Once upon a time, I owned only one or two denim jackets. Coldwater Creek (back when they were brick & mortar) had these wonderfully drapey tencel jackets, and I owned many of them. Every season, they would come out with a different color, and I would snap them up. I wore them with everything…skirts, dresses, pants. They were so versatile. But, when I retired I lost a significant amount of weight (which I have now found) so I donated them. I didn’t really think I needed more than one blue denim jacket and one white denim jacket. I was so wrong!
Different types…
I now have many different kinds of denim jackets. One of them has a slight peplum in the back. Another has a moto like shoulder detail. Some are light; some are dark. But, they all have the same problem. They are too long for my short waisted body. I saw a distressed, cropped jacket on the Nordstrom site, but I knew, from experience, this brand doesn’t work that well on my body.
What to do…
I decided to use Old Navy cash and bought this denim jacket in a petite size. Even it was too long, but that was OK. I had plans for it. Now, I knew what I wanted to do, but sometimes, what I want to do and what I actually do are two completely different things! So, that jacket sat in my closet for weeks waiting for me to get up my nerve.
If I can do it…
The first thing I did was remove the bottom band. I thought I would use my rotary cutter, but then thought better of it. There are places where there are several layers of denim as you cut. Instead, I used my mom’s old pair of Fiskars scissors and cut at approximately the same width. It looked ok but not very distressed. I thought about grabbing a piece of Nigel’s sandpaper, but that would have meant going out to the garage. I was on a roll and didn’t want to stop. I looked around the bathroom and spied my pumice stone. I figured that would work. It did work quite well. If you should ever want to distress something, though, with a pumice stone, just know that there will be lots of pumice dust created! I continued around the jacket, pulling at threads until it was all about the same. And, that, my friends was the end of my cropping and distressing my denim jacket!
My outfit…
You may remember this Sunday Rose Jersey Skirt from an earlier post (here). I wore the same pink/white striped tank for this post because I liked the print mix. I added my macrame belt for some waist definition. I actually like this combination better than with the Jane Cropped sweater (even though I really like that sweater). In fact, I like this sweater so much, I ordered the aqua color.
Stop now or not…
I originally decided to cut just the bottom band off so I could preserve the pockets. But, as I look at the photos and my image in the mirror, I’m beginning to think I should sacrifice the pockets. I am considering cutting it off somewhere between the bottom two buttons…depending on where the pocket starts. I don’t want to have any bits of that hanging about. I’m still debating with myself!
The Lewk!
This is the second pair of shoes I bought from Super Lady Star. I still am not sure if they’re leather or not, but they sure are colorful, right? I have to give them credit. These shoes are very comfortable as well as being fun. I also appreciate the velcro closures because I am past the age where I want to mess with buckles! Honestly, I wasn’t sure what I was going to wear these with ever! But, I think they’re perfect with this skirt. I’m not including a link because I honestly don’t recommend this company. Shipping was a nightmare. I knew it would take a while, but over a month? This is the pair of shoes that went on vacation in Cleveland. As I tried to track them, I discovered the first tracking number was counterfeit. I contacted the company and was sent a second pair of shoes (I am guessing). Those shoes went on vacation in California! It was probably close to six weeks between ordering and receiving. Of course, the charge appeared on my card immediately! I added these leather earrings I purchased years ago from Etsy.
Wrap it up, Marsha!
I used to sew quite a bit when my kids were little. When the granddaughters came along, I made them several pinafores. At our last home, I had a dedicated sewing space and could leave my stuff out and spread all over the table. Now, I don’t have that luxury and sew much less. This “fix,” however, was easy and accomplished in less than half an hour! But, I do miss sewing. I was at Joann’s today and saw some gorgeous Liberty fabric. It has me yearning to make a dress…but at $34.99/yard, I’m not sure it would be worth the stress. You certainly don’t want to goof up on fabric with that kind of price tag! So, can we talk? Are you into DIYing your clothes? Have you ever seen an item at a store, thought, “I could do that,” and then actually did it? Do you think I should crop this even shorter? Please leave a comment or two, and we can talk! I promise I do respond to your comments even though you may not receive notification.
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I love what you did with the jacket Marsha! The mix of prints with the jacket is really chic. The belt is a wonderful accessory as well!
https://www.kathrineeldridge.com
Thanks so much, Kathrine! I really think the jacket is better. It’s still a little boxy…but, then so am I! This belt…I don’t know how I lived without it for so long!
I haven’t sewn in years (other than hemming or lengthening pants) but I used to make lots of my own clothes in middle and high school.
I haven’t been as successful at making myself clothing as I have been at making it for little kids. I think it’s because there aren’t as many fit points on a child’s piece of clothing. But, I do miss sewing (and I do lots and lots of hemming)!
Thanks, Joanne!
This is my kind of DIY. It makes such a difference and is easy. These things are always a work in progress for me. I will do it, and then decided something else needs to be done.
