Redress

I’ve been trying to shop in my own closet lately. It’s a great way to save money obviously, yet it also feels like a smart way of helping out the environment in one small, little way. Granted, I am a total shopper–there’s no two ways about it! That’s something that will never change. But, trying to slim down my intake, making more qualitative choices rather than quantity, and searching with what I already have makes me feel like a more conscious consumer.

Here I totally redressed one of my denim shirts–embarrassingly, I have a few of them, but this particular one is different in that it is sleeveless plus it has studs. However, I have and prefer my sleeveless jean jacket to fall back on for this look. I also own two items that I was never wearing, but could also never give away. The beaded necklace was a beautiful gift from David Bouchard when he visited us at the American School of Bombay. One of the leather ties was broken making it difficult to wear. The bandana I have had for even longer: since college at the University of Washington! This was actually a napkin that I picked up at Miller Pollard (which sadly has closed!) while working there my senior year. I could hardly ever get rid of this adorably red kerchief. By adding both of these special items to my denim shirt, I’ve got a new embellished one that feels perfectly made for me!

This dress has also been sitting in my closet for years. Every time I clean out my closet, this wrap dress got thrown in the give away pile, but then it creeped back in. I think it’s the bright colored stripes that get me every time. I love color! Well, this time I redressed it into a new fall trend: the midi skirt. It’s flouncy and full while still remaining a colorful staple in my closet.

You might be wondering why I keep using the word “redress.” Redress is an NGO in Hong Kong that focuses its energy on promoting sustainability in the Asian fashion industry. One of the very first fashion events I went to in Hong Kong was sponsored by Redress last December, and it is since this time that the concept of redressing my wardrobe was planted. At the event last December there were all these piles of used clothes, and stylists from the area had created looks based on the clothes. It was really cool to see what they came up with. Of course my favorite ensemble was from Sabrina Sikora, but you can see all the looks here. This beauty could put on rags and be stylish!

For all of this redressing of my wardrobe, I head to my cutie pie tailor Yi at Sun and Moon in Stanley Market. She’s just great. Yi listens attentively, and even if we don’t actually speak with one another, we manage to communicate just fine. (She also helped me redress this white blazer.)

Would you like some help figuring out how you could redress an item in your wardrobe? Send me a line, and I’d be happy to help you out.