Fashion

5 Ways to Revamp Your Summer Wardrobe on the Cheap

Department stores may be stocking up on wine-colored tights and structured jackets right now, but we've still got summer on the brain. (Because it's July.) Still, it's not like you're trying to spend a lot of money on something you'll only wear through the muggy days of August. Here's how to rejuvenate your sunburned, dehydrated summer wardrobe while dropping minimal cash.

Image: Fotolia

by Tori Telfer

Don't invest in chunky sweaters just yet

Department stores may be stocking up on wine-colored tights and structured jackets right now, but we've still got summer on the brain. (Because it's July.) Still, it's not like you're trying to spend a lot of money on something you'll only wear through the muggy days of August. Here's how to rejuvenate your sunburned, dehydrated summer wardrobe while dropping minimal cash.

Image: Pexels

Pexels

A whatever dress

If you've been doing summer right, changes are all your little white dresses smell like barbeque smoke and are covered in grass stains. Thankfully, summer dresses are migrating to the sale racks in hordes right now. Grab a lace shift dress for effortless outdoor partywear, or something flowy and tie-dye so you can dance like your summer crush is watching.

Image: Getty Images

Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Menswear

Schlep on over to the men's section and see what's not selling, then put on your Project Runway hat and get creative: White tanks to replace your janky stained ones? Oversized buttons-downs that you can dip-dye? Bizarre graphic tees that are practically begging you to turn them into crop tops?

Image: Getty Images

Rahav Segev/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Tanks for major layers

Are your go-to summer outfits dying of boredom? Resuscitate them with all the weird tank tops that didn't sell in June. Use strange, controversial, or outdated tanks as visual interest beneath old shirts, above sundresses, and tucked into jean shorts with a ton of necklaces on top.

Image: Getty Images

Kevin Winter/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

An extra swimsuit

If you're the type of girl who actually gets in the water when you're at the beach/pool, your swimsuit is probably saggy and faded from the deadly combo of chlorine, saltwater, and sun. In the spring, swimsuits are ridiculously overpriced ($50 for a bikini? Wait, $50 for a bikini top?), but now you can snag them for less than $10 on department store sale racks. Grab a cheap one to look so fresh at August pool parties.

Image: Pexels

Pexels

Thrift store jeans

Does anything sound more terrible than shopping for jeans at Goodwill? Between the Gloria Vanderbilt relics and the ill-fitting L.E.I. castaways, there's no way you'll find something that fits you like a glove from waist to ankle. You will, however, find the perfect jean to hack into jean shorts. Length no longer matters — just look for something that fits around the waist and hips the way you want it to. Get a pair that's baggy and low-slung to make your own boyfriend shorts, or grab a vintage pair of mom jeans to give American Apparel a run for their money. Jean shorts tend to have a brief lifespan with all the stretching and fraying that goes on, so treat yourself to a new DIY pair for the low, low price of $5. Or $3. Or 50 cents. The sky's the limit, as long as you own a pair of scissors.

Image: Fotolia

Fotolia
16