thoughts on style

A model presents a creation by French designer Christophe Decarnin for Balmain during the spring/summer 2009 ready-to-wear collection show in Paris

So after my last DIY post about bedazzling one's wardrobe with studs, I was reminded of my own DIY experiences (and there are many) throughout my life, most of them involving the old, boring pair of jeans. One year I converted pants into shorts (trés uneven), the next it was bermudas (a trend destined to go the way of capri pants and clam diggers), and back when waistbands were MIA so were mine...and unfortunately I had not planned far enough ahead to realize that a zipper alone would not hold my pants up - that button on the waistband I just cut off was a necessary part of the garment. Well, I lived and I learned. So to help you avoid my mishaps, I am posting a how-to video I found on youtube that explains how to properly distress one's jeans.

Which brings me to my next point - distressed jeans. Needless to say they were all over the models on the runways at Balmain, and again on the same models off duty during the last few seasons - and voila - a trend was born. Now anyone can find them pre-ripped, shredded, bleached, destroyed, and butchered for any fashionista trendy enough to buy them. Yes, the shreds and rips are placed strategically, and are executed flawlessly, however, wouldn't it just be a little bit more fun (i.e., free) to hack up one's own denim?

So let's celebrate some good old sartorial destruction and turn that uptown denim into downtown chic. Just remember to throw the jeans in the wash after you are done for a finishing touch of wear and tear.

editor's note: Instead of distressing the jeans on the flat, i've found that distressing them while wearing them gives a more realistic effect, since one is able to tell how the jeans conform to one's curves and thus where the "wear" would look best. Please do this at your own risk, however, because if you are not careful you could shred your leg along with the denim in a stray swipe of the cheese grater.