I get this question from clients all the time:

I have this great blazer that I just don’t think looks right on me.  Should I just get rid of it?

My answer to that is, “it depends”.

You know my thoughts here.  I’d rather you keep and re-love a garment (maybe with some alterations) than buy something new.  This helps you stretch your hard earned dollars.

As you know, I rarely open up my client engagements in this way.  Having said that, I thought this one would be valuable in getting my point across about re-loving and re-using your exisitng items.

My client, pictured here, had this blazer in her wardrobe.

She freely admitted that it just didn’t fit right when she tried it on in the store but that she loved the pattern.  She bought it anyways. Surprise, surprise.  She’s never worn it.  As you can likely appreciate, I hear that all the time.

I took a look at the jacket and, yes, agreed with her that it didn’t quite work. It fit in the shoulders, the sleeve length was good and the hem was right for a boyfriend blazer.  It was shapeless through the torso. As it was, the blazer did NOTHING to highlight her lovely shape.

With some minor pinning, I showed her the potential in this blazer.

She has a tiny waist and should really show it off. By adding darts to the front and back, her waistline would be highlighted.

Added style tip: I suggested she also have small shoulder pads added in.  This would add more structure to the garment and would visually create more of an angle between her shoulder, waist and hip.

Do you have an old garment hanging around that you’ve forgotten about?

Try re-loving it.