Turn Your Favorite Sweater Into A Stylish Shrug With One Easy Hack

A shrug is a unique garment. It's like a bolero but not quite. It resembles a shawl but not exactly. Essentially, a shrug is a cropped cardigan. All the attention is on the sleeves, although there are shorter versions too. Some styles of this garment have necklines that cover the chest, while others are more open. Either way, shrugs are an effortlessly cute way to transition your summer clothing for chillier weather. 

They are especially handy when you'd rather layer something on top than underneath. Instead of styling a turtleneck under your strapless dress, just throw a shrug over your shoulders. You're probably seeing shrug sweaters trending everywhere and for good reason. Although fast fashion stores have plenty of shrugs on the rack, you can create your own with pieces you already have on hand. 

In fact, a simple fashion hack turns your favorite sweater into this chic throw-over in seconds. You can even have your entire sweater collection double as shrugs and avoid the guilt of fashion overconsumption in the process. Get ready to optimize your wardrobe.

The DIY shrug hack is simple. First, you need to gather all the materials — a sweater. Yep, that's it. Turn your sweater upside down and snake your arms through the sleeves. The original bottom hem now acts as your collar. Next, you'll need to tackle the back. As is, the sweater's neckline is apparent from the back view. To hide the gaping hole, fold the sweater twice and tuck it neatly into the neckline. You can use safety pins to ensure it's extra secure. 

And just like that, your lazy day sweater is now a fashionable shrug. For a more permanent DIY shrug, you'll have to sacrifice an old sweater and may need to develop some new sewing skills. Similar to the first hack, the sweater's bottom hem is the shrug's collar. To hide the neckline, you're going to sew it up. You can follow the seamline on the shoulder area or just fold it into the neckline a few inches and sew shut. 

However, even with a sewing machine a needle and thread can be a little intimidating. Luckily, instead of sewing, you can opt to cut instead. For this look, you'll get a bolero-style shrug. The neckline and sleeves stay intact, but you'll snip the body of the sweater. This TikTok tutorial shows a converted turtleneck, and the results are runway-worthy. These transformations are great for upcycling your wardrobe too. 

We have some stylish tips to rock your new shrug, once it's ready to go. The shrug is a perfect chilly-weather accessory. When the days are getting warm but the nights remain slightly chilly, just tuck a shrug into your purse for later. If you don't want a chunky sweater covering up your cute outfit, swap it with a shrug. And if your cardigan is too long — well, you see where we're going with this. 

The best way to coordinate your outfit with a shrug is to go monochrome. Keep the cropped style with a bralette and match the top with loose bottoms. Trendy monochrome fashion means sticking to one color solely, but you can welcome a series of shades if you prefer. Try an off-white ensemble but top it off with a tan shrug and brown boots.

Another way to rock a shrug is by matching it to your other accessories. Choose shades similar to your shrug for your headwear, footwear, bag, or jewelry. Regardless of whether you opt for a dress, jumpsuit, skirt, or jeans, the shrug will blend in seamlessly. Contrasting hues, meanwhile, will make your shrug stand out more. And for a bold throw-over, turn your multi-colored or patterned sweater into a shrug instead.