I think it's cool that distressed jeans are back, but unlike the grunge look of the ’80s, which required nothing more than wearing your old ripped and worn-out jeans to look hip, the look today is more artfully bleached and tattered, like the $575 Joswick jeans I spotted at Barneys New York. You read that right, $575!
That sticker shock got me surfing to see if I could find out how to deconstruct my old denim jeans myself. I found instructions and lots of tips at Jeans and Accessories.
For those perfectly faded, bleached-out effects, use bleach, sponged on in strategic spots. For artfully positioned shredded effects, you can use all sorts of tools you probably have around the house, including:
• A sharp knife to scrape off the top layer of denim fibers to look frayed.• A cheese grater to create more interesting distressed patterns.
• An abrasive sponge or medium grit sand paper to selectively fray pockets and hems and blend in worn areas with new.
• A pumice stone to rough up cut holes—just right.
You might want to do a practice run on an old, cruddy pair of jeans, and be sure to check out the site for more detailed how-to’s. But if you’re up for an afternoon of arts-and-crafts fun, you can save yourself the cost of those designer jeans.Not into DIYing? Shop around; you can find the distressed look at different price points. Check out the $39.99 Converse One Star skinny jeans we found on page 6 of the October ShopSmart.
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nbr
02:13:02 AM on Wed Nov 4 2009
This blog contains very useful information to all internet shoppers.