Boyfriend Jeans by Gwen

when i first saw this boyfriend jean trend emerging (thank you katie holmes), i have to say, i really was NOT a fan. but those pesky marketing techniques seem to work, and here i am, dremel in hand, ready to transform a pair of joe's honey jeans into a work of art!

i got the idea for this project while browsing the lookbook pages of shopbop. since i'm on a shopping ban (well, i was, till i broke it on a beeeautiful jalda python clutch, but more on that in a later post), i didn't really think i would have the opportunity to try out this look. then inspiration hit. i remembered a pair of previously loved jeans, now relagated to the back of the closet since i had
a. stretched them out
b. hemmed them too short
c. faded them with too many washings in hot water
d. been attacked by nala as a puppy, while wearing them

they were already halfway there! perfect!

my mission: boyfriend jeans

the inspiration:

the before:


the arsenal:

i started off rather timidly, sanding down the front of the thighs and the back of the butt, trying to get a more faded, whitewashed look in those areas. i was actually surpised at how much denim dust i generated, and how much denim dust kona likes to eat! then i started using the grater and zester to try and make the type of holes that i wanted. i think it would have been easier if i'd had a proper handheld grater, but that is the ONE thing i never got at crate and barrel. this was slow going, so i moved on to using the leatherman. that seemed to work a little bit better, but i wasn't able to get the white threads to show through so that's when i brought in the bleach pen. it didn't really bleach it right away like i thought it would, but it turned out out pretty white after the wash. the big breakthrough came when i remembered that josh had a dremel tool sitting up in the closet. this worked really well, and i was able to shape the holes just how i wanted them, and make them either actual holes, or just well worn sections. after i was done, i threw it in the washing machine.

the result:


all and all, i'm really pleased with the result! i think they'll look just as good with a dressier top for night, or some gladiator sandals this summer. and with just a little elbow grease, they were free! (so that makes it ok that i broke my ban yesterday, right josh?) :)