Food, Home and Style

How to Shop in Your Closet for New Year’s Eve

With all the sales taking place and New Year’s just days away, it can be tempting to hit the stores for some new party duds. But face it (as I recently did): You have plenty of clothes.  You just overspent on holiday gifts. And even the gainfully employed learned this year about the importance of being  frugal. So here’s how to shop in your closet, and some sparkle to your evening without spending:

Repurpose Your Jewels

Works especially well with hand-me-downs from mom and grandma. Hang a big rhinestone pin on some ribbon to make a new necklace. Attach some bobby pins and clip it into your hair. As the fabulous Julie Greene suggested, pop oversized earrings onto your shoes.

Tie One On

Scarves don’t have to be grandmotherly. Take a big, bright one and punch up a plain dress by wearing it as a sash with a bow. Take a small, bright one and wear it as a bracelet by folding it in half diagonally, rolling it up into a band, and wrapping it twice around. See if a shawl works as a wrap skirt or halter top.

Try Some DIY Alterations

Have a great dress that just feels tired? Un-professionally alter it. Gather up one side of a long skirt and fasten it with a brooch. Try wearing it backwards. And don’t be afraid of scissors. Last year I took a dress that had a sequined skirt overlaid with taffeta, slicing the taffeta up the side to show the shine, leaving the edges raw.

Be-Ribbon

One of my prouder adolescent fashion moments (there were a lot I’d rather not recall) was grabbing a spool of plaid ribbon from my mother’s sewing room right before a holiday party and artfully (I thought) winding it around a black dress. Yes, it was the late 80s. But you can still be creative with the stuff.  Wind narrow, colorful ribbon through curly hair. Tie on a wide length of black satin as a choker. Black velvet does double duty as a belt.

Mix, Don’t Match

We often default to “pretty” for parties–cute shoes, cute necklace, cute dress. Put a fresh spin on things by wearing punky accessories with something classically formal–hard-edged boots, spiky jewelry–or vice-versa, throwing pearls with denim.

Go Pale

Ditch the black dress — summer shades can pop in the winter. Think cream, beige, white, pale pink. Go for embellished pieces, and layer for warmth.

Tags: holidays, new frugal, style