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Ask A Los Angeles Expert: How To Distress Your Jeans

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(credit: istockphoto)

Spring into the newest fashion season with the distressed jean look - LA fashion expert Allison McNamara says it's easy to do at home with a few simple steps.

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Allison McNamara (Courtesy of POPSUGAR)

Allison McNamara
www.popsugar.com/author/allison-mcnamara

When it comes to do-it-yourself fashion trends, POPSUGAR's Los Angeles fashion expert Allison McNamara, fashion reporter and producer for POPSUGAR NOW on TVGN, is your premier source. Frequently reporting on the latest celebrity fashion trends on POPSUGAR, McNamara translates red carpet styles into a wearable wardrobe. "In a perfect world, we'd wear our favorite jeans so much that over time, they would naturally develop a cool knee hole on the left and some thin slits on the upper right thigh that would make Kurt Cobain proud. But, unfortunately, that is not the case for most of us," says McNamara. "And, many times when holes do develop in your jeans organically, they aren't in the coolest of places. Instead of buying pre-distressed denim, you can achieve a slightly more organic, worn-in look by distressing your denim yourself."
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What you need to get started:

  • razor
  • card stock
  • chalk
  • sandpaper
  • scissors
  • >pair of jeans

Directions:

  1. Try on your jeans and use your chalk to mark where you want to distress your denim.
  2. Place card stock underneath the area you want to slice. Use the razor to cut.
  3. Make sure to leave at least 1/4 inch in between cuts. Do 5-6 cuts on the knee.
  4. Repeat Step 2 on the front pocket, back pocket and upper thigh area (make sure you don't slice too high on upper thigh).
  5. Use sandpaper to add texture and additional distressing.

Once you're happy with how your denim looks, throw it in the washing machine and dryer and, voila, you can strut the couture catwalk looking like your favorite diva.

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Jennifer Geisman is a freelance writer and faithful beauty junkie living in Los Angeles. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.

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