Five DIY Tricks for Customizing Your Jeans

Customization is a huge part of the Rugby state of mind: We're all about personalizing your look and making pieces your own. That said, we like to think Rugby style is a departure from the typical DIY trends. To help illustrate our point, we asked sales associates in our East Hampton store for a few of their favorite tricks for customizing denim. For those of you not headed to the beach this weekend, we bring you five ways to update your favorite pair of jeans or jean shorts from our East Hampton experts.

1. Distressing. One of the keys to customization is keeping things from looking tooo perfect. When it comes to distressing your own denim, we think it's best to get the process started and let time do the rest. Rather than cutting or ripping, place a coin or rock over dryer sheet and rub an area of your jeans where you would like some fraying or holes. Leave the jeans in the sun for a while, wash them, put them on, and watch the fabric begin to wear.

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2. Stenciling. Another Rugby trademark is the imperfect stencil. A cool retro emblem, a phrase or word you like, or your initials make great stencil options, and we love them placed in surprising locations. Stencil your design so that it peeks out of a back pocket or is just visible on a folded cuff. Don't be afraid to smudge a bit. And the more you wash, the more you'll get that easy-going, faded-T-shirt effect.

3. Applied fabric and patches. Cut up an old tie and hand stitch a fabric patch onto the back pocket, knee, waistband or cuff of your jeans. Repp stripes make great, unexpected pops of color--just remember a little goes a long way here. An applied patch on the back pocket or over a naturally work spot is always a fun touch, too.

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4. Splatter paint. This treatment is constantly requested at the "Make Your Own" bar in our East Hampton store. The technique so easy that a child could do it (in fact, if you're anything like us, you probably did it all the time as a kid!). Just splatter paint on the thighs of your jeans, preferably while you're wearing them so that gravity directs the drips in a way that looks natural. Wash them afterward for a slightly faded, more subtle look.Compose a New Blog Entry - Shine on Yahoo!

5. Fraying. If you're trying to create a worn-in look on a new pair of jeans, pristine cuffs will be a dead giveaway. Use a seam ripper or pair of kitchen scissors to slice open the bottom of your pant cuff--as you wash and wear, genuine fraying will occur over time.

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