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I’ve been eyeing all the wonderful denim jackets out this season, most of them inspired by classic Levi’s and the vintage denim trend.
But I simply haven’t worn my jean jackets when I’ve owned them in the past because I’m not into the Canadian Tuxedo thing and the only other items they pair with are dresses and skirts. But that doesn’t work either, because they’re normally not cropped enough to lay well over high waist silhouettes.
After my Nordstrom shopping post, I fell down the rabbit hole looking for a casual cropped denim jacket when I came across this Madewell Army Jacket.
And that gave me an idea: Why not find a secondhand, lightweight army green shirt and crop it, leaving the hem raw?
It’s a hybrid of all the other jackets I was looking at, and it would ensure that I would have a piece that I could pair with jeans, skirts, and dresses, because both the color and silhouette would be just right. I found an amazing secondhand, slightly oversized army green blouse on ebay for $5.00 (including shipping & handling!), then simply cut it to fit.
Upcycled Cropped Army Jacket
What You’ll Need:
- Secondhand Army Green Jacket or Blouse in Lightweight Cotton (slightly oversized is preferable). Try Ebay, Swap.com, Poshmark, and Etsy for secondhand and vintage options.
- Straight pins, chalk, or pencil for marking
- Scissors
To Make:
- Put the jacket or blouse on and button it up to ensure the hemline is even all the way around your body.
- Find your desired crop point and mark it in several places with straight pins (or with a pencil or chalk).
- Take the item off, re-button it, and lay on a flat surface. Finish marking your line about a half inch lower than your original markings to ensure you don’t accidentally over-crop your jacket (fabric may roll or fray after cutting).
- With the item still laying flat, cut straight across.
- Put your jacket or blouse back on and see how it fits. Adjust if needed.
- Throw in the dryer to fray the hem.
