Make Your Own Customised Board Shorts
Board shorts were originally designed for surfers but these days they’re worn by everyone from grannies to toddlers. These days they are beachwear essentials, even if you’re not a surfer. Although summer is still a few months away I’m already thinking about my summer wardrobe and thought I’d share a little inspiration to make a pair of board shorts.
The most simple way to make a pair of board shorts is to take a worn out pair of jeans and simply cut off the legs above the knee.To make these really simply you don’t really need to hem the legs. Let them fray as this just adds to their character.
Unfortunately wet denim can be quite heavy and abrasive so this style of homemade board shorts is not likely to be suitable for surfing or other water sports. But they look really cool with a vest or t-shirt, a pair of flip flops and a cool pair of sunglasses.
To customise your new shorts with a few neat embellishments you will need to be useful with a needle and thread. One of my favourite customisation touches is to remove the rear pockets and replace them with some brightly colored material. I also like to add a few decals and patches to them and sometimes I embroider the front pocket edges. I then wear the shorts with a long silk scarf threaded through the waist band as a belt. My boyfriend really loves the way these custom, homemade board shorts look when I wear them.
An alternative to denim jeans is to start with a pair of suit trousers. These can look really cool when cut down into board shorts, with a few embellishments. You will need to hem most old suit trousers to stop them coming apart. As for the denim board shorts, I always add a few personalized touches. You might like to add some handy side pockets made from brightly colored material or maybe embeillish the waist band.
You can find plenty of old trousers at your nearest charity shop. You will find plenty of old trousers to choose from, ideal for recycling into a fresh and funky pair of board shorts.