DIY Shredded Boots Tutorial

This is a tutorial for how to make shredded boots--not a shredded shirt, not shredded tights or jeans--boots. I've had this old pair of Aerosole go-go boots for years and I don't remember the last time I've worn them. They're classic and fit well, are comfortable, but are so boring. Why not rip them to shreds?

If you don't have a pair of neglected go-go boots to shred, you can find them fairly easily and cheap. They are many pairs on eBay (click!), or you may want to keep an eye out for them at your local thrift stores.

I started by stabilizing mine with duct tape. I took a small piece and taped the front top to the back (or side to side, whatever, it's relative). I did this just to try and keep things straight.

The most important thing is you need to cut a small snip on the folded corner of the boot.

You will insert the scissors in the hole and cut one layer of the boot at a time. This is very important. Do not try to cut the front and back of the boot at the same time. Cut the boot 3/4 of the way around. With my boot, there was a thick seam that made a good stopping point. (By the way, how do you like that brown shag carpet?)

When you finish, the boot should look something like this:

If you want the boot to look like fish gills (which is not necessarily a bad thing), then you could stop there, but we want the slashes to be more pronounced. Snip off every other shred.

Then you should have achieved the stripe effect of these shredded boots. Ta! Your boring boots are now cool and interesting! :) Here is a back view showing how we only cut 3/4 of the way:

And here are the boots in an outfit:

  • Lux top
  • Dress - Glamlist
  • Necklace - Via Christa Chains
  • Wet Seal bright blue tights
  • DIY shredded boots!

    • If you try this yourself, let me know, I'd love to see how your boots come out. :)

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    Other easy DIY posts you might like:

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    Filed in: DIY by Annie Spandex.


    51 Responses to “DIY Shredded Boots Tutorial”

    1. jasna, on January 7th, 2010 at 4:33 am Said:

      I luv ur DIY soo much!!! I had to comment : ) xx

    2. Grant, on January 7th, 2010 at 5:30 am Said:

      I really, really <3 the ensemble posted along with this DIY post.

      It is so freaking chic – I think I’m getting avian flu!

      OK – so that was tremendously lame, but whatever. You look hot and this is a great idea!

      Xx

    3. SugarCube, on January 7th, 2010 at 5:52 am Said:

      I know ! So cool :D

    4. daisychain, on January 7th, 2010 at 8:18 am Said:

      Not sure I’m brave enough to try this, but you did a fab job!

    5. Imogen, on January 7th, 2010 at 8:37 am Said:

      Wow I can’t believe you made these. Great job!

    6. Ali (hello birdy), on January 7th, 2010 at 8:59 am Said:

      ooh, I’m always coming across ‘sensible’ boots like this. Think I must just grab me a pair and get snipping :o )

    7. Sally, on January 7th, 2010 at 9:00 am Said:

      This is completely brilliant! Now, I’ve just gotta track down an old pair of go-go boots …

    8. All Women Stalker, on January 7th, 2010 at 9:58 am Said:

      Hello? Genius! I will never be brave enough to do that so kodus to you. :)

    9. Miss Neira, on January 7th, 2010 at 10:45 am Said:

      So funky! I love!

      Enter to win my vintage purse giveaway!

      http://missneira.blogspot.com/2010/01/haberdash-vintage-giveaway.html

    10. Miss Neira, on January 7th, 2010 at 10:45 am Said:

      Enter to win my vintage purse giveaway!

      http://missneira.blogspot.com/2010/01/haberdash-vintage-giveaway.html

    11. Jillian (Trendology), on January 7th, 2010 at 11:34 am Said:

      Your mind works in such amazing ways!

    12. AlysonIsNeat, on January 7th, 2010 at 11:35 am Said:

      So so so so brave. Love them!

    13. Becky, on January 7th, 2010 at 12:15 pm Said:

      How gorgeous are these?! I really want some now..maybe when it’s warmer than -7 outside?!

    14. Wanderlusting, on January 7th, 2010 at 12:39 pm Said:

      Highly original, Annie. Love it!

    15. fashion therapist, on January 7th, 2010 at 3:20 pm Said:

      AMAZING. This is a great DIY!

    16. fashion therapist, on January 7th, 2010 at 3:20 pm Said:

      AMAZING. This is a great DIY!

    17. Rachael, on January 7th, 2010 at 5:03 pm Said:

      What a great idea!!!!

    18. bryna, on January 7th, 2010 at 5:48 pm Said:

      great job! i wouldn’t have the guts to do this, i know i wouldn’t get it right.

    19. amanda lee, on January 7th, 2010 at 6:54 pm Said:

      These immediately reminded me of the 80%20 cutout boots that I’ve been lusting for – and they made me think of you too! :-D

    20. Chelsea Talks Smack, on January 7th, 2010 at 7:18 pm Said:

      I WANT.

    21. asiancajuns (Cath), on January 7th, 2010 at 9:53 pm Said:

      What a brilliant idea! Thanks for the how-to! Now I just need to make a trip to the thrift so I can shred some boots myself.

    22. Charlie, on January 7th, 2010 at 9:56 pm Said:

      These are amazing but I don’t know if I would have the guts to do it myself! Awesome girl!

    23. Marlena, on January 7th, 2010 at 10:12 pm Said:

      These are so neat!
      At first i thought you were wearing striped tights,
      but shredded boots are even better!
      I will definitely be trying this out, now i just hafta find some boots. ?

    24. districtofchic, on January 7th, 2010 at 10:53 pm Said:

      ummm, that is pretty damn genius

    25. enc, on January 8th, 2010 at 8:41 am Said:

      I love the way you had them twisted in one photo.

