Alright, so everyone’s been yapping about “Jeans Montero” lately, or at least it feels like it in my little corner of the internet. I saw a few pictures, and thought, “Huh, that’s a look.” Not sure if it’s a brand or just a style people are calling it, but you know me, I like to get my hands dirty.
My Big Idea: DIY Montero
So, I figured, why splash cash when I’ve got a mountain of old denim in the closet? You know the pile. The “I’ll wear these someday” pile that just keeps growing. My mission, should I choose to accept it (and I did), was to try and recreate that “Montero” vibe on a budget. Basically, make something cool out of something old.
First step: The Sacrifice. I dug out a pair of really old, stiff jeans. The kind that have been with me through thick and thin, mostly thin because they didn’t fit right anymore. Perfect candidates for a bit of an experiment, I thought. If it went wrong, no big loss, right?
The Messy Middle Part
I started with some basic distressing. Got my sandpaper, a craft knife, even a cheese grater – don’t judge, I saw it online. My kitchen table looked like a denim massacre was in progress. My wife walked in, took one look, and just walked out. Can’t say I blame her.
My first attempt at those cool, artful rips? Disaster. Total disaster. One hole was so big, it looked like I’d wrestled a bear and lost badly. It wasn’t “Montero chic”; it was more “genuinely down on my luck.” I almost threw the whole thing in the bin right then and there. Frustrating, to say the least. I sat there for a good ten minutes just staring at them, wondering where I went wrong.
- Too much force with the knife, that was one thing.
- Not enough planning on where the rips should even go.
- And definitely not using the right kind of backing material, so the fabric just tore wildly.
Round Two: A Bit More Brains
But hey, I’m not a quitter. Or maybe I’m just too cheap to buy new jeans that look old. So, I took a break, made a cup of tea, and actually watched some tutorials properly this time. Paid attention to the details, like how they mark things out, how they use a small block of wood inside the leg.
For my second attempt, I picked another pair – slightly less ancient, so I felt a bit more pressure. This time, I was slower. More careful. I used the sandpaper to thin out the areas first, then made small cuts. Pulled out the threads one by one for that frayed look. It took ages. Seriously, my fingers were sore.
The result? Well, they didn’t look like they came straight off a runway model named Montero, if that’s even a thing. But they were… okay. Definitely better than the first pair. Wearable, even. I actually wore them out to get groceries, and no one pointed and laughed, so I’m calling that a win.
What I Learned (Apart From Denim Dust Everywhere)
So, this whole “Jeans Montero” adventure, what did I really get out of it?
Well, for one, I confirmed that things you see online always look easier than they are. Shocking, I know.
And two, sometimes just messing around with old stuff, even if it doesn’t turn out perfect, is pretty satisfying. It’s like, I made this. With my own hands. Even if “this” is just a pair of slightly odd-looking jeans.
It’s not always about the perfect outcome, sometimes it’s just about the trying, the doing. And cleaning up a whole lot of blue fluff. So much fluff.
Would I do it again? Maybe. If I find another pair of jeans that are begging for a makeover. But next time, I’m doing it in the garage. My wife’s orders.