Okay, so I’ve been seeing these “festival jean shorts” all over my Pinterest and TikTok, and I kinda wanted to jump on the bandwagon. You know, the ones with all the rips, maybe some patches, and definitely a cool, worn-in vibe? I didn’t want to spend a ton of money, though, so I decided to make my own!
The Hunt for the Perfect Jeans
First things first, I needed some jeans. I didn’t want to use any of my good ones, so I hit up the local thrift store. I spent like, an hour digging through racks, and finally found a pair of light-wash denim that looked promising. They were a little big, which was perfect because I planned on cutting them anyway, it will gives a looser, more relaxed fit.
Chop, Chop!
Back home, I put on the jeans and used some chalk to mark where I wanted the shorts to hit. I went for a mid-thigh length, but you can totally customize this to whatever you like. Then came the scary part: cutting! I took a deep breath and just went for it, following the chalk line. A little tip: cut a little longer than you think you want, you can always make them shorter, but you can’t make them longer! I just use a regular scissors that can cut through fabrics.
Getting That Distressed Look
Now for the fun part – making them look all ripped and cool. I grabbed a pair of tweezers and started pulling at the threads along the cut edge. This created that frayed look that I was going for. Then, I used a razor blade (be careful!) to scrape and nick the denim in random spots. I also used some sandpaper to rub on the pockets and around the waistband to make them look extra worn.
- Tweezers for fraying edges
- Razor blade for rips and nicks
- Sandpaper for overall wear and tear
Adding Some Personality (optional)
At this point, the shorts were looking pretty good, but I wanted to add a little something extra. If you want, just put some patches. I had some cool fabric scraps laying around, so I cut out some shapes and sewed them onto the shorts. You could also use iron-on patches, fabric paint, or even safety pins and studs for a more punk vibe.
The Final Result
And that’s it! I tried on my new festival jean shorts, and I’m super happy with how they turned out. They’re unique, comfortable, and totally fit the vibe I was going for. Plus, I saved a bunch of money by DIYing them. It just use a little bit of time and effort to customize it.
This whole project took me like, an afternoon, and it was actually pretty relaxing. If you’re looking for a fun and easy way to update your wardrobe, I definitely recommend giving this a try!