Gold sequin. Halter neck. Mini dress.

That was what my Year 10 Formal dress looked like. The first sequin party dress I ever owned. I bought on it on the day of the event, and danced the night away in it, at sixteen years of age. 

I recently came across this dress while attempting to wrangle my ever-growing wardrobe. Nowadays it’s too short for me to wear, but too dear for me to donate.

Too many dresses, too little time. So many outfits, I thought I had the time. 

I know I’m not alone. We live in a society of consumerism, and fast fashion works, shopping’s a thrill, pay checks come in and what better way to spend your day off, then by swiping that savings card on new frills? 

Sure, you’ve already got ten knit dresses that look exactly the same, but there’s always something new, something better, than what you brought home last shopping trip. 

In Brisbane there are currently 2.9 billion clothes in our collective wardrobes. ‘Sustainability’ is now the name of the game, the hottest new thing, but how can we be sustainable when fashion brands bring in a new collection every week, and chains like Target and K-mart make clothes, shoes, shirts cheaper than dinner?

Cue: Project Revamped. 

Well known Brisbane designer Alice Nightingale says “we have to get savvy with sustainability”. We have to get smart about the clothes we own, and get a little bit creative with those beloved items we just can’t seem to shake. 

Blame our sentimentality. 

Alice focuses on designs that revive secondhand clothes and breathe life into the vintage. She sources local materials too, and often uses rolls of fabric discarded by the fashion industry. 

She says her thrify, teenage energy remains in her designs to this day, having started her career out as a “little hipster kid” who thrifted and created from what she could find. 

Project Revamped has come to life in partnership with Alice Nightingale, offering two weeks worth of free fashion consultation and design across Brisbane malls like Indooroopilly Shopping Centre. The project provides shoppers with the opportunity to reconnect with their cherished items and to rework them in ways that are fresh, on trend, and more easily wearable for every day life.

This project allows us to think consciously about what we already own, get inspired and ultimately more sustainable with fashion. While the industry of fast fashion continues to grow, so does the sustainability movement. Shoppers are trending to look for pieces that have longevity and are buying styles that they know can pair back with what they’ve already got in the wardrobes. 

“Quality over quantity has become a beautiful thing to see become trendy,” says Alice. 

Cate Massi, Indooroopilly’s resident stylist and all round fashion guru, agrees with Alice on putting quality brands first and choosing outfits that will last. 

On the launch night of ‘Project Revamped’ hosted at Indooroopilly Shopping Centre, Cate was wearing a silver sequin denim skirt that once was a pair of sass & bide jeans, unpicked by her sister and now turned into a gorgeous midi skirt. 

“And in ten years time, you can turn your favourite denim into a handbag!” 

Another hot trend alert. 

“Denim, an iconic Australian textile. Made to last,” comments Kendall Gilding, Channel 7 News Personality and host of Project Revamped’s launch, while Cate Massi does a twirl to show her outfit off to a crowd of Brisbane’s best dressed fashionistas.

When navigating the world of fashion, Cate believes that if you feel pulled toward a trend, to absolutely go for it. But if you’re not, don’t waste any time.

“There are so many trends at the moment that we become bombarded with all the options. Pick one or two, and embrace them,” the stylist says. 

Solid advice in a world where TikTok and social media determine what the influencers and cool kids will be wearing next. Yes, I’m looking at you, oversized sweatshirts, Bikercore and Coastal Cowgirl. Not to mention Crochet everything. 

Now Crochet is one trend that I seriously could never pull off. Countless tiny crochet crop tops live in my wardrobe, never worn, a few with the price tag still on them. I could never quite get past the no-bra situation with those pieces.

How could I possibly revamp those? 

I’m looking forward to booking in a consultation with Alice Nightingale this week at Indro and bringing in a couple of my favourite hoarded items. As I keep attempting to wrangle my wardrobe, the sentimentality kicks in, and I find myself struggling to let go of certain pieces that I’ve worn and loved. 

I’m confident that Alice will be able to breathe new life into that mini sequin formal dress and turn it into something that I could pair back more easily with some denim, or maybe a crisp white tee. I’m thinking: cute new skirt on the horizon for me, perhaps?

After all, metallics are in this season. 

But more importantly, so is sustainability. Let’s all put our creative and savvy minds together to keep this trend in well past Spring/Summer ’23. 

Cate Massi, Indooroopilly’s very own Fashion Stylist. Alice Nightingale, Brisbane Designer. Kendall Gilding, Australian Journalist and TV Presenter. In the Crowd: Kerrie Carucci, Brisbane Fashion Stylist.