Recycled clothing is nothing new. You can pick some up at Goodwill, Value Village or any number of local consignment shops.

But clothing made out of recycled goods, that gets a little more interesting.

Kilts that started life as beer boxes and coffee-cup collars were just a few of the creative ideas at this year’s Haute Trash fashion show, put on by Haute Trash and the RE Store in April. The fashion show has been going on in Bellingham, Wash., since 2006, but with the recent all-encompassing trend to go green, this year’s show was the best yet.

“People rave about it,” says Jason Darling, education and marketing coordinator for the RE Store. “This year we had people saying that we’ve taken it to another level. The designers this year focused on one or two pieces, so the level of detail and craftsmanship and sophistication was really above and beyond this year.”

Some of the more extraordinary pieces included a gown that looked far from trashy, made from old, yellow raincoats, bright orange construction fencing, a bustle of white mini-blinds and a black corset formed from melted records. If Marie Antoinette and Oscar the Grouch had a love child, surely this is what she would wear to prom — and she would look stunning.

Another one of Darling’s favorites is a corseted number made entirely from coils of computer and networking cables that looks like “super-colored spaghetti.”

Though the visual impact of these outfits is astounding, what’s amazing to Darling is that so much beauty could come from pieces that were left for dead in a dumpster.

“I think that it shows people that what is ending up in trash cans really needs to be re-evaluated,” he says. “When people see network wiring or construction fencing or mini blinds that would have been considered trash, and all of a sudden you see it and it looks beautiful, it really can remap in your mind what can be done with our trash.”

With the nation in the midst of a recession, Darling sees the re-purposing of things people have tossed as garbage as an untapped resource, perhaps even an industry.

“Here in America our trash is really abundant,” he says. “It’s a huge resource. There’s a huge amount of potential there. There are entire economies that could be built.”

Recycle this

Here are a few ideas on items around the house that you should try on before tossing out:

• Upholstery from couches or chairs that are on their way to the dump can be cut and crafted into totes or pouches.

• Soft, worn-in leather from a broken-down recliner could find new life as a leather purse with no breaking in necessary.

• Pull a Scarlett O’Hara and turn those old-fashioned drapes into a swingy, vintage-looking skirt.

• Odds and ends from arts and crafts projects can add spice to bland accessories. Glue a bit of tulle, feathers or old lace to headbands, pins or hats to give your look some new life.

• Tired of the tacky, dated chandelier in the dining room? Before you toss the whole thing, scavenge the crystals to use for jewelry or decorations elsewhere.