Denim Daze

In my humble opinion every wardrobe or home need one denim item within it at the very least.

Whether it be in the shape of a shirt, jeans, skirt or throw pillow this humble cotton twill textile will see you through many practical and fashionable moments.

Dressed up or dressed down the best thing about denim is that unlike its careful cousins silk and satin for example, this hard wearing textile does something that not many fashionistas manage to achieve in their lifetime: it looks better with age!

If I’m light on the pocket but need a quick fashion fix then existing denim garments look out. A pair of scissors or a tub of bleach are all that stand between me and an outfit overhaul.

Here are some easy updates for your languishing denim pieces that haven’t seen the light of day for some time.

1. Cut : This certainly isn’t the most original D.I.Y moment you’ll ever have but altering the length of a pair of great fitting jeans to 3/4 or Daisy Duke is only a chop away. This is a great way of modernising jeans that fit you perfectly but don’t tick the ‘this season’ box. No one will ever know this ‘new’ denim get up your showing off ever had bell bottoms or a boot cut leg when you’re done with them!

2. Bleach: Possibly one of my favourite ways to update any denim item is with bleach. You are guaranteed to be wearing a unique one of a kind garment when employing this treatment. Take the tie dye approach by knotting or stringing you garment then soaking in a wickedly strong bowl of water and bleach or lay them on a non porous area and make like Jackson Pollack splattering bleach randomly over garment. With this particular method I find you get better results if the denim is wet before you unleash your inner artist.

3. Sew : If you can thread a needle then you can create some fun items from odd scraps of denim. Nothing beats mismatching squares of dark or light denim sewn on to your favourite garment. You can also create funky throw cushions by repurposing old jeans. Using a complete front and back or jean leg, simply sew the openings closed remembering to fill cushion with an insert or loose stuffing before closing completely.

Celebrating almost 250 years on the planet this versatile soldier of the textile world will always be fashionable.

Denim doubters you have been warned.