One of my favorite timeless trends is distressed jeans. As a millennial, I am sure I am not the only one who has been mocked by the older generation when I wear them. They say, “Why do you pay for holes in your clothes?” I would always just roll my eyes at this, but then I started thinking… I do pay a lot of money for holes in my jeans. I should just do it myself!
I picked up a pair of Levi’s for only $5 from a thrift store in New York City. They were oversize and had no holes in them—so I had some fun with them. And let me tell you, it is fun—and relaxing!
I had seen a bunch of different ways to distress jeans, but I used a combination of techniques that I found worked the best for me. Here’s how I was able to achieve this classic grungy look.
Step 1—Get yourself a pair of slightly oversize jeans with few or no holes in them. Try your local thrift store, or even a Marshall’s or T.J.Maxx. These are the best places to find a cheap pair of good quality jeans.
Step 2—Cut slits in the jeans that are about one inch wide. Start out with just two, and then you can build your way up.
Step 3—Grab a pair of tweezers and start pulling out the blue strands of denim that run vertically so that only the white strands that run horizontally are left.
Step 4—Cut another slit above or below the first one. Make sure it’s parallel to the other one, but don’t end it in the same place so the rip doesn’t look like one big box. You can pull on the edges of the holes to make them less boxy and more rounded.
Your first pair may not be perfect, but hey, ripped jeans aren’t supposed to be perfect! You get the hang of it the more you do it. You might even find it extremely relaxing like I do. Last semester, during finals week, I started working on a pair of Bermuda shorts, and every time I needed a break during studying, I would make a new hole in them. I was distressing jeans to de-stress from school and ended up with an adorable pair of shorts that no one else has.
Did you try this distressed jeans DIY? Make sure to share your unique jeans with @CFashionista on social media.
