While many believe they have to fork out thousands for a designer look, eco stylist Faye De Lanty is on a mission to prove why this is most certainly not the case.
The Sydney-based fashion guru, who is known for her love of sustainable style, recently spoke to FEMAIL about some of her top tips after teaming up with the Salvation Army for National Op Shop Week.
Faye said that while her love for fashion was always there, her interest in second-hand and thrifty style became a necessity when she was living overseas and on a very tight budget.
‘I would scour the pages of Vogue then challenge myself to recreate all the amazing editorial and designer looks I saw for less,’ the London-born stylist said.
While many believe they have to fork out thousands for a designer look, eco stylist Faye De Lanty (pictured) is on a mission to prove why this is most certainly not the case
The Sydney-based fashion guru, who is known for her love of sustainable style, recently spoke to FEMAIL about some of her top tips after teaming up with the Salvation Army for National Op Shop Week
‘People began to ask me where my looks where from so, with the encouragement of my best friend I started my website fashionhound.tv.
Faye says while many women believe they need to spend big to look fabulous, this couldn’t be further from the truth.
‘It’s so not about a big budget or brands… it’s about being a savvy and smart shopper,’ she said.
‘I regularly create designer reinventions and high fashion looks I see for under $100, sometimes even $50.’
Faye created this chic Dior inspired get-up for just $57 and turned a men’s tweed blazer into a bustier by positioning it differently and turned how you would normally wear it on its head
‘The buttons are done up at chest level, but the arms are kept out of the sleeves. These sleeves are then wrapped around the waist to create a belt/cinched in effect and they are secured at the back with a vintage brooch,’ she said
When it comes to being thrifty, Faye says it’s important for women to do their homework and keep it simple.
‘Look at fashion mags – British Vogue is my bible and has taught me so much about the language of fashion,’ she said.
‘Explore online style websites, read about fashion history, go into designer stores, be curious, the more you know the more you can recreate what you see with second hand.
‘Op Shops can be overwhelming, there’s so much to see. My suggestion is to start simply and only look for what you really need and would honestly wear. Don’t just buy a bunch of stuff because it’s cheap, be discerning and pick quality over quantity.’
Another look was this chic $50 outfit inspired by deconstructed suiting Faye spotted in Vogue and created it with a white men’s shirt with large cuffs and her corset/bustier top was a super boho vibe top
This was created entirely with Salvation Army clothing cost $65 and was inspired by a Milan street style blog. Faye said: ‘This piece, which definitely has a Sass&Bide feel, is actually just four belts – two thick ones around Jamilla’s waist and two thinner ones over her shoulders’
This Dior inspired look cost $65 and was put together with clothing from Salvos stores
Faye also swears by DIY style and says customising clothes you already have is a great way to buy into trends without breaking the bank.
‘For example two big trends at the moment are fringing/tassels and head to toe florals,’ Faye said.
Grab some fringing from a craft store, or I even look out for items that have it in our Salvos Op Shops… sometimes bedspreads or curtains do, even pillows.
‘The fringing or tassels that you find can then be easily added to the hem of a skirt, the sleeve cuffs of a shirt or even a bag.
‘With the head to toe florals, my tip is to add floral patches to classic jackets or accessories to give a nod to the trend without looking like a full on botanic garden!’
Both of these looks cost less than $50 each and the black blazer is a men’s blazer from a Salvation Army store
‘I regularly create designer reinventions and high fashion looks I see for under $100, sometimes even $50,’ Faye (pictured in ethical Viktoria and Woods clothing) said
Faye also recommends having a good dressmaker on speed dial as tailoring a good find is less expensive than buying it new.
‘Especially if it’s designer like the DIOR Homme jacket I found. It cost me $30 from Salvos Stores. I had my dressmaker Jan alter the shoulders slightly for $15 so for just under $50 I scored a stunning designer piece,’ she said.
