How to MAKE your own Split Harem Pants …in the style of Cheryl Cole

Photo Copyright: ITV.com

One of the clearest trends we’ve observed this past week has been the HUGE amount of interest in getting hold of Cheryl’s slit harem pants trousers. As Sarah wrote when she contacted us a couple of days ago:

I need to know where I can get some of those pants Cheryl was wearing for her performance on the x factor this week

We previously told you that the originals worn by Cheryl are from Balmain and are available to buy online at Luisaviaroma. However, if your budget is more modest, we can suggest you might want to look at some of the below harem pants available on the High St.

La Redoute BA&SH Harem Pants £59
La Redoute All-in-one with Harem Pants and Detachable Straps £39
Dorothy Perkins Saints of Soul Harem Pants ! was £30, now £5 !
Karen Millen Jersey Harem Pants £89.95
Ted Baker Harem Pants £99
All Saints Zethus Harem Pants £55
Miss Selfridge Black Harem Pants £25

However, as none of these have the side slit (which – let’s face it – is the feature you are looking for), we asked award-winning designer and film costumier Dawn Wood, of Leeds-based Ages of Elegance, to provide some expert sewing tips and advice on how adapt any of these so that they truly become slit harem pants.

Sewing Expert Dawn Wood says:

To turn an ordinary pair of harem trousers into split side ones like Cheryl’s is very simple, once you know how.

We show you some very simple steps to achieve this…. read more…

There are 2 methods for the first part of the process, depending on how your harem trousers are originally made.

Method 1.  If your trousers come with a side seam then this a little easier. Simply decide how long you want your slit to be, and taking a small pair of scissors or unpicker snip the stitches to unpick to the desired length. If the seams are overlocked you will also have to unpick this separately, taking care not to tear the fabric.

If you  stop about 3” from the top and bottom of where you want to finish your slit and then carefully loosen the threads rather than snipping them off you can then tie them together to make a knot, or threading a needle overstitch a few times to stop the seam from coming undone.

Method 2. If your trousers are cut with just an inner seam, then lay them flat, matching front crotch seam to back crotch seam and folded down the side edge. Iron this edge flat and then carefully cut down the crease to within ½” of where you want the slit to start and finish.

You then need to neaten the edge. You can do this by turning under the raw edge to the inside and then back in on itself so it is hidden, and then using a slip stitch sew all the way around the edge.  You could even put some ribbon or other trim down each side for a final touch.

Dawn Wood