Creative Styling Solutions To Conquer The Summer Shoppies
Styling before buying
I don’t know about you, but I go through cycles where I have no desire to shop followed by the urge to buy everything in my path. My shoppies tend to rear their ugly head when I’m bored with my wardrobe, see several particularly inspiring outfits in a row, or a resale platform gives me site credit, a.k.a. my version of free money.
My shoppies came roaring back to life last week when I hit the trifecta of feeling blah about my closet, watching too many reels of an influencer who looks great in everything, and ThredUp mysteriously giving me a $10 credit which I gratefully used. I spent way too long scouring their site for the perfect thing to buy (an Ann Taylor brown leather blazer), which led to a few hours on The RealReal during Shop More, Earn More with side quests into eBay and Etsy.
I enjoy a satisfying secondhand scroll and there were many things I added to my wishlists on each platform, but it takes a lot to get me to add to cart since I want to have the closest thing I can get to a no regrets, tightly curated closet. I went back to my recent adds, reminded myself I don’t need another gray blazer, and edited them down to the most serious contenders for when they reach the right price.
This exercise also pushed me to get more creative with the pieces I already own. It reminded me of the clothes I have going unworn this year and I went deep into my wardrobe to put them to good use. I’m passing on five styling ideas that are 2026 trend-adjacent, no shopping required.
Styling Solution #1: Pants Into Shorts
San Francisco had a brief heat wave last week with two days hovering between the high 70s and 90 degrees. I’m melting just remembering it because my wardrobe/self does not thrive in hot weather. I’ve been on a casual secondhand search for long shorts over the last couple of years inspired by fashion week street style, but our mild climate never made these urgent and I couldn’t find exactly the right pair.
The Pull-On Short
Until I remembered my secondhand wide leg pant in a great drapey fabric last worn in 2022 thanks to a worn out elastic waistband and cropped inseam that makes me look like my pants shrunk in the wash. My alteration skills are nonexistent, but these having zero value in the resale market took away the risk factor of chopping them into shorts. I marked the new hemline with chalk, completely disregarded it when I started cutting, and made one leg shorter than the other when my foster dog wandered over to help by sitting on the pant leg I was working on.
Evening these out would have eventually led to micro shorts (if you’ve cut your own bangs, you know what I mean), so I left them alone since a trip to the tailor to fix the extra 8” of waistband fabric was already in my future. For now I’m rotating between belting the waist into a paper bag shape and safety pinning it closed.
I’ve already gotten multiple compliments on my upcycled shorts, imperfections and all. Before you spend money on long shorts, take stock of your closet to see if you already own them disguised as wide leg pants you never wear.
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The Casual Cargo Short
Emboldened by my cut off shorts success, I converted another secondhand pant into shorts for heatwave day two. I didn’t want to cut these since they’re increasingly hard to find at resale and got creative with the hem drawstrings instead. I gathered up the legs, cinched the drawstring above my knees, and pulled down the fabric into a bloomer-like short. It made the heat feel slightly more bearable and opened up my wardrobe possibilities even more while I decide if I want to keep or sell these pants.
Styling Solution #2: Accessorizing
As a former accessories buyer, I strongly endorse this one since it’s the easiest way to update your look. I love a tonal outfit and first tried this out with my off-white ballerinas, but the full effect fell flat. I swapped them out for pale blue pointy flats with attached anklets and layered on a 70s-esque pendant I got in 2012 to add visual interest. This was the perfect amount of accessorizing to elevate a minimal outfit without edging into maximalism.
Styling Solution #3: Convert A Skirt
There’s a creator whose style I absolutely love and she’s inspiring me to tiptoe into wearing my old prints1. I bought this preloved Rixo dress (aff link) three years ago and it’s mostly sat unworn in my closet since I’m overdue for a strapless bra upgrade. I pulled the bodice down over my waist, wrapped the sleeves in the back, and a skirt was born2.
I haven’t been wearing my Isabel Marant jacket enough lately, a 100% silk treasure that I got at The RealReal on Melrose in 2019. I’m stopped pretty much every time I wear it. I just came across this same print secondhand also in 100% silk (aff link) that would make an incredible going out top with shorts in the summer and jeans in the fall. Print mixing was my specialty when I was a maximalist dresser and I’ve realized I miss it in small doses, a sign that maximalism is finally starting to take root in 2026.
Styling Solution #4: The Ponytail Top
My preloved Nanushka dress has been hiding in the back of my closet since last year since I’m not sold on the length and it’s decidedly OTT. I’ve always thought this would make an amazing top between the v-neck and floaty sleeves, and wanted to find a way to wear it now that I’ve dipped back into prints.
As I was perusing the ones that got away on my The RealReal wishlist, this Piazza Sempione blazer (aff link) helped me figure out how to restyle my dress. I gathered the skirt into a ponytail, secured it with a hair tie, wrapped it with the beaded self belt and voilà, I had a dramatic top.
I threw on my fringed jacket now that San Francisco is back to its regularly scheduled June weather and trotted off to the coffee shop. Going out tops are one of the hardest categories to buy once you exit your twenties, and I’ll be recreating this with my other dresses when I need a statement shirt.
Styling Solution #5: The High Neck
Not groundbreaking if you’ve been here awhile, but still my favorite way to change up the look of a blazer. Pop your lapels up to cross over each other, pin them with a brooch, and you have an entirely new high neck silhouette. Another easy update that will give new life to all of your jackets. I’ve done this with cropped, fitted, and oversized blazers, so rest assured it works with all shapes.
I hope that this has prompted some new ideas in your closet, let me know what you think.
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Tijan Serena’s outfits are a fantastic mix of minimalist and semi-maximalist dressing, but mostly new designer and fast fashion which might be too tempting if you’re trying to back away from firsthand and trends. I find the inspiration to restyle things in my closet from her content, including some of the pieces I’d given up for dead.
I’ve found you can turn any dress with a ruched bodice into a skirt since the elastic makes the top ultra adjustable. I treat the sleeves as a design feature and tie them in the back like a sash, but they also work in the front like a shirt tied around your waist.
I always appreciate that your ideas ALWAYS feel genuinely wearable. LOVE turning dresses into tops!
Please send thoughts and prayers while I grab my scissors 🤣