How To DIY Staggered Hem Denim

SHIRT // JEANS (similar) // SHOES // CLUTCH 

PC: Sarah Sweeney

One of my favorite pieces of clothing to wear on a daily basis is blue jeans. I rarely wear anything else, so I enjoy having a variety in the styles of denim I wear. Ripped jeans are pretty high on my list of favorite styles, and I've been known to crop a pair of jeans as I walk out the door. I think I've even had Soren cut rips in the knees of jeans I was wearing at that moment! Clearly I don't mind a raw edge on my denim. So when I started seeing staggered hems popping up on my trend radar, my interest was piqued. 

A staggered hem is basically where the front half of your jeans is cut shorter than the back. As you can see in the picture above, the hem in the front is staggered shorter than the back. I've seen this on a lot of different denim cuts, but skinny jeans are still the easiest and safest option to apply this trend to. 

I often like to "try before I buy," so this staggered hem DIY tutorial was born. You too can make your old skinny jeans into fresh, new, staggered hem skinny jeans. And in just a few minutes, too! See below for the full tutorial.

Supplies: A pair of jeans (skinny is preferable, but you can use bootcut, straight, or boyfriend cut as well)

Scissors

Ruler

1. Start with your denim of choice. I used these jeans, which I still recommend for fit, price, and rinse.

2. Cut the hem off of the denim all the way around. You could skip this step and keep the hem on the back of your jeans, but I needed to crop my jeans shorter, so my hem had to go.

3. Make sure you cut your hems off straight and evenly. Try on your jeans and make sure you like the length. I always prefer my jeans to hit about two inches above my ankle. 

4. Lay your jeans flat and measure and mark along the seams 1.5-2" from the bottom. Start with 1.5" and see what you prefer. I cut mine to 1.5", but I own these jeans, and the difference between the back and the front is 2". Either way looks good!

5. Cut the 1.5" -2" section of your jeans out by cutting up from the bottom and then cutting straight across. (I borrowed my son's ruler for this tutorial, and it's marked with "KIDS" so that he knows how long to cut the string he uses for his bracelet business. ;) ) 

6. Cut the second leg and make sure they match. Try them on and check the overall leg length again as well as the cropped section. 

7. Next use the edge of the scissor blade to rough up the edges of the raw denim. Then throw them in the washer and the dryer to really help them fray. You'll want to cut the long excess strings, but a worn-in raw edge is preferable to a fresh cut.

(See the full outfit here.)

And that's it! So easy, right? If you are nervous about getting the cuts right, it's always better to start by cutting less and then cutting more after trying them on. You can do it!

I'd love to hear how this DIY staggered hem tutorial works for you! Let me know on social or feel free to leave a comment. Enjoy!

PS: If the DIY option isn't for you, I've linked several staggered hem jean options below.