Members of Ballet Russe, 1945, mending tights and pointe shoes. Photo by Myron Davis.

Check out these great quick tips on how to repair tights with a hole or a run: http://ow.ly/hwIv3

Okay, so the infographic above is a bit shocking, we admit. But, we think it's important to remind ourselves of the astounding amount of waste created by textiles, as it is an oft-overlooked environmental issue. And, after all, the solution is so incredibly simple: recycle.

Apparel that is unworn or gently worn can be consigned or donated. Most major cities host a variety of consignment or re-sale shops that accept in-season apparel. The online re-sale market is continually growing, too, with eBay and Etsy as perhaps the most popular websites. As for non-profit thrift stores, Goodwill, Salvation Army, and Value Village/Saver's each boast thousands of locations nationwide, and all three welcome accessories, shoes, and undergarments, as well. We also suggest donating to local shelters, disaster relief efforts, and international non-profit organizations; a few of our favorites include Pick Up Please, which provides veteran aid, Soles 4 Souls, which focuses on footwear, and Support1000, which collects gently-used bras. 

If you have clothing that has been so well-loved as to be unwearable, Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles (SMART) is an international non-profit organization to which you can donate all clothing and textiles, in any condition. These items are stripped to their rawest form to be re-spun as yarn, or to be employed for use in automotive interiors, fillings for furniture cushions, and mattresses.  

And, because textile waste is not limited to those garments that we ourselves dispose of but is furthermore created during the production process, be sure to carefully consider your clothing purchases. Shop sustainable when possible, or purchase vintage, consigned, or thrifted apparel. If you ask us, guilt-free fashion is the best kind!

One of the best parts of shopping? Wearing your new garment out immediately afterward, of course. But, too often, newly-purchased pants have to detour to the tailor before they're ready for their debut. Not so if you learn to hem at home. Trust us; you'll be so glad to have this tutorial on hand the next time a Sunday shopping trip leaves you unable to wait to wear your new trousers to work on Monday.

So, what's the right length? We recommend that the hem of your pants fall close to the middle of your heel, although this rule varies based upon the width of the pant leg. For example, a skinny-cut pant can expose more of your shoe, and a extreme flare will better elongate the leg if it leaves only the last half inch of your heel exposed. No matter the silhouette of your pants, the leg should hang straight, with a slight break where it meets the top of your foot should you desire, but never awkwardly bunching there. Most importantly, your hem should never touch the floor; pants that are too long will accumulate impossible-to-remove dirt stains and begin to fray from the friction of dragging across the ground.

What you'll need: a needle or a sewing machine, thread that matches the color of your pants, an iron, a seamripper, a ruler.

1. Remove the original hem using your seamripper.

2. Try on the pants with the shoes with which you're most likely to wear them to determine your desired length. Cuff the inside of one of the pant legs and pin at the side seams. You'll likely need another person's aid to do this, as bending will raise the hem significantly.

3. Now, take the pants off and turn them inside out. Lay them flat, matching the lengths of both pant legs. If you're concerned about precision, a ruler will be helpful here. Pin the second leg's hem as necessary, at both the side seams.

4. Iron the hem where it is pinned. Then, carefully fold your freshly-ironed, raw hem under half an inch, ironing it once again. Pin this double hem all around, inserting on pin every three inches or so.

5. Starting at a side seam, slipstitch the hem all the way around and tie off. 

Image credit: Creative Fashion Glee

While reading the care labels sewn into the pieces in your wardrobe may lead you to believe that many trips to the dry cleaners are in your future, don't fret just yet! Manufacturers are increasingly recommending dry cleaning to reduce the risk of costumers mishandling their clothing.

In fact, the vast majority of clothing - such as those items that are simply constructed, unlined, and composed of natural fibers like cotton, silk, wool, cashmere, and the like - is safe to hand wash. If your care label reads "dry clean" or "dry clean suggested," it likely falls into this category. Here's how to hand wash these garments in the convenience of your own home.

