How to Make a Denim Skirt Look Old

Distressed denim is fashionable and can also be expensive. Instead of purchasing denim clothing that is already faded, distressed, and old looking, buy new denim clothing and make it look old yourself. A brand new denim skirt can easily be made to look old and distressed with just some sandpaper, some bleach, a sponge, and a bit of time and effort. You will love the results.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Denim skirt
• Rubber gloves
• Bleach
• Small bowl
• Sponge
• Large garbage bag
• Tape
• Washing machine and dryer
• Coarse sandpaper

1. Choose a few places on both the front and back of the skirt and use the sandpaper to roughen the surface of the denim. Rub the sandpaper on the fabric to create worn and frayed areas on the skirt.

2. Place the garbage bag on the table. Spread it out and tape it to the table to protect the surface of the table.

3. Spread out the denim skirt on top of the garbage bag. Put the rubber gloves on.

4. Pour the bleach into the small bowl. Saturate the sponge in the bleach. Squeeze out the sponge completely so that it will not drip bleach.

5. Rub the sponge along the skirt starting at the top waist edge and continuing down to the hem of the skirt.

6. Dip the sponge back in the bowl of bleach and apply more bleach to the skirt in the same fashion, working from the waistline to the hem.

7. Continue applying bleach in the same fashion until the front of the skirt is finished. Flip the skirt over, and apply bleach to the back of the skirt in the same fashion.

8. Transfer the denim skirt to the washing machine carefully. Do not allow any bleach to drip on any other surfaces as you move the skirt. Wash the skirt alone in the machine using a cold-water wash cycle with detergent. Dry in the dryer.

Tips & Warnings

• Use a washcloth instead of a sponge for a heavier application of bleach.
• Be careful not to drip drops of bleach onto the denim skirt. The bleach should only be applied with the sponge.

References

• Distress Denim

Resources

• The Distressed Denim Trend