Since I’ve been home all the time, my hobbies have evolved from shopping and going to bars and restaurants to making things like homemade ice cream and the DIY distressed t-shirt featured in this post.
I am an unapologetic shopaholic, but in these trifling times, retail therapy as a habit has waned a whole lot. For one thing, I am working from home, so I don’t need to buy clothes or get dressed every day if I don’t want to. And no, I don’t want to. If I did, thankfully I have enough in my closet to choose from. Also, although some non-essential businesses are open and accessible in LA, it’s not worth risking exposure to the virus for anything unnecessary.
Make no mistake: I’ve purchased a couple of things during quarantine, but I ain’t got it like that; brands are really out here charging $80 for basic t-shirts with holes in them. And since I’ve got time, and I’m fiscally conservative, instead of jumping to click “buy” on the said t-shirt with holes, I decided to give myself something “new” by upcycling an olive green t-shirt I bought from LOFT several years ago. It’s one of those things that’s been sitting my donation bag forever and I keep retrieving it because I love the color. And whenever I touch it, I still feel sparks of joy. Since I can’t let it go, I can crop and distress it, to give myself a new way to wear it this fall.
The rest of the stuff in the donation bag can stay there, but I stay vetting anything that can be distressed. I made these cutoffs a few summers ago from an old pair of Levi’s and now they’re a closet staple that I’m never getting rid of (at least as long as I can fit them.)

With a pair of scissors and a creative spirit, it is possible to distress jeans, t-shirts, sweaters, etc. to create your own unique style with clothes you already own!