DIY 101: The Proper Way to Distress a Tee

I know this lil’ project is pretty straight forward & simple, but so many of my friends/family are always bringing me their old t-shirts to distress for them that I figured we all needed to take it back to basics w/ a lesson in DIY 101. Plus, I’m kinda over distressing everyones tees, so now I can just send them this link instead ;).

Do you guys remember way back in 2010 when that super expensive (ya know- just a cool $1,625) Balmain slashed army tee hit the fashion world? As bad ass as it was, no one in their right mind is gonna spend that much on a t-shirt, except maybe Adam Levine. Especially when you can just find a shirt in your closet and do it yourself for free. No brainer.

I’ve always had a major thing for those ripped up/worn in vibes. It’s definitely more on the grunge side of fashion, but there is just something about that look I find to be super chic & even kinda sexy (esp. when worn with anything leather and a hot pair of stilettos).

I am not the creator of the DIY distressed t-shirt by any means, but over the years w/ thanks to a ton of trial & error (+ my trusty BFF, Google), I’ve finally nailed down the absolute best & most authentic-looking way to do it. When it comes to ripped up stuff, the last thing you want is for it to look brand new & store bought. That’s seriously cheesy. You want it to look like the real deal… & this is the way to do it.

The supplies are simple: all you need an old shirt (it can be new… but I prefer starting off w/ one that’s vintage for authenticities sake), scissors, some gritty sandpaper, & a hardcover book.

The Steps: 

1. Wrap your shirt around your book & start going at it with sandpaper.

2. First focus on the spots that would be naturally worn over time- mainly the collar & the hems. You may need to start things off w/ a tiny hole using your scissors, but please dear lord don’t cut the holes with the scissors- that will give you that icky/fake look.

3. Then, move onto the body. This is where you want to be careful with your placement. Too scattered & all over the place should be avoided. Again, you want it to look natural. Naturally, if you ripped in one place, there’d be other rips near that area. Also- please please please avoid the chest area. A rip over your boob, not cute.

& if that’s not a destroyed enough look for ya, you can also always wash it in bleach. This will obviously bleach out some spots, which looks really rad, but even better- it softens up the fabric so that it looks & feels like it’s been worn & washed for 10+ years.

OR, if you want to really get the Balmain tee, start w/ a white tee & dye it army green first!

Easy, peasy. Right?

Remember guys, if you ever do a Fashionlush DIY, I wanna see it! Upload a picture of it to Instagram w/ the hashtag #FashionlushDIY. I’ll be regramming my faves!!

xx, E

[ P.S. This DIY also works great w/ denim! Which is fab since destroyed jeans are all the rage these days. ]

for more DIY t-shirt fun, check out my girl Erin’s post on Revenge Bakery showing you guys how to do a super RAD DIY cut-out tee!!

»Shirts Perfect for Shredding«