I have an obsession with reworking denim. The addiction has justified my reasoning for never getting rid of jeans, much to my husband’s chagrin, no matter how old they are. Really, there’s nothing that a pair of scissors can’t overhaul. To date, we’ve patched holes, fringed cuffs, embroidered waistlines and shortened uneven hems. And thanks to a set of drop pockets on a pair of beautifully reworked vintage denim, from cult label Vetements, I’ve been newly inspired. My version is a much simpler interpretation of the original, which is actually made up of two pairs of vintage denim (perhaps this explains the $1400 price tag?!), and all you need is a seam ripper and the most basic sewing skills. Cheeky!

You’ll need:

• a pair of high waisted, light washed jeans
• seam ripper
• gold thread
• pins

You’ll want a pair of light washed jeans that are darker in color inside the back pockets. To get started, simply use a seam ripper to remove the pockets.

Once the pockets are removed, remove all the thread from the ripped seams.

You can leave the top of the pocket in tact. Because I thread I had was a bit lighter than the original thread, I wanted it to look consistent throughout by removing the top pocket threads and replacing them with my own. Remove the threads and sew the top of the pocket with a single straight stitch. Use the darkened seam lines as a guide.

Now your pockets are ready to attach. Place the pockets where you’d like them and keep them in place with several pins. Make sure they are symmetrical on both sides.

Start at the top right side of the pocket and follow the seam down to the bottom point of the pocket. Since it might be hard to twist the denim all the way around, you can stop at that bottom point and start again at the top left side of the pocket. Stitch your way down to the bottom of the pocket and finish with a backstitch.

Repeat on the other side and you’re done!

(images by HonestlyWTF)