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GET THE DISTRESSED DENIM LOOK

Mar 28, 2016 09:16AM ● By Press Release

By: Tracee Dundas

Just like baseball and apple pie, denim fashions are an American classic.  From Levi’s to Guess, it’s been around for many generations and everyone loves wearing them. And why not; denim is fashionable, stylish, and the trendiest apparel in modern time.  It’s always in style! But let’s face it; in order to own the latest pair of designer style jeans you may almost break the bank.

Here is an easy D.I.Y. idea for getting that designer distressed denim shorts style at a fraction of the cost. Easy, breezy and how cool to say that you designed them yourself!

Materials needed include:

1. One pair of jeans 2. Sharp fabric scissors 3. Marker or colored pen 4. Washer and Dryer

  • Start off with a long pair of blue jeans that you’ve decided you won’t wear anymore or pick up a pair of at the local thrift store.
  • Look at yourself in a mirror wearing the jeans and decide the length you would like them to be as shorts.
  • Using a marker, draw a line on only the front of one pant leg, just below where you want so it isn’t too short.  Remember it’s easy to cut more fabric if necessary, but once you’ve cut the fabric you can’t add it back on.
  • Take off the blue jeans and lay them on a smooth surface,  using  sharp scissors to cut the fabric across your marked line. Use long strokes to get a straight line.
  • Use the finished cut leg as a template to cut the other leg evenly by folding the cut leg over the other, smoothing out, and use the same technique to cut the second leg off.
  • Check your work by slipping your new denim shorts on to make sure your lines are even and the shorts aren’t too short.
  • Time to add the distressed look! Select where you’d like to have the distressed points on the shorts and make a small mark with your colored pen. Make sure your marks are not too close or you could end up with a huge hole!
  • Pinch one area you marked and, using the tip of your scissors, cut a small slit in the center, followed by a short cut to each side to create one long cut across. Repeat this step at each distress mark you made.
  • At each cut area, use your fingers to pull down any threads to help get the fray finish 
     started.
  • Toss the shorts in the washer and dryer to complete the fraying process.
  • The final look is a fun, fabulous, stylish pair of blue shorts that didn’t cost a small fortune and the best part is—you did it yourself.

 



Tracee Dundas is a freelance stylist, blogger, fashion editor for New Orleans Magazine and fashion event producer.  She is the Founder and Creative Director of Fashion Week New Orleans and the "go-to-gal" for all things fashionable in the Gulf Coast. Tracee hosts a weekly fashion style segment "Fashion Friday" on WVUE Fox 8 sharing the latest trends, styling tips and DIY ideas.  She works with nationally known clients such as Lucky Magazine, Essence Magazine, Payless Shoes and The W Hotel and frequently works as a stylist for films, commercials and music videos.  Tracee is a graduate of USL and a native of St. Martinville, LA.