Summer has barely ended, and my May Week photo dump is still in my Instagram drafts. Yet, the new year’s balls and formals are already firmly in my mind. Call it a desire to get through the toils of tripos and reach the glitzy events on the horizon, or simply the result of at-home boredom cured only by retail therapy. Either way, the lead-up to Michaelmas is always a time of shopping frenzy, especially when it comes to formal clothing. Freshers are in desperate need of a swanky new matriculation get-up, and returning students look to spruce up their arsenal of formal options.

“The lead-up to Michaelmas is always a time of shopping frenzy, especially when it comes to formal clothing”

This year, I’m promising myself that I won’t get caught up in the mad rush to be suited (and high-heel booted) in fast-fashion clothes in time for the new academic year. Slow fashion is the way to go, and I’m putting my seamstress skills to the test with a currently too-big secondhand gown.

I fear it’s safe to say Cambridge is somewhat lacking in formalwear shops (aside from the sacred line of charity shops by the Grafton – and the Urban Outfitters sale that tempts me each time I venture to Sainsbury’s). The options back home often hold more potential. Second-hand clothing, found online or in your local shops, can provide a goldmine for sustainable formal wear that doesn’t break the bank.

When you do find something suitable (pun intended), it’s all too often the case that it doesn’t fit quite right. The inevitable despair at finding near-perfect clothes that don’t fit right is universal and never-ending… until now. If you’ve found the formal outfit of your Pinterest board dreams, only to see an L instead of an M, or an XS where S would suffice, hesitate no more and buy away with these tips and tricks to turn baggy into bespoke.

Too long?

There’s nothing worse than spending the whole night tripping over yourself and everyone else in a dress that’s too long – never again will you feel the seething rage of twigs and toes attacking you from all angles. Mark out your hemline at the desired length, cut the fabric a few centimetres below the mark and fold the hem over a couple of times. You can hand-sew this with a simple stitch to keep it in place for the night or grab a sewing machine if you can get your hands on one for a long-term fix. Pass an iron over the new hem to neaten it up and behold! Muddied skirts and dresses will never trouble you again.

“The inevitable despair at finding near-perfect clothes that don’t fit right is universal and never-ending… until now”

Too big?

Safety pins are the quick and easy fix for dresses on the roomier side, but can you live with the perpetual fear they cause? One wrong move, the pin pops loose, and you’re skewered. Instead, a ladder stitch pulled tight from the outside of your clothes can magically turn an L into an M. YouTube is bursting with tutorials for a visual guide – no size is too big, and with a needle and thread the world is your oyster.

Too small?

Few things sink the heart more than a zip that just won’t do up. Using spare material to extend the waistline, or replacing the zip, is possible but tricky. My advice: look to current trends for inspiration. Bows and ribbons are in season, so upgrade your dress to feature a stylish tie-back. This simple and comfortable fix gives room for a dress to fit your exact measurements, without the need for sewing in extra fabric. Cut out the zip, hem the sides, attach your ribbon, and crisscross away for a dress that grows with you.

Unappealing colour?

Eyeing up a pretty dress or shirt that’s gorgeously made but just not your colour? Let me introduce you to the world of fabric dye – for just a few pounds, dye pods can be thrown into your washing machine and transform previously drab clothes. Just be sure to run an empty load afterwards to clear out residual dye (unless the thought of turning your college’s laundry pink is appealing!).

Missing buttons?

Bargains are to be found in formal wear that’s seen better days. Don’t let a few missing or loose buttons deter you; double up some strong thread and pass it from back to front between the fabric and the buttonholes. The trick is to make sure there’s a bit of space so the button’s easier to do up and undo.

Pesky holes?

Even poor moth-bitten suits deserve a second chance; perhaps the answer is to bring patches back into fashion? If darning is too much of a darn, patches can both mend and personalise your get-ups for this year.

With luck (and a few pieces of thread), this guide will inspire your next thrift flip. With the summer holidays still stretching ahead for a few more weeks, there’s time to enjoy the slowness of sewing fabric instead of the rush of fast fashion. The charity shops are calling! Size is truly just a number once you know how to make clothing work for you.