Rachel Comey slim legion jeans | size 8
Eileen Fisher organic handkerchief linen box top (gift from Eileen Fisher last year)
Birkenstock Madrid EVA sandals
James Perse mini canvas tote (with nylon tote organizer/insert)
Excuse me for being brief, but my eyes are already glued to nasa.gov for eclipse coverage 🙂 I hope if you’re in the path of totality you’ll be outside to see it.  I’m jealous!!
Anyway, this weekend I took matters into my own hands and “hemmed” both these Rachel Comey jeans and my Rag & Bone Wicked jeans. Â which had raw hems anyway. Â I was still really nervous to cut them, but I hadn’t been wearing these RC jeans as much because they were just too long on me; I really prefer my pants to hit just barely at or above my ankle.
I was careful to cut with very sharp scissors and then I sort of rubbed the hem a bit to rough it up. It doesn’t look as good as when they’re nice and worn in, but they’ll get there. Â I was hesitant to do that with these jeans because of the wide fading at the hemline, but I decided that I needed to make these jeans work for me, so…snip snip.
Honestly, I’ve never been great at making my clothes work for me, or even knowing HOW to do that, but over the past few years I’ve been better about altering things I love (when possible) to make them fit better. Â Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, but at least now I try.
How do you take matters into your own hands with your clothes? Have you had success with altering things or tweaking them to make them fit your body/lifestyle better? (I saw on instagram that someone even added back pockets to a pair of Elizabeth Suzann Florence pants! Â Brilliant!)
Happy Monday!!
I’m in the path of totality and I’m heading out soon (with my eclipse glasses)! I’m also your almost sartorial twin today in cropped jeans (cuffed, not raw hem) and a loose white T (ES Georgia hemp/silk blend). 🙂
I rarely personally make alteration to my clothes (not since the 90’s when we all cut out the the neck bands of our t-shirts) however I have had alterations made. I had the armholes of my ES Marlena dress taken up so the v isn’t quite so deep (funny though, I didn’t need to do that with my Marlena tops). And I need to have the zipper on my ES Cecilia pants replaced. Anyone have that done?
I buy most of my jeans on consignment and I’ve had great luck in finding those that have already been shortened!
I am pear shaped so often I find the waist to be too large on pants when they fit in the hips. I sometimes move the button a half inch or so or sew a couple small darts in the waistband by hand. I have also cut a couple small slits on the inside of the waistband and run a piece of elastic through and sewn down the ends.
you should send back to ES to have zipper replaced. i’m sure they’d like to know it didn’t last.
I commend you. And the more you alter, the more comfortable you will be with it, and understand what can and can’t be accomplished and how various tucks and tweeks will hang on your body. In my experience, customizing not only represents an investment that turns an inexpensive garment into one that looks like custom made from scratch, but also “vests” the person who owns the garment in its story. I love adding myself to a garment. It’s all about the hacks!
Awesome hack with the elastic!!!!! I’ve put in elastic waists, but never thought of that straightforward solution. Kudos!!!!!
Thanks!…sometimes I have just done a small section in the back, just where it gapes.
Hi Grechen,
Ive altered jeans by cutting them and hemmed trousers, sewn holes and put patches on jeans jean jackets. Now if I buy something that need hemming or fixing I bring it to my dry cleaner and his mom does all the alterations beautifully.
Love the sandals!!
xoxogena
wow, you look amazing in that outfit!
Funny, but I won’t do anything to alter my clothing I purchase, and yet, when I sewed most of my dresses, I’d ALWAYS alter patterns to achieve the look I wanted. It’s time for me to start sewing again!