Second Hand Clothes

One of the less savory aspects of buying second hand and vintage clothes is that they have a history and sometimes there may be lasting evidence of their past life in the form of stains. It is always advisable to consider any stains when buying. It will not always be possible to remove them e.g. perspiration stain on silk and linen and mildew. For items of clothing that are very old or valuable, it is always best to send them to a specialist cleaner for stain removal. If you do want to have a go at removing the stains yourself, here are a few suggestions. However I would recommend always testing any stain removal including water on a small inconspicuous area as I accept no responsibility what so ever for any damage caused by these suggestions.


Perspiration

try baking soda and water mixed into a paste

then rinse

then salt and water mixed into a paste

then rinse

next paste of crushed aspirin, cream of tartar and water, leave for 20 minutes then rinse

Wash by machine or hand with an aspirin tablet

Make a solution of 1 tbs. of white vinegar and 1 cup water, dab on stain, rinse well.



Make up

Rub with a slice of white bread!

Blood

Rub with plain toothpaste then rinse (beware of bleaching on coloured fabrics)

Dirty Collars

Try rubbing in a mild shampoo then rinsing. For yellowing try shampoos that are used for bluing grey hair.

Rust

Stretch the fabric over a pot of boiling water, squeeze fresh lemon juice onto the stain then rinse.

Vinegar is also a great stain remover and can be used to pre treat or soak a number of different stains before washing including tomato, tea, coffee, wine, mustard, grease, sweat, grass, ink and deodrant.

Stains that are set in can also often be removed by applying a paste of vinegar and baking soda.

Your wedding day will be one of the most impoartant days of your life and yo will want to look gorgeous in every way. But weddings are very expensive affairs and there are bound to be some budget constraints stopping you from getting everything you want for the big day.

When it comes to a wedding dress,a second hand dress can be a great choice for a number of reasons:

As most people only get married once (or at least in the same dress, a second hand dress is likely to be almost as good as new.

A second hand dress will be a lot cheaper than a brand new alternative. This means that you can buy a really gorgeous style and you will probably be able to afford a much better quality dress second hand than you could afford if you opted for new.

How gorgeous, you look is dependant on finding a style of dress that really suits you. You can try on all sorts of dresses before deciding which style of second dresses to go for.

With a second hand dress, you can have it altered to ensure that it fits perfectly. This is almost as good as a made to measure dress and as good as a new off the peg dress.

If you have spent a bit less money on your wedding dress, you will probably feel more relaxed and able to enjoy yourself without worrying about damaging it.

By saving money on key wedding items like the wedding dress, you can ensure that you get off to the right start in your married life with no debts and years of paying off your wedding to contend with.

picture from www. vam.ac.uk

The three R' s have an important message for those who want to save the planet. The Reduce, recycle and reuse mantra is one chanted by many but how many actually apply it to all areas of their lives. Clothing and textiles is an area where we can all make a difference in terms of waste and landfill. We can all use the three R's for managing our own wardrobes:

Reduce - reduce the manufacture of new clothes by buying clothes second hand. This helps to reduce green house gases, fossil fuel consumption and chemical pollution caused by the cultivation of natural fibres and manufacture of textiles.

Recycle - recycle your old clothes by swapping them or selling them second hand. If you don't have time, donate them to charity or if they are not in very good condition take them to a clothing bank. This will help reduce the amount of clothes that are disposed of in landfill.

Reuse- Reuse your clothes by repairing them and storing them carefully. Always by quality clothes that will last and can be reused for many years instead of poor quality fast fashions. This will help to reduce all of the environmental impacts of the manufacture, distribution and disposal of clothes.

The papers and news are filled with talk of economic doom and gloom. Whilst not wanting to get overly obsessed with it, so many people are affected it is hard to ignore it completely. Even those not directly affected by the recession are beginning to think more carefully about their consumerism and considering spending less and putting some money away for a rainy day. So how can you continue to be stylish and look great in a recession.

Swap unwanted clothes for something different - this is a great way to refresh your wardrobe and give it a new lease of life without spending any money. Also a great way to change previous mistake buys for something you will wear.

