Hi, I’m a stereotypical broke girl and also a fan of boyfriend jeans. But boyfriends jeans in stores- from Forever 21 to Urban Outfitters to American Eagle and more- all cost an arm and a leg, and I know I don’t have $50+ to spend on a pair of jeans. So I created a detailed guide to thrift shopping, for all my incredibly broke girls who also want boyfriend jeans but don’t want to spend more than $20 for two.
Step One: Have patience
It took me two tries at the same Goodwill before I found a couple of pairs of boy jeans that I liked the look of. The key is they have to look nice before you make them into destroyed denim, or you won’t like them after, either. On the second attempt, I found a pair of Calvin Kleins mens jeans and a pair of Levis mens jeans. The Calvin Kleins actually fit incredibly well on me, and all that I have to do is destroy them. The Levis were pretty tight, so I had to let the waist out, and the destroying process included making room for my nice big thighs. My process for choosing a pair was looking at the smaller mens jeans (30-34) and then choosing the ones I liked the look of already. The size you choose depends on your size, and since I’m fairly small, I went for a smaller pair. I eyeballed them, and ended up with a pair that was too tight, but I fixed them.
Step Two: Destroying
The Levis were the first pair of jeans I started with. They were a little tight- I wouldn’t be able to sit down or breathe in them- so I let the waist out by cutting triangles into the waistline, and sewing more jean fabric into them. This made it so they actually fit right, and I can finally breathe. I also had to destroy the thighs because my thighs were still a little suffocated in them, so I ripped one long hole from upper thigh down to mid calf in one leg, and the other leg has a few holes/rips in them. They’re now comfortable, and after step three will look just as nice as designer boyfriend jeans.
Step Three: washing.
Wash your now destroyed jeans two to three times before wearing them, to get all of the fabric loose and distressed looking, and to smell good. They’ll look just as cute as the designer jeans your friends wear, and unless you repost this article, no one will know you made them.
Next week: a detailed look at how I modify the Calvin Kleins jeans, including a step-by-step tutorial.