DIY: High-Low Flannel Shirt!!

Ahh, the ever-polarizing "high-low" trend.  Remember when the mullet skirt/dress first debuted and people either loved it or despised it?  Well, recently this controversial style has transitioned from the bottom to the top.  More and more shirts have been sporting this cut in recent seasons, and it doesn't look like it's going anywhere anytime soon.  It even made an appearance on good ol' Ky-Jen last month:

There's absolutely no reason to be dropping big bucks on something this trendy and easy to recreate.  I doubt it'll be around forever, so why waste money on investing in a nice piece?  Instead, head to your local thrift store, pick up a long and oversized flannel, and get to cutting!

Once you have all your materials, it only takes about 10 minutes start-to-finish.. seriously!  Tutorial after the jump!

What You Need:

Oversized flannel shirt

Chalk

Scissors

How-To:

1.  Lay out your big flannel on a flat surface!  I recommend buying a men's flannel in two or three sizes bigger than what would actually fit you, preferably in the "tall" version.  The one I used is an XL-Tall that I found at my local thrift shop, and was only $5.  Five dollars!!  I picked it up not really sure what I was going to do with it (I considered turning it into a dress -- it went down all the way to my knees!), but knew there would be a good way to use it!

2.  With a piece of chalk (yes.. mine is shaped like a crayon.. judge me.), mark the length where you want the front of your flannel to end.  I recommend trying the shirt on and marking it when it's on your body, so you know exactly how it's going to lay.  I ended mine right about where a regular slightly-oversized flannel would hit -- about where my high-waisted cut off jean shorts end.

3.  Since we're working with a button-down shirt, this should be relatively universal.  With the chalk, mark a line at both side seams about one button's length up from the mark where the end of the shirt will be.  My first mark was right below the last button, so I marked where the button second from the bottom is.  This is to make a nice curved-edge at the bottom "hem" of the front of the shirt, like what you'd see in a typical button-down style shirt.

4.  With the chalk, connect the first mark and the second mark with a curved line.  Do this on both sides!

5.  Now, cut!  Make sure that you are only cutting the top layer of the shirt!!  This is essential for the high-low style!  Start cutting each side where the button and holes are in the middle of the shirt, and continue cutting along the curved line you made with the chalk.  Stop cutting right at the side seam (but cut through it, just to the back-side of the shirt).  Don't worry about making a perfectly straight cut -- I think the jagged edges gives the shirt a little more character.  After all, this is a pretty "grunge-y" style!

6.  Fold over the flaps of fabric your cuts just made, and trim the flaps off!  Starting at the bottom of the back side of the shirt, a few inches away from the side seam, cut all the way up to the end of the last cut.  Repeat on both sides so both flaps of fabric are removed.  

And that's it!

I love this look so much!  You can either tuck the entire front in, tuck one side in, or keep the whole shirt untucked.  It looks great with shorts, skinny jeans, boyfriend jeans, leggings.. you name it.  I plan on wearing this tucked into some high waisted distressed skinnies for the fall, and pairing it with black booties and a black floppy hat.  It would also look great with black leggings and a cropped denim jacket over the top.  But the outfit possibilities are endless!  And yes, you could even rock a Kylie-inspired look and wear some thigh-high black boots and black booty shorts.. if you dare.

xojaybee