How to Hem Your Pants Like A Tailor

Thirteen-year-old me grabbed a pair of scissors and hacked a pair of shorts that were way too ugly. My mom feared the moment I cut across layers of denim. Though I was no pro, I acted like one. Countless sewing lessons later, I still am learning how to do it like a tailor.

Through the years, I’ve always cut my pants across the leg by either folding it and cutting across the legs or using a ruler to draw, then cut. While both methods were my go-tos for quick fixes, I realized that sometimes, the symmetry wasn’t right. To get the hems even, my grandma used this one trick from her book that I will show you on my Reel:

Miaou Raven Cargo Pant: https://rvlv.me/Ze5Oty

Michelle VarinataLeave a comment

How to Alter Your Sweatpants

Sorry I’ve been off the grid here, but rest assured I’ve been keeping myself busy!

Lately, I’ve been reconnecting with my sewing machine and it’s the one thing that has been keeping me busy apart from dates, endless bingeing of Love is Blind, playdates with Chili, lunches with friends and family time.

In case you didn’t know, I learned how to sew when I was 16, but didn’t really get back into it until 2017! I took sewing classes for a few years until covid hit in 2020. Rather than let it slip from my grasp, I’ve taken up some time to sew. Though I have yet to learn how to make clothes on my own, I’ve been quietly reworking ’em.

Purchased on December 2021, I was swooning over Miaou’s low rise Dita sweatpants, which feature cute O rings and a bootcut silhouette. However, they were too big on me as I have narrow hips. Even though I’m a size XS/S, the cuts of Miaou tend to run big at the hips since it’s cut for those who have wider hips.

Check out my Reel on how I altered it!

Miaou Dita Pants: https://rvlv.me/Ucvsdo

Michelle VarinataLeave a comment

Grunge, But Make It Grown

It wasn’t a phase. Twelve years after lurking through Tumblr and hiding behind my laptop scrolling through weekly Rookie Mag posts on the daily in high school, Grunge Michy is back!

When I first tried out the grunge trend, I was all about hiding my curves as I felt shy about my body. Rather than going the Kurt Cobain route, I wanted to copy Courtney Love’s style with the slip dresses, babydoll silhouettes and Mary-Jane shoes. However, I grew to like the striped shirts, distressed jeans, Docs and messy hair that embodied the grunge spirit. Though fashion at that time was still heavily gendered, grunge was uniquely unisexy as the shapes and aesthetic were purely utilitarian, not fashion.

If there was one book that got me invested in grunge, it’s Michael Lavine’s Grunge, which explained the visual origins of the style as an offshoot of punk in the ’80s. Published in the era of street style, Lavine’s book made me realize that grunge had a strong chokehold for being gender neutral.

Though I haven’t been dressing grungy for the past couple of years, I guess my high school self was ready to come out when I went out for a family lunch last weekend:

Most pieces are vintage, but you can cop the look with these links below:

Sweater dupe:

AllSaints Lou Sparkle Sweater – https://rvlv.me/e7ZxYt

Top dupes:

LaQuan Smith Bustier – https://rvlv.me/NVAKQ9

Superdown Ashleigh Cami Bodysuit – https://rvlv.me/i51xtP

Jeans dupes/exact:

EB Denim Lace Up Jeans – https://rvlv.me/lLFCaB

AFRM Sylar Jeans – https://rvlv.me/BD92eN

Boots dupe:

Dr. Martens 1460 Vegan Metallic Boots – https://www.zalora.sg/dr-martens-dr-martens-1460-vegan-silver-chrome-paint-metallic-grey-1620358.html

Michelle VarinataLeave a comment