1. Begin by filling a sink with cool water and add about a tablespoon of detergent specially formulated for delicates. Some of our favorites include those from Caldrea, Ecos, The Laundress, and Ecover.

2. Place your item into the water and gently swirl it around for a few minutes.

3. Drain and re-fill the sink with clean, cool water. Now, rinse your garment by swishing it around once more, and then gently press it to remove excess water.  Be careful to not wring or twist, as this can distort its shape.

4. Reshape the garment on a thick, dry towel.  Roll up the towel, pressing as you go, to help extract the water still left in the sweater.

5. Unroll the towel. Depending on the thickness of the garment, you may need to repeat the process with to extract still-remaining excess water.

6. Reshape the garment once more, and lay it flat on a drying rack or on a fresh towel to air dry. To expedite the process, be sure to flip the garment when its front has dried.

If your clothing's the label reads "dry clean only," do take the warning at face value, and hand wash at your own risk; garments like suits, pleated skirts, synthetic delicates and fabric blends, leather and suede, and anything with particularly heavy embellishment are best left to a professional. We recommend using an eco-friendly dry cleaner. Find out why here.

Image credit: 1950s housewife from Ipernity

De-wrinkling pleated clothing is usually a job for the dry cleaners, but if your garment is made of synthetic fabric, you can safely iron at home. Read on for our best tips on caring for your favorite pleated items.

First, always store pleated garments by hanging them with some extra room to prevent crimping. This will reduce the amount of time you need to spend readying these items for wear.

For a garment with soft folds, use a steamer to avoid harsh creases. When steaming, carefully hold the slack fabric straight and taut with your free hand. If you don't own a steamer, simply spritz the garment with a wrinkle-release spray, smooth out the fabric, and hang to dry.

Garments with sharp pleats require ironing. Below, a quick, easy guide to ironing the two most popular kinds of pleats: tuxedo pleats, which are often found on blouses and dresses, and knife pleats, like those you'd find on a skirt.

1. Lay the garment on an ironing board.

2a. For tuxedo pleats, begin by turning the shirt inside out and ironing the backs of the pleats. Then, turn the shirt right side out again.

2b. For knife pleats, attach a paper clip to each pleat to keep the fold in place. We recommend focusing on a small section of pleats at each time. As you iron, take care to avoid the clips, as exposure to heat will result in a mark in the fabric.

3. Now, use the iron to press down on several of the pleats and burst with steam. Press the iron firmly for a quick second.

4. Rather than drag the iron across the garment, as this will result in puckering, instead pick it up fully and set it down again further along on the pleats. Again, burst with steam and press firmly for a brief moment.

5. Repeat on the rest of the pleats.

Image: Carrie Parry Sleeveless Shirt Dress in Violet and Pleated Skirt in Purple/Gray

Studies have shown that while dry cleaning may leave your clothes feeling fresh, it also most often leaves your clothing laden with toxins. The most popular dry clean chemical, perchloroethylene or "perc" for short, has actually been linked to serious health problems. "Perc" is a popular stain-removing solvent, but it's incredibly toxic; repeated exposure to high levels can cause liver damage and respiratory failure. And, "perc" remains on clothing upon its return from the dry cleaners, and even builds up over time if an item is repeatedly dry cleaned.

So, what is a well-dressed woman to do with her dirty laundry? Visit an organic dry cleaner, of course! Rather than "perc," organic dry cleaners use liquid carbon dioxide as an alternative. Not only is carbon dioxide a safe, renewable resource, but it also saves energy by allowing the machines to operate at lower temperatures. 

Other tips for dry cleaning include:

1. Dry clean as few items as possible. Much of the apparel that you take to the cleaner can actually be hand washed at home.

2. Hang clothing outside before wearing or storing in your closet, to allow it to air out. Always take your items out of those plastic bags and off of those wire hangers that the dry-cleaners provide; both can be quite damaging to your clothing.

