You spend good money on your jeans–and a good bit of your life in them. When they rip, it can feel like losing an old friend. But there are plenty of ways to mend them, and most take less than 15 minutes (or a $20 trip to the tailor).
FRAYED HEMS
If you’ve got a confident whipstitch–or 10 minutes to watch a YouTube tutorial–you can fold the bottoms up a few millimeters and simply rehem your pants. Not handy with a needle? A tailor can rehem jeans for a clean finish, and if they’re a little shorter, well, cropped is all the rage right now!
BELT LOOPS
A loose or broken belt loop is a quick fix. First tack it back in place with a safety pin, then find some strong polyester thread in the same shade as the denim. Do a simple cross-stitch until it feels secure again, and double knot your thread on the inside of the jeans. You’ll feel like you could star in a Little House on the Prairie reboot.
KNEES
If you want a shredded knee to look as close to new as possible, you’ll probably need a professional. But if you’re cool with a slightly more bohemian look, consider taking a few squares of your favorite fabric and patching the jeans with a needle and thread. The result doesn’t need to be perfect, just personal. And chances are you’ll love them even more when you’re done.