A few days ago, Legit dropped off a gift for our online editor: a denim customisation kit, to spread the word about the brand’s #LegitLovesDenim campaign. In it were a pair of Legit jeans, a little pair of pink scissors, and a tool for sandpapering denim to give it a distressed look. Here’s the thing, though: the pair of jeans we received were made of dark denim, not quite right for the ripped, rugged look – but ideal for a trend we’d been dying to try, ombre denim. Here’s how you can copy the look!
1. Gather your tools: a bottle of bleach, a bucket and some paper clips or pegs. Cheaper bleach works just as well for this purpose as the more expensive stuff, and remember that if it says ‘colour safe’, it’s not going to work! We’d also suggest using a pair of gloves to protect your hands, and keeping them from smelling weird.
2. Place two paper clips on the edge of each jeans leg: one right below the knee, and one just above it.
3. Fill a bucket with 2/3 water to 1/3 bleach, and dip your jeans into the solution as far as the first peg or paper clip (just below the knee). Leave them overnight, or for roughly eight hours.
4. Lower the jeans a little further into the solution, as far as the second paper clip (just above the knee). Leave them there for a further three to four hours.
5. Remove the jeans from the water, rinse them out in the sink (remember, machine washing your jeans isn’t good for them, and it’s a specially bad idea when you’ve been bleaching the colour out of them and it could bleed onto your other clothes), then hang them up to dry.
You are now ready to style your jeans in any way you wish! Cayleigh wore them with a navy spot shirt (R169.99) burgundy two tone heels (R169.99) gold midi rings (R169.99 for five) and circle pendant (R49.99) all from Legit.
