How to Make Old Clothing Look New - Tips from Project Runway

Original Sakalis design for Project Runway

Times are tight, and spending extra money on new clothing can be a stretch. The answer? Renew the old favorites from your wardrobe with innovative, creative touches.

No stranger to innovative clothing design, Season 6 "Project Runway" contestant Johnny Sakalis says, "I find nothing sexier than people who break from the herd and do their own things." To this 30-year-old FIDM graduate, no media is off-limits - even nail polish is fair game.

Pulling his inspiration from books, music and other pop culture sources, this eclectic Los Angeles-based designer gave eHow some great ideas for achieving DIY style!

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Computer with Internet access
• Basic sketching tools, including a pen, pencil and paper
• Past-season clothing and shoes
• Sewing machine
• Needle and thread
• Scissors
• Nail polish

1. Project Runway designer Johnny Sakalis

   Look to newer sources in inspiration to find different ways to coordinate old favorites. Instead of looking at Vogue, for instance, try glancing at innovative fashion blogs and websites, street fashion books and magazines, or emerging designer collections. Trendsetters now come from all over, so shop for new touches with an open mind. Johnny advises ladies to "be on the look out for pieces that are like no other, whether it be fabrication, cut, drape, or just the aesthetic beauty of them."

2. Plan ahead!

   Don't do DIY without a safety net. A lack of planning is an excellent way to ruin a treasured garment irrevocably. Clothing design pros know that it's always easier to subtract than add elements, so draw and plot to the fullest extent of the imagination. You can always take away pieces that seem to be too much.

3. Old jeans = new skirt

   Jeans and t-shirts are a good starting point for DIY fashion designers. These are made of forgiving fabrics and have simple structures to work with. For Johnny, "Jeans can always become new again with some patching or stitching," and t-shirts are easily replaceable, should there be a problem with the crafting process. His only point of caution? "Just no BEDAZZLING, there is something really wrong with that."

4. Possible destination for old clothes: a quilt

   Clothing doesn't necessarily have to be reborn as another clothing item. Old garments make terrific accessories, as well. It doesn't take much fabric to make a headband, scarf, tote bag, or quilt. Other uses for apparel fabric include place mats and throw pillows. These are small crafts that can extend the life of a favorite item that is simply too tattered to keep in wearable form.

5. An unexpected fashion medium

   Other beauty items can be combined with apparel to make something truly creative. For example, Johnny's latest project combines shoes and an old favorite, nail polish: "I started recently painting old sample pumps with nail polish. If you have the time and the patience to do it, a metallic color or even textured nail polish can make an old pair of pumps brand new again, and you know that no one will ever have the same shoes as you on." To avoid frustration and mistakes, plan and sketch your design on paper first, then trace it onto the shoe with a pencil. Paint the shoe, and allow ample time for drying before wear.

Tips & Warnings

• Even if your inspiration feels completely unrelated to fashion, follow where it takes you. Johnny pulls his vision from many sources, including Francis Bacon, Scottish drum and bagpipe tunes and Isabella Blow. As a result, his work is "Scottish Highlands meets Saville Row. For me, it's gonna be a definite return to tailoring and sculpting and razor sharp cutting."

Resources

• Project Runway: Every Thursday on Lifetime
• Official Johnny Sakalis for John Sakalis Facebook Page
• Find other eHow