DIY studded jeans jacket

When you are a shopping human being, there is no way in escaping some fashion trends. This season, we see studded items everywhere. I happened to like studs, but the variety of items with studs on them is so big... I wouldn't know which one to choose. That is why I decided to dig up something old, buy studs and have a creative afternoon. I grabbed an old Levi's jacket I thrifted years ago and bought a selection of studs at a haberdashery shop (Ria's fournituren te Utrecht.) I made up a little 'design' and got started. Let me run you through the (very fun to do) process.

The first thing I felt like doing, was to create some kind of 'tie dye' effect in the denim. I wanted something more 'cute'... dalmation-like spots! So I grabbed an anti mould spray (which has the same effect as bleech) and just started spraying the jacket. I put the jacket on a hanger and did this outside. Be aware, this is a véry agressive substance! Because I also wanted some bigger spots, I put the jacket on the floor and grabbed a bottle of thick bleach. Then I just 'dropped' little 'blobs' of bleach all over the jacket.

Since the spots turned out green, I then made a little bleach bath (with water) in our shower cabin. I also hoped it would make the bright blue colour of the denim fade a bit. I let the jacket rest in this bath for about half an hour. After that, the spots were white and the colour of the denim was a bit more bright. I got rid of the bleachy water and rinsed the jacket very véry well. After that, I put it in the washing machine.**

After taking the jacket out of the washer, I let it dry for a day (since denim tends to stay wet for a long time haha.) I then grabbed my studs and decided where I wanted to put them. Applying studs on denim is very easy. Just pop the stud through the denim where you'd like it to be (watch your fingers!) You can adjust the place of the stud, denim doesn't damage that easily, but I would try to avoid it. Once the stud is in place, make sure to press it down from above with one hand to keep it where you want it. Then turn the denim around and start pressing down the 'spikes.' I used small pliers (the flat side) to press the spikes into the denim. Press them down good, you don't want to be scratched by your studs when wearing your jacket.

Whatever design you go for, make sure you think it through before you begin. You don't want to find out you made a mistake halfway... it's not easy to take the studs out once attached. I went for a completely random design. But I did leave some studs to put on the collar of the jacket for an extra 'touch of brass.' After all the studs were placed, I tried the jacket on and decided I hated the sleeves. So I cut them off into 1/2 sleeves (I hardly ever wear long sleeved items... I hate the feeling for some weird reason.) I left some extra fabric so I can turn over the sleeves for some extra dimension.

So voila! Here is my new jacket! The fun thing about this DIY project is you can go in many different directions. You don't have to use bleach, you can use whatever colour studs you like and you can create any kind of pattern. Applying studs can also be done on your jeans pockets, shoes, bags... whatever you like! Just make sure to use a garment with a fabric that is 'tough' enough to hold the studs. And don't apply the studs on parts of the fabric that have direct contact with yout skin (it's irritating!) I am very pleased with the results and I know I have a jacket no one else in the world owns! What do you think about this DIY... will you give it a go?

**Edit: after this DIY project, I re-bleached the jacket for an even more worn-off effect. Go here to check it out>>