We’ve all been in a situation where we’ve bought something, and it’s a little larger than what we’d usually wear. (Take my Calvin Klein men’s button-down for example.) We have our reasons for buying fashion items that aren’t technically in our desired size—sometimes it’s an accident, sometimes it’s a tactic! But with a few fashion hacks, it doesn’t make a difference.

I’ve been guilty of buying something without going to the dressing room and then ripping the tags off when I get home only to find it’s too big. There are also times where sale items might be sold out in your size, but they’re the size above. So, we buy it anyways because it’s a bargain and we feel like we can make it fit.

The great thing is, there are ways you can make large items fit better—and look a lot better on you too. Most of these ideas are so incredibly simple you’d be mad not to try them! Here are my favourite fashion hacks for making large items fit better. 

3 Fashion Hacks to Make Your Clothes Fit Better

Use Insoles To Fill The Space In Your Shoes

Personally, I think most of us are more likely to buy shoes that are too big over any other piece of clothing. You may be one size in a certain brand, but that same size is too big in another brand. It’s especially hard to find the right size when you can’t try them on, for example, when you’re shopping online. 

Thankfully, you don’t have to worry too much about shoes that are a little oversized. When you buy a pair of large shoes, you often find there’s too much space in them. You need to try and find ways of filling up this space so they fit tighter and better. The best way to do this is with insoles. You can buy insoles that slip into your shoes and restrict the space inside them. This can make a shoe in one size fit more like the size down from it. Plus, you have the added bonus of increased comfort from the insole as you can get shock absorbing ones that take the stress out of your feet and ankles.

Shrink Clothes In The Dryer

One of the easiest ways you can make a large item fit better is by shrinking it down a size or two. This way, you can bag a sale item in the size above yours and make it fit nice and snug in no time at all. To do this, you need to get your hands on a washing machine and a dryer. There are loads of places like Dell Laundromat that offer washing/drying facilities if you don’t have either of these things at home. There’s no need to worry. The first step is washing your clothes on a high heat setting. The warm water will help start the shrinking process.

If you hang your clothes to dry, they’ll probably stay around the same size. This is why you need the second step: drying on a high setting. You want your clothes in the dryer for a fairly long time at a pretty high temperature. The longer/hotter the settings are, the more your clothes will shrink. After the cycle has finished, you will now have a wonderful item of clothing that fits perfectly.

This method works best with cotton clothing, tops, jumpers, jeans, leggings, joggers, socks, underwear—pretty much everything you can wash in a machine.

Tie A Knot In Your Tops

This is a very simple idea that takes a large top and makes it more wearable by changing the way it looks. While it won’t shrink the size of the top, it does make it fit better by altering the style and the way you wear it. There’s a fashion trend at the moment of tying a knot in the bottom of tops. It turns a bland, plain top into something with a little extra substance. It also stops a large top from looking too oversized and hanging too low.

There are loads of different ways you can tie a stylish knot in your large top. If I were you, I’d have a look around for some inspiration online.

Ultimately, buying large items of clothing doesn’t mean you’re doomed. You can make them more wearable and make them fit better by applying these fabulous fashion hacks. It’s great because you can potentially save some cash by buying items a size up from yours that might be on sale. Don’t think it’s the end of the world when an item doesn’t fit, try one of these fashion hacks instead.

This ‘Fashion Hacks’ post was contributed to The Lady-like Leopard.