I’m going to preface this post with an apology: You are about to be bombarded with ridiculous pictures of me in my bathroom, and for that I am truly sorry. I may be from New Jersey, but I swear the Myspace mirror pic is not something I do often…
That being said– I decided to take it upon myself to try a little craft the other day to keep myself good and distracted from studying for my finals. I wanted to make some fun denim high-waisted cutoffs just in time for summer, and so here is a little “Jamie How To” in case you are looking of achieving this hot trend for next to no money.
My butt: Awkward? Maybe.
Step One: Get yo’self some ridiculous jeans. I decided to stop on over to the Malibu Thrift store and picked up a truly disastrous pair. Definitely go for a 1990s Mom-Jean that sits comfortably around your belly-button but is baggy in the leg. Finding the perfect fit and wash definitely took a while but I eventually found ones that suited my vision, and bought them for $8.00. #Winning Keep in mind the uglier the jeans, the more rewarding it is when you turn them into fashion gold. Happy Hunting!
Mom Jeans at their finest.
Step Two: Tracing Now grab a pencil and throw on your ridiculous pants. Turn around in a mirror and make a mark approximately 1.5 inches below your booty (preferably while your roommates aren’t home– avoid awkward barge in). Then take off the pants, lay them on the floor face up and find where the pockets end on the inside of the leg– trace another mark about 3/4 of an inch above that and then connect your butt dot and your pocket dot to form a solid line around both legs. To get the Americana rustic look, generally I would leave only about a half an inch of inseam, but obviously do whatever suits and flatters you!
Trace Time
When you have finished tracing your lines should look a little something like this:
Lines
Step 3: The First Cut is the Deepest! Next, grab a pair of scissors and go to town! This is definitely the most nerve-wracking part and I was super worried I would mess it up, but trust your instincts! Worse comes to worse, you buy another pair of ridiculous $8 jeans. Remember: Cut about a half inch away from all of your lines!! When you put these in the drier, they WILL distress and fray, so give yourself a little extra fabric at the bottom of your tracings to ensure they don’t turn into slutty-pants!
Cut it out!
Step 4: Revel in your glory! Hooray you did it! You have turned something foul into something fab in a matter of minutes.
HOT
Step 5: DISTRESS DISTRESS DISTRESS! Now have a little bit of fun with them! To get a “holey” look, make small slits where you’d like them (do not cut out circles or holes– just a line!!). Then throw them in the wash and when you put them in the drier, Voila– Magic! You’ve got distressed, shredded denim.
Rockstar Shorts
Now, you can either let them be and enjoy your new edgy shorts, or you can take them even a step further and add studs or eyelet fabric to the pockets or seam to make them stand out even more! I’ve ordered some pyramid studs online and should be getting them in the mail any day! I plan to put them all over the back pockets to complete the look! I’m going for something like this:
Yay!
So I hope you enjoyed this little DIY tutorial and that you are inspired to create some fun things for yourself!! Us college girls know that achieving the ultimate look doesn’t have to break the bank, so have fun finding new ways to incorporate thrift items into your closet! Send me pictures of your BEFORE and AFTER shots of things you’ve created so I can get some new ideas too!
BEFORE:
Before
AFTER:
After!
BESOS xx: Jamie Email: JamieM@Southernandcity.com
Blog: TheGingeBinge Twitter: Jaymackles20
