How to Give Your Denim a Makeover Without Spending a Dime

Pull your baggy jeans down as low as they go and strap on a belt to show where they sit on your waist. The look is coolest with a graphic tee, a structured blazer, and some sort of heel.

Keep things relaxed up top, but make your legs appear prim and polished when you tuck your skinnies into pointy boots.

Don't knock it till you try it. Affected denim is everywhere, so why not make them do a double take by turning one of your lighter-wash pairs inside out?

Don't give it all away. Your look will appear so much more effortless and laid-back when you "hide" a statement shoe, then draw attention back to it with a subtle fold at the hem.

Denim doesn't always have to be the focal point of your look. But when someone notices your jeans breaking up a few special separates, they'll know you considered every last detail.

Work with your fringed, bohemian separates and complete with a sporty pair of jeans that have a stripe or a baggy fit.

If you have paper-bag pants that accentuate your waist, wear them with pink accessories and heels. And if you have pink denim, now's the time to wear it proudly and show off your girlie side.

This helps you pull off the sporty look. Think of it as a makeshift tracksuit.

Forget symmetry. Clasp a loose pair of jeans in the wrong place to make your look appear kind of, well, "off."

If you've got a pair with holes at the knees, go ahead and shred them further.

Forget side slits; install a zipper into your favorite jeans, or just gash them with scissors.

Match your jeans to your denim shirt perfectly, tucking in your top so that your whole look flows.

Affix a loose chain to the front of your jeans and loop it around to the back. With the addition of a printed wrap top, your look will be transformed and eccentric.

Have a pair of superlong jeans you never got around to tailoring or attacking with scissors? Just cuff 'em! Make the look as exaggerated as possible.

Is it tights? Funky socks? Perhaps a pair of knitted sock boots? Make them all want to know.

OK, the deconstructed denim trend means that "layered effect" trousers like these are for sale. But if you have a pair of supertight stretch skinnies, you can achieve the look yourself with pieces you already own.

We've been saying this for ages, but in 2018, you better remember that your white jeans are season-less.

Even if your own jeans don't come equipped with buttons on buttons, affix metal keychains to the belt loops or DIY it and glue on some jewels.

Forgo a belt and weave a functional bag through the loops.

Whether you strap a superthin scarf around your waist or invest in a buckle belt is no matter. Just make sure your accessory's long enough to draw attention to your jeans, which should be as deconstructed, distressed, or upturned as they've ever been.

This look veers on the "'90s mom" side of the trends. Work one of her old tweed blazers into your outfit to really drive home the point.

Coordinate your widest leg with a long, flowing tunic and oversize jacket.

Don't put on your jeans. Put on a complete outfit — like a dress, a handbag, and adorable booties — then throw on your live-in denim underneath as a final surprise for passersby to muse over.

Roll up your high-waisted jeans, strap on a belt that looks like it could've come off the Versace runway, and pull out your dad sneakers.