Now onto the fun. If you don’t live under a rock – I’m sure you’ve noticed and have been loving the embellished denim trend seen basically everywhere on the runway and beyond; Burberry with shearling, Au Jour Le Jour with sequins (if you haven’t seen these yet – get ready to go bananas), Roberto Cavalli with distressed patches, and Adam Selman with precious pearls. As soon as I saw these caked-up jeans, the DIY gears started turning. But which icing to choose? Choices, choices, choices. With all the ballerina-love here at Allyn Lewis, I finally decided on pearls. I’m over the moon with how these turned out – simple, elegant, oh-so-pretty, and oh-so-much-cheaper than those I’ve seen online and in-store. And I promise it’s a piece of cake! (ba-dum-ch)
GET TO IT:
1. Choose where you want to embellish on your jeans. This is probably the hardest part. I cuffed mine and decided to focus there, but you can do the legs, pockets, or all of the above. This is all about adding a little whimsey to your denim, so have fun with it!
2. Because I cuffed the bottoms, I pinned the area to keep it from moving around while sewing. You might not need to do this, but it can be a stress saver.
3. For a specific pattern, map it out first to make sure you’ll have enough beads and that the layout is exactly how you want it. Snap a pic with your phone to reference later. I decided to go for a more abstract and random look and just went for it – no mapping out needed.
4. Throw on your favorite show or movie and start sewing. This part can be time consuming, but so worth it in the end. To get mine started – I did the basic double thread + knot, and went through from the inside so the tail wouldn’t show. From there, just thread your bead and loop it back through to the inside, pulling tight. Voila!
This may take a little time, but I told you it was easy! And the best part about this DIY – it cost me all of $5 since I already had the jeans and sewing supplies. Who said high-fashion had to be high-priced? Pssh.
Photos: Kayla Petrozza & Stephanie Marcone
For more of Kayla’s work, check out her handmade pieces in the shop!