Hoarding with a twist

Recently my workmate handed me a copy of this article about hoarding to make fun of my habit of keeping just about everything (I set myself up for it, really, with this recent post).
I don’t really think of myself as a hoarder… at least, I didn’t until I read this bit:
“The council defines hoarding as the “acquisition of and failure to discard a large number of possessions that appear to be useless or of limited value”.”
Um. OK, but things that are “useless or of limited value” to one person might be someone else’s prized possessions. You know, one girl’s trash is another’s treasure, and all that.


“Did someone say ‘hard rubbish’?”

This skirt is a perfect example of both “hoarding” and the “limited value” points. I have had it for more than a year now (the “hoarding” bit) and I acquired it at a swapping event because someone else obviously had no need for it (the “limited value” part).

I haven’t worn it yet because it’s extremely unforgiving when worn as a dress, which is what it actually is (you can see what I mean here). It came with this instruction sheet to demonstrate how many ways it can be worn but it only recently occurred to me to try it as a skirt.

Strangely enough, my friend was thinking about making a very similar dress, so if you’re in the mood for DIY you may want to check this out (you could easily make the skirt straight instead of full circle).

This is what it looks like before the bust/strap parts are arranged properly. Basically a straight (and ruched, but it doesn’t have to be) skirt with long bits attached at the front waist, all made from stretchy material.


It can be worn lots of ways, but if you want to wear it as a simple skirt with a bit of hip detail, here’s my crappy attempt at a tutorial.

Throw the right strap over your shoulder to get it out of the way while you bring the left strap around your back with your right hand, stretching it out to the side with your left hand as you do to create draping on the hip. Make sure to keep the right strap free.

Repeat for the other side, trying to keep hip drapes even (this requires a bit of coordination!).

Now bring the ends of both straps to the front…

Cross over or tie the straps at the front, making sure not to lose the draping at the hips.

Finally, tie the straps in a knot or bow at the back.

Ta da! Who says this only has limited value now!?

I admit I still haven’t actually worn it out yet because it does need quite high heels to show it off to its best advantage, but I love how easy it was to take it from a full-on glam number to a much more casual piece. Definitely worth remembering for those weekends away when you need a fancy frock as well as something you can wear to breakfast. Just ditch the diamonds after the posh dinner, chuck on a T-shirt and some colourful accessories (you can see the earrings I made a bit better here) and you have yourself the perfect daywear look!

Category : free stuff, hoarding, style tips, The Clothing Exchange