DIY Denim

The WhoWhatWear.com team—as well as the fashion community at large—is invariably obsessed with everything Hannah MacGibbon creates for Chloe. With collections that are sophisticated, cheeky, and tomboyish yet girly, it's no wonder that this French label is always at the top of our list. This season, we were all about MacGibbon's deftly designed neutral necessities, but there was one look in particular that had us all aflutter: the vintage-looking patchwork denim shirt and jeans that came sauntering down the S/S 10 runway. Maybe we're just suffering from a bad case of eighties-redux fatigue, but there was something so refreshingly new, yet sweetly nostalgic, about this fashion-forward Texas Tuxedo denim duo, it was the natural pick for our next Do It Yourself story!


After the runaway success of our first D.I.Y. story, which focused on the divine Proenza Schouler S/S 10 collection, we knew that we had to bring this idea to our partner-in-craft: Erica Domesek of P.S. I Made This! After all, the actual Chloe Patchwork Jeans ($565, 212.717.8220) and Two-Tone Shirt (which will be in stores shortly) are genius, but you can easily approximate the results with just a few simple "ingredients" and a little elbow grease. Of course, if you aren't in the mood to slash up an few pairs of blues or dish out hundreds for designer denim be sure to check out The Gap's Real Stretch Patch Jeans ($80). But, dear reader, if you have the will, we'll show you the way to get your very own handmade Chloe-esque denim dream team in today's DIY!

So, if you're ready to try your hand at crafting one of these homemade creations, make sure you check out the step-by-step breakdown of this how-to in our second Do It Yourself feature. Finally, don't forget to click onto P.S. I Made This, as it not only has additional details about today's project, but is also filled with lots of darling and easy-to-do projects! —Kate Mulling

TWO-TONE DENIM SHIRT

Ingredients:
-1 light-wash denim or chambray shirt
-1 pair of medium-wash jeans
-Scissors
-Needle and thread
-Straight pins

Directions
1. Cut out the back pockets of the medium-wash jeans; make sure to keep the pockets' outer edge intact.
2. Each pocket is comprised of two layers of denim. Separate those layers by snipping out the thread (use a seam ripper if you have one!). Reserve the top layer for the Extra Credit Step* or discard if you prefer to keep this D.I.Y. super simple.
3. Place and pin the bottom pocket denim onto the shirt where desired. (We like them on the shoulders as well as the front pockets, but they really can go anywhere you want!)
4. Stitch pockets onto the shirt, or if sewing isn't your thing, just use fabric glue to attach the pockets to the shirt!

*Extra Credit Step: For additional Chloe-like flair, use the top layer of the medium-wash pockets to make smaller shoulder details on the light-wash/chambray shirt. Check out P.S. I Made This for more instructions and additional directions.

TWO-TONE DENIM JEANS

Ingredients:
-1 pair of medium-wash jeans
-1 pair of light-wash jeans
-Scissors
-Fabric glue

Directions:
1. Measure out and mark up two rectangular panels on the light-wash jeans. Make sure these panels are equally wide—ours are 6" x 11"—then cut them out using fabric scissors.
2. Place the darker jeans on a flat surface and determine/mark where you want the patches to go.
3. Apply a generous amount of fabric glue to the backside of the light-wash panels. Be sure to evenly distribute the glue on the fabric.
4. Position the light-wash patches over the knee area on the dark-wash jeans and press firmly.
5. Make sure the pieces are completely dried and adhered before you pick them up.
6. Wait 72 hours before washing them—and remember to turn the jeans inside out first!