Now this is my idea of hemming ones jeans! I put off hemming new jeans for forever! But is this a look that only really works for cool bloggers? Would you do this? Could I do this? I need to hem my white skinnies and I actually considered doing this (before I saw the pic).
What do you think?
xxxDeborah
Ingunn replied 9 years ago
I don't know, Deborah. I love the thought of it, too, but I think it can be a bit hard to pull off successfully. For your style, which I perceive as very sleek, modern and pulled together, I worry that it wouldn't come across as intentional. Maybe it will look fun if you mess up your hair or something to balance it? ;)
Deborah replied 9 years ago
Ingunn, exactly! How do you ensure it looks intentional?
bj1111 replied 9 years ago
I love this look and have been "hemming" this way for a few pairs. To make it look intentional, I wear everything else very finished or refined.
Ingunn replied 9 years ago
I don't know, but it is a style that I read as "messy hair, rumpled blouse etc". I suppose the style is related to birkies, which work best as modern if they are paired with very minimalistic outfits. maybe raw hems and fringes (as on a bag) work together, or any other detail that reads as "je ne sais qoui"? I'm sure someone in the forum has an answer.
Deb replied 9 years ago
I've seen this quite a bit Deborah and it does look hip, but personally I think it is most appealing on young women.
Deborah replied 9 years ago
DEB that's what I feared lol.
bj any pics of your outfits.
viva replied 9 years ago
Wouldn't it continue to shred up (until it hits a sewn-in line) when it is washed? I think it would be really hard to maintain this clean line without cutting afresh every time it comes out of the wash. Feels like a photo look, not an IRL look.
lyn67 replied 9 years ago
No answer from me, yet this brought a huge smile on my face. Guess what I wear today? It is a bl&w(hopefully)business casual outfit which is built upon my bl&w bouclé skirt. I wear it with a knitted fleur de lis studded front, knitted, cream, short sleeve sweater and a waxed look zippered jacket, black booties, and black exposed zippers leather bag. All new and quality 2014 fall purchases.
The skirt felt a bit too short in the morning, so I quickly have undone the hem insets-and as it still looked pretty good to my eyes, left them raw, and went out on my way without a second thought. Guess I thought the fabric is itself a textured one and teamed it up with all great pieces it will look intentional enough, for not having people stopping me to ask. And, they did not do that in spring, and neither today:-).
(Truth be said, I have this skirt in another color from last year, and done the same trick with it's hem, in spring. My first intention was to hem it back, but ran out of time and used it unhemmed for a day only to gain confidence that it was looking quite well unhemmed, too. This time, it was a quick and really conscious decision:-)).
Diana replied 9 years ago
I think it looks kinda cool but I'm with Viva - I think you'd be forever trimming stray threads.
thimblelina replied 9 years ago
I think pinking sheers would fix that but you would get a zig zag hemline
catgirl replied 9 years ago
I'm good with this - and sewing a basic line just above where you chop helps prevent fraying. But may defeat the whole purpose of being lazy about hemming (which I very much am!).
deb replied 9 years ago
I have a hard time with raw edges on any clothing. Same goes for the ripped and torn look. It drives me crazy and makes me believe it is just a cost cutting measure by manufactures. If an item is not hemmed it saves a lot of time and money.
Firecracker (Sharan) replied 9 years ago
Well, we do it on cutoff shorts, so why not full-length jeans? The shorts I cut off last year I always wear rolled, though. Still, the cut edge of denim just kind of softens, and you only have to keep cutting a few cross-threads after the first few washings.
On this blogger, I think I would actually prefer the look if the pants had been washed enough to have the soft-frayed look. To me, that's what would make it look intentional.
Caro in Oz replied 9 years ago
I've done this on jeans I usually wear rolled - no hem means a less bulky look. You do get some threads after washing but not enough to alter the length very much in my experience. I do see it as a more rate look though :)
Marley replied 9 years ago
I'm fine with this - but I would not want to cut them that short. I'd keep them longer so there was some scrunch at the ankles.
krishnidoux replied 9 years ago
Deborah, I wouldn't do it. I agree with Viva that it wouldn't look "freshly cut" for very long. Also, the effect might be different depending on the type of denim. And, considering your sleek style, I'm not sure you would like the look in the long run (pun intended).
Or try it only with a pair of pants you were on the verge of donating / getting rid of.
Care replied 9 years ago
I actually wore my pants like this for awhile because I was too lazy to hem jeans. My friend asked me if I was making a style statement. In my experience, after you wash them once, they look more frayed and fat, not a sleek cut look. They frayed about 1/4 inch then stopped. I have a pair of shorts that were made to have an unfinished edge, they had a seam line to keep them from fraying, but they did get fuzzy up to that seam line, not a clean cut.
I love the ankle pant trend. Now I can buy pants that actually fit and don't need to be hemmed!
Suz replied 9 years ago
So, I bought a raw edged pair of white ones from the Gap in the summer, deliberately, because I wanted to cut them into shorts anyway. Which I did, and then I always wore them rolled. They did continue to fray with washing and I was glad I was rolling -- but I am not one for raw edged anything as a rule. I do like it on the blogger and I can see it also on you but only with very slim pants and only if they stay very sleek.
Ha - I like this and have to admit I have a picture on my pinterest board of some sexy skinny European blogger wearing her white jeans this way. I intend to do this next summer if I'm feeling up to trying white jeans again. I'd style it as a completely casual look - soft wrinkly chambray shirt, , white jeans and loafers - and I'd run stitching 1/2" above the cut edge and then relax about it. Ah, when will it be summer again?
