etsy). Have fun with your vision, but 'just make sure there's a big enough area to anchor a new post,' she said.
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