Part of the attraction of women’s designer jeans is the massive range of finishes available on them. These finishes dramatically alter the appearance of the jeans to give the desired effect. You can alter the color, texture, feel and perceived age of the jeans by using a wide variety of tools. In fact, the denim industry are perpetually creating new finishing techniques all the time. Here are a small selection of those techniques:
Stonewash
This does literally involve washing the jeans with stones. In this instance, pumice stones are used. The stones in the wash rub against the outermost layer of the fabric and make it look more worn. Color typically leaks out and the material fades slightly. Different sizes of pumice stones can be used to give different effects.
Colored
This is a fairly obvious finish and the fabric is dyed to give a new color. This finish can then be combined with others for a different look.
Sand blasted
The jeans are sprayed with sand to give them a fairly heavily worn look. The sand can be directed just at specific areas to localize the effect.
Distressed
These jeans are worn down, frayed and sometimes cut to make them look like you’ve owned them for years. The wear and tear normally is in areas of the jeans that age the most.
Whiskered
These jeans have had abrasion techniques used on them to create the worn lines that older denim has around the knees and crotch. This technique again, makes the jeans look older than they actually are by artificially wearing them down. Sanding or pumice stones can be used for this effect.
Many other techniques exist to alter and customize the finish of your jeans. This all means that we have all the more choice in one of our favorite wardrobe staples.