DIY Denim Cutoffs

I went to Cape Cod last week on a little vacation to catch up with friends and spend some time by the ocean. Tanning, swimming, walking down the beach taking photos - it was blissful. I might include some more details about the Cape in a separate post, but the point is I was in vacation mode. Which includes shopping.

At home I have to drive to Albany for clothing stores that I like, but I prefer shopping on the Cape even more because there are cute boutiques and tons of consignment and thrift stores. I was at a surf store looking for denim shorts, and was depressed because I don't know who can afford $50 shorts. So I hit up a popular thrift store called Wicked Thrift in search of jeans that I could make cutoffs out of. 

I've made cutoffs quite a few times. It seems that the secret is to find the ugliest pair of jeans that 'fit', but you would never wear, and they turn into perfect shorts. It's all about how the waist and upper thigh fits, because the rest is getting cut off. Even if the jeans squeeze your knees like crazy, but the thigh is loose, this is actually a perfect situation because once you cut them, the shorts won't pinch your upper thigh. Make sure your butt looks good though, because that won't change whether you cut them or not.

I tried on a pair of ancient Gap jeans that were too short and awkwardly bell bottomed, in other words, I would never wear them as is. But I felt the potential for cutoffs. All you really need is a flat surface and a steady pair of scissors. 

CUT THE SHORTS TOO LONG, because you can always cut more off. Making sure the pants are flat and centered is key to having even legs. I usually end up cutting more off one or two times. Just try them on and check the length. Seriously, a little at a time, because I've cut a few where they were uneven and too short, so half of my left butt was showing.. To make the shorts frayed, all you have to do is run them through the washer and dryer. And it only cost me $6!