Dip D.I.Y.

TAMARA LEONARD shows you how to update your look on a student budget.

| UPDATED

It’s an age-old problem. After looking through ten drawers of clothes, your wardrobe and the pile on your floor, you wail: “I HAVE NOTHING TO WEAR!”

But before you head to the Bullring to splash out on something you can’t afford, take another look at all the items you’ve discarded. There are lots of things you can do to save the pennies and update your look:

1. Customise

You can change your current outfit with very little effort, saving your money for more important things, like Adam’s Place.

Tie-dye and dip-dye are massive trends for all items of clothing right now, and so easy to do.

Compare this ‘Vintage’ Jumper, on sale for £25, with our own effort:

£25?! No thanks.

Free?! Yes please.

This is easily done by grabbing a bottle of bleach (29p from Tesco) and filling a sink with some water and a liberal amount of said bleach. Dip one half of your chosen item in, and leave overnight. The next day, shove it in the washing machine and voila: you’ve saved £25.

Studs can be added at around 99p from trusty old Ebay, bringing any item up to date.

For more professional Up-cycling advice, pop over to the ReThink ReMake ReLove workshops at the Custard Factory, Digbeth.

Rethink Remake Relove

2. Clothes swap

This really is as simple as it sounds. Get a bunch of your friends together and bring:

  •  A pile of clothes you no longer wear
  • Alcohol and junk food
Eat, drink and swap. Easy.

3. Charity shop

Charity shops can be a bit hit and miss, and require dedication. But, honestly, many so-called vintage shops have the same stock, and the same stale, old-people smell. Plus, shopping in charity shops gives you a warm, fuzzy feeling. Some of my absolute favourite clothes come from charity shops, and Harborne is an absolute gem for bargain hunters.

One very happy shopper!

Check out my favourites:

– British Heart Foundation, 159 High Street

– Cancer Research, 67 High Street

– Barnardos, 205 Corporation Street

– Marie Curie, 1160 Warwick Road

– PDSA, 151 New Road

See, updating your look on a student budget couldn’t be easier. What are you waiting for? Get dip-DIYing.