      This is a cool idea!

      Happy New Year!

    26. Lisa - Alterity, on January 8th, 2010 at 8:47 am Said:

      Now that is cool! I’ll have to show it to my daughter…we may just be hacking boots over the weekend!

    27. Cara Mia, on January 8th, 2010 at 10:58 am Said:

      you always have the coolest ideas! :)

    28. hannahlizabeth, on January 8th, 2010 at 12:44 pm Said:

      oh my god this is freakin genius! now to find an old pair of boots…

      x

    29. Heather, on January 8th, 2010 at 12:57 pm Said:

      You’d probably have to count me among the people who’d be too chicken to take scissors to a pair of unsuspecting boots, but it really is a fabulous idea. Your’s look great! I may just have to track down an old pair to test drive this out on.

    30. ediot, on January 8th, 2010 at 1:19 pm Said:

      hi darling thanks for stopping by! happY NEW YEAR dear! hope your has started off great.
      very well made diy- youre a really clever and creative girl. have a faB weekend. take care
      xx ediot

    31. Jess, on January 8th, 2010 at 8:24 pm Said:

      great tutortial – i gotta admit they look MUCH more interesting!

    32. Rianna Bethany, on January 9th, 2010 at 12:58 pm Said:

      Absolutely great idea and the outcome looks fab
      Rianna Bethany xxxxxxxx

    33. JT Paradox, on January 9th, 2010 at 11:22 pm Said:

      Thanks for sharing! I love DIY fashion. Anything to break the mold and create something new! (Plus, a fun way to possibly revive old boots)

      - JT Paradox
      http://www.thesfstyle.com/

      xoxo

    34. Adri, on January 10th, 2010 at 12:37 am Said:

      Thats totally ingenious….I think I might just have to try that.

    35. Sophia, on January 10th, 2010 at 9:17 am Said:

      the coolest DIY i’ve seen in a while! sweet. i don’t think i’ll be brave enough to do this for fear of messing up though. we’ll see :)

    36. Valencia Lia, on January 10th, 2010 at 11:13 pm Said:

      Wowwww,I’ve never thought of shredded boots before but it surely seems so gorgeous !! That’s soooo cool!

    37. Lucia, on January 11th, 2010 at 3:58 am Said:

      I love your blog, you always give me good ideas !!! so…. thank you, thank you and thank you!!!!!!!
      I invite you to visit this website http://www.mintmelon.com It´s a special spanish fashion brand, I think you’ll like it, they send all around the world. It´ll be a great experience for you.

    38. Style with Benefits, on January 11th, 2010 at 2:17 pm Said:

      Love this idea. It’s so creative and inventive. I have a similar pair of old boots that may need this DIY. Thanks for the inspiration!

      xo, Becs

    39. Mabel and Zora, on January 11th, 2010 at 8:44 pm Said:

      Why not shredded boots. So cool.

    40. dreamsequins, on January 11th, 2010 at 11:52 pm Said:

      Amazing. Was the leather hard to cut? I remember seeing some House of Holland boots for like $800 or something, similar strappy to these… but yours are much more street chic! xx

    41. Stella, on January 12th, 2010 at 9:52 am Said:

      This and you are so fantastic and creative! :)

    42. WendyB, on January 12th, 2010 at 1:53 pm Said:

      I’m not brave enough to attack leather!

    43. Cammila, on January 12th, 2010 at 2:42 pm Said:

      As usual, you totally bring the heat! This is such a cool, creative idea. Amazing!

    44. Annie Spandex, on January 13th, 2010 at 4:20 am Said:

      Thank you all for commenting! I can’t wait to see your versions. I’d love to see one with even finer shredding than I did. And for those afraid to try it–go for it! You can do it. And go-go boots are cheap and easy to come by. Like I said, I’ve had mine for years but haven’t worn them in forever, so I really had nothing to lose. Maybe you have a pair of boots that you haven’t given away yet, but never wear. Rip them up! And send me pictures or links. ;) xx

    45. Annie Spandex, on January 13th, 2010 at 4:24 am Said:

      Oh, and dreamsequins – I’ve never found leather to be difficult to cut, but I’ve only attempted on soft leather or a single layer of relatively thin leather. It could be difficult on very thick leather. I’ve never had a problem though. (I also once hacked a pair of boots into ankle booties.)

    46. susie_bubble, on January 17th, 2010 at 3:20 pm Said:

      I’m not brave enough to hack into leather either…. what kind of industrial scissors did you have to use?

    47. Mary - Retro Threadz, on January 18th, 2010 at 7:21 am Said:

      That is such a amazing idea. I love how they turned out.
      Off to get some boots
      Thanks for sharing the tutorial

    48. Annie Spandex, on January 18th, 2010 at 7:55 pm Said:

      susie_bubble – I just used normal sharp sewing or all-purpose scissors. I recommend using soft leather or vegan materials. There’s no harm in hacking into a cheap pleather boot ;)

      Mary – Thanks! Let me know when you finish yours. I’d love to see.

    49. Sexy Victoria, on January 28th, 2010 at 10:56 am Said:

      I run a Lingerie website and I love the colours on your website. It has given me a lot of fresh ideas. Thanks. Check out my Valentines Day Lingerie Website if you got time – http://tinyurl.com/ycyjopf

    50. Annie Spandex, on March 10th, 2010 at 2:20 am Said:

      Lol.. I didn’t mean to look like a zombie in the pic. :) Oops!

    51. streamy, on October 6th, 2010 at 4:21 am Said:

      Yet another awesome post, really great to read your blog! Keep up the good work!

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