Summer is here and that means it’s time to hit the beach in your skimpiest bikini and shortest shorts! Oh wait, I live in Hawaii which means I hit the beach all-year-round. For those of you living in a land that endures those other cold, grey seasons, go ahead and virtually slap me for rubbing it your face that I live in an endless summer.

*slap*

*ouch*

Now on to the good stuff.

Summertime means summer fashion fun and this summer’s all about the distressed, destroyed denim. And what better way to jump on the summer fashion bandwagon than to fully immerse oneself into the exhilarating art form of thrifting, cutting, sanding, bleaching, washing and gluing a pair of old Levi’s? After a weekend learning the dirty deed with my crafty, creative and all around arterific (let’s just pretend that’s a real word) BFF @anunaks, I decided to take on the task alone. As I’ve shared in my previous T-Shirt scarf post, I’m not a crafty person, so this was a HUGE project for me – really, it was! And here’s how it went…

Step 1 & 2: Go through our closet or meander through your local thrift store for a pair of jeans or shorts. I went the thrift store route because I was looking for some higher – but not too high – waist shorts. I ended up finding jeans, which meant I had to cut them. Exhibit A:

I really broke the bank on these ones: $8!

Step 3: Once the shorts were cut to my desired length, or rather lack of length (I’m such a hooch. I cut them short, then shorter, then a leeeeettle bit shorter), it’s time to distress them a bit to get that iconic Abercrombie & Fitch look – aka I’m so cool I choose to buy $100 pants with holes. I used heavy grit sandpaper, but you can also use a razor or scissors. You basically need to work the denim just enough to thin out some of the threads. Exhibit B:

Sandpaper and some old fashioned elbow grease are all you need!

Step 4: Reach for the bleach beezy because this is the fun part! You should also have some gloves on hand or at least plastic bags to help protect your precious claws. I used a bucket, but i think it’d be easier to use a tray like the ones used for paint rollers. I opted not to dilute my bleach with water because I’m so hard core – NOT! But seriously, I just poured a nice amount of bleach into the bucket and hoped for the best. Exhibit C:

Let the transformation begin!

Step 5: Here’s an easy one…LET SOAK!

Step 6: Remove your bleached denim and toss them in the wash (with nothing else unless you want to buy a whole new wardrobe).

Step 7: Once your shorts are finished washing and drying, you can add some finishing touches. I kept it pretty simple by adding a reverse jean patch with some fabric glue (maybe it’s because went overboard on the sandpaper and elbow grease, thus requiring a fix-it). The real pros add lace accents, studs and adorable printed material. Check out my girl @heenz at Cross My Heart Denim for her amazing mini diva distressed denim and you’ll know what I mean about the pros and their cute accents.

Step 8: Wear the damn things woman!

So have at it my fashionable friends! Make some distressed denim for your damn derriere

Aloha.