Transform Last Year’s Coat with This Year’s Ribbons

Sometimes when I’m in busywork mode, I put the The Today Show on for background noise purposes – yes, I like my “news” happy and fluffy. I tend to hit the Off button at the start of The Fourth Hour (Kathie Lee’s a character, but the voice… OY).

A few weeks ago, fate intervened and I caught the Fashion Segment o’ the day. AND I LIKED IT! Shocking, I know.

The Fashion segment that day showcased inexpensive, practical ways to Transform Last Year’s Coat into an updated version of itself. I never thought I’d hear the words “thrift store” and “craft shop” and “cheap” from the mouth of a fashion editrix. I obvs underestimated Anne Slowey of ELLE.

Nina Garcia might have more notoriety, but adhering to the interests of fashion savvy consumers and hawking shit for Target don’t really go hand in hand. (Don’t believe me? See YouTube’s Frugalista Promos; gag accordingly.)

When an industry insider tells me what to buy, maybe I listen, maybe I don’t. When she tells me what I don’t have to buy? I’m ALL EARS. Hence the reason I’m on board with Slowey’s refreshing deviation from the norm.

During the trench coat portion of the video, Slowey suggests swapping out the original belt for a ribbon. To honor her thriftiness, we’re talking about ribbons today, specifically those of the fabric ilk that work as belts and more.
The goodies below are from Etsy; the How-To-Wear tips are from yours truly. Bonus alert: All of them are under eight bucks a yard.









Buy ‘em to adorn your gifts – use the leftovers to adorn yourself. Loves it!