It’s no secret college may just be the best four years of your life. But with no job, no car, and only an eighty-dollar allowance per week, how ever will one thrive?
Welcome to the world of “hobo-chic” living, where nothing is impossible when you have a sense of adventure. Hobo-chic is basically the average, trendy student, who lives life dressing in bohemian sweaters and festive headbands (she bought on clearance), hopping from bargain to bargain, so that she can enjoy a flirtatious night on the town.
Whether you are looking for DIY crafts or oil-free reasonably priced makeup, the ‘hobo-chic’ lifestyle has your back. Had a rough day and are in desperate need of some retail therapy? Is your boyfriend in town and you want to take him to a unique and fun place downtown that won’t rob your savings blind? Come here for tips and tricks on ways to still enjoy college and master the trends, while being a full-time student on a budget.
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High-waisted shorts are, without a doubt, the best trend to resurface since ‘90s crop tops and ‘70s flower crowns. Yet spending forty plus dollars on a cheeky pair of shorts, which most definitely did not have larger-than-average-sized bottoms in mind during mass production, is a bit much. So, why not be creative and learn to make your own custom-fit shorts in half an hour for half the price?
Step 1: Find a pair of jeans to destroy
Option 1: Goodwill
Check out your local Goodwill and find a pair of mom jeans that fit just right or that are slightly looser than your everyday skinny jeans. (No stretchy material, please.)
Option 2: Explore your mother’s closet!
Believe the hype: Moms are great hoarders! Still waiting for the day she wakes up twenty-two and tiny all over again, a large chunk of your mom’s clothing goes unappreciated, under-valued, and seldom worn at that. Now, before you haphazardly bury yourself in sugarcoated sorrows at the mere thought of inheriting those hideous, “clunky” orthopedic clogs, she so self-destructively insists on wearing daily, just take a look around. You will be amazed at how close in size and taste your mom once was to you. You may end up finding, under that pile of tacky hats, a neglected, dark-wash, superiorly-waisted pair of denim salvation; thus, erasing years of ill-fitting jean-trauma and commencing your endeavor onto untapped DIY brilliance. While you’re at it, you may even find a funky, fringed leather vest or a cool pair of patterned, wide-leg pants to recycle into your wardrobe!
Step 2: Pick an angle: Straight-across? V-cut?
Measure how short you would like the jeans to hit on your legs and mark the angle with a piece of chalk. Make sure to leave room for coverage of your “unmentionables” by starting to cut a few inches down, and working your way up to the perfect length. Don’t forget that after the wash shorts tend to get shorter and fray more, so leave at least an inch of extra fabric for wiggle room!
Step 3: Shredding
Take a large pair of scissors and separate the blades. With one of the blades, carefully scratch your shorts, creating straight rips horizontally across the pockets, both in front and back. Make sure to keep a steady grip/eye on the blade, and try not to pass the cotton material (pocket) underneath the denim or cut the pocket by accident. Don’t be afraid to scatter and play with uneven rips. The more scattered and rough the rips are, the more likely you are to attain the much sought after grungy and vintage feel you crave.
Step 4: Bleach
Destructive in nature, make sure to strap on a big, ol’ pair of nauseatingly-yellow, rubber gloves, to match the raggedy smock of an outfit you have on, in case of spillage – safety first! Now, go ahead and dip your shorts into a medium-sized, plastic bucket, filled halfway with bleach. Dunk either the bottom or the top of the shorts into the bleach, covering the desired region as evenly as possible. You can also use a spray bottle filled with bleach to create a dripping effect. Try not to soak the shorts for more than half a minute, or the material will crumble and easily tear (in awkward areas) immediately after you wash/dry them. Lastly, after pulling the shorts out of the bleach, let the chemicals breathe. Allow the shorts to air dry until you reach desired white hues. Then, toss them directly into the wash on “cold.” Feel free to repeat the process with caution, if you are unsatisfied with the outcome.
Step 5: Tie-Dye
Pick up a tie-dye kit from Michael’s or Jo-Ann’s and dye right on top of the bleached regions, after the shorts have already been washed.
Step 6: Fabric
If you happen to know your way around a needle, go binge crazy and check out your nearest Wal-Mart for cool clearance fabrics (lace, floral, plaid, tribal, houndstooth… you name it.) that you can sew directly onto the pockets or even underneath the shredding to show through the pockets.
Step 7: Embellishments
You can purchase packs of studs, spikes, and other unique embellishments on www.etsy.com or at Michael’s (in the T-shirt decorating section) for less than five dollars. One pack can last for over four pairs of shorts, depending on what design you choose and how large you choose to make the design. Most studs work similarly to metal thumbtacks, where you simply press the sharp edges through the denim, and secure the stud in the back by pushing the sharp edges inwards, towards the base, with tweezers for safety. An additional tip is to lay down your design before you start pinning down unwanted, arbitrary shapes.
Step 8: Tribal
Find a fun print online or create your own! All you need is a permanent marker and your imagination (online template) to draw the night away! Try practicing your entire pattern or pieces of your pattern on scrap paper to prevent any hiccups in your design. Wash the shorts on “cold” separately after any ink has been distributed onto the denim; otherwise, potential ink smearing/leaking onto other clothing items may occur. However, the odds of a permanent marker’s ink completely washing out of denim, without the intentional, determined scrubbing of a tough-duty stain remover, is almost unheard of.
Step 9: Final Wash and Dry
Wash your shorts on “cold” the first time you wash them to ensure no harm comes to other items, your washer machine, or the shorts themselves. When done drying, your shorts will be R2W (Ready-to-Wear).
And voilà! You are officially trendy and original, with an extra fifteen plus dollars in your wallet for cover this weekend… a perfect excuse to show of your new wardrobe!
Hobo out.