I’ll be sharing one of my DIYs in my email soon (maybe tomorrow)
OXOX
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
Thanks, Jodie! I really liked the way the jacket at Nordstrom looked, but the price tag was 2-3 times what I paid for this jacket. And, I knew that brand doesn’t really work for me. I look forward to seeing your DIY!
I love how your jacket turned out. The distressing looks great! I always panic a bit and stall when changing an item up that I purchased. I’d love to have time to make things or DIY them more often.
Thanks, Laura! I don’t stall…I just don’t start! I have so much time that I end up doing nothing with it. If I didn’t set myself blog deadlines, I probably wouldn’t do that either!
The skirt is pretty and the denim jacket gives the look a whole cool touch.
https://www.melodyjacob.com/2023/06/pink-pleated-maxi-dress.html
Melody! I was just asking about you the other day! I can’t find a way to subscribe to your blog, and I’d love to!
Thanks for coming by!
Marsha,
First of all, I firmly do not believe in “too many denim jackets”. Why limit oneself? And second, hurray for you on this DIY project. We should never shy away from making modifications so that our clothing suits us better. A few years ago I did a similar DIY with a thrifted denim jacket where I completely removed the waistband as well as the collar and cuffs. All newly exposed edges were left raw. It turned out fabulously (if I do say so myself). As for the length of your jacket, I think it looks good on you as is.
Rena
http://www.finewhateverblog.com
Oh, now, I’m thinking I should buy this jacket again and do the same thing! Love the idea of removing the collar! I don’t think you can ever have too many denim jackets because they really are different! Thanks, Rena!
Marsha,
That’s what I was thinking! How brave of you to take on this project and it turned out great! Buy a second jacket and make it shorter. I agree, you can never have too many denim jackets!
Nancy Sweet
Thanks, Nancy! I am tempted to buy another and removed the collar, bottom band, and cuffs as another suggested! Wouldn’t that be fun?
Well, aren’t you creative! What a sunshine of a skirt you are wearing! And a denim jacket on our looks so fabulous.
Thanks so much, Nancy! Did I surprise you with my abilities? I like this skirt, but sometimes, it seems a little too girly so it needs to be toughened up a bit!
Amazing dress, so interesting selection…! how pretty you look again! 🙂 thanks for sharing.. Pakistan Clothing Brand
women’s jewelry
Thank you so much! I appreciate it!
I love this whole look! Great job on the jacket – I love that you searched around for something at hand to use, that is how I roll most of the time.
I have never looked at clothing and thought that it was something I could do. I have zero talent in the fabric arts. I wish I did!
Thanks, Erin! I was pretty sure I could just hack off that band if my scissors were sharp enough. I just followed along the bottom edge. But, if I cut it shorter, I think I will probably draw a line on the inside because it won’t be easy to eyeball and could end up being like when my mom used to cut my bangs. They just got shorter and shorter because she’d mess up on one side!!!
I love what you’ve done with the jacket, but admit to being very curious as to how it would look if it were shorter. I positively despise sewing from scratch, but I found I enjoy re-engineering clothing. And I have a pile of it planned. Here is one I did where I converted a blouse into a dress extender. https://mybijoulifeonline.com/~bijoube2/blouse-upcycled-to-dress-extender/
And OMG! I love those shoes. And yes, they are leather. I admit the shipping time is exceptionally long, but I love their shoes so much, I’m willing to wait. And they always fit so comfortably.
Thanks, Michelle! I’m thinking shorter would be better because I’ve got lots of denim jackets that are this length. I actually made a pleated skirt for my granddaughter yesterday…I don’t think the patterns are as well written as they once were. But, it was fun picking out fabric and a pattern. And, it fits!
OK, I may give them another chance because the colors are pretty fabulous…it makes me wonder if the other brand we know and love gets their shoes from here.
You did a great job, Marsha! I think the length is perfect but it would also be good a bit shorter. Can’t wait to see what you decide!
xo,
Kellyann
Thanks, Kellyann! I’m still debating. It took me weeks to just cut it once…who knows how long it will take to do it again!
I love that maxi skirt, and it’s a fun print mix with the florals and the stripes.
I think you did a really good job with the denim jacket too! I wish I was crafty enough to alter clothes like that 🙂
Thanks so much, Mica! I love to mix florals and stripes because they’re just so easy! I was surprised at how easy it was to cut that band off. I’m looking forward to changing other things up now!
First off, Marsha, I absolutely adore your print mix and the color palette in this outfit! What fabulously fun shoes, too. Bummer that the company was kind of sucky. I also have a small collection of denim jackets in different silhouettes with different fun details like my pearly one and my tie dye one. I have a few cropped ones and they definitely come in handy with certain outfits. I like the length of this one on you but I think it would also look really cute cropped just beneath the breast pockets! Maybe you can find another one at a thrift shop and chop it up!
Shelbee
AwwI, thanks so much, Shelbee! I just couldn’t put a plain top with this skirt. It was screaming for stripes! I’ve just bought another jacket (same exact one) and am going to do some experimenting on it. I do think I will shorten the one from this post, though. It just hits me at a weird place!