It happens every year, yet somehow so many of us leave it until the last minute to come up with a suitable New Years Eve fancy dress outfit idea that fit the ‘theme’ for the night. A lack of planing can mean your outfit WOW factor is compromised (obviously not what you want) and it’s highly likely that you’ll end up buying things you’ll only use once, wasting money and being stuck with wardrobe clutter for one-wear–outfits…(which will probably end up in the charity shop or landfill in years to come). Knowing that our lack of planning for nights like this can contribute to the 300,000 tonnes sent to landfill (2016 figures) every quarter, is surely enough to make us all think about better options for not only our purse but the planet. (source: WRAP) So how can you do NYE in a fun, classy and sustainable way?
Well I’ve given that some thought…here are 4 ideas that you can work with straight away.
Try These Sustainable New Year’s Eve Outfit Ideas:
- Embrace your alter ego – channel your darker side or more adventurous you, over emphasis your personal qualities (and assets) if you’re going for a fancy dress night. I’ve got a friend who has a wild version of herself (she even has a name!) she likes to bring her out for fun nights as a way to escape the reality of day-to-day life. It sounds crazy but I think deep down, we can all relate to the fear of judgement as we get older we are expected to live a certain way. Face-paint, normal make-up, accessories, hairstyles and masks can work wonders for over-exaggerating certain looks. Meaning you don’t need a whole new outfit – just focus on your face. Play around with your alter-ego and see what you can come up with! I started to create a Pinterest Board here with a few ideas
- Go back in time – what would the version of you 10-years ago worn? Do you have any old clothes you’ve kept hold of but feel like you’ve not wanted to let them go? I had a pair of skin tight high waisted ‘Sandy from Greece’ style plastic trousers with cyber print patterns on when I was 18-years old. I wore these with pointy high heeled shoes, a blue crop top (so 1990s) and a big shaggy fur coat. Sounds dreadful but the younger me was way ‘out there’ and I loved to look different to everyone else. What could you borrow or rent from a shop that could take you back in time to the good old days?
- Guess Who – Find a friend who is the same size as you and do a total image swap, you may need to be creative and potentially rent a wig for the evening, but it’s a really fun way for you and a good friend to have a hilariously funny evening, dressing as one another and mimicking one another’s little mannerisms and quirkiness (WARNING: Do this with a friend you love as alcohol has a great way of fuelling the beast – so exercise this new year’s eve’s fancy dress style tip with caution and a lot of water).
- Become your icon – if fancy dress really isn’t your thing how about imitating your icon? Whether it’s Monroe or Elizabeth Taylor or even Emma Watson, pick out the things your LOVE about them and try and pull together a look that you think they would wear based on what you’ve got in your current wardrobe. If you’re missing a few bits, ask a friend first, the next step beyond that is to rent something from a vintage shop.
Before buying anything new I would suggest checking out Pinterest and googling some ideas. Have a picture of the outfit or mask, accessories etc you want to recreate. Go to your nearest Vintage Store with a photo of whoever’s look you’d like to recreate and ask for some help scouting out some pieces. Vintage lovers are serious about clothes and they’ll know where all the best bits are in the shop. You just need to ask them and they’ll genuinely enjoy helping you shop vintage and giving pre-loved clothing a new lease of life.
If you’re in London and looking for London vintage stores then head over to the Ethical Brand Directory and check out our newest feature which can be accessed by the filters -enabling you to view Vintage stores in London on the map.
And of course let’s not forget if you’re good with a pair of scissors, needle and thread or even a sewing machine, it’s always better to make something from scrap materials than buying something new.
All that’s left to say is Happy New Year and if this blog has been helpful please leave me a comment below.
Roberta x
