If you’re like us, it’s an annual tradition to get the fall issue of Vogue and, latte in hand, pore over every page. Including the ads. Especially the ads. Even if you aren’t a yearround subscriber, this phonebook-sized tome is a must-have. How else will you know what trends you should be buying into for fall?

Inspiration: Dolce & Gabbana's Fall 2009 ready-to-wear collection. (Courtesy of Style.com)

In the best of times, you might end up picking out one or two lust-worthy things worth splurging on to add something new to your fall wardrobe. 

But as you know, 2009 isn’t the best of times.

This year, we propose something different. You likely already have a closet full of great stuff. And because the three R’s of conservation aren’t all equal, we suggest following them in order: Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.

Reduce your contribution to the world’s landfills by reinventing something old from your wardrobe into something shiny and new — maybe all it takes is a few strategic tweaks to bring it up to speed with the latest trends. Reuse by shopping in thrift and vintage stores (we’ll tell you how in a second). And recycle anything that is at the end of its life-cycle.

In this issue, we came up with a few innovative ways to refresh your favorite items for fall.

First, new contributor Kara Cook walks you through her step-by-step instructions for turning a long skirt into a sleek strapless dress. She’s our new DIY doyenne, so join us in welcoming Kara to the E.S. team!

We just finished reading Funmi Odulate’s resource book Shopping for Vintage and found it invaluable for finding the best clothing of yesteryear. We review it here for you wannabe vintage collectors out there.

Madison offers her take on the classic “wear now, wear later” article. You just might find the perfect piece that transitions you from summer to fall.

Finally, if you read Daily Candy or Lucky magazine, you’ve likely heard of DenimTherapy.com. They’re the people who promise to take any ripped, torn, holey, or otherwise destroyed blue jeans and make them good as new. We put their pie-in-the-sky promises to the test.

And as always, stop by Seam Ripper and check out what you might have been missing on the E.S. blog!