Sell old clothes -If there is something that you have been lusting after for ages and desperately want and need but can't afford, why not clear out your wardrobe and sell any clothes that you no longer wear. You can then use the money to buy what ever you like.

Alternatives to full price clothes - when buying new clothes, there are plenty of alternatives to paying full price. Try shopping the sales, designer sample sales and second hand clothes websites. There are often new items advertised that still have tags on or have only been worn once or twice at a fraction of their original price.

Websites for swapping, selling and buying second hand clothes are a great way to look stylish in a recession.

When it comes to finding second hand clothes, there is a knack to finding an amazing bargain. You can buy something amazing at a fraction of the price that it would be new, you can also find somthing that is not so great. Here are some suggestions to help you distinguish between the good, the bad and the ugly.

The good - look for classic styles, expensive labels, natural fabrics, details like bias binding on the inside seams, quality linings, intricate and interesting details like beadwork and embroidery, stain free, damge free, beautifully clean and pressed, brand new with tags still on and clothing with no signs of wear and tear.

The bad -minor damage like moth holes, buttons missing, cheap synthetic clothes that you love something about, slightly musty but nothing that a trip to the dry cleaners won't fix, pilling

The Ugly - fast fashion that was not good the first time round, very creased clothes where the creases have discoloured, bad perspiration marks or smell, puckered seams, bad alterations, over stretched knitwear

So you are expecting a baby, congratulations. There is so much to think about including maternity clothes, baby clothes and baby equipment. It can be a really expensive time and maternity clothes are something that you will need and want but will not be worn for very long. It is important that you look and feel good during your pregnancy. A great way to get nice and good quality maternity clothes without spending a fortune is by looking for second hand maternity clothes. The great thing about second hand maternity clothes is that they probably won't have had much wear so will be in quite good condition.

For a special occasion or evening event, it is likely that you will not want to spend too much money on a piece of clothing that will only be worn once. This is an ideal time to look for second hand maternity clothes. Again they are likely to have only been worn once or twice so will be in excellent condition.

You should usually buy maternity clothes in your usual size as they allow for growth of the baby. However sometimes shrinkage can occur and you should bear in mind that different brands may have slightly different sizing. If in doubt always opt for slightly bigger than you need rather than slightly smaller, this will give some room for comfort.

Brown flower glass vintage buttons from http://www.ejrbeads.co.uk/

• Missing buttons - you can get a whole new set of buttons of the right size and replace all of the buttons. If you want vintage buttons try http://www.ejrbeads.co.uk/.



• Missing trim, ribbon or lace - you can replace these with new trim ribbon or lace.



• Faded second hand clothes - you can try dying these clothes back to a similar colour or a different colour. Bear in mind that different materials and threads may go different colours and that the final colour will depend on the colour that you started with.



• Moth holes - moths ruin many beautiful clothes. If the hole is small and not in too obvious a place, you can patch with a little bit of material from an inside seam.



• If the scale of the damage is just too much to repair, think creatively about whether it could be turned into something else eg jeans into a skirt, a dress into a top, a long skirt into a shorter skirt.

The spring (not too far away now) is a great time to go through your wardrobe and weed out any clothes that are wasting space and never get worn. When editing your wardrobe you should consider which clothes make you look and feel good and which clothes never see the light of day (for what ever reason). Just because something doesn't suit of fit you, that does not mean that it won't suit or fit someone else. You can give your self a really good incentive to clear out your wardrobe by selling or swapping any clothes that you no longer want. Some prime candidates for selling or swapping include:

• Anything you are just plain bored of
• Anything that no longer fit
• Anything that you bought in error and does not suit your colouring or flatter your body shape
• Anything that you have never worn or not worn in at least a year.
• Anything from a previous life that is no longer relevant eg maternity clothes if you are no longer pregnant, business suits if you have given up your executive job to become a full time mum.

Once you have had a good clear out, you can look at what you have left and if there is anything else that you need. Think carefully what sort of clothes suit your shape and lifestyle. There is no point in buying stilleto heels if you have to walk miles to work each day and will never wear them. Look for well fitting quality clothes that fit with your existing wardrobe and are versatile.