TIPS 4 PPL STRUGGLING TO DRESS ALT

i just went through a few pages on the "fashion/style/shopping" blog section and saw an unfortunate amount of entries that were along the lines of "ughhh i need money so i can dress in x style" and i know i'm not the first person to say this but you don't need a lot of money to dress alt!! most alt styles are based in DIY culture and literally every alt person that i know buys most of their clothes second-hand!

and considering this topic i also need to say that as annoying as it might be, it's gonna take time to build your wardrobe!! i was about 14 when i started dressing alt and all i had back then were a thrifted pair of black skinny jeans and a couple of black t-shirts and a hoodie that were handed down to me, but now 8 years later at 22 my wardrobe consists of cool clothes only!! (i'd like to say that my wardrobe is perfect but alas nothing ever is and desire is the root of all suffering etc. and there is always something that i want and something that could be cooler... i am however constantly working on improving it!!)

however my main point of this entry is THRIFTING and DIY-ING to build you wardrobe!!!! i have dabbled in and take inspiration from many different subcultures (emo, punk, goth (trad, mall goth, industrial), visual kei, metal...) so my tips should work for a majority of styles. and if something doesn't work exactly as it is, use your imagination and figure out something else!!

THRIFTING

★ obviously look for any sick pieces that some other alt person has given away!! they are rare, at least where i live, but sometimes you can get lucky!

★ online thrift stores usually have more alt pieces than physical stores but they also usually cost way more online

★ look for basic pieces like (black) hoodies, shirts, skirts etc... they can either work like that or you can DIY them to look cooler!!

★ also keep an eye out for things that have cool details like lace or chains or even a cool graphic that you can use on something else, as well as pieces that have cool fabric but are for example an ugly shape or the wrong size

★ if the thrift store you're shopping at has different areas for women and men, don't forget to check them both!!

DIY

★ trash things that you already own. ripped jeans, tights, shirts with cut-outs...

★ i was really late to realising this but using fabric dye!!! there are multiple different types so you should be able to dye even synthetic fabrics, probably things like leather and pvc are about the only fabrics that fabric dyes don't work on

★ on a similar vein, fabric paint. for patches even acrylic paint works (i personally like to paint the first layer with fabric paint and the rest with acrylic, it holds on better (also a thing to note is that acrylic paint is cheaper than fabric paint, and there are also paint thinners that you can add to acrylic paint which is also cheaper (there is also the option of st34ling stuff but do this at your own risk... and don't steal from small businesses!!!!))

★ add chains, spikes, lace, ribbons, safety pins, sequins... anywhere that you think they would look sick

★ cut the prints off of old/too small t-shirts and sew them somewhere else! for example i've used an old t-shirt to make a back patch for one of my jackets

★ add corset lacing on things. if you can't get your hands on actual grommets, chain links work too! just sew them on the fabric and lace up (i suggest using thick sewing thread/yarn cause after using the really thin that most sewing machines use i found out that the chain links are prone to falling out since they are kinda impossible to close completely...)

★ cut off the sleeves of a shirt, maybe use them as arm warmers or replace another shirt's sleeves with them... you can also easily make those lip service-esque removable sleeves with some ribbon and safety pins (in its simplest form)

★ embroider simple pictures or words on your clothes

★ i haven't yet managed to try out this myself so i don't know how well it actually works but sewing a fur trim on a jacket or a cardigan should be pretty easy at least in theory... (i will make a blog entry once i finally manage to test it out! i just need to find some kind of fake fur piece, i already have a jacket i'm planning to try it on...)

★ can tabs can be used to make bracelets, chokers, wallet chains... i'm currently collecting them to try making a belt hehe (i also just saw a picture where someone used them as hair accessories and it looked kinda sick... i'm gonna test it out once i get back home)

★ even if you aren't a professional seamstress, you should be able to execute simple sewing like taking in a piece of clothing or shortening something etc. quite easily. and if you have enough motivation you can literally sew new things from old stuff that you own or from some thrift finds that wouldn't work for you otherwise 

★ crocheting and knitting are easy ways to make cool things for yourself! to me personally crocheting is easier and faster and wayyy more enjoyable than knitting and i've crocheted things such as scarfs, beanies and even one sweater!! 

★ for shoes painting is often possible. also changing different laces makes a difference, and you can also add things such as beads into the laces

OTHER

★ check out the halloween stuff in fall!! they usually have cheap things that work in different alt styles. also to get them for even cheaper, check out the sales on that stuff right after halloween

★ costume/party stores often have things like fishnets, tights, socks, accessories etc. for way cheaper than actual alternative stores

★ overall accessorizing is an easy and generally a cheap way to elevate your style

★ i've also found that literally just trying on your clothes, trying to style them and put together outfits makes you figure out ways to make them look more alt than they might actually be

that is all for now!!! once i get home i'll make an entry with actual examples from my wardrobe to really illustrate the possibilities... the entry should be up next weekend!!

hopefully this helps someone!! <3

v4mp1r3v33r4 signing off...