You’ll no doubt have noticed that overalls (or dungarees) have been popping up everywhere recently, I’ve had my eye on these for some time. But being a trend that was super popular in the early nineties (and therefore a dime a dozen in thrift stores), I knew that the humble overalls were perfect fodder for my before and after obsessed, scissors wielding hands, and all I have to do was get my mitts on an old pair. I looked high and low for just the right candidate, most I found were of the super tight variety and therefore not alluding to the relaxed, grunge vibe I was going for. I finally found a pair in a secondhand store, and if I had to imagine the person who owned them before me it would go something like nursery school teacher that moonlights as a janitor or factory worker with a penchant for weekend diamond mining. Anyhoo, what I was looking for was denim, and a slouchy waist and I got both so I can’t complain.
Wearing: DIY Overalls, Lillibon swimsuit (as a bodysuit), a pair & a spare for Tony Bianco heels, Brahmin Bag, $5 aviators from Glastonbury, Coach Watch.
You can see the offending overalls above, not something you would wear out on date night right? For this project practically all I used was a pair of scissors which made it a pretty straightforward cut and wear project. The black denim was perfect for cutting and then not hemming – the lazy of you can rejoice!
Supplies:
- thrift store overalls
- scissors
- quick unpick aka seam ripper
How I did it:
1. To start with I looked at the length of the legs, a fail safe way to modernise any crappy piece of clothing is to change the length (amirite?).
2. I cut the legs in what I think is the most flattering hem hem shape around – with a slight rise to the outside.
3. I then used a seam ripper to remove the pocket on the front, ridding the overalls of the sesame street vibe they were giving out.
4. I decided to modernise it a bit by taking off the buckles. They didn’t look that good and whoever owned it before me had made a mess of threading them anyway so best removed I think.
5. To replace the buckles I cut two small slits in the straps to create button holes for the buttons at the front. To finish I gave the overalls a good wash in the machine so the hem frayed for a more rough and casual look. You could of course hem the edges if you wanted to.
Volia!
Outfit photos by Lauren Engel
