What to Do With Outdated Bridesmaid Apparel

Considered one of many greatest honors in life is being requested by your biggest good pal to be a bridesmaid. From watching them marry the love of their life to creating lifelong reminiscences on the reception dance flooring, having a job inside the marriage ceremony ceremony event is known as a explicit distinction. Nonetheless as quickly because the festivities are over and the post-wedding bliss begins to fade away, you might start to think about what to do collectively together with your bridesmaid robe.

Usually, many bridesmaids choose to take care of their ensembles, opting to placed on them to a distinct formal affair at a later date. However, while you aren’t an infinite fan of your robe, in any other case you merely would not have the closet home to retailer a look you’ll attainable certainly not placed on as soon as extra, there are quite a few creative strategies to repurpose and even say goodbye to your marriage ceremony ceremony day ensemble. From donating it to a worthy set off to upcycling it, renting it, and even selling it, there are tons of prospects to consider.

Ahead, we tapped into Risa Kostis, the founding father of Risa Kostis Creative, for her skilled suggestion on how one can care for your used marriage ceremony ceremony event attire. Here’s what to do with earlier bridesmaid apparel.

The way in which to Promote Your Bridesmaid Costume

As a substitute of getting your robe behind your closet gathering mud, why not put it on the market and make some cash? Thankfully, there are tons of fashion resale web sites on the market proper now, and likewise you actually can’t go incorrect with any of them. For a lot of who want help narrowing down their selections, though, beneath are a number of of the prime on-line platforms the place it’s possible you’ll promote your bridesmaid robe.

Poshmark

Poshmark is an efficient selection while you’re making an attempt to make a quick buck. What’s good is that you’d be capable to negotiate with patrons, and Kostis even supplies, “This could be a good web site while you’re ready to barter on worth, they normally take care of the transport label so all it is a should to do is bundle deal and ship.”

Fb Market

If you’ve however to delve into the world of Fb Market, now’s the time to find this unbelievable platform. All that it’s essential to do is create a put up describing your robe, and likewise you’ll shortly start to acquire messages from people in your house who’re captivated with shopping for it. “There are so many wedding-related Fb groups proper now, and it’s the right place to place up your merchandise to an enormous group directly,” Kostis explains. “It’s the right helpful useful resource for crowd-sharing and selling!”

Social Media

Social media (i.e. Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Fb, and Snapchat) is your best option for a lot of who don’t want to spend an extreme period of time and energy on selling their bridesmaid robe on-line. Merely add a few clear footage to your story and inform people to DM you within the occasion that they’re . “My suggestion is to easily settle for price by way of Zelle sooner than transport to ensure a secure sale when you choose this route,” shares Kostis.

Borrowing Magnolia

Borrowing Magnolia is one different good web site to look into, as a result of it’s significantly curated to advertise wedding-related attire. The easiest half? As a substitute of taking a price, the platform takes a flat cost, so exactly how rather a lot you’ll make as quickly as your sale is full. “The platform is custom-made significantly for marriage ceremony ceremony attire, so they’re working onerous behind the scenes to help uncover a brand new residence in your robe,” notes Kostis.

Luxurious Resale Web sites

In case your bridesmaid robe isn’t a run-of-the-mill ensemble, nonetheless, fairly, a designer or costlier look, you might want to consider selling it on an expensive resale web site, like The RealReal, Dora Maar, Vestiare Collective, and 1st Dibs. Kostis supplies, “If you’ll be shopping for an expensive bridesmaid gown, my suggestion is to save lots of a number of the distinctive tags and packaging, know the sort establish of your piece, and always get it professionally cleaned immediately after sporting it.”

The way in which to Donate Your Bridesmaid Costume

If you’re obtainable available in the market to donate your bridesmaid robe, there are scores of great non-profit institutions which may prefer to receive your look. “These organizations not solely current formal attire to [individuals] in need however as well as help to promote confidence and vainness by allowing school college students to attend very important events, like promenade and graduation, with out financial burden,” shares Kostis.

Unsure which group to contact? We suggest making an attempt into Operation Promenade, Becca’s Closet, The Princess Enterprise, Cinderella’s Closet, and Donate My Costume if opting to take the donation route. Each of these areas accepts gently used garments that they, in flip, hand over to highschool school college students and people who might need considerably little little bit of help when dressing for promenade and completely different school dances and events.

The way in which to Repurpose Your Bridesmaid Costume

When you consider your self to be clever or are ready to take your ensemble to a seamstress, there are a plethora of easy methods to creatively repurpose your bridesmaid robe.

Make it proper right into a skirt or prime.

Deciding to point out your bridesmaid robe proper right into a skirt and/or prime is just not as onerous because it may sound. Kostis shares, “You probably can take away the bodice of the robe and change the skirt portion proper right into a standalone skirt. Alternatively, it’s possible you’ll repurpose the fabric to create a model new prime, harking back to a bustier or crop prime, supplying you with a current, bespoke piece that may commemorate your memory of the wedding.”

Rework it proper right into a cocktail robe.

In case your bridesmaid robe is a full-length gown, and you’re going to get additional use out of 1 factor shorter, take into consideration turning it proper right into a cocktail (or mini) ensemble. “Shorten the hemline, add embellishments or gear, and regulate the silhouette to create an aesthetic and versatile garment for future events,” Kostis advises.

Use it to design a variety of gear.

Enthusiastic about transforming your robe into a variety of objects? Go the gear route and use your garment to create a myriad of points, like belts, scarves, earrings, bows, and additional. Kostis supplies, “You could as properly repurpose decorative parts like beads, sequins, or lace to adorn completely different garments devices or create assertion objects like assertion necklaces or earrings. Bows are nonetheless having a second they normally’re very easy to make out of principally every material.”

Create residence décor.

For a lot of who’re truly creative, use the fabric of your bridesmaid robe to make a throw pillow or completely different residence decorative devices. Kostis moreover loves the considered setting up one factor sentimental and storing it as a wedding memento. “One amongst my all-time favorite presents was an ornament made by my biggest good pal’s mother out of the fabric all of us wore for our bridesmaid apparel,” she shares. “She custom-made it with the {{couples}}’ marriage ceremony ceremony date and their names, and I think about their marriage ceremony ceremony every time I improve my Christmas tree.”

The way in which to Rent Out Your Bridesmaid Costume

Lastly, you may even take into consideration renting out your bridesmaid robe to make an extra bit of cash—with out having to half method collectively together with your ensemble endlessly. That’s easy to do on Instagram tales, significantly, and might be utilized for anyone looking out for a robe to placed on to a myriad of occasions. “If you’ve obtained an web web site, social media account, or some type of platform, and should create a straightforward contract, this can be an excellent selection and an efficient strategy to recoup the value of your robe,” shares Kostis.

Sooner than inserting your robe as a lot as lease, nonetheless, there are some issues you’ll should know. For starters, it’s essential to always doc the scenario of your robe ahead of transport it out, as that may help you assess the scenario of your garment as quickly as it’s returned—whether or not or not or not there’s excessive placed on and tear. Furthermore, always dry clear the ensemble in between makes use of, and “worth accordingly and understand that the additional you lease it, the additional placed on and tear the garment will endure,” notes Kosis.