What to wear for party season, without buying anything new

In my immigrant family, rewearing clothes is hardly a revolutionary act. Sustainability was never the crux of the issue; my parents were teaching me lessons that I have carried into adulthood. The first, never to be afraid to repeat an outfit and the second, that a life event doesn’t require new clothing for it to be meaningful.

Every couple of months, my older cousin would visit with bags of clothing, and my sister and I would take our pick of them. We could wear these clothes throughout high school and even into college, though they were second-hand. We’d style them differently or wear them in ways our older cousin hadn’t, in turn making them our own. It wasn’t charity, it wasn’t poverty, it was a masterclass in the art of rewearing clothes.

In spite of this, I inevitably fell into the trap of over-consuming fast fashion in recent years. Fast fashion, social media, TV and celebrity culture have greatly impacted our relationship with clothing. Somewhere along my journey, rewearing became a glaring faux pas. Our fast fashion-obsessed brains told us that after maybe three wears – or three washes – an item was dead and we needed something new. It didn’t help that influencers were promoting fast fashion with huge hauls; our favourite celebrities are rarely seen in the same look twice.

This is at odds with fashion’s current favourite six-syllable buzzword: sustainability. There seems to be a movement of people eschewing fast fashion in favour of second-hand shops and even – wait for it – embracing outfit repeating.

But, of course, the holidays are just around the corner, signalling the start of party season and all manner of gatherings. Should you be looking to approach this period a little more consciously, I asked four doyennes of slow fashion for their tips on what to wear for party season without buying anything new.

Rosette Ale began dressing sustainably over a decade ago and hasn’t looked back since. Alongside her day job as an analyst, Ale is also a sustainable content creator and has created her own label Revival London, which produces small batches of clothes using reclaimed textiles. According to Ale, intentionality is key when investing in new items, which is why charity shops, clothing swapping and renting clothing are her three go-tos. “I’m a huge advocate of styling the same pieces in multiple ways,” she tells Stylist. “Have you tried contrasting your blue shirt with that pink skirt you’ve never worn? Can you wear that maxi skirt as a dress?”

She advises tapping into your creativity to play around with pairings you never thought could work. “Another option is to modify, customise or rework something in your wardrobe,” she says. Dresses can be cut in two to create co-ords and jeans can become playful tops. Ale runs upcycling workshops throughout the year teaching people how to breathe new life into old clothing.

Oluwaseun Ogunsola doesn’t call herself a slow fashion influencer, because she isn’t one. She simply does her part when it comes to sustainability by changing the way she shops. “Sustainability to me is investing in luxury items and investment pieces that you know you’re able to get a lot of wear out of and buying second hand when you can,” she says.

Her rule for party dressing is to try shopping your own wardrobe, which will enable you to find duality in the items you already own. A favourite tip of hers is to take her short party dresses and tuck them into jeans or trousers to wear them in a different way. Anything that has dramatic shoulders or fun detailing can be worn with a pair of black trousers, which are a staple in Ogunsola’s wardrobe. Even if you’re wearing something you’ve worn countless times before, simply switching up your make-up can give the outfit a whole new vibe. She adds: “Whenever I’m wearing an outfit and I’ve put on red lipstick, suddenly it is a party outfit.”

Ellen Robinson’s career started on YouTube, where she grew her following by filming a lot of fast fashion hauls. Having built and established a cult following, Robinson turned her back on fast fashion several years ago and crafted her own corner of the internet on Instagram, where she posts her exclusively second-hand clothing hauls.

Her tips for dressing for party season are to rewear, restyle and dig deep into your closet for blasts from the past. “Everybody’s got a party dress or a party outfit in their wardrobe that they bought for one occasion and they’ve posted it on Instagram, so they now don’t want to wear it again,” she says. Make your wardrobe work for you by mixing different trousers with tops you haven’t worn with them before and shoes you wouldn’t normally think to wear. “Red is always a winner, so if you have something velvety or something sparkly already in your wardrobe, all you have to do is try it with different hair or even make-up,” she adds.

“My philosophy when it comes to style is always to dress like you love yourself,” says Sinéad Khan of the concept she started applying to her daily life during the pandemic. In fact, becoming more intentional with her clothing choices was the gateway to a deeper connection with herself.

“Wear something that makes you feel good, and if you wore it previously, add different accessories. If there was ever a time to go all out, it’s during the holidays. Rock the sequin top that’s been tucked away since last year. Let that be your statement piece and pair it with a neutral bottom,” she tells Stylist. “And if you want to get philosophical, when you’re outfit repeating, think about how you’ve changed as a person since the last time you wore something and how the new version of yourself would wear that item.”Read more at: https://www.formaldressuk.com/collections/yellow-prom-dresses | https://www.formaldressuk.com/collections/purple-prom-dresses