Op Shop Upcycling Tricks!
- Words by Peppermint
Do you love op shopping as much as we love op shopping? That’s a rhetorical question obviously as surely no one could, but if you think you’re up there with us then please do enjoy this op shop upcycling gold from Maddy at The Essentials Club – a gorgeously minimalist website featuring beautiful DIY fashion projects and sustainability tips and tricks.
Even though secondhand shopping is a great choice, it’s still best to shop with a sustainable mindset. Slow down and consider if this piece will perfectly fit into your life and existing wardrobe – wouldn’t it be awesome to have a wardrobe containing only go-to pieces that you LOVE? With that in mind, here are a handful of gems to keep an eye out for on your next op shop crawl, along with potential styling options or transformations you could make…
Oversized button up shirts
In my personal opinion, these garments are the secret heroes of op shopping. Sometimes they’re perfect to wear as they are, tucked into a pair of high-waisted pants. Otherwise there are so many ways you can alter them to better suit your style – here are my top three upcycling ideas:
- Find two similar or complementary colours/patterns and sew one to the bottom of the other to make into a midi dress (as seen here). If it has long sleeves this could also be worn unbuttoned as a trench coat – double win!
- Cut off and discard the top quarter of the shirt and add elastic to the top hem to create an off the shoulder gathered top, or dress if the length allows.
- You can even turn it into a slip dress if it has the length! By again cutting off and discarding the top quarter, taking in the top sides to hug your chest more, cleaning up the top hem and then repurposing the cut off fabric into straps. Voila!
Oversized mens denim pants
Because men’s pants have a lower crotch area it allows you to modify jeans in a few different ways, depending on your ideal style:
- Add some dart points to the side and back seams, so they hug your waist and become 70’s style high-waisted pants.
- Change them from a pair of pants into a skirt (like in the photo above) by unpicking the leg seams, then readjusting the front layers and taking in the back seam.
For more detailed steps for each, see here.
A tailored blazer
Not much of a ‘physical’ transformation, but wearing a blazer can totally transform an outfit! Find the right one and pair with a bit of red lipstick, a dress, or jeans and white tee and you have yourself a fun statement piece. Hurrah!
Overall, upcycling secondhand garments can be a really fun and rewarding process to add something unique to your wardrobe – here are a few things to keep in mind to help give you a vision for your next op shop transformation:
- Can anything be added or subtracted to give the garment a whole new lease on life?
- Does this piece actually suit your style?
- If something is oversized but you love the material would simply adding a bit of elastic or some dart points make it fit you better?
- If you do cut off any fabric, can this be reused on the garment or made into something else?
Enjoy your upcycling adventures, friends!
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“My piece of advice for makers and designers? Run your own race… make sure your key decisions stay anchored in your brand’s core beliefs.”
- Bec Bligh
Quick show of hands: who’s opened a water bottle expecting a refreshing sip… and instead been greeted by the unmistakable whiff of uh-oh?
Because for something that follows us everywhere (desk, car, hikes, yoga…), the humble drink bottle is strangely prone to becoming a science experiment. Hard-to-clean corners and gaskets. Mystery smells. Bec Bligh and her husband Tim know it well. A six-month sailing trip along the Queensland coast left them with a lifetime of memories and one stubborn annoyance: mouldy water bottles they couldn’t properly clean.
So they did something about it.
Enter @EverVessel. Thoughtfully designed borosilicate glass and stainless steel bottles that keep things beautifully simple: durable materials, wide openings, easy-to-clean parts and none of the techy gimmicks that tend to age badly. Turns out simplicity, done well, is pretty powerful stuff. (Their many design awards agree!)
And lately they’ve added a little extra delight: the Artist Series, where creatives like Paola Castro, Ben Miners and Martin Thompson transform these everyday companions into tiny travelling artworks. There are more colabs in the works, too: hydration, but make it joyful! 🎨💧
We chatted with Bec about the sailing trip that started it all, the philosophy behind Ever Vessel, and why the most sustainable product is often just the one you keep using.
Tap the link in our bio to read the full conversation. 🚰
#EverVessel #ReusableWaterBottle
Pull up a chair… there’s room at this table!
For the first time, Feast for Freedom is bringing people together for a spectacular long-table dinner as part of the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival.
A Longer Table is exactly what it sounds like: one beautiful shared table inside the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (@Asrc1), piled with generous dishes inspired by this year’s hero cooks, Noha and Nige.
From 6 to 9pm on Wednesday, 25 March, this is what you can expect:
🍽 A three-course shared feast
🍷 Matched drinks
🎶 Live entertainment
✨ A room full of good humans
Your ticket doesn’t just buy you a delicious dinner. It supports the ASRC’s vital work and helps create a fairer future for people seeking asylum.
Seats are limited, and long tables have a way of filling up quickly – head to @MelbFoodAndWine’s website to book now: feastforfreedom.org.au/mfwf
#FeastForFreedom #MelbourneFoodAndWineFestival #LongTableDinner #FoodForChange
Sew versatile! 🪡
Another great make from Lisa from @SunnySewsEveryday:
My #PeppermintWaratahWrapDress is finished and I’m so proud of it. It has been designed not to flap open and flash your pants in the wind, so I feel confident it will be a great wheelchair or standing dress in English weather.
#PeppermintPatterns #WrapDress #WrapDressPattern
Frame your face with the Peppermint Bucket Hat!
Stay safe and stylish in the sun with your very own self-sewn and self-drafted wide-brimmed bucket hat. This beginner-friendly sew is perfect for a sunny day. Get out your pencils – this pattern is created using equations and maths!
This DIY project was featured in Issue 53 and now you can access it for the lovely low price of only $5.
Sun-safe chic is always in style. ☀️
Find it via the link in our bio!
Photos: @KelleySheenan
#PeppermintPatterns #PeppermintBucketHat #BucketHat #BucketHatPattern #DIY
✨ INSTANT CLASSIC ✨
The Peppermint Myrtle Shift Dress is a beginner-friendly make with a few special details based on the ever-stylish shift shape – the perfect dress you need in your wardrobe right now!
Myrtle cuts above the knee with options to customise the length. Don’t think she’s reserved for hot weather either: try a heavier-weight fabric to turn your Myrtle into a pinafore-style garment for layering.
For our fabrics we chose two from our lovely sewing partner @Karmme_Apparel – the bold Rottnest Stripes in a lightweight, soft-drape cotton, and the quality linen in the handpainted Mexico Collection.
Get making the Myrtle – the only question is, can you stop at just one?
Link in bio 🪡
Fabric: @Karmme_Apparel
Sewist: @Laura_The_Maker
Photos: @KelleySheenan
Models: @SerahSews and @Pins_And_Tonic
Location: @ShareTheDignityAustralia
#PeppermintMyrtleShiftDress #PeppermintPatterns
It’s time to Feast!
Some recipes travel a long way before they land on your table to delight your taste buds. This year’s Feast for Freedom invites us to gather our friends, cook something delectable and raise funds for the incredible work of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (@Asrc1) while we’re at it.
The 2026 Feast features recipes shared by two remarkable cooks: Noha, who brought the flavours of Palestine with her when she arrived in Australia, and Nige, a Sri-Lankan Tamil cook whose journey with food began in the most unexpected of places.
You can host your own Feast up until 30 April – simply register online and get planning! Host a dinner, organise a workplace lunch, or gather your community… However you do it, the idea is simple: cook, connect and celebrate the cultures and stories that shape Australia.
Want to find out more? Head to the link in bio to meet Noha and Nige, learn more about their stories, and discover a delicious recipe to try.
#FeastForFreedom #PeppermintMagazine #FoodForGood #ASRC
