A few weeks ago, my close friend and I (we go way back to 6th grade) were talking about cutoffs for some reason. Well, we realized, I’ve been making my own cutoffs since….6th grade. What can I say, jean shorts rarely fit me right, so I’ve always taken matters into my own hands.
That also happen to be armed with scissors.
So, I thought, now is time to pass on a few key tips, should you ever want to save a ton of money, venture over to your thrift store, and make a pair of Daisy Dukes for yourself.
Here you go…
1: Always go up a size or two.
Nothing (in my opinion ) is more unflattering or uncomfortable than a pair of tight jorts. So yeah, skinny jean cutoffs are not recommended. Super big ones with a slit up the side (like this) are some of my faves.
2: When making the shorts, it’s not rocket science.
Simply put on the jeans you are going to cut. Then while looking in a mirror, mark how short you want them to be with a pen on the outside seam. Take them off, and cut across on a straight line. If it’s not totally straight, that’s ok. When in doubt, start long then cut shorter.
3: For the first week or two, whenever you do a load of laundry, throw them in there.
This helps with the softening and getting the hem to totally unravel. Also, remember to trim off the long excess strings that appear as a result of your frequent washing.
4. Don’t cut the pockets, unless you really really have to.
…mainly because I think pockets peeping out from under the shorts is pretty darn cute. If you do cut them, it’s not the end of the world. It just feels weird when you put your hands in the pockets, or accidentally put some change in there.
5: Finding old Wranglers and Levi’s, is like finding a winning scratch ticket.
I just found an old pair of guys Wranglers (Pictured above. Yes you can also use guys jeans for cutoffs) and kinda did a jumping fist pump in the thrift store when I saw them.
So there you go. Hope this helps. I just made 2 pairs (It was half off day at Goodwill) and am going to see how they turned out.