Owning jeans is a no-brainer. They’re a standard component of any casual outfit. But what about when you want to dress your jeans up–or down? No need to go out and buy another pair. Just modify your look with one (or more!) of these easy tricks.
- Cuff them: This might sound obvious, but it’s a too-often-overlooked trick for significantly changing the look of your jeans–and not permanently! Cuffing your jeans can help you achieve a cool retro-1950s look. It’s also flattering to your legs to show off your ankles, as it creates the illusion of longer legs. Roll the bottoms of your jeans up once or twice max. Don’t exceed twice, or your jeans will end up looking bunchy and weird.
- Rip them: Ripped jeans are trendy and fun to wear to casual occasions. You can buy ripped jeans, but they’re often ridiculously expensive, plus you’re at the mercy of the manufacturer to place the holes where they want them. Ripping your jeans yourself is easy and cheap, and allows you to have total creative control over your jeans. Choose a pair of jeans that has served you well, but that you don’t need completely intact anymore. Wash them, and take sandpaper to the areas you want to rip. Then put the jeans on, and use a pencil to mark where exactly you want to rip. Once you’ve done that, lay the jeans out flat and take an X-acto knife or a pair of sharp scissors to any areas you want to rip. Voila! You have a pair of cool ripped jeans without having to even leave the house.
- Dye them: Dying jeans is a bit of an involved process, but can be a really cool way to revitalize old jeans that are boring you. All you need are rubber gloves, some fabric dye, some dishwashing liquid, and a large bucket or dishpan. Dye company Rit has an easy and time-tested tutorial on dying jeans. You can even combine dyes to create your own custom color!
- Crop them: A little-known secret about life is that with very little difficulty, you can modify your jeans to be any length you want. Really! Any length! You can go cut them to mid-calf for a nice capri, or cut them completely into shorts of any length you like. For a more finished look, cut them with sewing scissors and hem them. If you like a look that’s a little more rough-around the edges, you can just cut them (sewing scissors will work best but you can use regular scissors in a pinch) and let them looked frayed and awesome. Or, my personal favorite trick, cut them into shorts slightly longer than you want them, then cuff them–no hemming needed.
- Bedazzle them: Add any sort of stone or small jewel or trinket that you want. As long as it’s small and light, you can hot glue it to a pair of jeans. That’s a rule to live by. You can add rhinestones or other jewels in any pattern you like. If you don’t want to go free-form, you can buy iron-on patterns at a fabric or craft store. They’re super easy to apply, and end up looking great.
- Add lace to them: Similarly, it may astound you to learn that you can add lace to jeans incredibly easily. Actually, you can add lace to anything you want, provided you legally own it. There are a ton of different styles to play with, some that require sewing and some that don’t. You can also buy different colors of lace at your favorite local fabric store.
Ok, now you officially have no more excuses for wearing boring jeans. Get out there and cuff, rip, dye, and bedazzle your way to the top!
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