NYLON - August 2008 - (Page 80) KOVA & T SHOW HOW TO TRANSFORM YOUR JEANS INTO THIS SUMMER’S MOST ESSENTIAL ITEM: THE DENIM JUMPER. BY ANDREA CUSICK. PHOTOGRAPHED BY ERIN BARRY “The idea of shorts with suspenders came about by accident,” says Dasha Zhukova, who along with Christina Tang set up their now cult line Kova & T in 2005. “We were messing around with a pair of pants for Spring ’09 and it just came to us.” The pair— who met at high school in L.A.—are known for reworking classic staples like jeans, T-shirts, and leggings. Their Oxy leggings (the black latex ones you’ve seen on just about everyone) sold out in Barneys several times, and quickly became their signature. But denim has always been a strong part of Kova & T in the form of high-waisted jeans, overalls, and short shorts. Already working on new looks for the following season, the girls admit that this DIY piece inspired them to make something similar for the collection, which gives you almost a year to make it before it becomes the new Oxy. Don’t say we didn’t warn you. Measure 15” from the top of the jeans and mark it with a piece of chalk. Then fold the jeans in half so that the legs match, and cut straight across. JUMP TO IT When sewing the suspenders be sure to do so inside out and sew the straight end closed. Once you’ve finished sewing, take a screwdriver or something similar, and stick it in the closed end to push the right side out. she’s crafty Take the bottom of the shorts and cuff them twice. Match the seams before sewing so that you can sew right on top of the existing thread. Take the two legs left over from the original pant and cut them in half. Use a ruler to draw a 1 ½” line all the way down the half of the leg. Then lay the two halves on top of one another and cut along the marking. These strips will be the suspenders. Try the shorts on to figure out how long you need the straps to be. First tie the spaghetti strap to the front belt loop and then match it to the top of each cross-strap, making a chalk mark where they need to be cut. Sew into place. You’re done! Secure one end of each suspender to the inside back of the shorts. Sew at an angle so that the pieces can be crossed. Then, sew a diamond shape at the point where they meet, and attach the entire Xshaped piece to the seam of the waistband. stylist: christopher brown. model: francesca at vny. top by fred perry, jumper by kova & t, brooch by dee and ricky.
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