DIY: Vintage Skirt (From Watford Observer)

DIY: Vintage Skirt

5:05pm Wednesday 15th July 2009 in

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Want to update your wardrobe without spending a penny? Last year's denim skirts were structured and clean cut as shown on D&G and Donna Karen. This summer's denim is vintage inspired as designed by Junya Watanabe who mixed different washes of denim and William Rast who used black stamps, holes and frayed edges to give the denim a worn and torn effect. The trend has filtered down to the high street such as the denim skirt as shown from Oasis in Watford. It has a stonewashed bleach finish and is frayed at the seams.

To recreate the damaged denim look, I used an old H&M skirt, that was hiding at the back of my wardrobe, and I messed it up a bit. To do the same you will need some fabric scissors, a cheese grater and nail varnish. First of all I cut just above the hem and then tore the hem off. If my skirt was longer I would have sliced sections with a blade. Next I used the grater to distress the leather logo which revealed a lighter colour underneath. Instead of using a cheese grater you could use sandpaper. Finally, I painted the buttons with black and copper nail varnish for a more distinct look. Alternatively if you have any spare buttons or pockets, you could replace the current ones for a personalised finish.

Another way to make a denim skirt look more battered is to experiment with bleach. The more concentrated the bleach, the lighter the denim will become. To bleach the whole skirt, add two cups of bleach to a bucket of water and leave the skirt in there until you have the desired effect. For a more authentic look, try the skirt on and then chalk where the natural creases appear. Take off the skirt then apply bleach to the chalked section.

Good luck and be careful not to bleach or cut yourself in the process!