3. Recycle the bags (refer to http://plasticbagrecycling.org for drop off locations), and return the wire hangers to the dry cleaners for re-use

No winter wardrobe is complete without warm, cozy sweaters, but caring for knitwear can be a challenge. Who among us hasn't accidentally shrunk a sweater or two in an unfortunate do-it-yourself laundering attempt? Even still, we promise that your favorite wool, cashmere, merino, and angora sweaters can all be washed by hand in the convenience of your own home. Just follow these five, accident-proof steps.

1. Begin by filling a sink with cool water and add about a tablespoon of mild, eco-friendly soap.  Some of our favorites include Caldrea, Mrs. Meyers, 7th Generation, The Laundress, Method, and Ecover.

2. Place your sweater into the water and gently swirl it around for a few minutes.

3. Drain and re-fill the sink with clean, cool water. Now, rinse your sweater by swirling it around once more, and then gently press it to remove excess water.  Be careful to not wring or twist, as this can distort its shape.

4. Lay the sweater out on a thick, dry towel.  Roll up the towel, pressing as you go, to help extract the water still left in the sweater.

5a. Unroll the towel. Reshape the sweater, and lay it flat on a fresh towel to air dry.

5b. Bonus tip: Fold all sweaters for storage. If hung on a clothes hanger, the weight of the knit will stretch and elongate the sweater.

Image credit: Vintage Mode blog

Textile recycling is actually the world's oldest form of recycling. In fact, it's even often referred to as the original recycling industry. But, unfortunately, only 15% of textile materials are now recycled; the remaining 85% end up in landfills. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that, on average, individuals throw away a startling seventy pounds of clothing each year, which accounts for 5.2% of our total landfill waste.

Rather than throwing away used clothing, sheets, blankets, and scrap fabric, refer to the three R's of the recycling pyramid:

1. Reduce solid waste while also reducing energy and water consumption  by extending the life of your textiles. For example, instead a purchasing manufactured dish rags, you can create reclaimed rags using old t-shirts or towels.

2. Reuse your gently worn clothing by donating it to either consignment or thrift shops, or to charities that will provide it to those in need. Or, organize a clothing swap with friends, in which you can trade your less loved items  for new-to-you apparel.

3. Recycle old garments, towels, and linens to be transformed into wiping cloths or converted to new textile products for consumer and industrial use. Non-profit organizations like Goodwill and Salvation Army will accept your well-used clothing to send to textile recycling facilities. 

Recycling used clothing and textiles benefits the environment in reducing our carbon footprint, preserving clean air, reducing energy consumption, and conserving water and woodlands. 

Image credit: Lauren Jong on Flickr

Confused about what those symbols mean on care labels? This laundry guide decodes the most common care symbols, so you can keep your favorite garments looking great for longer.

Image credit: American Cleaning Institute

Now that you’ve learned to sew a flat button, we thought to teach you to tackle the shank button. Shank buttons are so named because they have a raised area at their underside, known as a shank. They’re also usually more decorative than their flat counterparts – you can buy them with delicate embossed designs or even encrusted with rhinestones – so these are the buttons to use when you’d like to add subtle interest to your apparel.

1. Thread a needle with double thread, knotting the ends together.

2a. Insert your needle from the underside of the fabric, and sew a small x, using two stitches, where you intend to fasten your button. Repeat once or twice more.

2b. This step is optional. Place a smaller, flat button on the underside of the fabric, and sew. This will serve to support your shank button.

3. Now, place the shank button, and pass the needle from underneath the garment through the button’s shank. Don’t sew too tight; you’ll want to leave some space between the fabric and your button. Repeat this process about six times.

4. Wind your thread tightly around the thread column that you’ve created underneath the button’s shank.5. Pass your needle through the middle of the column, leaving a small loop, and thread back through that loop to secure. Repeat once more, and you’ve finished sewing your shank button. Bring your needle underneath the fabric, and, finally, snip the remaining thread. 

Image credit: The Peacock Box Blog