This post was inspired by the side shredded David Lerner leggings I saw both Kendall and Kylie Jenner wearing (Kylie shown below). While these particular leggings are not sold anymore, they would have set you back about $100. I made my own version with a $4.50 pair of Forever 21 leggings and scissors.
You begin with a plain pair of leggings. Make sure they don’t have seams on the sides. Put them on and with a seamstress’ chalk pencil (or a piece of chalk), make markings where you want the cuts to be- both vertically and horizontally. Take them off and lay flat. Look at the front and back to match up the markings you made and reposition the leggings as needed.
Now you’re going to take a ruler and draw a straight line from the top markings of the leggings to the bottom ones. This will ensure that the cut lines will be uniform all the way down. My markings were about 2″ in from the edge of the leggings on the top, 1″ in the middle and 1/2″ at the bottom. So when it’s cut, the top cuts on the thigh will be 4″ wide and will taper down to 1″ wide at the ankle. I started the top cuts 9″ from the top of the leggings and ended them 2″ from the bottom.
After the line is drawn, make markings every 3/4″ on it. This is how far apart your slits will be.
Here is where it can get a bit tricky, but you’ll get the hang of it after the first few cuts. Instead of cutting a straight line at every 3/4″ mark, we’re going to cut a small carrot out. This opens up the slits to show more skin, otherwise you’d have cuts but would hardly see any skin peeking out. You’re going to cut out a small piece so that you’re left with a 1/2″ wide piece on the edge and some space around it. The points of where the cut ends are at the 3/4″ mark on the line you drew. Make sense?
This is what it looks like when you’re done. You can simply brush the chalk off with your hands.
Twitter: palmvintage
says:
love! great diy, will def. try this method on my leggings.
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Twitter: danielatweeting
says:
love this! super easy to do and the final look is awesome.
I love it with those boots, too.
Cute! You’re WORKING these.
xo Josie
http://www.winksmilestyle.com
Thanks so much for the DIY, I love it! I did it and it looks amazing! I note to add though…this can only be done with one seamed leggings. I had seams on both sides, and it wouldn’t have worked. But luckily I found other leggings in my drawer! Thanks again! :)
Twitter: sprinklesprings
says:
Yes, you’re so right! Thank you for pointing that out, I’ll add it to the post.
Twitter: MJ_Beauty
says:
Those look super cute and go great with those boots! Once again, you may DIY look so easy. :)
MJ recently posted..Beauty Blast: Smashbox Shades of Fame Eye Palette
Twitter: indelectalt
says:
just when i thought it was a good idea to send my david lerner slash legging to a consignment shop. now i’m regretting it! great diy!
indielectronicalternative recently posted..a little bit of lace
Twitter: kirstinfoley
says:
You did an awesome job!! I love how you always come up with such great DIY’s for items that people would spend a fortune on!!
Kirstin Marie recently posted..Product Review: Cutey Bracelets
Twitter: davinadonkor
says:
Oh my goodness I’ve been loving those tights on Kendall and Kylie but never wanted to spend that much on them. Thanks for sharing this i’m definitely going to be trying this out!
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I made some of theses back in march or april and i wore them to school and all my friends said i looked like a slut… but i love them so much!!!!! they are so cute!!
It looks great if you add a pair of flower patterned tights underneath, too! Guess made some like that and they’re crazy expensive. SO CUTE!