She also recommends embracing the male section for white collared shirts, over-sized blazers and cool vintage t-shirts.
When it comes to accessories, Faye said they are a great way to add eye-catching elements to an outfit.
This Camel coat look with a Chanel inspired bag cost just $50 to put together
Faye is wearing a dress by Melbourne based Ethical brand Lois Hazel and her leather jacket is from Fabrique Vintage in Surry Hills and is actually three jackets ones upcycled into a ‘new’ one
‘I look for clutches with interesting details, quality or quirks,’ she said.
‘Brooches are amazing… you can embellish a jacket by adding a cluster to a lapel, I also love them on bags or the bottom half of blazer labels.’
Faye recently put together a number of incredible designer outfits made with items she found in Salvos stores and Op Shops.
The first was a chic Dior inspired get-up that cost just $57.
‘It’s my nod to the exquisite DIOR tailoring of the 50s with a modern twist. It’s the 70th anniversary of the couture house this year so I wanted to pay homage,’ she said.
Faye turned a men’s tweed blazer into a bustier (no sewing required) by positioning it differently and turned how you would normally wear it on its head.
‘It’s so not about a big budget or brands… it’s about being a savvy and smart shopper,’ she said
‘The buttons are done up at chest level, but the arms are kept out of the sleeves. These sleeves are then wrapped around the waist to create a belt/cinched in effect and they are secured at the back with a vintage brooch,’ she said.
‘I teamed it with a brand new with tags Bardot mesh bodysuit I found for $10 and leather look pants I found for $12. I picked accessories that had a vintage feel, cats eye shades for $5 and diamante drop earrings for $10.
‘The blazer was $20 and because there was no sewing or changing the structure of the jacket this could easily be worn with jeans, a tee and heels – tweed is still a big trend at the moment.’
Another look was a gorgeous $50 outfit inspired by deconstructed suiting Faye spotted in Vogue.
‘I regularly create designer reinventions and high fashion looks I see for under $100, sometimes even $50,’ Faye said
‘I was so inspired by the deconstructed suiting in the August issue of Australian Vogue that I spent a good day brainstorming how I could recreate it on a budget. I also wanted to display how relevant, modern and on trend op shops can be,’ she said.
‘Joyce is wearing a white men’s shirt with large cuffs and her corset/bustier top was actually a super boho vibe top with way too much sheer fabric going on so I just sliced it all off and underneath was this gorgeous structured piece which I layered over the shirt.
‘On the bottom half you can see grey fabric peeping out underneath – that is a $5 size 18 grey pinstripe skirt that was super outdated in style but the fabric was nice and I wanted it to be large so I could slice it and wrap it around Joyce to create an asymmetrical/waterfall effect.
‘The houndstooth fabric on top is actually a vest which I turned into a skirt, again no sewing I just wrapped the collar around her waist and secured it in place with vintage brooches, the layers and print clash create great texture and contrast.’
Faye has teamed up with Wardrobe Crisis author Clare Press for National Op Shop Week and is hosting a number of upcycling workshops
Another created entirely with Salvation Army clothing cost $65 and was inspired by a Milan street style blog.
‘I absolutely loved the harness looking feature, so I thought about it for a while, studied what I saw and noticed that it kind of looked like belts, so that’s what I used,’ she said.
‘This piece, which definitely has a Sass&Bide feel, is actually just four belts – two thick ones around Jamilla’s waist and two thinner ones over her shoulders to create this effect and done up at the back rather than the front.’
The thinner ones are just tucked under the thicker belts and I teamed it with Cue pants. a simple white tee, a Zara spotted Blazer and Tony Bianco heels.’
Faye has teamed up with Wardrobe Crisis author Clare Press for National Op Shop Week and is hosting a number of upcycling workshops. For more information visit http://salvosstores.salvos.org.au/about-us/news-and-events/national-op-shop-week-2017/
She shares her top tips on her Instagram page.