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Get creative and customise your clothes. Sarah Louise Taylor gives a few pointers to get you started.
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Style experts are always telling us to hit the shops and update our wardrobes with lots of new gear. Even if you love shopping, you might not have the cash to splash out on new outfits each time trends change. Fortunately, for those who enjoy a bit of DIY, there's an alternative - customising. Altering your clothes can be as simple or as complicated as you like and doesn't have to cost a penny.
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Before you get crafty, make sure to read up on the latest fashion trends and take note of any key details which you like. Corsages, ruffles, patches, rosettes, ribbons, buttons, rivets and safety pins are all very popular with fashion folk this summer. Once you've found some details that appeal to you, hunt through a pile of your old clothes and select some garments that you'd like to re-invent. Remember to only ever customise clothes which you can live without just in case it goes horribly wrong!
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Once you've chosen some clothes, it's up to you how creative you'd like to be, but if you're a first timer it's best to start small.
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For a bit of bondage punk style, slash some slits into a T-shirt and then fasten them up using some chunky safety pins or if you're confident enough, create some rivets and tie up the slits with some leather laces. Alternatively, decorate an old denim or leather jacket with some graffiti or random streaks of spray paint which is available in loads of shades - including fluorescent oranges and pinks - from most good DIY stores. If you're not sure about creating abstract patterns, make a stencil first by printing out a picture or some text onto a sheet of paper. To ensure a clearer image from your stencil, attach the paper to a piece of card using glue (preferably spray mount) and then carefully cut out the image with a scalpel.
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If you prefer something more feminine, create fabric corsages with a strip of thin material such as lace or silk. Just loosely roll the strip of fabric and then feather it until it resembles a rose. Once you're happy with the form, either secure it with a ribbon or stitch it directly onto a top. Those who want something a little more daring but still pretty could try attaching lots of mismatching buttons or old necklaces onto a selected area of a garment.
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