DIY: Balmain inspired bleached jeans

For the past week I've been living in a chlorine infested apartment making experiements with jeans and bleach. I had to get myself a pair of bleach jeans due to Balmains spring/summer 2009 collection constantly burning in my mind. Originally I started with a pair of blue jeans but they got too white in the process so I had to change my plans and use a pair of black jeans instead (Balmain also did it). It took a few mess ups, swearing and sweating to get it right but now I'm extremely pleased with the outcome. May I introduce: my very own Balmain inspired bleached jeans with ripped knees (warning: a picture overload coming up!).

Wool vest: Pour
Long sleeve: Marlene Schön by Ellos
Jeans: Cheap Monday, bleach effect DIY
Shoes: Bullboxer
Ring: Kalevala Koru

The jeans are easy to transform from day to evening, as I wore the first outfit yesterday to meet up with the über stylish blogger Sugar Kane. We grabbed a cup of coffee and it seemed like the hours just flew by while talking about blogging, fashion and music. We seem to have very similar taste and views of life. In the evening I changed the outfit to be more suitable for going out, and combined the jeans with a wrinkled black tee (new from Stockholm!), studded belt and cuffs.

Tee: MTWTFSS
Jeans: Cheap Monday, bleach effect DIY
Blazer: H&M via my bf's closet
Shoes: Urban Originals
Cuffs and belt: Leather Heaven
Ring: Kalevala Koru

The original Balmain jeans are going for about 1400 Euros but bleached jeans are very easy to do at home, so I say save your pennies and DIY! For those who are interested, here is how I did it:

1. Get the materials: You will need a pair of jeans (mine were black), household bleach (chlorine), a spray bottle and rubber gloves.

2. Put on the rubber gloves and pour the cholrine into the spray bottle. If you want a more lighter effect, mix some water into the bleach. If you're looking for more stronger effect, you should get some stronger bleach than the household one (check the local hardware or pool supplies store).

3. Wet your jeans with water and place them on the floor. If you are not doing this on a tiled bathroom floor like I did, I recommend putting something underneath the jeans, ie. plastic wrapper or cardboard to avoid any bleach staining your floor.

4. Spray the chlorine on the desired spots. The stronger the bleach, the faster you can see the bleach results. The results on my jeans were visible in seconds. If you have mixed water in your bleach, be patient as the results might show about 20 minutes later. Spray more bleach to get a more stronger effect on the desired areas.

5. Wash your jeans. I washed mine first by hand and then put them in the washing machine.

You have to be very careful when handling the bleach because it will easily stain the clothes you are wearing. Even a drop of bleach can do damage, so I recommend not to wear your most expensive clothes while playing with bleach.

Edit: If you want to rip the knee area like I did, just get some really rough sandpaper and sand (rub) it on those areas you want the holes to appear. It's hard work but it pays off. :)